Flat Michael's Global Adventure

Greetings from The Woodlands, Texas!

2009-07-29T09:18:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! We have arrived at our final destination, The Woodlands!

This is where Kristin's parents are going to live now. They are very excited. Yesterday they drove me and Kristin around the area where they are going to live. It is very nice. Kristin says The Woodlands is a "planned community." That means shopping areas can only be in certain places within the city. Who knew?

Kristin's parents don't officially move into their new house until next week. So I only got to see the outside. Here it is:

It sure looks nice, doesn't it? Kristin says if I am lucky I will get to come back later this year and see the inside. I promised Kristin I would be VERY good. I love Texas and I want to come back.

So this marks the end of my latest adventure to Texas. Kristin and I are flying back to Iowa today (yes...I got to go through the x-ray scanner again. I LOVE going through the scanner!).

Until next time....bye!

Greetings from Texas

2009-07-27T18:48:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I am writing to you from the great state of Texas. I have been here several times and I know Kristin is excited to be back in Texas.

Today was a LONG day in the car. It took EIGHT hours to get from Olathe (where we stayed last night) to Gainsville (where we are staying tonight). We started at at 6:20AM and ended late this afternoon.

Whew! That's more than 450 miles! Now I am glad Kristin got me a toy and a game yesterday. It really helped to pass the time in the car. But I also spent time looking out the window. In Kansas I saw a HUGE field of yellow flowers. Kristin told me they were sunflowers. She also told me that Kansas is known as "The Sunflower State." I had no idea!

Today we also drove through Oklahoma. I was really excited when we arrived at the first stop in Oklahoma. I've never been in Oklahoma...so now I can cross it off my list of states I still need to visit. :)

Here I am with Kristin's dad at our first stop in Oklahoma.

Gainsville, where we are staying tonight, is along the Oklahoma - Texas border. Tomorrow Kristin says we will reach our final destination, The Woodlands, Texas. It rained for much of the afternoon and I know Kristin is tired. So I am going to quietly play tonight and let her sleep.

Until next time....bye!

Greetings from Kansas!

2009-07-26T18:52:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. I am writing to you from Olathe, Kansas. See if you can find it on the map.

I am in Kansas with my friend Kristin and her parents (Campbell and Lynda). Her parents are retiring to Texas and are moving from Madison, Wisconsin to a place called The Woodlands (just north of Houston). See if you can find The Woodlands on a map.

Kristin is driving her Mom's car to Texas and they said I could come along for the ride. Awesome! I've never been in Kansas before.

Kristin warned me the trip might be a bit boring because our goal is to get to The Woodlands by Tuesday night (July 28). So Kristin says we will not be stopping very often. I told her that's OK. I don't mind watching the cars go by along the highway.

But Kristin did get me a game and a stuffed bear to play with in the car and to remind me of my drive through Kansas. Thanks Kristin!

The bear even zips up into a football. How cool is that?

That's all for now. Kristin says we need to head to bed soon because we have to be on the road VERY early tomorrow morning.

Bye for now....

Guess Who Visited Me in Muscatine?!

2009-07-26T18:35:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. I have VERY exciting news.

My friend Kristin called me this week and told me that one of my friends from New York City was going to be in Muscatine to visit me. Hmm....I have met many people in New York City. So I had no idea who was coming to visit. And of course, Kristin kept it a surprise until I arrived at her house.

So you can imagine my shock when I saw who was staying with Kristin. It was my old friend Mr. B (David Brancaccio)! You might remember Mr. B. worked with Kristin and my friend Keith on some radio programs. He is now the host of a television news program called "NOW" on public television. Here I am with Mr. B and Mrs. B (Mary) at Kristin's house.

I was so excited to see Mr. B that I almost forgot to ask him why he was in Muscatine. I never imagined I would see him in Iowa. It turns out that Mr. B rode in RAGBRAI (the big bike ride across Iowa) last week. His wife Mary was attending a workshop for writer's in Iowa City. Cool!

Thanks Mr. B for stopping by Muscatine and saying hello! Maybe I will get to visit you in New York again some day soon.

Until next time....

I'm Back!

2009-06-28T18:52:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! It has been awhile since I've updated you. Well that's because I haven't been out on the road. But I have some exciting news to report.

First, my alter-ego Michael spent all day helping my friend Kristin at the Muscatine Art Center's annual Ice Cream Social. Michael even wore a hat with flowers...and here is the picture to prove it.

How awesome is that photo?!

But the best news is that my friend Kristin has a new job. She isn't working in radio anymore. She says the bad economy has left many journalists looking for new work. I'm sad Kristin isn't working in radio (and I know she is sad too). We had so many fun adventures.

But, Kristin says her new job will take her to many places in Iowa. At first I wasn't sure traveling around Iowa would be all that much fun. But then I realized I have been all around the world but I don't know much about the state I live in! So, Kristin promises to take me on a few trips with her as she travels around the state. Cool!

That's all for now. I hope you are having a great summer!

Greetings from Turkey

2008-09-15T11:52:00.010-05:00

Hi everyone! Greetings from Istanbul, Turkey. See if you can find it on the map. Kristin says it is the third largest city in Turkey.

It took a REALLY long time to get here. Two long airplane flights and a layover in London. I am SO tired and Kristin is tired too! Here is a look at her hotel room. It's is small and very "girly" (there are flowers painted on the woodwork). Kristin calls it "quaint." I'm not sure I really know what that means but at this point I am so tired, I'm not sure I care.

We arrived at the airport around 4:05pm on Monday afternoon. Everyone's luggage arrived with the plane. Whew! As soon as everyone in Kristin's group had gathered, we took a bus to our hotel. Here are some photos Kristin took from the bus window. The first one shows the flag of Turkey combined with the flag for a Turkish airline.

Here the flag of Turkey is flying along with several other important flags. Can you guess which ones? (Hint....the European Union, the United States, South Korea, China and Japan.)I learned from reading Kristin's guide book that Istanbul is a very old city that has lots of interesting buildings. Our guide called this building a "castle." I told Kristin it reminds me of the fort I saw in Prizren, Kosovo this summer. Kristin said it should. That's because rulers from Turkey used to control Prizren many, many, many years ago during something called the "Ottoman Empire." Maybe Kristin told me that in Kosovo...but if she did, I forgot.

Here's a street sign that proves I really am in Istanbul. :)

Kristin says most of the people who live in Turkey are Muslim. That's why there are so many mosques here. I had no idea. The mosque minarets (or towers as I call them) are really neat.

Halfway to our hotel I started to notice what looked like an ocean FULL of boats and HUGE ships! Kristin says Istanbul is located along something called the "Bosporus Straight."

Kristin says this is a very important body of water. That's because half of Istanbul is on the European Continent and the other half is on the Asian Continent. The Bosporus divides the two continents. Kristin says that's why Turkey is known as the country that bridges Europe and Asia. WOW! I had no idea?

I even saw a fish market from the bus....although I am not sure I would want to eat those fish.

We are staying at the Armada Hotel. After Kristin checked into her room, she took a walk around the hotel's neighborhood. Here are some photos she took during her walk.

I should tell you that Kristin found Pop-Kek's (the yummy ding-dong like cakes I had in Kosovo) and Coke Light at a little store near the hotel. She was VERY happy when she found both in the same small store!

That's all for now. I am very tired and need to head to bed. Don't forget to click on the links Kristin includes in the posts. They will give you even more information than we can about the things we are seeing. And check out the twitter feeds. Kristin's phone is working here so I should be able to keep you updated via twitter even if I don't have computer time for uploading photos.

Until next time....bye!

BIG NEWS! I'm Headed to Turkey!

2008-09-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I have big news. I have been so busy with school and Kristin has been so busy with work since we got back from South Africa that we haven't had time to work on the rest of the photos from that trip.

Today I just found out I am headed to Turkey! Can you believe it? First, I can't believe there is a country named after my favorite Thanksgiving food. But beyond that, I can't believe I am headed overseas on another trip. How cool is that?!

Kristin and my friend Sean, who works with Kristin at the Stanley Foundation, are going to Turkey with a group of journalists. Kristin says it is similar to the trip we took to Korea last fall. I know this place called Turkey is in Europe, but see if you can find it on the map.

Kristin says we leave today and will spend the night in Washington, DC before catching another flight to Turkey. I have already seen Kristin's schedule and I know she is going to be BUSY! So watch the twitter section for updates and we'll get photos posted when we can.

Bye for now!

Elvis, Football, and More

2008-09-02T13:25:00.015-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well. I am fine here in Johannesburg! But, I was WAY TOO tired from that jet-lag stuff to write a big story last night. So here are some photos of my first day in South Africa. I will fill in the blanks later.

Here are photos from the future site of the 2010 World Cup. It's the biggest soccer tournament in the world! Kristin says it is like the Super Bowl and the World Series...but MUCH bigger. And here, they call soccer "football." Very interesting.

Here I am with my new friend, Eben.

There were several of these mountains near the World Cup stadium. But Eben told us they are not mountains. They are called "mine dumps." Who knew?

I don't need to explain what this is!

Here you can choose a cup of corn or french fries with your Happy Meal. VERY strange!

There are many, many poor people here in South Africa. Some live in metal shacks.

Others live in new housing. These houses are being built for poorer people. The people with more money live in houses surrounded by tall walls....so you can't even see the house.

We visited a placed called Soweto. It used to be the poorest and most violent part of Johannesburg. Today it is much nicer. Keith was shocked when we visited Soweto. He was here in 1994 and said it was more like the shantytowns I saw in Brazil.

This is the house Bishop Desmond Tutu used to stay at in Soweto.

And this is the place where Nelson Mandela used to live. He is a very famous person that was once president of South Africa. I'll have to tell you more about him when I have time. The house in Soweto is being renovated for a museum so we couldn't see the house. But I can at least say I was there!

We ate lunch in Soweto....something Eben says would have been impossible 5 years ago. The restaurant lets people sign their menus. So Kristin helped me sign mine. I had grilled cheese. YUM!

Here is the Maponya Mall....a brand new mall in Soweto. It has a huge elephant outside of the main entrance.

Here are some more photos of Johannesburg.

And this is Elvis. He hangs just below the rear view mirror in Eben's car. :)

Bye for now.....

Greetings from South Africa!

2008-08-31T15:55:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I have safely made it to South Africa.

I am currently in Johannesburg...or "Joburg" as the locals call it. See if you can find it on the map. If you read my twitter updates, you will know that King Tut was mad at Kristin again. Our plane was delayed 90 minutes in London. But once we were on our way, I slept most of the flight.

King Tut was still mad when we landed, however, because the equipment bag didn't show up with the rest of Kristin and Keith's luggage. After many phone calls, Kristin has finally been able to confirm the bag is on its way to Johannesburg now. Whew!

Our local "fixer" is a journalist named Eben. He is very nice. He picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel, the Hyatt in Rosebank. It is very nice. Here is the view from Kristin's window.

I was really tired when we got to the hotel just before noon....but Keith and Kristin were trying to stay awake in order to keep that jet-lag stuff away! It was Sunday here (we are 7 hours ahead of Iowa time). So we went to a nearby mall that has a Sunday market. It was a lot like other markets I have seen on my many travels with Kristin. Kristin bought some wooden masks and a painting and Keith bought this really cool hat.

They didn't have a hat in my size or I would have gotten one too. :(

Keith and Kristin have lots of people to interview tomorrow and I know we have to spend a lot of time in the car to get to the interviews. So I am not sure when I will check in again. But keep you eye on the twitter messages.

Bye for now!

My Next Adventure: South Africa!

2008-08-29T10:22:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! If you have been reading my twitter messages, you know that I have some BIG news.

My friends Keith and Kristin from the Stanley Foundation are going to South Africa and they are taking my with them! How awesome is that? Better yet...we are leaving TODAY!

Kristin says we will drive to Chicago and then fly to London, England. We will switch planes and fly to a place called Johannesburg, South Africa. See if you can find it on the map.

I have already seen Kristin's schedule. She and Keith are going to be VERY busy. So I will check in when I can. If Kristin's phone is working the right way (unlike in Kosovo), you can follow my twitter messages to stay updated on the trip.

Bye for now!

Kosovo Photos!

2008-08-29T08:09:00.015-05:00

Hi everyone!

I am sure you think I forgot to post my photos from Kosovo...but I didn't forget. I gave Kristin a vacation from her vacation. See, Kristin was supposed to be on vacation in Kosovo. But I've decided she doesn't know what the word vacation means. She was working ALL THE TIME taking photos, writing articles for the Muscatine Journal, and uploading TONS of information to the Kosovo trip blog.

Kosovo was amazing. I saw so many new things and met lots of interesting people. But I think Kristin did such a great job on the trip blog that I am going to link to her articles. Make sure to look for the highlighted words below so you can read her stories.

Here I am with my new friend Paul at O'Hare airport. He was taking video during the entire trip.

Here I am at the airport in Vienna, Austria. See if you can find it on the map. I had never been to Austria...one more country checked off my list!

Here I am on the bus right after we landed in Pristina, Kosovo. We were headed to the town of Gjakove. That's where my friend Liz has her music program.

Here I am with my good friend Jon at Slovene Village. Slovene was a very sad place...but the kids living there were always SO excited to see Kristin's group. Jon was helping to lead art classes during the trip. You can see more photos from Slovene Village here and here and here and here.

Here my friend Erza is helping me color at Novosell School. Erza went to Muscatine High School as a Rotary student and then graduated from Muscatine Community College.

Here I am in Aimee Wedeking's English class at Novosell School. Nearly every day, the youth and adults in Kristin's group would hold English, art, crafts, and music classes in places all around Gjakove. By the way, Mrs. Wedeking teaches at my school (Louisa-Muscatine). How awesome is that?

You can see more photos from Novosell School here and here and here.

Here I am in Prizren, Kosovo. I'm standing on top of a HUGE hill that used to be home to a big fort. It looks like a bunch of rocks to me. I thought Kristin was going to die walking up the BIG hill....I am so glad I have a ride in Kristin's bag. :)

You can see more from Prizren here.

Here I am with Kristin at the Newborn sculpture in Pristina, Kosovo's capital. This big sculpture that spells the word "newborn" was unveiled the day Kosovo declared independence (February 17, 2008).

Here I am with Kristin's special little boy, Hadji. He is really, really nice.

You can see more photos of Hadji (and Kristin) here and here.

Here I am in Rugova Canyon with my friend Keith!

Here I am with Kristin at a monument on the grounds of Camp Bondsteel, the US military base in Kosovo. It was SO cool to be on the military base!

You can see more photos from Bondsteel here.

Thanks Kristin for taking me along with you on your vacation!

That's all for now...hope you had a great summer! I know I did. Bye for now....

Big News! My Next Adventure Begins Tomorrow

2008-07-12T18:40:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. My friend Kristin called me a few days ago and asked me if I wanted to join her on another great adventure. Of course I said yes!

This time Kristin is going to Kosovo. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin is going with a whole group of people as part of the Muscatine-Kosovo Project. Kristin says 37 people are going on the trip. Half are youth members of the Muscatine Children's and Youth Choirs. My friend Keith and his three children are also going. Cool!

Why Kosovo? Kristin reminded me that is where my friend Liz works with children affected by the 1999 war. At first I couldn't remember Liz...I have met so many friends with Kristin....but then she reminded me that I met Liz in Washington, DC a few years ago. And I met 12 Kosovar youth in Liz's program at O'Hare airport in Chicago two years ago. Now I remember!

Kristin says this is a "working" vacation. She says the choirs will be singing but everyone in the group will also be holding art classes, conducting eye and health clinics, and lots of other activities for children in a town called Gjakove.

Kristin is bringing a lot of gifts for the kids. I helped her pack....so did her rabbit, Jackson Harering.

Kristin says she is keeping a blog for the group and will be writing articles for the Muscatine Journal. Cool! But that also means I may not do as many updates on this trip (it is a vacation after all!). But be sure to check my blog occasionally for updates..and don't forget the Twitter section. Kristin says I can do Twitter updates as long as her cell phone is working correctly in Kosovo.

The trip blog address is http://www.muscatinekosovoproject2008.blogspot.com/

We are leaving Muscatine at 8:30am Sunday morning and driving to Chicago. Kristin says we will fly from Chicago to a place called Vienna, Austria. We will change planes and fly to Pristina, Kosovo's capital.

I'll keep you updated when I can. Until then....bye!

Meet My Aunt Lynn

2008-06-29T22:13:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Today was a very special day. It was the annual ice cream social at the Muscatine Art Center. My Aunt Lynn works there and my friend Kristin is president of the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center. Very cool!

I was busy playing baseball today but I did get to the Art Center at the end of the social to see Aunt Lynn.

Doesn't she look funny in that hat? Aunt Lynn said kids who attended the social got to make them and someone made one for her. And I guess my friend Kristin also had one made. Here she is with Aunt Lynn.

Too funny!

Baseball has been going really well this year. My alter ego Michael's team finished the season undefeated.

WAY TO GO! Keep up the good work!

I'm Now on Twitter!

2008-06-23T21:23:00.002-05:00

Guess what? I am now on Twitter!

How cool is that? Don't know what Twitter is? It is an online "mini-blog" that allows people to post short updates from their phone! Each update is called a "tweet."

It might sound funny, but Twitter is really cool. Kristin has even helped me link Twitter to this blog. Check out the right hand column...right under the "hit counter." There's a section called "Twitter Updates."

Kristin and I have tested the new service....so you can see a few posts now. Kristin says this will help me keep you updated when I am on a big trip with her and she doesn't have time to give me on the computer. Basically, the Twitter updates will tell you what I am up to (when Kristin's phone has data service) and then you will know what to expect to see on the blog a few days later.

This is all very new, but I think it is worth the try. Kristin feels bad when she can't give me her computer to update you every night when I am on a trip with her. Maybe Twitter will help fill in the gaps.

That's all for now....enjoy!

Catching Up, Floods and More!

