Hey friends and family- this is a possible virus warning

Hey everyone,

Something is strange with my email account and I was informed from a friend that he received an email from me that I never sent.  Please do not open any emails from me that seem out of the ordinary or that may have any links attached to them (I NEVER SEND EMAILS WITH LINKS).

Sorry for the inconvenience and I am in the process of figuring out this issue.

Thanks,

Eddie

Fwd: The Denver Post: Asian bistro boosting Buena Vista's flavor

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to share this with all of you.  Thank you to all of you for your endless support, compassion, and guidance.  In some way all of you have helped me become the person I am today and have eased the path to attaining an unimaginable dream.

Peace and much love,

Eddie

Asian bistro boosting Buena Vista's flavor

It can be easy to forget the turn onto Main Street that takes travelers into downtown Buena Vista (located at the only stoplight on U.S. 24).  View Full Story

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Home, sweet snowy Home!!

Welcome signs abounded in the Philippines!!







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The docs on the mission







On the way to Lucmayan, Guimaras, a village devastated by an oil spill 1 1/2 years ago!




I'm home!! I landed in Denver on SuperBowl Sunday after about 20 hours of flying, the first leg of which was the scariest flight of my adult life. For what seemed like an hour, but was probably about five minutes, the plane felt like it was flying through a blender. Luckily, Betty, the sweet Philippina lady sitting next to me, and I were holding hands tightly while she recited the rosary and I chanted. The silence in the plane was frightening, save for the little boy sitting across from me saying to the turbulence, "You can't hurt me, you don't scare me, you won't hurt me." It was pretty cute and surprisingly, very comforting. So upon landing, Betty and I shed a tear of joy and disembarked in Tokyo.

The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and I was happy to get home to spend the night watching the big upset, eating a delicious dinner with my parents and sleeping in a super comfortable bed. The next day, I managed to make it to our new place in Buena Vista to retrieve my ski gear and then to Vail to pick up Rio. Colorado is covered in feet of snow, which is absolutely beautiful!! Rio loves it and seems to have been having a great winter in his house with three lovely ladies, Stacey, Jenna and Sadie. They thought they'd bring out his feminine side with a cute pink collar, which he doesn't seem to mind.

Anyway, it's great to be home. I skiied an amazing day of powder yesterday and am looking forward to more. I start work in two days and am trying to spend as much time not driving between Vail and Buena Vista as possible.

The rest of the trip was amazing. We got to the Philippines and were treated like royalty til the end. We went to Eddie's father's hometown on the coast, the cute little village of Anilao, and visited his mom's hometown in Sara. We got to meet all of the family and more and heard alot of amazing stories about his parents lives.

Overall, being in the Philippines, a Spanish colonized archipelago, was eye opening. They speak Taglish, a combination of their native Tagolog and English. They are really kind people who love to eat (alot of fish, rice and lechon -- roast pig). Oh, and I can't forget the best leche flan ever made by Sissa, one of the helpers at Eddie's uncle's house. So, the eating fest didn't stop there. Eddie's dad and I bet on who could lose 10 pounds faster (we weigh the same), but I gave up after the food wouldn't stop coming.

We also participated in a medical mission in several different locations. It was really interesting to see the different villages and patients, who were very grateful to have us there. Although I think some of what's done on missions is helpful (dental and surgical projects, especially), it's almost discouraging that it just seems like we're putting bandaids on. I really feel that the most help we can give any culture is education -- disease prevention, hygiene, nutrition -- things they can use after we and all of our temporary fixes have gone home to our creature comforts.

As usual when I travel, I am touched by the happiness of people who have so little and it makes me want to get rid of everything extraneous in my life. However, I know that I can't do that, but making small changes in my life and encouraging all of you to do the same, will hopefully make a difference. So I urge all of you to be conscious of the energy you use and waste, the material products you replace every year or two that could be reused or continued to use, the extra money that you spend on coffee that could be sent to a starving child. I also encourage all of you to see Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", a documentary about global warming and the future of our environment. I know that it's hard to believe that we can make a difference, but I think that we can make this a better place for our children and grandchildren.
There are so many corrupt governments and evil people, but those of us who care need to make the effort to make a change.

