The Coin that Traveled the World

Greetings!

We're back in Nepal

(This is the hospital and school, with Banepa in the background.)

...after a wonderful family vacation!

This coin (showing it and the flip side here)

is the one in the title.

OK, the recap:

First we flew to  Doha

(photo credit:  hok.com)


(photo credit:  qatar.to)

and then to Miami.  Yes, it's a loooong flight!

(photo credit:  http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com)

Next we were on our way to Paraguay, via Sao Paulo.

(photo credit:  routesonline.com)


(photo credit:  stepmap.de)

For those who may recall, Ramon's mom is very ill, and that visit was very important.
However, visiting our family and friends there was fantastic and the time flew by too quickly!

As we waited to board in the airport in Asuncion, we enjoyed listening to this fellow,
who often is there in the departure lounge.

So we flew back to Miami, via Sao Paulo again, then on to Maryland,

(photo credit:  collegiate-empowerment.org)

where we got in more visits
with family and friends, and we wouldn't trade those visits for anything!

The snow was an added bonus!

Before we knew it, it was time to fly back to Nepal!

First we had to go back to Miami.
Then of course, backtracking, we flew to Doha, and then Kathmandu.
As I've mentioned before, to visit our families, there and back, it's over 29.000 miles.

Well, we FINALLY landed in Kathmandu, put our luggage on a luggage cart, and Ramon
threw his Scottevest jacket, yes, the one with 17 pockets, onto the luggage.
The flap that covers the zipper opened up.
There it was--a Paraguayan 1000 Guarani coin--sticking to the magnet!

Now, that is a REAL magnet!  That coin had to have been there since we were in Paraguay!
We certainly didn't use Paraguayan Guarani currency anywhere else!
He wore the jacket on every flight, and even put it up in the overhead compartment at least once.
OK, so that coin stayed stuck to that magnet from:
Asuncion to Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo to Miami
Miami to Baltimore
Baltimore to Miami
Miami to Doha
Doha to Kathmandu

MAN!  I'm not sure that Scottevest knows it has such strong magnets!

Yes, Ramon loves his jacket, and his only complaint is the same one others have--
with so many pockets, it's hard to remember where he put things!

Well, if you're in the market for a jacket with pockets and magnets,
we recommend checking out Scottevest's jackets!

Have a nice and blessed day!

We made it...29,619 miles!

Hello!

OK, it's about time that I get back to what's happening in the Himalayas.
However, we haven't been in the Himalayas most of this time.

Soon after I last posted, I had been working on a new post called, 

"We made it...through the winter!" I am now updating this post to, "We made it...29,619 miles!"  More about that in a minute.
Now, making it through the winter was exciting for all of us in Nepal,
after going through the winter without heat because of the fuel crisis.

You can only imagine how happy we all our to have our nice spring weather--

especially those who have been living, and still are, in temporary housing since the earthquake.

For example, here you can see that this family is living only in their bottom floor and using an outdoor makeshift "room" as an extension.

Here are some others without a building and somehow they are making due.

Imagine living this way for a year--and through a very cold winter!  I'm looking at it and can't imagine it.  The monsoon rains are starting, and this is not going to be fun.

Anyway, so there we were, enjoying the beginnings of spring, when everything changed.

In. a. minute.

Ramon's mom suffered a very massive stroke.  One week and a day later we were in Paraguay.
It takes three days to travel there, so four days after the stroke we were on our way, clocking in 14.661 miles.  We really appreciated the fact that we were given permission to run.  Here is a picture of our beautiful view from the airplane as we pulled up over the clouds of Kathmandu!

Providentially, a visiting team from the U.S. was coming the next week to do uterine prolapse surgeries and they brought an anesthesiologist!  Then, an anesthesiologist from Kathmandu agreed to come twice a week, and a retired anesthesiologist from Austria (who comes when we're on vacation) dropped everything to come back to help out!  This meant that there were no worries with the anesthesia services.  What a blessing!

OK, so our time in Paraguay was filled with taking care of all the concerns involved with my mother-in-law, who is now basically paralyzed.  We visited many homes and chose one which was highly recommended that we are very satisfied with.  More importantly, she is satisfied with it.  Of course, her situation is very dire and very uncomfortable and we are all sad.  She can't talk or eat or swallow any more or move very much at all.  She has to be fed through a nose tube.  Ramon put a pen in her hand, thinking she could write messages, but she couldn't hold it.  She could hold our hands though, and as Ramon held her hand this day, he remembered holding her hand as a little boy when she walked him to school!

We appreciate all the prayers for her comfort.  We're very thankful for all the family and friends in Paraguay who are taking the time to visit her, even though they are very busy.  Thanks!  We enjoyed reconnecting and visiting with all of you!

Ramon was asked to give a couple of speeches,

a couple of sermons,

and talked briefly on the radio that he usually talks on via Skype.

While we were there, it was fall.  We packed for fall weather.  However, little did we realize that an Indian Summer heat wave would be in full swing!  I mean FULL SWING!  It was close to 100 F. every day and too hot to wear a watch!  The humidity was worse than Nepal's humidity during the monsoon.  Now, the monsoon's humidity has been strong enough to bring back to life a plant I had that had died!  I'm serious--that really happened!  Anyway, my hair frizzed like Monica's on Friends in the episode where they go to the Caribbean!  (It really was almost like this!)

(photo credit:  youtube.com)

I put it up, but the stragglers frizzed big time.  Oh well.  It was what it was!

Somehow, that difficult month came to an end, and we left Mama in the capable hands of
her caretakers and the Lord.  Two weeks of R and R with my family in Maryland, traveling 6,012 miles to get there, was just what the doctor ordered!  We rested and visited and shopped and
ate fun food!