2008-06-17T13:47:00.010-05:00

Hi everyone! I have been SO busy since school got out for summer playing with my friends and my new PlayStation that I haven't had time to update my blog. (Special thanks to Kristin's dad for giving me an awesome PlayStation and a bunch of games!!!)

So here's my update.

First, just a few days after I got home from Los Angeles with Kristin, I got to go back to California. Can you believe it? Kristin, Keith, and their friend Jennifer from the Stanley Foundation were going to San Francisco to talk to people about the Brazil radio program. I've never met Jennifer before. She is really nice. Here I am with Jennifer and Keith in San Francisco.

Can you tell where we are in the photo above? If you guessed a baseball game, you guessed right! Kristin, Keith, Jennifer and I went to see San Francisco play the New York Mets. It was REALLY cold outside for June....so I wore my Cardinals jersey to stay warm.

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I saw a baseball game in San Francisco last year too! So I won't bore you with more photos of the ballpark. But I can share with you this link to a video that Keith took of me. Look....now I'm a YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2iHlVFVIrk

The next day, we went to the lobby of the hotel and I saw some people I know. My friends Simon and David were also in town to talk to the same people about the radio program. How awesome it that?

Kristin, Keith, David, and Simon spoke at a World Affairs Council of Northern California event that Jennifer helped to organize. I was so busy watching the videos and audio slide shows Simon and Kristin put together that I forgot to ask someone to take photos. Trust me, the room was packed and the whole group did awesome!

After the event was over I saw someone else I knew. It was my friend Sherif! Sherif used to work at the Stanley Foundation (and I got to visit with him on a trip to Miami a few years ago).

Sherif now lives in the San Francisco area. It was so neat to see him again!

We were delayed on our way back to Iowa because it was storming (yes....King Tut was mad again). Kristin, Keith and Jennifer even had to rent a car at O'Hare and drive home from Chicago because our plane ride was cancelled.

At first I was mad that I was going to have to spend 4 hours in the car on the way home from the airport.....but a few days later, I was really glad Kristin drove us home. That's because it seemed to rain FOREVER!

It rained and rained and rained and stormed. And as you probably know already, the rain caused many of the rivers here in Iowa to FLOOD. I am very lucky, my house is not near the river. But I know many people lost their homes in the flood.

Last week (June 17), Kristin took me to the Muscatine riverfront so I could see the flood. I was shocked! I couldn't see the riverfront at all. It was under water! Kristin told me that the flood was one of the worst ever here in Muscatine. I had no idea!

Here are some pictures Kristin took of the flood.

This is the Pearl City Station.

Here is the riverfront playground....under several feet of water.

Kristin sometimes parks her car by these signs. Good thing she didn't park there when the water started to get high....her SUV would have been covered by the water!

Kristin says the worst flood in Muscatine history happened in 1993. I had no idea! There is a plaque on the Pearl City Station that shows how high the water got in 1993.

It is hard to see in the photo below, but the river reached over 25 feet in 1993. Flood stage is 16 feet. Last week, the river topped 24 feet in Muscatine. WOW!

Here's the view of the flooded Mississippi from Kristin's office.

Here I am by the water. Here the water is actually on the sidewalk at the Hotel Muscatine.

Here I am standing along the sidewalk of Mississippi Drive. There is supposed to be a street here...but as you can see....it was full of water!

Here's another view of what is normally a parking lot and recreation area on the riverfront.

The statue in the photo below is called "Mississippi Harvest." Kristin headed the group of people who helped get the statue built. How cool is that? Kristin told me the statue would be fine even though it was surrounded by water. Don't tell Kristin...but I could tell she was worried!

I've seen the statue when the river isn't flooded. It sits on a tall concrete base. The base sits on a small hill along the river. So you know the river is really flooded when the water is in the statue's boat!

Thankfully the flood is starting to go away. Today Kristin says she can see the concrete base of the statue. She also says the water is no longer on Mississippi Drive. Whew! But Kristin says there is still a lot of mud and "gunk" on the street. She also says the parking lot is still under water and it will be at least another week before she can park there.

Well that's my update for now. Happy Summer Everyone!

Delayed in LA

2008-05-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

Hi folks....I was supposed to be back in Iowa with you by now. But I am delayed here in Los Angeles.

Kristin told me earlier this week that we might have to stay longer. That's because it was taking longer to make the radio program than she originally thought. Well she was right, it did take longer. One whole day longer to make the show. But here's the good news. It is Friday night and "Brazil Rising" is DONE! Yay! Here I am with the "master CD" (that's the first CD made of the program).

Don't tell Kristin, but I was happy to be delayed another day here in LA. I LOVE riding around in my special spot in the convertible (even if it is just to Rima's house and back to the hotel). Plus, it gave me more time to play with Willa. Guess what? I got her to sit, lay down, and roll over for me! Don't believe me?

Here's Willa right after I told her to "sit."

Here's Willa right after I told her to lie "down."

And here's Willa when I told her to "roll over."

How cool is that?! The best part is that I got to give Willa a treat after she did her tricks for me. Here I am with her treat jar.

It took a lot of practice.....but it was awesome when I finally got Willa to do her tricks for me. See how few treats there are in the jar. :) Actually, I had to have Kristin help me give Willa her treats. I was afraid Willa might eat me otherwise since I am so small!

Rima must really like me. Can you tell why?

Look closer by Rima's computer monitors. It's my business card! :)

Late this afternoon, while Rima's computer was transferring files to Kristin's computer drive, Kristin and Rima took me to the See's candy factory. YUM!

Rima says See's is famous here in California. I had no idea! The factory wasn't giving tours. :( But I did get to pick out a box for Aunt Lynn. I sure hope she shares some with me.

Kristin says I need to pack my things now. Our flight leaves at 6:00 AM tomorrow. Man...that's early! But I guess that means I will be home early tomorrow. See you soon.

Bye for now!

My Surprise Saturday Night in LA

2008-05-25T20:13:00.012-05:00

Hi everyone. I bet you think I got lost here in Los Angeles. Nope. I didn't get lost. Kristin has been very busy working on the radio program. And I've been very busy playing with my pal Willa, watching Kristin and Rima "mix" the radio program, and enjoying my special spot in the back seat of Kristin's convertible.

I forgot how much time and effort it takes to make a radio program. This week Kristin and Rima finally finished the first minute of the program. Whew! I know from my previous trips with Kristin that the program is nearly 54 minutes....so getting the first minute done is important. Actually, the first minute is called the "billboard" and Kristin is supposed to spend a lot of time on it. She says if people don't like the "billboard," they might not want to listen to the full show.

Don't worry....Kristin and Rima have come up with the first "draft" of most of the radio program. The first draft is kind of like the first draft of a paper I write for school. I always have to go back and improve my first draft. Kristin and Rima are now working on making their first draft better.

Kristin told me if I was really good this week she would take me out on a special adventure on Saturday night. Well I must have been REALLY good, because Kristin told me to get my things ready late Saturday afternoon so we could go pick up Rima. Kristin also told me to bring my Cardinals shirt and hat because it might get cold. Hmmm...I wonder where we could be going??!!

Kristin picked up Rima and then she drove to one of the freeways. For those of you who follow this blog, you know Kristin doesn't like to drive the freeways in Los Angeles. I knew right then we were going somewhere very special. :)

Kristin exited at a place called "Dodger Stadium." I've never been to Dodger Stadium and I asked Kristin what it was. She told me that's where the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball. Cool! We were going to a baseball game. I love baseball!

It was kind of chilly outside, so I was glad I wore my Cardinals jersey and hat. But as we were walking into the stadium, I saw lots of other people wearing Cardinals shirts. Hmmm....I think Kristin forgot to tell me something. So I asked her who the Dodgers were playing. That's when she smiled and said they were playing the Cardinals. How awesome is that?! The Cardinals are in town and I get to see them here in Los Angeles! This is an awesome surprise!

Here you can see me with Rima's ticket.

Our seats were in the "loge" section (one level up from field level) on the first base side, near the right field foul pole. They were really good seats! Here you can see me with Kristin. Right field is behind us.

And here I am with right field behind me.

Kristin says Los Angeles has not always been home to the Dodgers baseball team. She says the team moved here from Brooklyn, New York in 1958. Who knew? That means the Dodgers are celebrating 50 years here in Los Angeles. Interesting.

We were some of the first people in the ballpark. I like getting to the park early. That way I get to watch the players practice before the game. Here you can see some of the Cardinals players at batting practice.

Here you can see starting pitcher Kyle Lohse warming up in right field with catcher Yadi Molina. Kristin reminded me that Molina was catcher the night I saw the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006. Awesome!

There was still plenty of time before the game started after practice was over. So I spent time looking at the ballpark. It is very interesting. Kristin says Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. I had no idea! It is not like any other baseball park I have ever seen. Here's a photo of most of the field.

And here are a few photos that show why this park is different. I've never seen a baseball park with a view of palm trees.

There is also this very interesting sign on the hill behind center field. It says "think blue." Kristin says it is supposed to be like the famous "Hollywood" sign. OK...I am going to have to trust her on that.

Here's a really cool photo that Kristin took of the big California state flag in the outfield.

Just before the game started, several former Dodger players from the 1960s came out onto the field with kids for some celebration. I wasn't really paying attention to what the special celebration was, but Kristin pointed out that someone named Steve Garvey was standing on first base. Kristin says he is a really famous baseball player. I've never heard of him, have you?

FINALLY, the game started. I was super excited to be sitting where we were because we got to see Kristin's current favorite Cardinals player, Albert Pujols, play first base (he's wearing jersey #5 if you don't already know who he is).

Kristin likes Albert Pujols because he reminds her of Mark McGwire. I know Mark McGwire is one of Kristin's favorite all-time favorite Cardinals players. Her last bunny was named after Mark McGwire.

I was so excited when Albert Pujols came up to bat that I wanted my picture taken with the playing field in the background. Here it is. Trust me, Pujols is at the plate.

Don't believe me? Here's a close-up.

And here you can see Pujols swinging at the ball. Look carefully and you will see him swinging his bat AND the streak of the ball.

Is that a cool photo or what?!

Albert Pujols hit a double and helped some people score. The next batter, Rick Ankiel, also hit a double and more people scored. It was very exciting. And in the end, the Cardinals won the game 4-0!

I'm sure the Cardinals won because I wore my jersey (the same one I wore to the winning game of the World Series!). Here I am celebrating the win with my friend Rima.

Before we left the ballpark, Kristin bought me a baseball with a picture of Dodger Stadium on it so I can add it to my collection of baseball stuff. She also let me pick out two more baseballs for my sister and brother. Thanks Kristin!

Well that's the story of my exciting (and surprising) Saturday night in Los Angeles. Kristin is going to need her computer soon. Don't worry if you don't hear from me again for several days. It just means Kristin is super busy. I'll be fine. I will be with my pal Willa!

Hope all is well with you. Until next time....bye for now.

Living the Los Angeles Life

2008-05-17T16:04:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. I hope all is well with you. Life is GREAT here in Los Angeles.

Kristin has been very busy working, so this is the first time I've been able to have some computer time since we arrived on Tuesday night.

When we arrived, we got our rental car and checked into the hotel. We are staying at the same hotel we normally stay at when Kristin is here in Los Angeles...or LA as they say here....for one of these long trips. The hotel is nice. It has a separate living room, small refrigerator, microwave, and TWO televisions!

As soon as Kristin finished unpacking, we went to the grocery store. And just like she promised, I got to pick out a box of treats for my furry friend Willa.

I could hardly sleep Tuesday night because I couldn't wait to see Willa and give her my gift. Willa must have known I was coming, because she barked right away as soon as Kristin got to the door. Willa is 10 years old now...but she still acts like an excited puppy. She was jumping and barking to greet me. It was so awesome. And she LOVES my treats. Willa is a bit shy when it comes to taking photos, but here's a great shot Kristin took of me and Willa this week.

This is my third trip to LA with Kristin so she can "mix" the radio program. So I know this means she will be working TONS. I know she always worries I will get bored, but I told her not to worry. I have my own TV in the hotel room at night. And, I get to play with Willa all day when we are at Rima's house.

As you know, Kristin always rents a car when we are in Los Angeles. That's because you can't get anywhere without one here. And yes, the traffic is as bad as ever! But this year, Kristin surprised me when she picked up the rental car. This is the car she got.

How cool is that?! I've never been in a convertible before. I have noticed that there are a lot of convertibles here in LA. Kristin told me she's never driven a convertible but decided she wanted to live the "full LA experience" on this trip. I'm not sure I know what that means, but she does look like she fits in with the other drivers here who have convertibles. (Note to Kristin's co-workers....she is personally paying the extra cost for the convertible).

Riding in the convertible is SO MUCH fun. It has a really tiny back seat. Kristin says she's not sure why there is even a backseat because she thinks someone basically has to be "flat" to fit into the back seat. Well that makes it PERFECT for me!

Can you see me in the photo above? Kristin has even fixed the seat belt so I can ride in the back seat all by myself. How awesome is that?!

I really like riding around in the convertible. I like having the sun on my face. And I really get to see a lot more than I normally see when I am riding in the car. But I have learned that I have to take my hat off or it will blow right off my head!

Yesterday (Saturday), Kristin and I went to a nearby mall and a Walgreen's store so she could get some medicine (more on that in a minute). Kristin was shocked when she pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Traffic was a mess! She was surprised because it was Saturday and normally the traffic isn't so bad.

While we were waiting in traffic, Kristin told me part of Interstate 105 was closed and that's why cars were moving so slowly. As we got closer to the highway, I noticed that there were lots of satellite TV trucks, big semi trucks, and lots of people walking around on the closed freeway. I also saw people eating. I thought this was strange so I asked Kristin if there was some type of festival happening on the highway. Kristin said she didn't think so. I pointed out the food truck and then she told me that she thought the interstate might be closed so it can be used in a movie. A movie?! Kristin reminded me that we are near Hollywood and many TV shows and movies are made here in California. How cool is that!?

Kristin told me not to get too excited. She promised me she would check her computer as soon as we got back to the hotel just to make sure she was right. Guess what?! Kristin did look it up on her computer and the interstate WAS closed for a movie shoot. Kristin can't find which movie...but I don't care. I got to see a real live movie shoot. That's WAY awesome!

Kristin had to go to the drug store because she is really sick. She thinks her ears got infected on the plane ride here and now her sinuses are icky (and she lost her voice). She sounds just like my Aunt Lynn when she gets sick. :( Kristin told me she was sorry she didn't feel like taking me anywhere special this weekend. I told her not to worry. I will go anywhere she wants to go....just as long as I can ride in the convertible with the top down. In fact, I don't care if she just drives around the block. I LOVE riding in the convertible.

That's all for now. Kristin is still working really hard (despite feeling bad) so she needs her computer back.

Bye for now

Back from Austin...Headed to Los Angeles

2008-05-12T20:31:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I've been so busy traveling (and trying to keep up with Kristin) that I haven't had time to tell you about my most recent adventure.

Last Tuesday, Kristin called to ask me if I wanted to go to Texas with her for a few days. Of course I said yes! Honestly, I don't even know why she still asks me whether or not I want to travel with her. I always have great adventures with her!

We flew to Austin on Wednesday morning. And King Tut decided to make himself known again. Both of our flights were delayed. Oh no! Somehow Kristin was still able to get us to Austin, Texas before dark. Whew!

Austin is the capital of Texas. See if you can find it on the map.

We were in Austin so we could visit my friend David Brown. You may know he is hosting the newest radio program Kristin is working on. David has a really cool office/studio in the basement of a building on the University of Texas campus. His office is part of the radio station he works for, KUT. Here I am with David as he works on cutting the script.

Normally Kristin and I travel to New York for the radio program host to voice the script....but I'm glad my friend David is in Austin. I didn't get to spend too much time there, but it seems like a pretty neat place.

Just before we left, Kristin bought me a stuffed armadillo with the word "Texas" on it. Thanks Kristin! I will add it to the rest of my travel collections.

And guess what?! I am super excited to tell you that I am leaving with Kristin tomorrow for Los Angeles. Why? Because that's where Kristin does that thing she calls "mixing" the final radio program. If you've read my blog before, you know this means I get to see my friend Rima and her dog Willa! How cool is that!?

I know Kristin is going to be super busy working on her radio program, but she promises to take me to the store so I can buy Willa some special dog treats before I see her on Wednesday.

Well I had better get packing. I won't be home until May 30th.

Bye for now....

Rio de Janeiro

2008-04-21T13:28:00.012-05:00

The day after we visited the farms outside of Brasilia, the entire team got on a plane and we flew to a place called Rio de Janeiro....or "Rio" as the locals say it. Rio is big city along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin says Rio is famous for its beaches including ones named "Ipanema" and "Copacabana."
I've never heard of these beaches, have you? I'll have to ask Aunt Lynn if she has heard of them.
It was pouring rain when we landed at the airport. It was also really late at night, so I didn't get to see the beaches. But I did get to see the beach the next morning from Kristin's hotel room. This is "Leblon" beach.
Here you can see me and Flat Gabby with Keith. Leblon beach is behind us.

There were people swimming in the ocean and I wanted to swim too. But Kristin said we didn't have time. :(

But we didn't have time because we had to take a cable car to a place called "Sugar Loaf Mountain." How cool is that?! It's like riding a cable car except the cable is ABOVE my head instead of under the street like in San Francisco.

Here you can Sugar Loaf Mountain from the ground.

Kristin says the mountain...which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean....is almost 1300 feet tall. WOW! That's really tall. She says it is named Sugar Loaf because people think it looks like a loaf of sugar. A loaf of sugar? I've heard of a loaf of bread but I've never heard of a loaf of sugar, have you? Kristin says many years ago, sugar used to be packed into the shape of a loaf to be shipped. I had no idea!

Riding the cable car was REALLY fun! Here I am with Keith and Flat Gabby on the the cable car.

When we got off the cable car, this is what we saw. How cool is this photo!?

I could also see this really interesting statue that I had also seen from Kristin's hotel room. She told me it is called "Christ the Redeemer" and it is a very famous statue in Brazil.

The clouds kept moving over and across the statue while we were on Sugar Loaf. Here is another view of Christ the Redeemer.

