The beginning of July brought Jack
and Melinda, John’s parents, to our side of the world. It is always a big treat to have friends or
family visit us in Barat. It makes our
stories more real to them and encourages us to have them physically present in
our lives, even if for a short while. We
spent almost a week showing them around Barat.
It was perfect timing as the boys were also on break from both local and
home schooling.
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Grammy and Evangeline
We spent the first couple days in the big city; shopping and just enjoying one another's company.
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A cave with ancient pictures.
On our way home to Barat we stopped at a local tourist attraction which we had not seen before.
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| Whitman and Grampy |
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| Caedmon and Whitman |
We spent a week together in Barat, showing Jack and Melinda around the places we most spend our time.
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Our Land
We spent a morning visiting the site where we are building a home and hope to live.
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| Visiting with the builders and neighbors |
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| Caedmon and Grammy in our home |
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Grampy
Caedmon and Whitman recently acquired two lizards as pets. When we leave town, the gentleman who gave them to the boys takes care of them for us. This man has many other reptiles at his home.
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| Grammy buying vegetables from the traveling vegetable seller. |
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In front of a Pine Tree
We took a hike with John's English students to a hill outside of town. It was weird to see pine needles and pine cones, then look out and see palm trees, who knew they could live in the same area.
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Our Hike
The hills outside of town are where many of the vegetables for the market are grown.
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Lunch with English Students
We ate at our favorite restaurant right on the beach about 20 minutes outside of town.
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After our time together in Barat,
we all traveled to Ho Chi Minh City for a bit of vacation and history from the
Vietnam War.
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| Caedmon and Whitman relaxing by the pool. |
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| Seeing the sites in town |
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| At the war museum. |
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| French influence from colonial days |
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Reunification Palace
This was the presidential palace of the south during the war.
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| Evangeline hanging out with Grampy |
Our Family
We visited tunnels that were used in the war.
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Jack in a tunnel
They have been made larger for visitors.
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| Melinda in a tunnel |
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Continental Hotel: the place many reports stayed or worked during the war.
Appears in the movie "A Quiet American"
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| Walking a more traditional local street |
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| In front of the Opera House |
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| Evangeline passing time in the airport, such a great traveler! |
Returning home from vacation is
always difficult. Our vacations have many
of the commodities and conveniences, such as hot showers, flushing toilets, western
food, and constant air-conditioning that we do not have in Barat. But even more then returning to the lack of familiar
conveniences, we returned home without the grandparents. Though we are saddened to be without them, it
makes us that much more thankful for the time we were able to spend together
and their willingness to travel far!