However, the absolute best and most incredible part of the trip to Maryland was discovering the joys of being a great-aunt and great-uncle!  It's wonderful!  I loved watching my niece being a mother and my sister being a grandmother and my mother being a great-grandmother!  Precious!

Those two weeks flew by, and what seemed like a blink later, had us putting in 8,946 miles back to Nepal!  So that's how we made it through 29,619 miles, and nine flights, since the last post!  We were so thankful to land, since turbulence had us circling the airport for about 40 minutes.  Ugh!

More pictures of our trip coming soon!

OK, so everything here is the same.  We're back to work, and calling it our "vacation" since our vacation wasn't a real vacation!  :)

Aftershocks are continuing--yesterday's was about #460 above four on the Richter Scale:  https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/light-aftershock-ml-4-4-jolts-sindhupalchok/
No, you don't get used to them.

Landslides continue:  https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/landslide-obstructs-vehicular-movement-along-ki-singh-highway/ 

Very difficult.  Look how many there have been (and there have been a few more since this article was written on May 20):  https://thehimalayantimes.com/environment/gorkha-quake-caused-4312-landslides-in-nepal-report/

Leopards continue to "visit" the city...Yikes!!!  https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/lack-prey-pushing-leopards-city/

We appreciate all the prayers and know that we are praying too!

Have a nice day!!!

R & R 2014--Part 2

Hi!

Man, time is flying by for us!  What about you?
Are you finding it as hard to believe as I am that January is over???
How can that be?! 

We trust that you are enjoying 2015!
At this rate, for me at least, before I know it, 2016 will be here!

Well, here and there the holiday spirit is still evident here in Nepal!

New Year's Day was not a holiday here and it was just business as usual!

New Year's Day here is in April.  If you missed my first post about our first new year in Nepal
(in 2011),
you can read it here:  http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Since the holiday season just ended not too long ago, we are missing our family and friends--

and remembering the lovely vacation we had just a few months ago!

Two posts ago (if you missed it, click here),

I posted about the first part of our vacation which was in Paraguay.

This post will be about the second part of our vacation, which was in the States.

We arrived on my mom's birthday and took her out to eat with my sister
and family and Mom's sister.

How fun it was to just "fall in" to family life after a year's absence!

Of course, since we now have Skype, we can "pop in" for a visit
whenever we have time. which is SUCH A BLESSING!!!,

Back in the '80s, when my folks lived in Swaziland, Africa,
we never even imagined that such a thing would be possible!
One day I'll post about those "olden" days!

Halloween was coming up, so Ramon was able to make a new friend!

This also meant the leaves were changing...

and it was nice to see my flag by this beautiful tree.

This was right across the street from my mom's library in Williamsport, Maryland.
You know how all along many roads in America you see historical signs
and you never stop to read them!
Well, I got to read this one, as it's right where you park you car to go to the library!

If I learned the information on it waaaay back in History class, I certainly had forgotten it!
One day we'll set out to read all the signs we see! It's interesting!

Naturally, eating out was a fun part of  our vacation!
(Especially eating salad!)

We went with my uncle,

aunts and mom to a favorite Mexican restaurant (El Rancho--if you're
ever in Hagerstown, MD, and get a hankering for Mexican, we recommend it)
on the day that a Mariachi band was playing!

My aunts had to shout to hear each other!

It was a lot of fun!  They took two of Ramon's requests!
Some of the songs were familiar to me (like La Cucaracha!),
but Ramon knew all of them!

Have you heard of Waterford, Virginia?
It's a town that's a National Historic Landmark!
Every October they host the Waterford Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit
and we got to attend this year!  Yeah!
If you know me, you'll know I love these kinds of things!
To read more about the town, visit their website:
]http://www.waterfordvillage.org/

Even though it rained off and on (yes, we had brought our umbrellas),
we enjoyed walking around the town.

 Yes, we often looked at the map like these folks are doing!

Look...

and listen!  Street musicians!

Here are some of the homes we got to go inside of!
Yes, we had to wait in line, but it was worth it.
You know when you always say, "Boy, I wonder what that house looks like inside?"
Well, if you come to Waterford in October, you can find out--
sorry, no photos allowed inside!

Did we stop here?  You bet!  Yum!

Here are the craft exhibits--always fun to see!

Nah, this time we didn't buy anything...had to think about suitcase weight!

However, we DID go shopping (as often as possible!!!) and we DID find one or two things to buy!

I super enjoyed seeing mall playgrounds--I dreamed of bringing one back
for the little ones here!

Look at this:

After one year's absence from the U.S., I discovered that you can't just
buy a box of Wheat Thins or Triscuits anymore!  It's a big decision now!
I had no idea!  I experienced system overload and just got the original flavor!

The very best part of our vacation, of course, is when we visit our family and friends!

My cousin's granddaughter is now running and it was hard to get a picture of her
that wasn't blurred!  It was sure fun playing with her though!

All too soon we had to say goodbye and before we knew it we were back in Nepal,

among the now familiar scenes.

You can only imagine how happy I was to see my little sweeties as they ran to greet me!
(Sorry it's blurry, but don't you love the looks on their faces as they look at me?!)

Here's the whole school with a Thank You sign I made for some of our donors.

Ramon's been very busy, but he wouldn't have it any other way!
Here he is at a goodbye dinner for the visiting volunteer ENT Team from
Hong Kong Adventist Hospital.

The visiting volunteer medical teams relieve a lot of suffering
and we are very thankful that they are able to come.

If you missed the previous post about the other teams that came recently,
click here:  http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2014/12/happenings-at-hospital.html

Well, please enjoy a wonderful February, take care, and God bless!
Until next time!