I also noticed a number of small houses packed along some of the hills across from Sugar Loaf Mountain. Kristin says these are some of the "favelas" of Rio. She says the people who live there are poor just like the people we saw in Sao Paulo. This makes me sad.

Just as we were leaving I saw this lizard on the rocks. It was the first lizard I have seen on the entire trip. And yes...Keith was NOT super happy to see it.

Here's a photo of the radio team during our visit to Sugar Loaf. From left-to-right: Kristin, Simon, David, and Keith.

After our visit to Sugar Loaf, we stopped at a gas station. This was a cool gas station. It was in the MIDDLE the road.

I thought we were there to get gas for the van. But Keith told me we were there to look at the station itself. That's because the station sells "Alcool" or ethanol. Now I understand why we visited the sugar farm and the place where they make machines that make ethanol earlier in the trip.

Keith told me that 90% of the new cars in Brazil run on ethanol. I also learned that the taxi cabs in Rio can also run on natural gas. I had no idea!

Here you can see the gas pump. The ethanol pump is on the right. The gasoline pump is on the left.

While we were waiting for Steve and Simon to finish filming at the gas station, Kristin walked down the sidewalk in the middle of the road so I could see this really cool sand castle. It shows some of the famous places of Rio.

Not very far from the sand castle, I saw these interesting buildings along the beach. Kristin says they are food stands.

But the food stand on the right in the photo above isn't just any food stand. It's a McDonald's! This is the most interesting McDonald's I've seen yet!

I really wanted to go to McDonald's to get some ice cream (it was HOT outside). But Kristin told me we didn't have time. :(

We didn't have time because Kristin and Keith had to get into cab so we could get to the airport for our flight back to Chicago. Bummer...I really wanted to spend more time in Brazil. I definitely want to come back here again.

I want to thank Kristin and Keith for taking me on another great adventure. I also want to thank my friend Simon and my new friends Steve and David for being so nice to me.

That's all from Brazil. Until my next adventure....bye!

On the Farm

2008-04-21T13:25:00.010-05:00

Hi everyone! I must apologize for not finishing my Brazil updates until now. I have had SO much homework since I got back. And Kristin has been so busy with her computer that she hasn't had time to help me with photos. So please accept our apologies.

The same day we rode on the boat in Santos, we got on a plane and flew to Brasilia. Brasilia is the capital of Brazil (I guess that makes sense). See if you can find it on the map.

Brasilia is a very interesting place. All of the buildings and bridges look very modern. Kristin says that's because the city was built in the 1950's by "modernist" architects. I'm not sure what Kristin means by "modernist" but I can tell you that many of the buildings look like they were taken straight from the Jetson's cartoons.

I also learned that Brasilia is something called a "planned' community. That means there are specific places for everything in the entire city. For example, ALL of the drug stores were in one block. How strange is that?

Like in Sao Paulo, we spent more time in our van than actually visiting the cool buildings, so I only have a few photos to show you. This is a really cool bridge that goes across a lake that was built when the town was built.

And this is one of the many interesting buildings I saw from the van.

The morning after we arrived in Brasilia, Kristin told me we were going to drive outside of Brasilia to visit a farm. At first I thought Kristin was kidding, but then I started to see this as we got further away from Brasilia.

Can you tell what's growing in that field? If you guessed soybeans, you are correct! I didn't need to fly all the way to Brazil to see soybean fields. I see them everyday in the summer back in Iowa. I even saw the same seed corn signs I see in Iowa. Can you believe it? Look closely and you will see Kristin is holding me in the photo below.

I could tell Kristin didn't think I was too impressed with the soybean fields. So she asked me to look closely and tell her what was different about the fields here in Brazil. Hmmm....they look the same to me. That's when she pointed out that many of the fields we saw were brown and ready to harvest. So? Then Kristin reminded me that the farmers in Iowa had NOT planted yet this year. She's right! Now I was really confused! Kristin smiled and told me that because Brazil is south of the equator, it is fall here right now. And because Iowa is north of the equator, it is spring at home. Who knew?!

Kristin also told me that Brazil is the largest "exporter" of soybeans in the world. That means Brazil sends more soybeans to other countries than any other country in the world...including the US. I had no idea!

The first place we stopped was something Kristin called a "farming cooperative." That means several farmers were working together to make as much money as possible. Don't tell Kristin, but it was kind of boring at this place. No one was really working. I did get to see an interesting "elevator" or place where grain is stored.

A few miles up the road we visited the site of something called "AgroBrasilia 2008." It wasn't open yet, but workers were setting up all sorts of displays including small fields of different crops. I could also see where tractors were going to be on display (but they weren't there yet).

I told Kristin that "AgroBrasilia 2008" looked similar to something I've seen before...I just couldn't name it. Kristin told me it reminded her of the Muscatine County Fair. YES! That's exactly what it reminds me of! I had no idea they had fairs here in Brazil.

Since there wasn't much for me to do at the ag fair (there were no rides for kids), I was bored again. But Kristin told me to be patient. She told me we were going to visiting a working farm in a few hours. Plus, she said I might even get to ride a combine if I was good. I promised to be REALLY good.

Well I must have been good, because Kristin kept her promise. Soon we visited a farm not far from the ag fair location. Here they were harvesting soybeans.

I was really exited to get to ride on the combine....but I'm not sure my friend Flat Gabby was excited. I convinced her it would be OK to ride with Kristin. Flat Gabby still wasn't convinced so I told her I would even hold her hand. She agreed. Now before you say anything...I don't like to hold hands with a GIRL, but it was the only way Flat Gabby would ride with me. In the end, it wasn't SO bad to hold her hand.

Kristin would only let us ride in her pocket because she was worried we would blow away. At first I was upset, but it really was windy on the combine since the driver had the door open so Kristin and Steve could tape the ride. Don't worry, Flat Gabby and I did get to see through the top of Kristin's pocket. Here you can see a photo Keith took while we were riding the combine.

And here I am with Kristin and Flat Gabby after we got off. It's a good thing I have some spare clothes because we were COVERED in dust!

Here you can see the combine transferring the harvested soybeans to a truck that will take them to an elevator like the one we saw earlier in the day.

If you look closely in the photo above, you will see Kristin near the rear of the truck with her recorder and microphones. She sure looks funny there, doesn't she?!

Here's what the field looked like after the combine was done.

Kristin says the sky looked amazing. Well I'm not so sure about that, but it did look interesting. What I thought was amazing was the farmer's truck. It's a small Chevy truck. How cool is that?!

Well that's my review of my visit to the soybean farms near Brasilia.

Until next time.....

Port of Santos

2008-04-15T10:48:00.010-05:00

Hi everyone. Here's another update on my many adventures in Brazil.

Today (Sunday, April 6), Kristin woke me up early and told me to pack my bags because we were going to be leaving Sao Paulo later in the day. But first she said we were going on another great adventure.

After we piled all of our bags into the van, we drove to a place called Santos. We have to drive down a steep and winding road to reach Santos. Here you can see the city from the winding road.

Kristin says Santos is important because the largest "port" in Latin America is located there. I had no idea! I wasn't sure I understood what a port was. Kristin told me to be patient. She said we were going to visit the port. Man, it is SO hard to be patient.

It seemed to take forever to get to Santos, so I was really excited when we finally stopped. First, I got to get out of the car. More importantly, I saw this really cool boat. That's when Kristin told me that we were going to take a ride on the boat. How cool is that?!

The boat was named "Master of the Seas." Don't believe me? Check out the pirate on the front of the boat.

How awesome is that pirate?! Once we got on the boat, I noticed that no one outside of our group got on. That's right. We had this HUGE boat all to ourselves.

There was one new person in our group today. His name is David Brown. He is going to host the new radio program (my friend Mr. B in New York was busy). The new Mr. B is really, really nice. I'm really glad he was able to join us in Brazil.

The boat ride was really neat. There were other boats like ours out on the water (except they were full of people...and we had our boat all to ourselves).

At first it seemed like we were boating through a lake. But then the captain told us we were actually going to go through the port! He also told me the port leads straight to the Atlantic Ocean. I had no idea!

It was really cool. I saw some of the biggest boats I have ever seen!

I asked Kristin why the boats were so big. That's when she told me the boats..or ships...carry items like food, cars, televisions and other electronics, and even toys from one part of the world to another. Who knew?

I learned that the items are put into these HUGE colorful boxes that Keith calls "containers."

The containers remind me of the trailers I see on the back of semi-trucks on the highways in America. Keith agreed and told me that sometimes the containers are used with big highway trucks or are placed on trains. But in the port, the "containers" are loaded onto the ships using cranes and other big machines.

Do you see how big the cranes are in the port? I don't think I've ever seen cranes this big in my entire life!

Here you can see me with Keith. Look closely and you will see some big cranes behind us.

Since the Port of Santos is the largest in Latin America, Kristin pointed out there were ships from all over the world in the docks. This one has a flag that I've seen before. Can you tell which country this ship is from?

If you guessed North Korea...you are right! I had no idea ships from North Korea visited places like Brazil. Did you?

It was cloudy during our boat ride. It was also VERY windy. So I spent most of my time looking at the port from my special place inside Kristin's purse. I was too afraid I was going to blow away!

Halfway through our boat ride, I saw something that looked like the large buildings farmers store grain in. Kristin said I was right. There were several "grain elevators" in the port like this one.
Kristin told me that Brazil sends more soybeans to other countries than any other country in the world and that's why there were are grain elevators in the port. Who knew?

I saw a few other interesting ships. This one is something Kristin calls a "cruise liner." That's a HUGE boat that takes people on overnight trips on the ocean. Cool!

I wanted to take a cruise on a big ship like the one in the photo above, but Kristin told me we didn't have time. :( Oh well, at least I got to spend some time on the "Master of the Seas" in Santos.

Just before we got off the boat, I noticed a huge Brazil flag.

I told Kristin I really liked the flag because it was so colorful. Kristin told me she was glad I liked the flag because we were leaving Santos to head to the airport so we could fly to a placed called "Brasilia." Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. See if you can find it on the map.

That's all for now. I'll update you again once I get to Brasilia.

Bye for now...

Riding with the Police of Sao Paulo

2008-04-15T10:43:00.017-05:00

Hi everyone. I have had another very exciting day.

Today (Saturday, April 5) Kristin woke me up early and told me to be ready to spend most of the day "out in the field."

Our first stop of the day was a small police station and community center in a neighborhood called "Jardim Ranieri."

I was really excited when we arrived. I think police stations are cool. Kristin told me if I was really good, I would get to watch the police officers in action. Awesome!

But then I heard the commander tell Kristin that this neighborhood was, "the most violent neighborhood in the world," in 1999. Oh no! Suddenly I didn't feel very safe. Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she told me that we were going to be fine. She said the police have helped the neighborhood become much more safe. I still wasn't so sure, but then I saw how many police officers were working and I felt a little better.

Here you can see me and my friend Flat Gabby with Kristin standing near the police station.

The police station is on a very busy street. It looked like another busy street to me.

So I asked Kristin why this neighborhood used to be so scary. She says in the past 50 years, millions of people have moved from the rural areas of Brazil to big cities like Sao Paulo. Who knew? She says many of the people who moved here were very poor and sometimes people would fight over money, food, and property. I have seen many poor places on my adventures with Kristin and it makes me sad when I find out some people don't have enough money to buy food and have a safe house.

Kristin always tells me it is OK to be sad. But she reminds me that I should be grateful that I have a nice house and a loving family. She is right.

While we were visiting the police station, I learned that the people in this neighborhood didn't always like the police. But when criminals moved in and made Jardim Ranieri a scary place, the community asked the police for help. The community and the police worked together to build this police station and a library. The station commander says the police then put many bad people in jail and that's why Jardim Ranieri is much safer today.

Kristin says the way the neighborhood and the police worked together reminds her of the community police program in Muscatine. That's pretty cool.

After Kristin, Keith, Simon, and Steve interviewed the police commander and some people who live in the neighborhood, we got to see the police officers in action. There wasn't enough room for people to ride in the police cars (darn...that would have been really cool!) so we rode in the van.

I was still worried that some bad people would see us, but then I saw we had at least three police cars full of police officers around us at all times (sometimes there were even more police vehicles). We also had a police officer riding with us in our van.

I noticed the streets here are very narrow.

At first I thought the houses were narrow apartment-like buildings, but then I realized that some houses were built on top of other houses. Very interesting.

I was busy looking at the different houses when the van suddenly stopped. The police officer jumped out. Before I could figure out what was going on, Steve jumped out of the van with the video camera and Kristin jumped out with her digital camera. That's when I saw the police had stopped some men who were walking on the street.

The police made the men stand against the wall until they checked their identification cards. The police officers actually had their guns out, so I decided to stay inside of Kristin's bag. I watched the action through a small opening.

Then just as quickly as the men were stopped, everyone got back in the van and we continued driving through the neighborhood. Five minutes later, we stopped again. This time, the police stopped a man riding a motorcycle.

Here you can see one of the police officers calling the police station to check the man's license.

And here you can see an officer making sure the man didn't have anything bad in his pockets.

I noticed while the officers were checking the man's pockets that they also made him show his tattoos. The police officer riding in our van said certain tattoos would tell the police if the man was a gang member of had been in prison.

I was so busy watching the police officers that I didn't realize that we were attracting a crowd.

I was starting to worry about the crowd when the police officers let the man on the motorcycle go. Whew!

Next, the officers took us to a place where we could get a better view of the neighborhood. Wow! I knew I had counted a lot of houses, but I had no idea how many houses were in the neighborhood.

Here are a few more shots of the neighborhood.

Did you see the painting on the wall in one of the photos above? I've seen just about every place we have visited in Brazil. I asked Kristin why I kept seeing the same image and she told me that it is Brazil's flag. Who knew?

After spending another hour (or so) with the police officers, we left the neighborhood and our driver took us to another neighborhood about an hour away. This neighborhood is called "Parelheiros." I could tell right away the people who live in this neighborhood don't have very much money. The streets weren't even paved...and we were still in town. I thought everyone who lived in a city had paved streets.

We were visiting this neighborhood to meet Deise and her daughter Silvia. They own a beauty salon.

The salon is located in a converted garage. It sure doesn't look like a salon in Muscatine. Kristin agreed but she told me the salon is really important. That's because Deise (pronounced "Daisy") and Silvia got money from the local government to go to school so they could open the salon. Now they make their own money and soon they will not need aid from the government to buy groceries and the things they need for their family. How cool is that?! The salon was busy the entire time we were there, so Deise and Silvia must be good.

We left the salon just before dusk and went back to the hotel. I must have been really tired because I fell asleep in the van!

That's all for now. Until next time....

Meet My Friend Flat Gabby!

2008-04-09T19:23:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I have exciting news! I have a new Flat friend! Her name is Gabby and she is friends with Keith.

Flat Gabby is SO flat that she arrived by e-mail this morning (April 4).. How awesome is that?! Even though Flat Gabby is a girl, it is nice to be able to share my adventures with another flat person.

I first met Flat Gabby at a place called the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange.

Kristin says the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange is very similar to BOVESPA, the stock exchange I visited earlier this week. The only difference is that instead of trading stocks, people at the Brazil Mercantile and Futures Exchange trade "commodities." Kristin says corn, soybeans, sugar, and ethanol are some of the "commodities" traded here.

Kristin tried to explain that commodities are traded differently than stocks, but I forgot what she told me because I was too busy watching the trading floor. It is a CRAZY place. There were hundreds of men in several circles screaming, shouting, and watching electronic boards like this one.

Kristin says the prices for the commodities like corn and soybeans are displayed on the big boards. I couldn't really read them so I am going to have to trust her on this.

The men on the floor sounded angry, but Kristin told me they were just doing their job. Hmm...I think it is cool that the floor traders here get to scream and shout. Maybe I should become a commodities trader?!

That's all for now...bye!

Sugar is Sweet!

2008-04-09T19:17:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone. I hope all is well.

Today (April 3) Kristin woke me up early and told me we were going on a long van ride. Yuck! It seems like it takes FOREVER to get anywhere in Brazil. Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she told me that the van ride would be worth it. I'm not sure how she can top Embraer, but I decided not to complain.

In the end, the day was pretty cool! I got to visit a sugar farm. I LOVE sugar!

At first I was very confused about the sugar farm. I didn't know sugar came from a farm. I told Kristin I thought sugar came from bags at the grocery store.

That's when Kristin told me to look closely at the tall, green leafy plants growing in the fields. It is a plant called "sugar cane" and it was everywhere!

Kristin told me that sugar comes from "sugar cane." Who knew? But I quickly learned it isn't easy to make the sugar that my Aunt Lynn buys at the store.

Kristin says when the sugar cane is ready to harvest, each stalk (like the one in the photo below) is taken from the field.

Here I am with Keith "tasting" a stalk that was cut down in the field. It does NOT taste like sugar. It tasted more like dirt than anything else!

Once the stalks are harvested at this farm, they are taken to a processing facility like this one.

The stalks then get put into big machines that squeeze the stalks so all of the liquid comes out. Kristin says this sugar liquid can then be turned into many different things including the sugar that my Aunt Lynn makes cakes with.

I really wanted to see this process but Kristin says it isn't the right time of year for harvesting the sugar cane. :( At least I got to see one of the sugar processing facilities.

I really liked visiting the sugar farm, but I wasn't really sure why we were there. That's when Keith told me that one of the things made from sugar cane is something people in Brazil call "alcool." He says "alcool" is called "ethanol" in the United States. He also told me that most "ethanol" in the United States is made from corn (not sugar cane). I had no idea!

I also didn't realize that "ethanol" can be used as a fuel in cars. Keith says many cars in Brazil run on ethanol made from sugar cane instead of gasoline. Very interesting. Kristin says the gasoline she puts in her car at home is a mix of gasoline and corn ethanol. I'll have to ask Aunt Lynn if she uses this ethanol stuff in her gasoline.

That's all for now. Bye!

Bandag in Brazil...Who Knew?

