Himalayan Happenings: We're BA-ACK! (R & R 2014 Part 1)

Hi! Long time, no post! Why? Well, we've been on vacation!

It was finally time to get in some R and R with our families and friends! We love our work in Nepal, and we're devoted fans of Skype, but now and then you've got to reconnect personally with loved ones. I'm happy to report that this vacation was the first one in I don't even remember when that our luggage arrived at each stop with us! We almost didn't know what to do as we wheeled past the other folks waiting for their luggage!

I'm also happy to report that the airport in Doha now has a hotel (and a rather nice one!) in the transit area! Wow, it's so nice and convenient to shower and sleep while on a long layover and not have to go through customs. You just walk over and check in. Here's how the subtitles looked on the TV.

Well, after a stopover in Miami, with shopping included, of course,

where we stopped at one of our favorite stores, the Bass Pro Shop,

we headed on down to Paraguay, where it was spring.

Beautiful!

One fun thing we did was to go to a meeting of the Senior Boy Scouts.

(...and by this I mean Senior Citizens! (smile) ...well mostly seniors anyway!)

They have quite a nice group for former scouts and their families and they meet regularly.

We were lucky that we were able to "hit" a meeting!

One interesting thing to note about Ramon's Boy Scout days is that when he was about 20, he got to be a part of a staff cultural trade program with the U.S. Scouts. Guess where, in the whole United States, he was sent to? Yes, Ohio, and to the exact Boy Scout camp that my father went to when he was a boy! How cool is that?

Anyway, as usual, we also "hit" the malls in Asuncion, including this one,
which is one of our favorites.

Here's the bakery at the closest grocery store to our house.

Yes, their bread is delicious!

Also as usual, Ramon had the sermon at a couple of churches.

This is the church he attended during childhood. Some people still call him "Ramoncito!" It has recently been remodeled and looks beautiful!

At the other church he spoke at (and gave a presentation about Nepal), he was given a pin of appreciation (I was too!).

He also gave a talk and presentation about Nepal to the nursing students at the nursing school associated with Sanatorio Adventista de Asuncion (Adventist Hospital of Asuncion).

Back in the day, waaaay back when he was young (smile), there were no Adventist schools in Paraguay, so he's very happy to see the kids able to study there in their hometown.

Of course, one of the fun things to do on vacation is eating out! We always go to this restaurant while we are in Asuncion--Bolsi.

As the sign says, they "have the best food south of Plymouth Rock!"

Yes, the food really is good and they have a great selection. We like to go there because it has a special memory for Ramon as it's the first restaurant he remembers eating at! You can sit at the bar

or go into the dining room, which I don't have a picture of at my fingertips. (This means we ate at the bar this time, and I don't feel like looking through old pictures for the dining room pics!)

Another place we always go to is Bellini's Pasta Bar in downtown Asuncion. (Again, don't want to search for old pics...) It's a great place where you can pick your own pasta and your own sauce and toppings--plus they have great salads--yeah! However, my favorite thing there (which I have mentioned before in this blog) is this: