Here we are bright-eyed and excited, ready to depart for our first overnight bus ride.
The first stop in our adventure was to a mountain side pagoda where many of the people in our country come to pray. The journey to this site included a five hour bus ride, a thirty minute ride in the back of a truck up part of the mountain, and then the girls and I were carried in a sedan chair another thirty minutes up to the top of the mountain while Elliott hiked. Here is one picture of the cutest little mountain climber you ever saw and two of us in front of the big rock.
The next part of our journey took us back down the mountain and then on a four hour bus ride to the capital of the southern state. Elliott spent two days doing teaching in this city. The girls made lots of new friends. We also rode in the back of a lot of pick up trucks.
Now the adventure story would not be complete without taking a second to share one of the fun realities of traveling in our country, the squatty-potty. I was able to do my best to avoid using the squatty while traveling, but when an almost three year old has to go potty, you go where you have to go. Aubrie did great and didn't really question any of the squatty's she had to use. I thought I would take a picture of one of the squatty's so that you could truly appreciate where she had to go, and it only cost 12 cents!
We decided to change things up for the next leg of our trip and take a boat up the river to our next destination. We had heard that the scenery was beautiful and that the cheap ride was only five hours. Well after seven and a half hours and one engine failure, we finally made it to the next city. We were more than ready to get off the boat, but all in all, it was a good experience. We were able to ask some people on the boat to take the only family picture we got on our trip.
We left early the next morning to get on our final seven hour bus ride back to our home. The first part of the trip was a little rough as everyone on the back of the bus, little Kate included, got car-sick. Here is a picture of us before that last bus ride home. Not quite as bright-eyed as when we left, but we were full of fun family memories that we will never forget.