2008-04-09T17:47:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. I am SO excited. Today (April 3) I saw a sign along the road with a logo that I know from Muscatine: Bandag. How cool is that?

I never thought I would see a sign from a company based in Muscatine here in Brazil. Here is one of the signs just outside of the town of Piracicaba, about two hours outside of Sao Paulo.

It was raining when I saw the sign so it was hard for Kristin to take my picture.

A few minutes later I saw another Bandag shop near Piracicaba's shopping mall. Wow, two Bandag places in one day!

Kristin was also excited to see Bandag. Her husband, Eugene, works for Bandag. She told me Bandag has many shops and offices in Brazil. I had no idea!

Until next time...

Planes, Planes and More Planes!

2008-04-06T22:03:00.016-05:00

Hi again. I hope all is well.

I always know I am going to see interesting places when I travel with Keith and Kristin. But on Wednesday (April 2), we visited the coolest place ever!

It is a business called Embraer.

Embraer is located a couple of hours from Sao Paulo. It seemed like it took forever to get there, and I was pretty bored in the van. But Kristin promised me that Embraer was worth the wait. Guess what, she was right! Embraer makes airplanes and we got special permission to watch the workers build planes. How cool is that??!!!

Do you see the Embraer sign on the building in the photo above? It is the same logo that I saw at BOVESPA yesterday! Now I know why Kristin wanted me to pay special attention to that sign.

Kristin says Embraer is the third largest airplane builder in the world. I had no idea! Kristin told me a lot of other things about Embraer, but I really can't remember what she told me. I was too busy watching people build airplanes. I LOVE watching airplanes when I am waiting at the airport but visiting the factory is even better.

Here I am just outside one of the HUGE buildings where the airplanes are under construction.

How cool is that photo above?!

I don't remember how long we spent in this building, but it was long enough for me to see how some of the plane pieces go together. It is hard to show you photos of how the pieces go together but here are some of the photos Kristin took in the hangar.

Below you can see what the inside of a plane looks like before the wires, walls, seats, and pilot controls are added.

If you look closely in the photo above, you can see me sitting on the nose of this plane. How cool is that!?
Here I am with Keith and the part of a plane where the pilots sit.

At some point, everyone in our group went to another part of the building where different parts of planes are built. It was REALLY loud so Keith and Kristin had to wear earplugs (they didn't have earplugs in my size so I just covered them with my hands). And, since it was a construction zone, Keith and Kristin also had to wear these really funny plastic glasses. Kristin says they are called "safety glasses."

Don't they look funny with those glasses!? They didn't have any of the funny glasses in my size, so Kristin made me stay in her bag most of the time so I wouldn't get hurt. She did let me look out through a small opening and sometimes she took me out for photos (but only after she knew we were in a safe area).

Here you can see me with Kristin. Can you tell Kristin was having a hard time holding me and the equipment too?

Here are some more photos that I think are really cool.

After our visit to the construction hangars, we had lunch with Embraer officials. Later my friend Simon interviewed a company executive for a television story. And just before we left Embraer, we went back to the first hangar we saw so Simon could do something he calls a "stand up." During a "stand up," a reporter reads a script on camera at the location he/she is reporting from. Very interesting. Kristin and Keith don't have to do this for radio (but they do talk to their recorder all the time, so I guess they are doing something similar).

Here you can see Simon and Steve recording Simon's "stand up." Kristin says I will likely see this on TV and the Web when the project is done. Cool!

It seemed to take Simon and Steve a really long time to record the "stand up" and tape all of the pictures they need for TV. I forgot from my trip to Djibouti that it takes MUCH longer make a television story. But I didn't mind. It gave me more time to watch the workers.

Well that's all for now. Until next time....

A Place Called BOVESPA

2008-04-05T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I had another very exciting day on Tuesday (April 1).

That morning Kristin and Keith took me to a place called BOVESPA (Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo). Kristin says it is Brazil's largest stock exchange.

Kristin says BOVESPA is similar to the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. But BOVESPA is for companies doing business in Brazil. Who knew?

I don't really understand how the stock market works so Keith tried to explain it to me. He says when a company wants to get bigger or needs more money, it sells small pieces of the company to people who are interested in helping the company. Those small pieces are called "shares of stock." And the people who buy the stock are called "investors." Sometimes investors decide they want to "trade" their shares to someone else. I think this is similar to trading baseball cards with my friends. Keith agreed it is similar except people use the stock exchange to trade their stocks.

We spent most of our time at BOVESPA on something Kristin called the "trading floor." It is a big room with a wooden floor and LOTS of big television monitors and BIG message boards. I couldn't understand what the boards were saying, but Kristin says they were showing the progress of today's trading.

Kristin says people used to trade their stocks on paper and that the "trading floor" we visited used to be full of men yelling as they bought and sold stocks. But today the "trading floor" is a museum. That's because the trading is now done by computers. Very interesting.

The museum has demonstrations to show how stocks are traded on the computer. Here you can see men showing the museum visitors how the process works.

When they were done, Kristin let me try to trade stock on the computer. I'm not sure I did anything but the colors and the buttons were really cool.

As we were leaving BOVESPA, Kristin pointed out this sign.

I'm not sure why she wanted me to see this sign, but she told me it was really important. Hmm...I wonder what she is up too?!

I am still not sure I understand this stock stuff but BOVESPA was a really cool place to visit.

Later that night after we got back from dinner, there was someone waiting in the hotel lobby that I knew! It was my friend Simon from Washington, DC. Kristin says he is going to work with us for the rest of the time we are in Brazil. How cool is that?

Simon is going to make TV stories so he brought along his camera person, Steve Mort. Steve lives in Florida, and he is very nice.

That's all for now. Bye!

Sao Paulo Update

2008-04-04T13:24:00.009-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope all is well in Iowa. Keith and Kristin have been SO busy that I haven't had any computer time. But don't worry, I have had many great adventures this week.

On Monday, we drove around Sao Paulo to look at famous places and to see different neighborhoods. Our first stop was a place Renata called the "Japanese Neighborhood." Kristin says there are more Japanese descendants in Sao Paulo than anywhere else outside of Japan. I had no idea!

Can you see the street lights in the picture above? They look a lot like the lanterns I see in the temples in Asia. Very interesting.

I was so busy looking at the lantern lights that I forgot to ask Kristin to take my photo. Oh well, she probably wouldn't have been able to anyway. She is helping Keith with a video camera. I thought they were making a radio show. Kristin says they are making a radio show but also getting video for a Web site. It is very strange to see Keith with a video camera.

One thing I did see was a McDonald's that served ice cream, but Kristin said we didn't have time to eat ice cream. :(

I noticed a number of interesting paintings on walls and buildings all over Sao Paulo. Kristin says it is "graffiti."
Kristin says it isn't nice to paint things unless you have permission. I think she is right. But it looks like many people in Sao Paulo like to paint anything and everything.

Later we went to a place called Praca de Se... or "Cathedral Square"... in the center of downtown Sao Paulo. Renata says this place is like a "town square" in America. Carlo, our driver, was very worried that someone would try to steal me out of Kristin's bag, so I stayed inside and looked out from a small opening.

The Praca da Se is a really interesting place. There is a large Catholic Church in the square called the "Catedral da Se."
Kristin says the Catholic church is very popular in Brazil. Who knew? But Renata told us that other religions are starting to become more popular. So much so that sometimes preachers from another church will stand in the square and shout their beliefs to the people who walk through the square. That's what this man was doing when we walked by.

There were also many men waiting to shine shoes in the square. Very interesting.

Keith says Brazil's leader, President Lula, used to be a shoe shine boy. Wow! He must have been a smart shoe shine boy. Just as we were leaving the square I noticed someone had set up a place to cut hair. I saw the same type of "salon" when I was in India with Kristin and Amy earlier this year.

Carlo then drove us around town so we could see other interesting places like this colorful shopping street called, Bom Retiro.

Then we stopped at the Museum of Modern Art. Kristin said we didn't have time to actually visit the museum (whew!) but Kristin and Keith did take a lot of photos and video by the museum.

Here's the view from the museum's patio.

Everywhere we went that day I kept seeing these funny looking lime green bubbles on the sidewalk.

I finally asked Kristin what the green bubbles were. She says they are phone booths. Wow, those are the funniest looking phone booths I have ever seen!

Kristin says many people in Brazil cannot afford cell phones so they use these pay phones to call people. Renata says people who use the pay phones buy a special card with minutes on it. Kristin says this is like the prepaid phone cards we can buy in the US. Here I am by one of the phones.

That's all for now.

Greetings from Sao Paulo, Brazil!

2008-03-30T18:18:00.008-05:00

Greetings from Brazil!

Keith, Kristin, and I arrived yesterday with no problems. Did you read that last sentence closely? We had NO problems getting to Brazil. I guess King Tut wasn't mad at Kristin yesterday. :)

Since we took a direct flight, we didn't have to change airports. The flight left Chicago around 9:30pm on Saturday and we landed in Sao Paulo just after 10:00am on Sunday. Since it was an overnight flight, I slept most of the way.

A journalist named Renata and our driver, Carlo, met us at the airport. They are both very nice! Renata is helping Kristin and Keith during the trip. Kristin calls her our "fixer." Now I remember...Kristin and Keith have had "fixers" help them on our other trips too.

Renata and Carlo immediately took us to the hotel so we could check-in. We are staying at a Marriott in what Renata calls "the nice part of town." Kristin's room is like a mini-apartment. Smaller than the room we had in Seoul, South Korea last fall...but still nice.

Kristin's room has a small kitchen and a dishwasher!

Isn't that the strangest dishwasher you have ever seen? I asked Kristin if we could use it because I think it would be fun to watch. But Kristin said we will likely eat out most of the trip. :(
Kristin's room also has a balcony that overlooks part of Sao Paulo.

Kristin says Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and all of South America. More than 10 million people live here. I had NO idea! (Note...Kristin is helping me find links for my messages like she did for China and India, so don't forget to click on the colored words if you want to learn more about Sao Paulo).

It was raining when we landed but the sun came out later in the day. The temperature is nice and warm (in the 70's). MUCH warmer than Iowa. I like Sao Paulo already! Here are a few more photos from Kristin's balcony.

When we first met Renata, I could hear her on the phone talking in a language that sounded a little bit like the Spanish I hear in Iowa. Kristin says people in Brazil so speak Spanish, but many also speak Portuguese. Kristin agrees both languages sound similar, but she tells me they are different. I am going to have to believe her on that since I can't understand anything Renata is saying when she talks in Portuguese. Here I am with Renata and Keith.

Kristin, Keith, and Renata spent most of yesterday working on making appointments and checking on things for our stay in Brazil. We didn't get to go out and do much since they were busy working. But we did stop at a local convenience store to buy water. We also had to buy diet coke for Kristin. And guess what? They have diet coke (or coke light as they call it here) with lime flavor...Kristin's favorite! You should have seen how happy Kristin was when we found this bottle at the store.

It is kind of hard to see in the photo above, but the bottle actually says it is coke light with "lemon." I thought Kristin was wrong when she said the diet coke had lime flavor since the bottle says "lemon." That's when she told me that people in Brazil call limes "lemons" and the yellow lemons we have in the United States are "limes." Are you confused? I sure am! Kristin swears her drink tastes like lime...even though it says lemon on the bottle. Strange!

That's all for now. Tomorrow Kristin says we will get to visit different places in Sao Paulo. Plus, she says later this week someone I know is going to meet us here. WOW! I wonder who that could be?!
More later....

My Next Adventure....Brazil!

2008-03-28T18:14:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. I am getting ready for another grand adventure.

My friends Keith and Kristin are going to Brazil to make another radio program and they've invited me along. How cool is that? See if you can find Brazil on the map.

I've known about the trip to Brazil since Sunday. The Easter Bunny left plane tickets at Kristin's house. But Kristin asked me to keep it a secret until her visa was approved. (Kristin told me it was NOT easy to get her visa and the special permission I need to travel). Man...it is really hard to keep a secret this long!

Kristin and Keith's visas arrived yesterday. Whew...that was close! We are leaving tomorrow! Here I am making sure my special place in Kristin's bag is ready for the trip.

Well I guess I had better get back to packing. Kristin says we are driving to Chicago and will fly from there to a city in Brazil named Sao Paulo. And guess what? We don't have to change planes! It is a direct flight. I know Keith and Kristin will be busy working in Brazil (and that means Kristin's computer will be busy), so I will update you when I can.

Bye for now!

My Newest Fan

2008-01-27T00:05:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone. I want to introduce you to my newest friends.

This is Aseem and his daughter Kriti. They live in Noida, just outside of Delhi, India.

Aseem and his wife, Ekta, helped Kristin and Amy while we were visiting India. Kristin and Amy met Aseem because he is friends with a man named Ammit. Amit works with Kristin's husband, Eugene in Muscatine. How cool is that?! When Amit heard that Kristin was going to India, he called his friend Aseem to see if he could help her. And Kristin says Aseem and Etka were a big help. They found us our car and driver and they gave Kristin and Amy tips of places to see and visit while in India.

On one of our last nights in India, Aseem and Ekta invited us to their house for dinner. That's when I got to meet Kriti. She is REALLY nice. Actually....everyone in Aseem's house is really nice!

Here I am with Kriti and Ekta.

Kriti liked me SO much that Aseem asked Kristin to send him a photo of me so Kriti could have my picture. How cool is that?!

During our visit we ate lots of great Indian food. We also got to meet Aseem's mom and dad. Here's a photo of Kristin and Amy with Aseem, Ekta, and Kriti.

And this is a photo of Aseem, Ekta, Kriti, and Aseem's parents.

I think it is really nice that Aseem's family invited us over to their house while we were in India. I am really glad they were able to help Kristin and Amy. BIG THANKS! Kristin says I also need to thank Eugene's friend Amit. THANKS AMIT!

This is my final post from my big India adventure. I hope you had fun reading about my trip.

Until my next adventure...bye!

The Contrasts in Gurgaon

2008-01-26T23:57:00.000-06:00

During our last few days in India, Kristin and Amy twice drove through a city named Gurgaon. It is a suburb of Delhi. It isn't very far from Delhi but it sure looks VERY different.

Gurgaon is full of shopping malls like the ones we have in the United States. It also has lots of really cool looking buildings.

Kristin says she wanted to see Gurgaon because of the modern buildings. Kristin says India is growing FAST and Gurgaon is a good example of how India is growing. Kristin also says there are many BIG American companies like Microsoft with offices in Gurgaon.

Kristin wasn't kidding when she said Gurgaon is growing fast. Everywhere I looked I could see construction cranes, construction workers, and partially finished sky scrapers.

Here you can see workers with bright yellow hats working on one of the many buildings under construction.
All of the really tall buildings looked very new and modern in Gurgaon. But everything didn't look new. I still saw old cars, trucks, and even tractors on the streets in front of the new buildings.
During both of our trips to Gurgaon, Kristin and Amy had a very hard time taking photos. That's because there were security guards everywhere! I wanted to show you pictures of the inside of one of the malls but the security guards wouldn't let Kristin and Amy take photos. :(

So Kristin and Amy decided to have our driver drive up and down the main streets of Gurgaon. He would stop when Kristin or Amy asked him to and then they would put down the car windows and snap as many photos as they could before they would attract guards.

It was really interesting to see how the buildings were being constructed. Some had very modern looking materials like steel beams. But some buildings were using what looked like big sticks as support. Kristin said the sticks looked like bamboo. And while I saw lots of modern looking construction equipment like cranes and concrete trucks...

...I also saw people working in small, crowded shops like this person who was welding what looked like a small motor.

I also noticed at some construction sites that the workers didn't have modern tools. Here you can see women using their heads to carry baskets of rocks.

At another building site this man was one of a team of workers using their heads to carry baskets of sand.

Here you can see a team of men working together to move large metal poles from the ground to the top of a building being constructed. Very interesting.

After Kristin and Amy had taken photos on the main streets of Gurgaon, our driver took us down some smaller streets until we reached a new road under construction. You could see many of the modern and new buildings from this street. But I noticed there were several tents (or poles covered with tarps) along the road.

Kristin said many of the construction workers live in these tents. I had no idea! Kristin reminded me that many people in India are very poor and cannot afford to live in a real home like I do in Iowa. This makes me sad.

Here are a couple of other interesting things I saw on the roads in and around Gurgaon. A few times I would see a single chair sitting in front of a tree with a mirror on it along the side of the road. Kristin says it is a roadside barber shop. Wow! This sure doesn't look like the place where I get my hair cut.
I also saw many different animals along the side of the road IN THE CITY. I think it is strange these animals don't live on a farm. They were just roaming along the streets. Here are some piglets...some of them were so small that they could barely open their eyes!

At one point when we were driving down one of the roads under construction, we came across an entire herd of cows. I was actually a little scared when I saw all of these horns headed toward the car (shh...don't tell Kristin but I hid in her purse while she took this photo).

And I stayed in her purse as she was taking photos of the bulls like this one as they got REALLY close to the car.
This baby calf could barely stand when I saw it. It didn't scare me like the big bulls!

I finally asked Kristin why I kept seeing so many cows in India. She says a majority of the people who live in India are Hindu. Hindu is the third largest religion in the world (Christianity is the first and Islam is the second largest). I had NO idea! Anyway, cows are very important in the Hindu religion. Kristin says they are so important that many Hindus do not eat beef. Who knew?

Finally, I saved the best for last. Yes...I saw another camel! I love camels! Maybe someday I will actually get to ride one.

That's all from Gurgaon. Bye for now....

The Road from Agra to Delhi

2008-01-26T23:21:00.001-06:00

The day after our visit to the Taj Mahal, Kristin and Amy packed up their suitcases and we headed back to Delhi. But this time they didn't leave until after the sun came up (whew!), so I was able to see more things on the road between Agra and Delhi.

The first thing I noticed in Agra was another large red building complex. Kristin says it is the Agra Fort. It is also known as the Red Fort of Agra. Well that makes sense because it is red!