So, for now, I'm trying to get back into the swing of life without excessive overindulgence (not always the easiest thing to do in Vail). I am happy for the amazing experiences that Eddie and I shared and all of the amazing people we met. But, I am really happy to be home with my friends and family and thank you all for always being so supportive of my adventures.

Eddie is still in the Philippines with his father and will stop to see his sister and her family, the newest addition of which was born on his birthday. So he still has a few days of sunshine in San Diego before coming home to the great Colorado winterwonderland.

We're both looking forward to catching up with all of you, celebrating your weddings and new babies and having you all over to our beautiful mountain getaway in Buena Vista.

Peace, Laurie

We are still alive and well!

We are alive and well and being treated like royalty in Manila. We arrived yesterday and were met by Eddie's cousin, Mary Tess, and escorted by a police officer through immigration in a matter of minutes. Eddie's uncle Dilberto is a supreme court justice here, so we are VIPs and treated accordingly. We were then delivered to his uncle's house where we had an amazing spread of tasty Philippino dishes for lunch, again in a few hours for dinner and then again for breakfast. They definitely know how to eat here.

Eddie's family is amazing -- the most hospitable and kind people I have met. They are also incredibly educated, interesting and full of knowledge. We are going tomororrow to his father's hometown in Anilao to visit the burial sites of his grandparents and then to relax on the beach for a couple of days. Then we will be scooped up and brought back to Manila to meet his parents for a mobile medical mission throughout the Philippines. I'm looking forward to using my brain again after a few months of lounging, sightseeing and eating (which is supposed to be good for brain power right?).

Anyway, we have been having an amazing time. It's been really eye opening to see how much other cultures and peoples have been made to suffer and endure unimaginable amounts of torture, illness, misery and poverty. We just came from Cambodia, where we went from the beautiful and peaceful Angkor Wat in Siem Reap to the Killing Fields and prison of Pol Pot's regime in Phnom Pehn. Angkor Wat is an amazing maze of temples built by various rulers since the sixth century which spans several kilometers. From sandstone towers to intricately carved faces and battle scenes, the architecture and artistry was breathtaking.

We spent several days in Siem Reap exploring the local craft workshops, donated blood at the local children's hospital and, of course, sampled the local culinary specailties. The hospital was especially interesting to me because I had contemplated volunteering there a few years ago. It was started by a Japanese American who created it to treat, at no cost, any children in Cambodia. The amazing thing is that they not only treat the patients, but educate the families in hygiene, nutrition, farming, and lifestyle change to make a real difference. It was very inspiring.

We then headed to see the killing fields and the devastation caused by Pol Pot. The interesting part of seeing the remnants of his regime is that it was only 30 years ago. These people, who are living fairly normal lives now were under the thumb of an insane torturer not long ago. We saw the individual cells where prisoners were tortured before being transported, blindfolded, to the killing fields, where they were executed and often buring alive. It was a somber day and made us both realize how fortunate we are to have been born into our current lives and to contemplate karma and how important it is to be a good person. Did they have bad karma in their previously lives or were they just born in the wrong place at the wrong time? Interesting debate. Anyway, if any of you are interested, we found a great account of the time by a survivor and it gives a good history -- "First They Killed My Father".

We proceeded back to Bangkok for our last stint of shopping, pad thai from the street and making new friends before coming to Manila. While in Bangkok, we had the pleasure of meeting Mook, a 43yo esoteric man who's dedicated to making his world a better place for everyone. He was very welcoming and kind and touched our hearts. It's amazing how many beautiful, kind, compassionate souls we've encountered along the way. Of course, we've met our fair share of "ugly americans (and other nationalities), but mostly good people.