I was surprised their was a Red Fort in Agra since I had already visited the Red Fort in Delhi. Kristin says the fort in Agra is very important because at one point it was where the Mughal government ran the country. I had no idea! You can learn more about the Red Fort of Agra by clicking on the colored words above.

I wanted to stop and see the Red Fort of Agra but the driver told Amy and Kristin we needed to keep moving because the traffic was going to get really bad between Agra and Delhi. Well the driver was right. Traffic was really jammed at times! It took us a long time to get out of Agra.

Once we were out of Agra and on the highway, I could see there were a lot of trucks on the road. These trucks are not the same as the big semi-trucks I see in the United States. They are smaller and most of them look very old.

These trucks are much smaller and sometimes are REALLY overloaded. Sometimes I could even see people sitting on top of stuff in the back of the trucks. Can you believe it?

I noticed several trucks with what looked like long sticks like this one passing us on the road.

Kristin told me the sticks were something called "sugar cane." Kristin says sugar is made from sugar cane. I had no idea! I LOVE sugar.

Our driver pointed out that the trucks loaded with the sugar cane were driving to sugar cane plants like this one.

It is probably hard to tell but in the photo below there are dozens of trucks loaded with sugar cane waiting to enter the sugar cane plant (just look for the big piles of sticks...that's where the trucks are). Here is a picture Kristin took from the car of a sugar cane field. I'm glad she told me it was sugar cane. I thought it was a corn field!

It takes more than three hours to get to Delhi from Agra (and even longer in traffic), so I had plenty of time to look out the car window. Sometimes I could see interesting little buildings that reminded me of the mud huts I saw in Africa.

Here you can see one Amy took with her camera's long zoom lens. Kristin says it looks like the roof is made out of sugar cane. I couldn't tell if people were living in these huts, but Kristin says people probably do live in them just like they live in the huts I saw in Africa.

If you look really closely at the photo above, you can see the walls of some of the houses look like they have patterns in them. I asked Kristin how the patterns were made. She told me they were made from mud patties like the ones you see below.

I saw fields full of these mud patties. Kristin said the patties are made from mud taken from the fields where cows live. Hmm...I think I know what's in the mud. YUCK!

I stopped thinking about the mud houses a few miles away. That's because I started to see camels. I LOVE camels! I had no idea there were camels in India. Kristin says the camels are sometimes used to pull large carts overloaded with items. This camel was getting ready to pull one of those large carts. And guess what? They walk along the same road as the cars and trucks!

These camels were taking a rest. Look closely and you will see there are patterns shaved into the fur coat of the camels. Very interesting!

About halfway through the trip we stopped at a rest stop along the side of the highway. Kristin said we stopped at the same place on our way to Agra. I guess I must have been sleeping when we stopped before. Anyway, the rest stop was a lot like some of the rest stops along the highways in Iowa. It had bathrooms, a small restaurant and a place to buy crafts and food for the car.

I really wasn't interested in looking at the crafts. I was more interested in the field next to the rest stop. It was FULL of sheep.

It is probably hard to see the sheep because they blend in with the field, but trust me there were HUNDREDS of sheep in the field. I also saw two boys watching after the sheep.

I got sleepy after the rest stop and I slept until we got to the outskirts of Delhi. Here are a few more photos Kristin took from the car as we made our way to the hotel in Delhi. Here some rickshaw drivers were taking a rest.

This is one of the modern gas stations I saw along the road.

And right before we arrived back at the Hyatt in New Delhi, I saw a train near the road. Kristin says traveling by train is very popular in India. I guess so! This train car was packed with people!

That's my trip from Agra to Delhi.

Bye for now....

Review of My Visit to the Taj Mahal

2008-01-26T01:04:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I am slowly getting back to normal from this jet-lag stuff. Man, it really makes me tired!

I promised to tell you more about my trip to the Taj Mahal and Agra. Here's a recap of my day.

First, Kristin woke me up REALLY early (4:30am) and told me that we were checking out of the hotel in Delhi and going to a place called Agra. She told me we were going to see one of the most famous buildings in the entire world, the Taj Mahal.

Kristin told me is would take more than three hours to get to Agra in the car. I have no idea how long it really took to get to there. I was so tired I slept most of the way.

We brought out guide, Satyender, with us. Just before we got to Agra, Satyender had our driver stop at a place called the "Tomb of Akbar the Great."

I have already seen SO many tombs this week that I've lost count. Kristin says Akbar the Great was the son of Emperor Humayun. I visited his tomb earlier this week. Anyway, Akbar became the leader of the Mughal Empire when he was only 13 years old. Wow...that's close to my age! I can't imagine running a huge country at my age. Anyway, Satyender says Akbar was one of the best Mughal rulers and that's why his tomb is important.

Kristin and Amy really liked the bright colors and patterns on the south gate that leads into the tomb itself.

The colors were nice, but I was too busy looking at something else. Monkeys! There were dozens of monkeys running all around. Actually, Kristin told me they were baboons. OK....I really liked watching the baboons. They have REALLY long tails!

Look...they even wanted to take over the place where the people fixing the tomb usually work!

Kristin and Amy decided to take a few more photos of the gate area before heading back to the car. They were anxious to get to the Taj Mahal. Here are a few more of the photos Kristin took at Akbar the Great's Tomb.

As we were heading to the car, Kristin and Amy suddenly stopped to look at some colorful birds in the trees near the gate.

Can you see the bird? Guess what it is? It's a parrot! Can you believe it? I've never seen a parrot in the wild before. Have you?

I wanted to stay longer and look at the baboons and parrots, but Kristin said we had to go. While she and Amy were taking photos, our driver heard that the Taj Mahal was going to be closing early today. Oh NO! The driver wasn't sure when the Taj Mahal was closing or why, but I could tell Kristin was really worried. We had driven a long way to see it. So our driver tried to get us to our hotel as fast as possible.

But I think King Tut was mad at Kristin again because we ran into a traffic jam. It seemed like it took FOREVER to get to the hotel. At one point our car had to stop for a herd of cattle that was being led through one of Agra's main streets. Can you believe it?

We finally reached the hotel, but Amy and Kristin only stayed long enough to check-in. While they were checking in, they learned the Taj Mahal was going to close at 2:30pm. It was only 11:30am when we arrived at the hotel...so we still had time to get to the Taj Mahal. Whew!

Our driver took us to a place near the Taj Mahal and then we had to get into a rickshaw to get to the entrance gate of the Taj Mahal. Our guide says most motorized vehicles are not allowed close to the Taj Mahal to try and reduce the pollution around the Taj Mahal. I guess this makes sense. Kristin snapped this photo of Amy in her rickshaw.

Kristin and I could see a large white dome while we were in our rickshaw. Kristin says the dome is part of the Taj Mahal. Cool!

When we got the to entrance gate, Kristin and Amy had to make sure they had NO food and NO extra batteries in their bags. Kristin says this is to help keep the grounds of the Taj Mahal clean. I guess this makes sense. And they are SO serious about this rule, that people inspected Kristin's bag. I was worried they wouldn't let me in, but Kristin told me that she made special arrangements so I could get it. Whew!

Once Kristin's bag was checked, we walked toward this very big building that looked a lot like Akbar the Great's tomb gate. Satyender told us that it was the main entrance gate to the Taj Mahal.

The entrance gate was interesting, but I really wanted to see the main building. So did a LOT of other people.

Kristin took this photo as we were walking through the gate. I really didn't want Kristin to stop to take this photo. It is SO hard being patient.....

....but it was worth the wait. This is what we saw as soon as we made it through the gate. WOW! It is really a cool looking building. And it is HUGE. Now I see why it is one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Kristin said it was "breathtaking." I'm not exactly sure what she means, but I think it means it is awesome! Here are a few photos of me at the Taj Mahal.

And here is one of Kristin and Amy.

Amy and Kristin noticed there were a lot of people pinching their hands and having their photo taken. I thought this was very strange and asked Kristin why people were doing that. She wasn't sure at first, but then she figured out that if someone was standing at just the right spot, it would look like they are actually holding the Taj Mahal. Here's a photo of Kristin "holding" the Taj Mahal.

How cool is that photo? I noticed that just about everyone visiting the Taj Mahal wanted their picture taken. Kristin says that's because this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many people.

I also noticed many women wearing colorful saris like I saw in Delhi. Kristin says the photo below is one of her favorite "people" photos of the day.

Kristin and Amy were at the Taj Mahal to take photos of the buildings and the grounds. I guess they weren't the only ones!

Kristin says the Taj Mahal...or Taj for short.... is made of white marble. She also explained that the Taj Mahal is a tomb. It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz after she died. He must have really loved her to build her such a grand tomb. Kristin says Shah Jahan was buried next to Mumtaz after he died.

Here are some of the more than 200 photos Kristin took during our visit.

This is the ornament...or spire as Kristin calls it...on the top of the main dome. Kristin says it used to be made of real gold but now it is made from brass.

There are similar spires on the top of the other Taj domes and towers. Satyender told us they are supposed to help keep the building from being damaged by lighting. Who knew?

Kristin really liked taking photos of the towers....or minarets as she called them. It is hard to tell from the photos but our guide told us the four main minarets are actually leaning AWAY from the main building. He says they were built that way so they would fall away from the building if there was ever an earthquake. I had no idea! Here are some of Kristin's favorite tower photos.

In order to climb the steps to get closer to the Taj, people had to take off their shoes....

.....or cover them with these funny white shoe covers. Kristin and Amy chose to cover their shoes. They didn't have any shoe covers in my size, so I stayed in the outside pocket of Kristin's bag (where I could still see out).

Below people are lining up to walk into the main part of the tomb. This is where Mumtaz and Shah Jahan's bodies are interred...or buried...in above ground marble tombs that look like caskets. I would show you photos but Kristin wasn't allowed to take pictures inside. But you can see some photos of inside the tomb and learn more about the Taj Mahal by clicking on the colored words.

Here are some young girls who kept waving and saying hello to Kristin and Amy.

This is a view of the Yamuna River. Kristin says the Yamuna river is a tributary of the famous Ganges River. Kristin says the Ganges River is as important to India as the Mississippi River is to the United States.

It is hard to tell from far away, but when you get closer to the Taj, you can see that parts of the marble are decorated with brightly colored stones. Kristin says some of these stones are "semi-precious" which means they are very expensive.

You will also find something Kristin calls "caligraphy" on parts of the buildings. She says the caligraphy includes passages from the Koran and other religious texts.

Here are some photos Kristin took of the interesting people and shapes we saw during the visit. This is the main lawn leading up to the Taj (taken from the first level of the Taj balcony).

Here is a photo of the sidewalks surrounding the base of the Taj building....

...and here are people fixing the sidewalks...

....the sidewalks connect to these buildings on either side of the Taj. One is a mosque and our guide says the second one was built on the other side of the Taj to "balance" the view of the Taj.

After we walked around the buildings, Kristin and Amy decided to walk through the gardens. Amy and Kristin looked at the flowers, but I was more interested in the animals running around. I must have seen a HUNDRED chipmonks running around in the grass and trees. Some would even let Kristin get really close so she could take a photo.

Others would let people feed them. Can you beleive it?! I wanted to feed the chipmonks but Kristin said that it probably wasn't a good idea to let the chipmonks eat human food. Besides, Kristin reminded me that she couldn't bring food into the Taj Mahal.

Suddenly I started to see parrots in the trees and on the ground. This one was playing with the chipmonks!

I like this photo because you can see the reddish-pink color of the parrot's beak.

Here Kristin was trying to take a photo of another parrot when it suddenly flew away. I think the photo is still really cool, don't you?

After walking through the gardens and stopping to take a rest, Kristin and Amy took a few final photos of the Taj and the main gate.

As we left the main gate, I noticed there were hundreds of soldiers and policemen with large guns and other security equipment. That's when Kristin reminded me that the Taj was going to be closing soon. Kristin and Amy later found out that a very important person...or VIP...was visiting the Taj and it was being closed just for him. Satyender later heard the Prime Minister of Hungary was visiting but Kristin says she can't confirm that's who was visiting. Whoever it was...he must have been really important or I don't think there would have been that many security guards.

I didn't dare ask Kristin to take any photos of the security guards. I figured she would get in trouble.

On our way back to the hotel, Kristin had the driver stop so she could take a photo of me outside the local McDonald's. We didn't go inside because Kristin didn't want to eat there. I think she could tell I was disappointed but then she reminded me that I can eat at McDonalds at home any day. She is right.

Whew...I am tired from writing this long post. Plus I still have that jet-lag stuff. So I am going back to bed soon.

More later....

Home Again!

2008-01-24T13:07:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I am safely back in Iowa from my adventures in China and India.

Kristin, Amy, and I made it to Muscatine just before Midnight on Wednesday, January 23rd. Our flight from Shanghai was late getting into Chicago. Then Kristin had to drive through rush-hour and icy roads to get home. It is a good thing she had THREE seats to herself on the plane. She was able to sleep most of the flight. I'm glad because otherwise she would have been too tired to drive us back to Iowa.

I slept part of the flight but Kristin warned me I would still get that jet-lag stuff. She was right! I am really tired so I am going to take a nap. I still have plenty of things to share with you from India. I will update you when I am awake (and Kristin can help me edit photos). And I have to help Kristin unpack!

See how much stuff she brought back? Not all of it is hers...some of it is mine too! Kristin was kind enough to buy me some gifts along the way. I can't wait to show them to Aunt Lynn!

I want to thank Kristin and Amy for taking me on another great adventure. I also want to thank Amy's family (Mary, Steve, Peter, and Diane) for being so nice to me in China and Aseem, his wife Etka, their daughter Kriti, and his parents for being so nice to me in India. I know I am very lucky to have good friends all around the world.

Bye for now!

The Taj Mahal

2008-01-21T10:56:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I've just returned from one of the coolest places I've ever seen! It's called the "Taj Mahal" and it is located near the city of Agra. See if you can find it on the map.

Kristin and Amy are working really hard on their computers editing photos right now, so I don't have time to give you a full update on my trip to the Taj Mahal right now. But I promise I will update you when I can. In the meantime, here are a few photos. And don't forget you can click on the colored words "Taj Mahal" to learn more about it.

Kristin says we are leaving India tomorrow morning. We are flying to Shanghai and spending the night there before flying back to Chicago. I'm not sure if I will get to use the computer again before I get home. But don't worry. I will have a lot more to share with you when I get back.

Until next time...

Another Delhi Day

2008-01-18T20:37:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. Amy and Kristin are still keeping me very busy in Delhi!

On Wednesday Kristin and Amy asked our guide Satyender to take us to more of Delhi's famous places. We started the day at "Humayun's Tomb."

Kristin says this building was built for the Emperor Humayun after he died in 1556. This is a HUGE building surrounded by a large garden.

Here you can see the tomb of Emperor Humayun and some of his family members. It was really dark inside this room. The only light in the room came from windows like the one is this photos. But these windows do not have glass like the ones on my house in Muscatine.

Here you can see Kristin near the tomb.

Right after we arrived at the tomb, a HUGE group of school children showed up. They must have been on a field trip. I sure don't get to take field trips to places like this when I am in school! The school children were really LOUD! They screamed and shouted most of the time we were near the tomb. I know my teacher would not let me behave that way if I was on a field trip. I really think they should have behaved better. Kristin thanked me for being on my best behavior. :)

While we were walking around I noticed a man cleaning one side of the tomb.

Kristin says Humayun's Tomb is something she calls a "World Heritage Site." I had no idea! She says that means it is one of the world's most important buildings, just like Giza Pyramids in Egypt and Angor Wat in Cambodia. Kristin says it takes a lot of work to maintain Humayun's Tomb and other World Heritage Sites.

There is a mosque near Humayun's Tomb. Here are some of the photos Kristin took of the mosque and the buildings around it.

Our next stop of the day was a place called the "Lotus Temple." Kristin says it is called this because it is supposed to look like a lotus flower. I'm not sure this building looks like a flower but I wasn't going to argue with Kristin on this.

Kristin told me the Lotus Temple was finished in 1986. That makes it one of the newest buildings I have seen during my entire trip to Delhi. She also says it is a temple for people who follow the Bahai Faith. I think this means it is like a mosque or church.

It was getting warm standing outside in the sun, so we decided to inside the temple. But first Kristin and Amy had to take their shoes off. Then the temple guide told us we had to be very quiet while we were inside the temple. In fact, she said we could not even talk or whisper! It was nice and cool inside the building and it was REALLY quiet. Man, it is REALLY hard to be quiet for 10 minutes! I was really glad when we were back outside.

Our final stop of the day was a place called the "Qutb Minar Complex." The main feature of this complex is this really tall tower. The tower itself is called the Qutb Minar (or Qutub Minar).

This tower is almost 240 feet tall. WOW! That is really tall! Kristin says it is made mostly of red sandstone, the same kind of stone I saw at the Red Fort on Tuesday.

Here's a picture of the very top of the tower. Our guide says people used to be able to climb to the top of the tower, but they don't allow tourists to do that anymore. Whew! I was worried for a minute that Kristin was going to have to walk up more dark stairs to the top of the Qutb Minar.

As we were walking around the tower, I noticed that it is full of really interesting carvings. Our guide told us that the tower is inscribed with the words of the Quran (or Koran), the religious text of the Islamic faith. I was confused about this until Kristin explained that my faith has the holy book of the Bible and the Islamic faith has the Koran. Very interesting. Here you can see some of the carvings up close.

Kristin says the Qutb Minar is the most famous part of this complex. I can see why. It is hard to miss the really tall tower. But our guide told us the rest of the complex is also very important. (Click on the Qutb Minar Complex colored link above to learn more).

As we were walking around, I told Kristin I thought some of the complex ruins reminded me of the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt. I'll have to remember to ask Aunt Lynn if she notices the same thing when she sees the photo below.

Just like at Humayun's Tomb, there were people working on projects at the complex. I couldn't really tell what this woman was doing, but she was pounding the stone with a very heavy hammer.

These men were digging in a ditch with small shovels and picks.

As soon as they had dug up enough dirt, the men would load the dirt in large silver bowls. Then they would put the big bowls full of dirt on top of a woman's head. Can you believe it?!

These women must have really strong heads!

I asked Kristin why the workers didn't have wheel barrows and other tools like we do in the United States. Kristin says she wasn't sure why the workers at the complex were using the large bowls to move the dirt. She says sometimes workers can't use big equipment at historical sites. I guess this makes sense. But Kristin also pointed out that we've seen many places in India where people don't have nice tools. She says that's because many people can't afford them. I thought everyone had a wheelbarrow.

I also noticed a number of small children with old clothes playing near the spot where the men and women were working.

These children didn't have any toys to play with either. One girl was playing with a pair of sunglasses and another baby was playing with an old film container. This made me very sad. I could also tell Kristin was very sad. She was also worried because we didn't see any adults with the children and they were all much younger than I am. Kristin told me she hopes the children belong to the men and women working in the ditch.

Here's s photo of Kristin near the Qutb Minar. She looks pretty small next to that tall tower!

Just as we were getting ready to leave the complex, another large group of LOUD school children came into the complex. They were wearing red uniforms and they all wanted to talk to Kristin and Amy. Kristin managed to make her way through the crowd while I hid in her purse. But the kids swarmed around Amy and it seemed like every one of them wanted to say hello to her!
Whew...that's the end of another long day here in Delhi! Kristin tells me we are going to see even better places in the next few days. I will keep you posted when I can (and when Kristin's computer is working).

Bye for now...

Delhi Update

2008-01-18T20:29:00.000-06:00

Hi there. I bet you thought I was lost in India!

Kristin and Amy have been so busy that I haven't had time to update you on my trip. Plus, Kristin has been having computer problems. She calls it "the blue screen of death." I have no idea what she is talking about, but I do know it is NOT good.

Right now Kristin's computer is working...so here it goes.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Delhi is the traffic. It is CRAZY! The roads are jammed full of cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and bicycles.

The streets are also packed with these funny looking green and yellow three-wheel things.

Kristin says these are called "auto-rickshaws" and they are basically a motorcycle in the front with seats in the back. I really wanted to ride in one but Kristin has rented a car and driver for our entire trip. :(

On Tuesday, Kristin also hired a guide to help guide us around Delhi. His name is Satyender and he is very nice. He told us about 16 million people live in Delhi. Did you know that more than 1 BILLION people live in India? I had no idea. That's a lot of people!

We spent most of the day on Tuesday in a portion of the city called "Old Delhi." Our first stop was a place called "Jama Masjid." Our guide says it is the largest mosque in India.

Our guide told us so many things about the mosque that I knew I would forget most of it. So Kristin helped me find Web links that tell you more about the mosque and all of the other places we've visited. Just click on the colored words in this post to learn more.

Everyone has to take their shoes off before they can go into the mosque. Kristin has had to do this before. She also thought she might have to wear a headscarf like she did in Egypt and Indonesia, but our guide told her and Amy they didn't need one.

The mosque is big and it is surrounded by tall red, arched walls.

The walls surround a huge courtyard. There were many people visiting the mosque when we were there. But there were hundreds (if not thousands) of birds also "visiting" the mosque. Here you can see some boys feeding a group of pigeons.

Sometimes people would get too close to the pigeons and they would all fly away really quickly. It is a good thing I have a safe place to hide inside Kristin's bag. I was afraid the pigeons would grab me! Kristin snapped this cool photo of the birds flying around us (and yes...I was hiding at this point!).

While we were walking around the courtyard I noticed a number of kids my age wearing old clothes. They would walk up to people and ask for money.

I was shocked at how the kids were dressed and that they were asking for money. Kristin says that many families in India are very poor....some don't even have houses. This makes me sad. Kristin reminded me that I should be grateful for my toys and my house. She is right.

Kristin and Amy walked around the courtyard and took photos for awhile and then our guide took them up a flight of stairs so we could get a closer look at one of the tall mosque towers. Our guide told Kristin and Amy they could climb to the top of the tower and take photos of the city. Kristin decided to walk to the top of the tower and Amy stayed behind. She took this photo of the tower while Kristin and I were climbing to the top.

I think Amy was smart to stay behind. Climbing to the top of the tower was REALLY scary. First, it was pitch black inside. Second, the stairs were so narrow that people walking down the stairs had to squeeze by Kristin. It is a good thing I am flat. I'm not sure I would have made it up the stairs if I wasn't! Kristin took this photo of the stairs. You can see them only because of the flash on her camera.

Kristin was REALLY glad when we made it to the top because she was out of breath! But, I think it was worth climbing the dark stairs. Here are some of the photos Kristin took at the top of the tower.

Here's a close-up of the buildings near the mosque.

And this is just one of the jammed-packed streets next to the mosque.

Kristin carefully walked down the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the bottom again. Whew!

After we left the mosque, our guide suggested we take a rickshaw ride. He told us it was the best way to see the huge market surrounding the mosque. I was SO excited. But we didn't take an auto-rickshaw. We took a bicycle one like this one.

I had SO much fun riding on the rickshaw.

It's a good thing we didn't take the car for this part of the trip. The market was very crowded and the streets were full of people and rickshaws. There was even a cow on one of the tiny streets!

Here are a few photos Kristin took during our rickshaw ride.

As soon as we left the market area, the rickshaw took us to a place called "The Red Fort" or "Lal Qila."

The outside walls of the Fort are made with red sandstone. I guess that's why it is called the "Red Fort." But some of the buildings inside the tall walls are made of white marble.

There are many different buildings inside the Red Fort. Here are some of the photos Kristin took during our visit.

I have noticed since we arrived in India that many women wear the brightly colored outfits like the ones the women are wearing in the above photo. Kristin says this is a traditional outfit called a "sari." Who knew? She says most of the bright fabric we saw on our rickshaw drive through the market area are for saris. I asked Kristin if she has worn one. She says she hasn't. She says the sari is one long piece of fabric and it has to be wrapped in a certain way....and she is certain that she doesn't know how to wrap it correctly.

After we left the Red Fort, our driver and guide took us back to the section of town called "New Delhi." I think it is strange that there is an "Old Delhi" and a "New Delhi." Kristin says "New Delhi" is the part of town where most of the Indian government buildings are located. She says it is also "new" because much of this section of town was built in the past 100 years. I had no idea!

This is a view of the Parliament in New Delhi. Kristin says the Parliament is where the people who help run India's government meet. I think this is similar to the Congress in the United States.

And this is the President's house. It is located behind a tall gate. Kristin had to take this photo from the gate. The security guards wouldn't let us get any closer.

On our way back to the hotel we saw something called the "India Gate."

Kristin the India Gate is a memorial for British soldiers who died in World War I and other wars. Kristin wanted to get closer to the gate to take a better photo, but there were lots of security guards and yellow gates along the street. Our guide told us "Republic Day" is January 26. It is a large military parade and that's why there is so much security in the area right now.

Whew! We've had a very busy day. I am tired and hungry. So I am going to have dinner and go to bed.

More later

Greetings from Delhi, India!

2008-01-14T08:01:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone! I am now in Delhi, India.

I bet you wonder where I've been haven't you? I was in Shanghai, China for the last 5 days but I wasn't able to update my blog. That's because I couldn't log onto the site to make it work. I asked Kristin to help me and she looked at the computer and told me right away that I would have to wait until we got to India before I could update the blog.

Kristin did tell me before the trip that I might not be able to update the blog in China. I asked her why once I couldn't make the blog work. She says people in China can get on the Internet just like we do in the United States. BUT, she says the Chinese government doesn't allow people to see everything on the Internet. I had no idea! I thought this was really strange but then I remembered the people in North Korea don't have access to the Internet at all. So I guess it is better to have some access than no access.

I know Kristin emailed photos to Aunt Lynn so she would know that I am safe (yes, Kristin's email worked....but Blogger did not...very strange).

I will be working over the next day or so to get my Shanghai posts on the blog. You will just need to be patient. :)

Now I am in Delhi, the capital of India. Getting here was NOT easy. We were supposed to leave Shanghai at 1:00AM on Monday (January 14) but it was snowing outside when we left the hotel. The doorman told us it hadn't snowed here in 5 years. Can you believe it?! Anyway, the snow delayed our flight (or King Tut just decided to be mad at Kristin again). The worst part about the delay was staying at the airport. It wasn't heated and no shops were open. Kristin and Amy tried to nap but spent most of the time trying to stay warm. Kristin had me put on my Cardinal's shirt and then tucked me away into a warm spot in her purse so I didn't get cold.

Our plane had to stop in Bangkok, Thailand to get fuel about half-way through the trip. I like Thailand but I didn't like being stuck on the plane there. I just wanted to get to India. Once we arrived in Delhi, the line to get through immigration and customs took almost an hour. And the immigration and customs area at the Delhi airport is NOT very nice. I was really glad when Kristin and Amy finally got their suitcases.

A cab was supposed to meet us at the airport but there was no one waiting for us when we walked outside. I was REALLY nervous we were going to be stuck at the airport. But then Kristin saw a person from our hotel and talked to him. He then arranged for the hotel's car to bring us to the hotel. Whew!

We are staying at the Hyatt in New Delhi. It is nice, but not as nice as the hotel in Shanghai. Hotels here are very expensive so Kristin and Amy are sharing a room to stay within budget.

Well that's about all for now. I have seen nothing but the hotel so far. Plus I am really tired and I need rest. Tomorrow I think I will get to see more of Delhi.

Bye for now!

My Shanghai Weekend

2008-01-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I was hoping to wake up to sunny skies in Shanghai but I guess King Tut is still mad at Kristin because this is what it looked like outside her hotel room Friday morning.

YUCK! I think Kristin and Amy are upset about the weather but it sure didn't keep them from slowing down. On Friday morning we went to a place called the "Soft-Spinning Material Market." It's a very busy market with tons of little shops that sell nothing but fabric. I've never seen so much fabric in my life! I wasn't quite sure why we were there but then Kristin and Amy decided to buy jackets made from Chinese silk. And guess what? The jackets were made specifically for them! A woman at the shop Kristin and Amy went to took tons of measurements. Here you can see Kristin getting measured.

After they were done getting measured, Kristin and Amy picked out the fabric they wanted and looked at books to show the woman...or seamstress as Kristin called her....what style jacket they wanted. Kristin says many people in China have their clothes made at markets like this one instead of shopping for pre-made clothes at a mall. She says this is called "custom tailoring." I had no idea! Anyway, Kristin and Amy's jackets will be done in 2 days! Can you believe it?!

As soon as we left the market, our driver and guide took us to the house where a man named Sun yat-sen used to live. Our guide told us that he is considered the "father of the Chinese republic." Who knew?

The house is now a museum. The house is located in a part of Shanghai known as the "French Concession." Kristin says many people from France moved to this part of Shanghai in the 1800's.
Next we went to a place called the "Arts and Crafts Research Centre." I really didn't want to go because arts and crafts are for girls. But Kristin said I might see some people making nice needlework prints. I know my Aunt Lynn likes to make needlework prints so I decided I would see the crafts.

This is a picture of what is called "Shanghai Gu Embroidery." It sure looks different than what Aunt Lynn makes. This looks more like a painting!

Here you can see one of the artists working on the embroidery. Her needle is SO small that I could barely see it and the thread is really, really thin. Kristin says that's why the finished product looks like paint. Wow...she must have really good eyes!

It was still foggy outside when we left the arts and crafts place but Kristin and Amy decided to stop at a corner in the French Concession to take photos anyway. Here are a few of the photos Kristin took.

I've seen lots of bicycles in Shanghai...just like I saw when I was in Beijing this summer with my friend Michael from the Stanley Foundation.

It was interesting to watch all of the people, cars, and bikes on this corner. I even spotted a UPS delivery person. But this one wasn't driving a truck. He was riding a moped. Very strange!

Kristin and Amy took more photos but I decided to take a nap. Then they decided to have dinner at the Italian restaurant at the hotel. I guess they were tired of eating Chinese food. The restaurant is right near the coolest fish tank I have ever seen! It has four pillars which are connected by glass beams. It also has many lights and TONS of colorful fish.

The best part was getting to walk underneath the glass beams so I could look up and see the stomachs of the fish. How cool is this photo!

Here I am with some of the fish. Pretty cool!

I must have been really tired from our long day in Shanghai. I feel asleep while Kristin and Amy were eating.

It was still foggy when I woke up on Saturday. YUCK!

Saturday morning Amy's sister-in-law Mary came to the hotel and took us to where they live. They live in a section of Shanghai called "Pudong." This is one of the newest parts of Shanghai. Most of the buildings in Pudong have been built in the last 20 years. And there are a LOT of buildings in Pudong.

Mary and her husband Steve live in a big apartment building. It is very nice.

Mary and Steve teach at one of the international schools in Shanghai. Kristin says many people from around the world...including Americans...live and work in Shanghai. So there are many international schools for the foreign children to go to while they are living in Shanghai. Who knew? We walked to the school to see a high school basketball game. Mary and Steve's son Peter plays for the varsity team (and he is REALLY good!). Guess what? The school looked a lot like my school in America on the inside. And the basketball game looked like a basketball game I would see my school.

They even have boy scout troops at the school. Very interesting.

We spent some time walking through a mall that is a lot like the big malls in the United States. Kristin even bought me a book about China (but she was too busy to take a photo of it with me). Thanks Kristin!

We also took a cab to an area not far from Mary and Steve's apartment. Mary wanted to show Kristin and Amy the apartments most Chinese residents live in. They certainly aren't as nice.

Mary even told us that many people who live in these buildings share one kitchen and bathroom. I didn't think that was so strange. I share a bathroom with my sister and brother. But then Kristin told me that it wasn't one family sharing the bathroom...it was many families. She says it would be like my family sharing a kitchen and bathroom with every family on my block at home. Wow...I would NOT like that!

We had dinner with Amy's family and then we took a cab back to the hotel. I thought we were done for the day but Kristin and Amy wanted to go to a place called "The Bund." It it right along the river and you can see the cool buildings and Orient Pearl Tower from this part of Shanghai. Amy and Kristin decided to go because the fog had lifted and they knew were going to get to see the buildings (FINALLY!!). It sure looks cool at night, doesn't it?

On Sunday Amy's family (including Steve's sister Diane who is visiting from Iowa) took us on a small walking and cab tour of the area of Shanghai were our hotel is located. I'm really glad Amy's family lives in Shanghai. I know they helped Amy and Kristin a lot when they were planning this trip. Thanks Mary, Steve and Diane!

It's time for us to head to the airport....we are leaving for Delhi, India soon.

Until next time....

Shanghai - Day 2

2008-01-10T18:08:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I was really hoping the weather would be better today, but it is still REALLY foggy here in Shanghai. It is so foggy that I can hardly see some of the buildings that I know are right next to the hotel!

I know Kristin and Amy are sad about the fog. They are here in China to take photos and gather information for the Stanley Foundation's Web site. It is hard to take good photos when it is this foggy outside. But Kristin and Amy decided to do what Kristin calls, "make the best of the day." I'm not sure what that exactly means...but I can tell you that we were SO busy that I barely had time to rest!

Right after breakfast Kristin and Amy decided to walk to a place called "People's Square." It is located near the hotel. Kristin says it is a very famous part of Shanghai. And she says it used to be a racetrack. The racetrack is gone. Now the area has several museums and shopping malls. Here is a photo of the Shanghai Museum.

The fog was actually getting worse while we were in People's Square, so Kristin and Amy walked across the street from the museum to a place called the Shanghai Urban Planning Center. Kristin told me the building had a museum that shows how Shanghai has grown into the city it is today. I wasn't sure I wanted a history lesson, but since it was so foggy outside, I decided not to argue with Kristin. Guess what? The museum was really cool! It has this HUGE model of the city.

The model is SO big that Kristin can't even get the entire thing to fit in a single photo!

The museum has several floors. One of them included a really cool model of the Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.

And there was a section about Shanghai's port. I learned that lots and lots of ships carrying everything from cars to food to clothing pass through Shanghai's port every year. Who knew? The best part (for me at least) was getting to spend time "driving" a boat for a short time in the museum.

Since the museum has several floors, we had to take an escalator to get to each new floor. And every time we got on the escalator, we saw this sign.

I was confused why there would be a sign reading "mind your head" so I asked Kristin what it meant. She says the sign is telling people to "watch" their head as they move on the escalator. Kristin says some places in the world use the word "mind" instead of "watch" on warning signs. Very strange and confusing if you ask me!

After we finished the tour, Amy and Kristin walked across the street to a big shopping mall to take a few photos of people shopping in the expensive stores there. The mall is several stories and is kind of like our mall at home.

After lunch, Kristin and Amy hired a car and a guide and we visited several places around Shanghai. Our first stop was the Orient Pearl TV Tower. It was too foggy to see the top of the tower, but Kristin did show me photos of it in her guidebook. It is a skinny building with two round globes and a pointy top. Kristin says it reminds her of the Space Needle in Seattle. I am going to have to trust her on that.

Our guide told us that the Orient Pearl Tower was built in 1994. She also says it was the first building in the section of Shanghai called "Pudong." Today Pudong is home to hundreds of buildings, many of them very tall skyscrapers. That means all of the buildings I saw in Pudong have been built in the last 15 years. WOW! There must be a lot of construction workers in Shanghai to construct buildings that fast.

Next we visited a place called the "Jade Buddha Temple." It is a temple that has two Buddha statues made entirely of a stone called "jade." Kristin says jade is very popular in Asia and our guide told us that jade comes in many colors including green, purple and white. The jade Buddha statues in the temple complex are made of white jade. I wasn't sure I really wanted to visit another temple since I've been to so many in the past two years in Asia, but the jade Buddha statues were actually neat to see (shh...don't tell Kristin I told you that). I wish I had a photo of the white jade Buddha statues but photos were not allowed. But Kristin could take photos in other parts of the temple complex. Here are a few.

This is the "smiling Buddha."

Here people are burning boxes that hold special items belonging to a relative that recently died. Our guide says this is an important part of the funeral for people here in China that follow the Buddhist religion. Very interesting.

This is the main courtyard.