It seems like we've been gone forever, but we only have a few more weeks before we're back to life as we knew it. After the mission here, I will come home on the third to get things in order in the house in Buena Vista before starting work again in Vail a few days a week. I'm exploring jobs in BV, but am not sure what the plan is yet. Eddie is going to spend another week here of quality time with his dad and then visit his sister and his new niece (whose birthday is his) and then come back and hopefully pull some shifts at Sato. We'll be living in BV most of the time, but would appreciate a couch here and there if anyone can spare one.

We hear the snow's of historical amounts. We can't wait to make some turns with the Colorado crew. We'll see you soon. Photos on the way, but they take too much time to download.
Take care and know that we love you all.
Peace, Laurie and Eddie

More photos!!

Our scorpion friend who travelled with us in Eddie's backpack back to Bangkok


Eddie and Aidan, the 17-month old son of our friends Justin and Dana, with the Hong Kong skyline in the background



Eddie and I at the Peak in Hong Kong




Golden Buddha in Luang Prabang, Laos






We've found a bit of time in our very busy holiday schedule to post some photos. The last post was a bit rushed and I forgot some very important events, so we'll show you instead.

We visited several Buddhist temples (vats) in Luang Prabang, Laos, where apparently it is not taboo to photograph Buddhas, so we took the liberty just once. They say you can pray to the Buddha to forgive you for photographing his soul and it's ok. Hmmm....

When we returned to Chiang Mai, Eddie wanted to go see Muay Thai boxing and there just happened to be a fight that night, so I indulged him. I was a bit skeptical as it just doesn't seem right, as a health care provider, to watch people beating the life out of each other. The first match, I almost cried and then I got a bit more accustomed as the women and the nine year olds took the stage. It was a good experience, but one I don't think I need to have again. Eddie was happy to have the chance to take in the national sport.

Then we headed to Pai, where I really wanted to do yoga, which I did with one of the more colorful people we've met on our trip. We found Mama's Yoga studio and walked under lots of bells and tapestries into a bohemian bamboo and steel home to be greeted by the most flexible, 60 year old Thai Hindu yogini with dreadlocks down to her bell adorned feet. It was pretty amazing to watch Mama drop into the splits and contort in all sorts of very uncomfortable looking ways.

So when we got back to Bangkok, Eddie found that he had a hitchhiker. He opened his backpack and felt something funny. It was after he pulled the "critter" out that he realized it was a scorpion, which he thought was dead. However, after further inspection and when it's tail stood straight up, we realized he was alive and well and probably ready to attack at any moment. We sprayed him vigorously with DEET and watched him wither to a lifeless skeleton. It was a bit scary to say the least. We hope any further companions will present themselves first.

Ok, more later. Hope everyone is full of delicious holiday victuals! We are getting ready to celebrate Eddie's bday in a couple of days at the Big Buddha Ivery appropriate since Eddie's such a sweet little Buddha)and will write more later.

Peace, Laurie and Eddie

HappyChristmas!!!

That's what the Brits in Hong Kong say anyway. So we just finished a spectacular holiday eat a thon, complete with imported French turkey with all the homemade fixins, fantastic wine and the traditional Christmas apple-rhubarb pie.

We are in Hong Kong with my childhood friend, Dana, her lovely British husband, Justin, and their adorable 17 month old son, Aidan. We arrived a few days ago and have been fully entertained since we stepped off the plane. Dana knows me so well that she had pints of Guiness and gourmet hamburgers waiting for us when we arrived. I'm pretty sure we haven't gone more than a couple of hours without eating since then.

Hong Kong is an incredible island metropolis. Today, after a lovely Christmas service at St. John's Cathedral (complete with an explanation of why Christmas trees are green), we visited Hong Kong Park, a tropical rainforest habitat right in the middle of the city. While watching exotic, brightly colored lorikeets and green imperial pigeons tree hopping in what seemed to them to be their natural habitat, we almost forgot about the the hustle and bustle of the city in the background. It wasn't until I looked up and noticed the skyscrapers (hundreds of them)towering above the chain link fence that I realized I was not on a trek in the jungle.