As you can see it was still pretty foggy outside and it really slowed down the traffic in Shanghai. But I did notice Shanghai has lighted signs that give traffic updates to drivers. I've never seen a traffic sign like this. Pretty cool if you ask me.

After our visit to the temple (and getting through the terrible traffic), our guide took us to a place called Yu Yuan Garden. It is located in a part of Shanghai called "Old Town." I guess it makes sense it is called "Old Town" because this garden was first built in 1559. That is a really LONG time ago! Parts of the garden were destroyed during a war but they have been rebuilt. Here are some photos from the Yu Yuan Garden.

Look at the Koi! I love Koi ponds!

This is Kristin's favorite photo from our garden visit (trees reflected in the Koi pond).

And here's a photo our guide took of Amy and Kristin. She said they look like sisters. They do look a lot alike in this photo (scary!).

Today while we have been driving around Shanghai, I've recognized a number of the business signs. Some are written in English and some have these funny characters on them. Kristin says the characters are Chinese letters. Who knew?

Here's a sign that should look familiar to you.

...Subway....

...a Coke machine (inside the Jade Temple complex)....

...and Dairy Queen in the Old Town market near the Yu Yuan Garden....

I really wanted to stop at Dairy Queen but Kristin said we didn't have time. :( Still it was interesting to see Shanghai's DQ. It sure doesn't look like the one in Muscatine, does it?

After we got back from the afternoon whirlwind tour, Amy and Kristin went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. But guess what, they went to dinner with one of Amy's relatives! Amy's sister-in-law Mary lives in Shanghai. She is the sister of Amy's husband, David. How cool is that? Anyway, we met Mary, her husband Steve, their son Peter, and Steve's sister Diane for dinner. I think it is cool that Amy knows someone here in Shanghai! Kristin says if we have time, we might get to see where Mary and Steve live before we leave.

After dinner, Amy and Kristin decided they should try and take a few photos of the street by the hotel. It has LOTS of bright lights, billboards and shops. It reminds me of Times Square in New York. Here is one of the photos Kristin took.

Whew....I am tired. I still have some of that jet-lag stuff so I am headed to bed.

Bye for now....

(PS....please forgive any typing mistakes...I am really tired).

Greetings from Shanghai, China!

2008-01-09T02:48:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I am writing to you from Shanghai, China. See if you can find it on the map. The flight here was really bumpy at times and it seemed to take FOREVER to get here. I keep forgetting that I have to be patient when I travel. Being patient is SO hard...especially when the plane ride was over 12 hours long! I have traveled to Asia enough now to know that I need to sleep a lot on the plane to help with that jet-lag stuff, so I slept most of the flight.

Since I've already been to China, I thought I knew what to expect when we got off the plane, but I was a bit surprised. Shanghai is a very modern city with lots of skyscrapers, bright lights, and fancy stores. It reminds me of Seoul, South Korea.

BUT, I haven't really been able to see much of Shanghai because it is VERY foggy here. Here's a view of the city from Kristin's hotel room.

Can't see much, can you? Kristin says I should see lots of skyscrapers but the fog is hiding them.

We are staying at the Le Meridien not far from the Huangpu River that runs through Shanghai. The hotel is VERY nice. Much nicer than I expected. Kristin told me her budget is very tight and she had to work really hard to get rooms in this hotel within her budget. I am glad that she did because she got a really cool corner room with windows on two sides. Here's what Kristin's room looks like.

I visited Amy's room right after she checked in and her room isn't as big (and it doesn't have windows on both sides). Kristin says she booked the same kind of room for both her and Amy, so she thinks her extra nice room is another one of her travel rewards. Cool!

Anyway, Kristin warned me I was going to have that jet-lag stuff when we got here and she was right! I am really tired so I am going to bed now.

More later....bye for now.

Off to Shanghai

2008-01-08T09:23:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I am officially on my latest adventure. Kristin, Amy and I are waiting in the business lounge at O'Hare airport in Chicago for our flight to Shanghai, China. I am SO excited.

We have to leave to get on the plane really soon. Kristin wanted me to tell you that I may not be able to update you every day during our trip. China has Internet connections, but Kristin says there are some Internet sites (including this blog) that I won't be able to see on Kristin's computer. Who knew?

I will keep you updated when I can. Until next time....

My Surprise Present from Santa

2007-12-27T15:50:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a good holiday.

There were lots of presents from Santa under my Christmas tree this year (I guess that means I have been a very good boy!). So I was really surprised today when my friend Kristin called to tell me that Santa left a present for me at her house too. Guess what? I am going on another BIG adventure! Thanks Santa!

Kristin says Santa left me "tickets" for a trip to China and India. How cool is that?! As you know I have already been to China but Kristin says we are going to the city of Shanghai (a place I haven't been to). See if you can find it on the map. After a few days in China, we will fly to India. I am SO excited!

Kristin says my friend Amy from the Stanley Foundation is also coming on the trip. And, we leave January 7th. I better get out my Atlas and start learning more about Shanghai and India.

Bye for now!

26 Hours in North Korea

2007-11-19T22:24:00.000-06:00

As soon as we left Manhae Town and Mt. Sorak National Park, Kristin told me we were headed to a place so we could spend the night in North Korea. What?! I thought I was dreaming, so I asked Kristin to tell me again where we were going. She told me we were going to spend the night in North Korea. Can you believe it?! I got to step foot in North Korea for a few minutes at the DMZ. I never thought I would get to spend the night in North Korea.

Kristin said we were headed for a place called "Mt. Kumgang Resort." It is a resort area run by Hyundai-Asan, a company that also makes Hyundai cars. The area is also known as Diamond Mountain and Kristin says the mountains are very important to Koreans. She also says the resort was opened in 1998 after the leaders of North Korea and South Korea agreed to improve relations between the two countries.

Before Kristin told me anything else, she wanted me to know that her group wanted to spend several days in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital. But her group was not given permission. Kristin says she doesn't know why they weren't given permission but she has told me several times that very few people get to travel to North Korea. So I guess I am really lucky to get to spend the night there.

Kristin wasn't kidding when she told me it was going to be hard to get into North Korea. We had to stop at THREE different places before we could even get on the road to the resort.

Our first stop was the Hyundai-Asan "resting area."

At this place, people came on the bus and made Kristin and her group put most of their newspapers and reading materials into special clear bags. I asked Kristin why. She said the North Koreans have very strict rules about what can and cannot be brought into their country. That means most reading materials, cameras with long zoom lenses, computers, and even binoculars cannot be brought into North Korea. Who knew?

As soon as this was done, another person came on the bus to look at all of the electronic devices people had including cameras, computers, cell-phones, and audio recording devices. Everyone who had a cell phone had to put it into a special clear bag. Both of Kristin's cameras passed inspection but she had to put her audio recorder into a special clear bag. I asked Kristin what they were going to do with the bags. She said they would be stored until we got back from North Korea.

Once this was done, Kristin was given a packet that had some purple paper with her picture on it. She was told this would be her temporary "passport" and identification for North Korea. She was also told she had to wear it at ALL times around her neck. They didn't have a special passport for me. Kristin told me not to worry. She had made special arrangements for me to be inside of her bag when we got to North Korea. Whew!

When everyone had their "passports" and had placed their items in the special bags, the bus drove down the road a bit further and we stopped at a place called the Donghae Highway Transit Office. Here Kristin had to take her suitcase and have all of her items run through the an x-ray machine (yes, I got to go through the x-ray!). She also had to have her American passport stamped to show she was leaving South Korea.

Once her American passport was stamped, we got back on the bus and had to wait until just before 9:15 AM before we could drive across something called the "Southern Limit Line" and then into North Korea. I asked Kristin why we had to wait. She said the North Koreans only open the border at certain times during the day and we had to make sure to be at the border at the exact time or we wouldn't get to cross. I had no idea!

The Sea of Japan (or the East Sea as they call it in Korea) was on the right hand side of the road. The other side of the road didn't look all that interesting but Kristin told me it was full of those landmine things like at the DMZ. I wanted Kristin to take pictures but our guide told us that no pictures were allowed. :(

After we crossed the border, our bus stopped at a big white tent along the left hand side of the road. When we got off the bus there were lots of mean-looking soldiers in olive-green uniforms. They had big guns. Kristin told me not to be afraid, but I decided to stay hidden in her purse. Before I hid, I did notice there were many other Asian tourists going into the white tent. But I didn't see any other Americans.

Kristin's group had to line up in the order of the numbers on their purple "passports." Kristin was toward the end of the line. She had to present her American passport and her purple passport to a very mean-looking soldier. He stared at her for a few seconds and then stamped her purple passport.

Kristin then had to hand her two cameras to our Hyundai-Asan guide and place her bags on a belt to be x-rayed just like she does at the airport. I normally like going through the x-ray machine but this time I was really worried the North Korean soldiers wouldn't let me in. In the end everything was fine. They didn't even search her bag. Whew!

On the other side of the x-ray, we waited inside the white tent until everyone in Kristin's group made it through. Then we headed to the bus. Right before we walked outside I noticed a large bear waving at us. The bear looked like a mascot that walks around an amusement park or on the sidelines of a football game. This bear looked really happy. I thought this was strange...especially since there were mean soldiers all around us. Kristin said the bear must be the mascot for the resort.

Kristin didn't waste any time walking to the bus with her bag. I think she wanted to avoid the mean-looking soldiers. I don't blame her. As we got on the bus, one of them blew a whistle and raised a red flag when an Asian tourist tried to take a photo with his camera. They were not kidding when they said no photos!

Our bus was the first in a long convoy of buses (the others held the Asian tourists). A small North Korean army vehicle was in front of our bus. A solder with a stern face and big gun looked at us as our bus left.

Right after the bus started moving I saw a big building with a picture of a man on it. Kristin said it was a picture of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea. Kristin says there are photos of him and the current leader, Kim Jung Il, everywhere in North Korea.

A bright green fence with that razor wire I saw lined the road our bus was on. Kristin told me the fence was electrified. That means it would zap me with a bolt of electricity if I touched it. Wow! The North Koreans really don't want anyone to stray off the path. Again I wanted Kristin to take photos, but we were told that wasn't allowed. Then I noticed a North Korean soldier with a red flag along the side of the road. Then I saw another one a few hundred yards later. Kristin said they were there to make sure we didn't misbehave. Believe me, I was NOT going to misbehave. Some people in Kristin's group did manage to hide their cameras and take a few photos, but Kristin didn't want to get into trouble so she kept her camera in her bag. Here's a photo Sean took along the road to the resort.

It might be hard to tell, but the people in the photo above were working in a farm field. They were also being watched by military soldiers.

It seemed like it took forever to get to the actual "resort" but Kristin says it took less than 10 minutes. Our bus passed a tall building under construction that Kristin says will probably be another hotel.

Then we parked in a large parking lot. Several other buses parked by us. I'm not sure what I was expecting to see in North Korea, but I didn't think it would be good since the soldiers looked mean. So I was really surprised when we got off the bus. The area we were in looked like a modern rest stop along Interstate 80.

There is a convenience store, a large gift shop, food places, and there was even a bank with ATM machines! Our hotel, the Hotel Onjong-ri, was just across the way from the parking lot.

The hotel is very nice. The lobby looked like some of the fancy hotels I have stayed at with Kristin before.

Our room was on the 10th floor and I was expecting another room without a bed. Instead, Kristin's room was small but pretty nice.

It had a TV, a small refrigerator (full of food and drinks), and it even had a view of one of the nearby mountains.

The bathroom was also very nice with new tile (and hot water!). But Kristin was shocked to see the sink was made by American Standard. That's because Kristin says the United States doesn't have formal relations with North Korea. And because the US and North Korea aren't friends, she didn't think she would see American products like the sink.

We didn't stay long in the hotel room. Some people went to the spa, but Kristin decided to walk around and look at the resort area. The resort looks really big on this map, but Kristin didn't walk too far from the hotel.

Kristin says she knew we were being watched and she wanted us to be on our best behavior. I asked her how she knew we were being watched and she pointed out a green military-style truck that kept driving by the hotel. She was able to snap a picture of it below when the soldiers weren't looking (look closely and you will see it through the trees.) I really promised to be good. I didn't want to have to meet one of the mean-looking soldiers.

Sean also walked around instead of going to the spa. He even took a photo of a village next to the resort from him room.

The village doesn't look anything like the resort. And it also doesn't really look like any of the places I saw on the road between the border and the resort. But you are going to have to believe me on that since Kristin couldn't take any photos in the bus.

Just after Noon we walked across the parking lot to have lunch. Chan-mo, our guide from South Korea surprised Kristin with a bottle of Coke. It made her smile, especially since she had to eat another bowl of rice (but she did use chopsticks to eat the rice).

At lunch, I noticed that some of the waitresses were wearing a red pin with a picture of someone on it. Kristin says the picture was either Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, or Kim Jong Il, the current leader of North Korea. I thought the pin was interesting and I wanted Kristin to buy me one. But Chan-mo explained that the pins were not for sale. He says they are only given to the special workers and it would be rude to ask to buy the pin...or even point at it. I had no idea!

Kristin did buy me some pins at the gift shop that have Mt. Kumgang resort images (including the dancing bear) on it. She says I have to share these with my siblings. Thanks Kristin!

After lunch, we had to get on our bus (at a very specific time) so we could go on a walk around a nearby lake. I noticed as we walked to the bus that there were LOTS of other people visiting the resort. Just look at the line of buses outside of the restaurant.

Our bus was one of several that drove to a nearby lake. It was actually very pretty, but again, Kristin could only take pictures in certain areas. There was nothing but trees and a lake to take photos of, so I started to think the North Koreans were hiding something. I just don't know what they are really hiding. Here are some photos from our visit to the lake.

This is Kristin's entire group at the lake.

Do you see the bridge in the photo above. Guess what? We got to walk on it! It was really scary. It was really high and it swung from side to side as people walked on it. I was SO afraid I would fall that I decided to hide in Kristin's bag until we were safely across the bridge. Whew!

I was really tired after our walk around the lake. And I stayed in Kristin's bag most of the time! She's the one who had to walk over big rocks and up and down big hills!

I was hoping that we would get to go back to the hotel after the visit to the lake, but the bus took us back to the parking lot near the shops. Kristin said we were scheduled to see a dance show and it was going to start in less than 15 minutes. WOW! I told Kristin the schedule was just like my school schedule. I have to be there at a certain time or I will be in trouble. Kristin said it is kind of like going to school. She says that's what it is like to live in a place with strict rules.

I also wasn't sure I wanted to see a dance show, but Kristin said we didn't have a choice. Hmm...I don't have a choice about going to math class either. I was really starting to not like the strict schedule but I wasn't going to complain. I know that not very many people get to visit North Korea.

The dance show was OK. There were lots of people in bright costumes doing all sorts of tricks and acrobatics. Photos were also forbidden, but Sean managed to get a few photos without getting caught. Here's one of all of the performers.

I was REALLY tired after the show, but I knew better than to ask Kristin if we could go back to her room and rest. You guessed it, the resort had scheduled our dinner right after the dance show.

This time we went to a different restaurant in the resort area. We took a bus down a narrow (and dark) road to get to the restaurant. It is located on the grounds of another hotel. Just outside of the hotel is a large, bright sign of two men. Kristin says this is Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the past and current leader of the country. Very interesting. I don't see big signs of President Bush like this at home. Big thanks to my friend Ray for taking this photo.

The restarant was not as nice as the one where we ate lunch. Kristin called it "Soviet" style. I'm not sure what to call it, but it wasn't very clean and it smelled kind of funny. I soon figured out why it smelled funny. We had to cook our meat on a small grill ON THE TABLE. Can you beleive it?!

It was kind of cool to watch people cook their food, but some of the grills started shooting BIG flames and there was tons of smoke in the room. I was really glad when we left the restarant. I was afraid we were going to be in a fire!

Kristin and some of her journalist friends decided to walk back to our hotel. I was really sleepy but I stayed awake to see Kristin take this photo of our hotel at night.

Then I fell fast asleep until Kristin got me up VERY early the next morning (6 AM) so we could have breakfast. Man, there is no time to relax or have real fun at this place!

Kristin had to be checked out of her room as soon as breakfast was done. We then had to be on the bus by 7:45 AM so we could go on another hike around the area mountains. Another hike! I was still tired from the hike around the lake. I decided to take a nap on the bus on the way to our morning hike. I was SO tired that I am not even sure which part of the resort we went to, but it was pretty cool (even if it was early). But Kristin had to walk up long and really steep steps to get partially up the mountain.

Here I am with Kristin on one of the mountain peaks (but not the tallest...we didn't have time and Kristin didn't have the energy to climb to the top!).

As we walked down the mountain, Kristin saw this little chipmonk run across the path. She took a photo of it because it was the first animal she had seen the entire time we had been in North Korea. As soon as she said it, I realized she was right. We didn't hear a single bird on the hike or at the lake. I heard a dog the night before, but I didn't see it. Very strange that we didn't even hear a bird, don't you think?

Just as we were gettinhg ready to get on the bus, I asked Kristin to take a photo of the cartoon characters at the start of the trail. I saw some of these at the lake and even more on the road up the mountain. I asked Kristin what they were for and she said she had no idea. They sure seem to like cartoon animals at Mt. Kumgang Resort!

We didn't stay at the mountain very long. That's because it was time to leave the resort. And I knew from our experience the day before that the border was only open for a very short period of time. I was really looking forward to getting back to South Korea. It's not that Mt. Kumgang was a bad place. It was just weird. Kristin called it "surreal." She also said she felt like she had visited "Disneyland in the Twilight Zone." I'm not sure what she means, but I think she means it was a very strange trip.

We almost missed our chance to cross the border. Just as our bus was leaving the hotel parking lot, one of the journalists in Kristin's group couldn't find his American passport. Oh NO! He had to rush back to the hotel to find it. I could tell Kristin and her friends were really worried. I was worried too. Kristin said her friend would not be able to get back into South Korea without his passport. It is a good thing he found it in his room!