From there, just for the contrast, we walked to a mall and did a little last minute Christmas shopping. The people here love to shop and they spend a lot of money doing it. Louis Vitton, Hugo Boss, Prada and many other designers I can't even pronounce, much less afford. What did we buy? Food, of course!

Although we miss everyone, especially during this time of celebration and love, we have been welcomed with open arms to Dana's house and by all of her friends here. Eddie and I are both very happy to not be eating daal baat on the streets of Kathmandu or pad thai on Kao San road in Bangkok for Christmas. Of course, we'll have to work off the 5 kilos we will gain here, but every bite is worth it.

Prior to coming to Hong Kong, we spent a couple of days in Pai, a small "new agey" town north of Chiang Mai. It was quiet and relaxed and Eddie and I took a really nice Thai cooking class together. Again, the theme was to eat as much as possible in an afternoon. The food was delicious and we can't wait to have you all over for a Thai food extravaganza.

We went back to Chiang Mai for a night and managed to find our way to a movie theater, where we saw a Thai movie with English subtitles which reminded me a bit of a comical "Cinema Paradiso". Unfortunately, we don't know the name, but it entailed a theater haunted by ghosts (who spent most of their time in the bathrooms), a vertically challenged, obese, drunk movie distributor and, of course, a love story. The theater was really nice, complete with "honeymoon seating", two seats without an armrest between them, for which you pay an extra 20 baht (about 60 cents). We even had popcorn and coke! It was pretty entertaining and a good cultural experience. I'm not sure I'm hooked on Thai movies, however.

From there, we took the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok and arrived just in time to see the lines of monks collecting alms on the street. I tried to buy a food collection to give one of them, but I think the salesperson thought I was trying to buy it to eat it myself, so I just gave the monk cash, which I hope he doesn't waste on cigarettes and whisky. Ok, probably no whiskey, but you do see a surprising number of monks hanging out in the smoking sections of the city and the temples. Interesting...maybe cigarettes are no longer considered one of the 108 earthly desires. Anyway, watching the morning ritual is always interesting and educational.

As usual, we are having a great time and meeting some amazing people, as well as some ridiculous people. Eddie met one of the ugliest travelers ever in Pai. I'll let him describe the interaction in his next post, but the overall gist of it is that even the most patient man in the world couldn't stand the guy, so he must have been horrible. Fortunately, I missed the encounter.

So we'll be here until the 30th and then head back to Bangkok. We hope to spend New Year's Eve in Cambodia at Angkor Wat. We hear from everyone that it's not to be missed.

Eddie's bday is on December 28th, so we're going to do something incredible, I'm sure. If any of you can, please send him a birthday email when you can. It's the big 3-0!!

We will update again in the next couple of days and download some photos as well. We actually have figured out how to do it now, but it takes quite a long time, so we need to have a lot of time to sit around the computer.

We hope all of you have an incredible holiday, whichever one it is you celebrate. We wish you the best in your hopes and dreams and thank you for supporting us in ours. All of our love to you and your families.

Peace!!
Love, Laurie and Eddie

Back in Thailand...

Laurie riding through a village on the island of Don Khon

The Mekong River before sunset

It is such a change being back from Laos. That is such an incredible country; the mountains, the importance of the rivers, the food!!! But most notably, the people. I didn't think it was possible to come across more welcoming people than in Nepal and Thailand, but Laos proved me wrong.

Luang Prabang was a great city. A diverse mix of Lao, Hmong, and Khmu peoples, rich Lao culture and French colonialism, Buddhist temples and tourism. It was a great way to spend our last days in Laos.

We have been in Chiang Mai for the last couple of days. Laurie took a really great class in making silver jewelry. I was dazzled by the beautiful ring she made in just 6 hours!!! Now we are off to Pai, a small hippie community in the north.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Much love,
Eddie and Laurie