We took the same road back to the border that we had taken to get to the resort. And yes, there were soldiers watching us all along the way. They even looked me in the eye as our bus passed. Very scary! And just like the trip in, we were told we could not take pictures. But Sean decided to break the rules. He wanted a photo of one of the soliders really badly, so he took this photo as the group walked through North Korean customs. He was able to take this photo becuase Kristin's coat partially hid his camera. I am SO glad he did not get caught!

I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when Kristin's American passport was stamped back in South Korea. Kristin has taken me on some big adventures in the past, but this is the best (and scariest) one yet!

That's my review of my 26 hours in North Korea.

Living the Buddhist Life

2007-11-18T14:17:00.000-06:00

Part of my trip to South Korea included a visit to the Baekdamsa Temple in Mt. Sorak National Park. See if you can find the park in at atlas.

The people at the temple must have known we were coming. There was a large sign greeting us as we arrived.

The grounds of the temple are pretty cool. There are a number of wooden temple buildings like the ones I've seen in China, Tibet, and Thailand.

Some have really cool painted roofs. I like all of the bright colors.

And this one houses a shrine for Buddha. It's hard to tell but there are many bags of rice at the feet of Buddha. Kristin says that people are offering the rice to Buddha. I had no idea.

I really wanted to explore the temple buildings but our guides said we had to eat first. Kristin ate a big bowl of rice. Now that I think about it, she's eaten a TON of rice since we've been here. I don't blame her. Some of the other stuff they bring with the rice doesn't look all that great. As soon as we were done with lunch, we had to wash our own plates! Can you believe it?

I hate cleaning dishes! Kristin says she doesn't like to either, but she said it was part of the "experience" of the temple visit. Well I am not impressed!

As soon as Kristin finished cleaning her plate, we walked to another building where they had everyone change into a strange-looking green outfit. The outfit looked a lot like the ones some of the women who were guiding us around were wearing. Hear I am with Kristin and her outfit.

Kristin wore her outfit over her clothes since it was cold and wet outside. They didn't have one in my size (whew!). Shh...don't tell Kristin but I think she looked a bit like a clown in that outfit!

As soon as Kristin and her journalist friends finished changing into their green outfits, they sat down for something called a "tea ceremony." Who knew you had to have a ceremony for tea!

First, Kristin and her friends had to sit on mats on the floor. I've seen Kristin sit on the floor before (in Cairo) but I still have a hard time understanding why people would want to sit on the floor to drink tea.

Kristin sat down in front of a tray that looked like the one above. Soon a woman dressed in what Kristin says is a "traditional outfit" came out to show the group how to make the tea.

I had NO idea making tea could be so hard! There were lots of steps and they had to be done in order. I asked Kristin why there were so many steps to making this tea when all I have to do at home is put a tea bag in a cup of hot water. She smiled and said the tea ceremony is part of the Korean culture. But even Kristin admitted it was hard to remember the many steps it takes to complete the "tea ceremony" correctly. She even needed help!

I still think a tea bag in hot water would have been easier. By the way, do you see the camera and film crew in the photo above? People were filming Kristin's group the entire time they were at the temple. Kristin and some of her friends think the crew was filming them for something for the Buddha TV Network (BTN). I had NO idea Buddha had his very own TV network, did you?

As soon as the "tea ceremony" was over, Kristin and her group went on something called a "walking meditation." I thought we were just going for a simple walk. But I quickly learned that the walk wasn't going to be all that easy. First, Kristin had to find a partner (Madhalika from National Public Radio). Then, Kristin had to help blindfold Madhalika. I thought this was very strange but Kristin said it was part of the "experience." I decided to stay warm and dry inside her coat pocket.

When the walk started, Kristin had to explain everything around us to Madhalika. Kristin later told me the walk was a lesson in trust. Madhalika had to trust that Kristin was going to keep her safe while walking on the trail. Kristin and Madhalika had to change spots on the walk back. Here is a picture Sean took of Kristin blindfolded on her walk.

As soon as we were done with the walk, Kristin and her group headed to a river bed next to the temple complex. I noticed while we were walking that people were building towers out of the rocks in the river bed. I couldn't hear why people were building the rock towers, but I thought it was cool! Here I am with Kristin building our rock tower. You can see other towers in this photo too.

It was cold and kind of wet during our temple visit, so Kristin and her group soon went inside to warm up. They warmed up doing something called a "tea meditation." The "tea meditation" is hard to explain, but basically Kristin sat on the floor, put a towel over her head and then put her head over a hot bowl of tea. Kristin said it was very relaxing. I thought it was weird. Here are Kristin and Sean getting ready for the "tea meditation."

As soon as the "tea meditation" was over, it was time to eat dinner. Dinner was called "Barugongyang" (formal Buddhist dinner). Again, Kristin and her group sat on the floor. This time several monks also sat on the floor with the group and ate with them. And yes, Kristin has another bowl of rice! I was really tired from the day, so I took a nap during dinner.

It was dark when I woke up and Kristin said we were going to a special ceremony. Another one?! Kristin must have seen the look on my face because she told me I would like this ceremony. Guess what? Kristin was right. This ceremony was cool. That's because the monks played a HUGE drum, rang a HUGE bell, and used drum sticks to play cool sounds on a giant fish hanging from the ceiling of one of the temple buildings. Kristin was taping the sounds of the ceremony so she didn't try and play the drum, bell, or fish. But some in her group did.

After the final ceremony, we spent the night at a hotel in Manhae Town near the temple. The lobby was a bit plain but there were computers and the hotel had elevators. But I was shocked when Kristin walked into our room. There wasn't a bed!

The room did have a TV (complete with remote and the Buddhist TV Network), a desk, and a small refrigerator. But there wasn't a bed! I asked Kristin why there wasn't a bed and she told me many people in Korea don't sleep on beds. Instead they sleep on quilts placed on the floor. That's when Kristin showed me the stack of quilts and pillows in one corner of the hotel room.

I like camping but I sure wasn't excited about sleeping on quilts on the floor. Kristin told me she also wasn't sure she was going to like it, but she said it was part of the "experience."

Kristin stacked 3 thick quilts on the floor and then added some pillows. Guess what? It wasn't all that bad. Who knew? I fell asleep right away!

Kristin got up REALLY early (4:30am) so she could go to a morning Buddhist chanting service. I was too tired to wake up, so I let Kristin go to the ceremony by herself.

Kristin did wake me up just after 6:00am for breakfast. Yes...another bowl of rice! Kristin said I needed to eat because we were going on a very exciting adventure and she wasn't sure when we would get to eat again. So even I ate a bowl of rice. I can't wait to find out where we are headed next!

My Visit to the DMZ

2007-11-18T13:11:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. I'm catching up on my stories from Korea. This one is about my trip to the "Demilitarized Zone...or DMZ."

The day after Kristin explained to me the reason why there is a South Korea and a North Korea, Kristin and her journalist friends got on a bus VERY early in the morning so we could go to a place called the "Demilitarized Zone or DMZ." Kristin says this is the where the border between the two Koreas is located. I guess I must have been good since Kristin let me come along with her!

After a long bus ride, we stopped at a military checkpoint. I knew it was a military checkpoint because I've seen them before on my trip to Djibouti. It was cold and starting to rain, but our bus wasn't allowed to go through the checkpoint until we were met by United States Colonel Frank Childress and Public Affaris Chief David Oten Kristin says they were going to be our guides for part of the day. They are very nice.

I thought we were already at the border, but Colonel Frank Childress soon explained that we will still a few miles from the actual border between the two Koreas. Soon, we switched buses so we could start our trip closer to the border. While we were on the bus I saw lots of empty fields with fences that had curled wire with sharp-looking points on it. Kristin says that's "razor-wire" and she says that's supposed to keep people from climbing over the fence. I guess so! It looks like it would hurt if I touched it. She also said the fields were full of landmines. She says the mines are buried so people can't see them, but they can seriously hurt or even kill people who step on them. I decided it might be best if I stayed inside my special spot in Kristin's bag once she told me that!

I really wanted Kristin to take photos but our guides said pictures were not allowed because of security. While we were on the bus, Colonel Childress explained that there are three layers of security leading up to the border. He said the layers of security were there to help keep the North Koreans from invading South Korea. It sure looked very serious. Kristin wasn't kidding when she said the two Koreas were still technically at war!

After a short ride on the bus provided by the military, we stopped at a place called "Conference Row" near the village of Panmunjom. Kristin explained we were now inside something called the "Joint Security Area...or JSA." Here, Lt. Commander Chrostopher Dignan gave us a "briefing" about the history of the DMZ.

First, I learned the DMZ is just over 240 kilometers long (just over 250 miles) and 4 kilometers wide (roughly 2.5 miles). The DMZ is divided down the middle by something called the "military demarcation line...or MDL". The northern half is in North Korea and the southern half is in South Korea. Who knew?

I was really confused by all of the information in the briefing so Kristin tried to explain it to me. She says when the "Armistice" was signed, something called the "United Nations Command" was set up to organize the South Korean, American, and other military forces on the south side of the MDL. North Korean soldiers man the north side of the MDL. I was still confused, but then we walked outside and it started to make sense.

It was pouring rain and it was really foggy, so we couldn't see much. But I could clearly see North Korea from my warm and dry spot in Kristin's purse. There are white posts in the ground that show where the "MDL" is located.

As Kristin was taking a few photos, our guides told us that we could not wave or even point at anyone or anything on the north side of the "MDL." They said it might make the North Korean soldiers (who have guns) mad. OK, now I was starting to get a little scared, so I was glad I was in Kristin's bag.

After a really short walk, we were standing next to some blue buildings. Kristin told me these buildings are where the South Koreans and the North Koreans can meet to try and end the war. The MDL runs right through the middle of the buildings!

Just as we passed one of the blue buildings, I could see South Korean soldiers looking toward the north.
When I looked closer, I could see a large brown building just north of the blue buildings. Kristin says the brown building is in North Korea and it is one of the places the North Korean army uses to keep watch on the MDL. If you look really closely in the picture below, you will see a soldier on the north side (in an olive colored uniform) staring at the soldiers on the south side.

These soldiers look serious, don't they? They didn't move very often. Can you imagine standing in one spot staring at people all day long?

I asked Kristin to take a photo of me in this spot.

It started to rain really hard, so we went inside one of the blue buildings. It is VERY strange inside the blue building. First, there are two soldiers standing very still inside. One looks like he is guarding a table. Kristin says half of the table is in South Korea and the other half is in the North. I had no idea!

The other soldier is guarding a door on the north side of the table. North Korea is on the other side of the door.

I wanted to stay and watch the soldier but Kristin said we could only stay in the building for a certain period of time. That's because the North Korean soldiers can also come into the blue building to show people around. Our guides told us that they have a special phone they use to talk to the North Koreans to tell them when they are going into the building. Who knew?

But we did stay long enough for Kristin to take me into North Korea. Yes....I got to go into North Korea! I know this is a big deal because I remember Kristin told me that very few people are allowed into North Korea. Here I am in North Korea.

Can you tell why I am in North Korea? The concrete line in the photo is the MDL...or border. The rocks on the right side of the concrete line are in South Korea and the sandy dirt on the left side is North Korea. You can see I am LEFT of the concrete line.

Our guides took us to a few other places along the DMZ, but it was so foggy that I couldn't see much (although I am not sure how much I really wanted to see...I got scared after seeing the soldiers staring at each).

One of the places we visited is called, "The Bridge of No Return." Here you can see a South Korean soldier looking north across the bridge.

"The Bridge of No Return" crosses the border between the two Koreas. She says soldiers who were trapped on either side of the border during the fighting in the 1950s were given the choice to stay where they were when the fighting ended or cross the bridge to the other side. But once they chose to cross the bridge, they could not return to the other side. That's why the bridge is called the "Bridge of No Return.". Who knew? Here I am on the south side of the bridge.

After our visit, the group stopped at a store outside of the DMZ and Kristin bought me an arm band similar to the ones the soldiers wear in the DMZ. Thanks Kristin!

That's my summary of my visit to the DMZ. Despite the cold and wet weather, it was pretty interesting to see.

Home from Korea!

2007-11-16T14:46:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I am home from my great adventure to Korea.

Kristin and I were SO busy with her journalist friends that I haven't had time to update the blog. Now we both have that jet-lag stuff....so it is going to take me a few days to get all of my stories posted.

But here's a preview of what's to come:

I got to visit a place called the "DMZ...or Demilitarized Zone." That's the border between South Korea and North Korea. Soldiers on both sides of the border stare at each other EVERY day. It is very interesting and strange all at the same time.

I also got to visit a Buddhist temple. Kristin and her journalist friends got to wear "traditional" clothes. I thought Kristin looked really funny in her outfit, so I am glad they didn't have one in my size.

As part of the visit to the Buddhist temple, we spent the night at a hotel near the temple. But there wasn't a bed in the hotel room! So we had to spend the night on the floor. Can you believe it?! Here's the proof.

Best of all, we got to spend the night in North Korea. Kristin had already told me that very few people get to visit North Korea, so I know I am VERY lucky that I got to spend the night there. Kristin says I am probably the first...if not THE first....flat person to visit North Korea. How cool is that?

But, the North Korea trip was not what I expected. There were soldiers with guns posted all over the place and we had to stay inside a green fence the entire time. It was actually kind of scary (but don't tell Kristin I said that!). Here I am with the ID badge that Kristin had to wear the entire time we were in North Korea.

This is the hotel we stayed at in North Korea.

Here is a photo Sean took of a village near the hotel. It sure doesn't look anything like the hotel area.

Sean also took this photo of people working in the fields along the road to the hotel. Sean wasn't supposed to take photos while we were on the bus, but he did anyway. I'm glad no one saw him or he might have been in BIG trouble.

I need to get some sleep. I promise I will write more and share many more photos in the coming days. But before I go I want to thank Kristin and Sean for taking me with them to Korea. I also want to thank all of Kristin's journalist friends for being so nice to me!

Until then....bye!

What I've Learned About Korea

2007-11-12T06:06:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone. I hope all is well with you.

I’ve been so busy learning about Korea that I haven’t had time to write.

Kristin warned me when we arrived that she was going to be in a lot of meeting. She was worried I would get bored, but I told her not to worry. I actually learned things I didn’t know while Kristin and her journalist friends were in their meetings.

I think I have finally figured out why there is a North Korea and South Korea. Kristin says Korea used to be one country. If you look on the map, North and South Korea are on something called a “peninsula” south of China. Kristin says Korea was divided into two countries as World War II ended in 1945. Kristin says the reason is complicated, but she told me that the important leaders in the northern part of Korea were friends with a country called the Soviet Union (Kristin says the Soviet Union is no longer a country. It is now many different countries…and the largest is Russia. I had no idea!). The leaders in southern Korea were friends with the United States.

When World War II ended, the Korean Peninsula was divided at something called the “38th Parallel.” (Parallel lines are a measurement used on maps to help show how far a place is above or below the earth’s equator. Who knew?).

Kristin says in 1950, the army in North Korea invaded South Korea to try and make Korea one country again. The leaders in South Korea didn’t want North Korea’s leaders running the peninsula so a war broke out. The war lasted 3 years. Kristin says many people died, including thousands of American soldiers who helped the South Korean army fight the war.

Kristin says in 1953, North and South Korea signed something called an “armistice” or “ceasefire.” This agreement stopped the fighting, but it did not end the war. Kristin says the war won’t officially be over until something called a “peace agreement” has been signed. That means South Korea and North Korea have been at war for more than 50 years!

I told Kristin I was worried about the war. I have never been in a war zone. But Kristin told me not to be too worried. She says South Korea and North Korea have not fought a major battle in many years. Whew!

I am still a bit confused by all of this South Korea and North Korea stuff. Kristin told me it is OK to be confused. She says it is very complicated. She says I should read some books about the Korean War when I get older. I think she is right!

Since South Korea and North Korea are on the same peninsula, I asked Kristin if they were both the same. She told me they are VERY different.

Since I’m staying in South Korea I can tell you that it is very modern. The capital, Seoul, reminds me of a big US city like Chicago or New York (except it is MUCH cleaner here). Here are some photos Kristin has taken of Seoul from the bus or the top of a large hotel building (note it was foggy on the day we were at the tall hotel).

Almost all of the cars and trucks I see on the roads here in Seoul look new. I’ve seen many stores with names I know including Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks, Dunkin Doughnuts, and Outback Steakhouse. And one of the McDonald’s near the hotel is open 24 hours. Can you believe it?!

Seoul also has a subway system. It is VERY large but it reminds me of the Metro I’ve been on in Washington, DC. Kristin and some of her journalist friends took me on the subway a few days ago. Here I am on the Seoul subway with my new friend Morgan. He works for Oregon Public Broadcasting. He is very nice!

Like New York, there are lots of bright lights here at night. I love to look at the signs…even though I can’t understand what they are saying. Kristin says that’s because the signs are printed in Korean, the local language.

Although there are lots of skyscrapers and modern buildings here, there are also some older (or historic) buildings throughout the city. This is a “gate” near the modern Dongdaemun Market.

I finally asked Kristin how North Korea is different. She says there are MANY things that are different. Here are some of the things I learned:

North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea…or DPRK. But Kristin says most people just call it North Korea.

The leader of North Korea is Kim Jong Il. She says Kim Jong Il was not elected like our president is elected. He became the leader after his father, Kim Sung Il, died in 1994. The people of North Korea call Kim Jong Il “Dear Leader” and Kristin says there are photos of him and his father everywhere in North Korea. She says Kim Jong Il is very strict and the army and police watch people very closely to make sure they follow the rules. Kristin says some people call Kim Jong Il a “dictator.”

There is very little electricity in North Korea….especially at night. Here is a photo taken from space of the Korean peninsula. You can see there are very few lights in North Korea after dark.

Kristin says North Korea is a very poor country and many people often do not have enough food to eat. She also says most North Koreans are not allowed to travel outside of the country. She also says very few foreigners are allowed to travel to North Korea. WOW! You must have to be very special to travel to North Korea. But, Kristin says if I behave, I might get to go with her to the North Korean border. I promised to be really good!

Kristin says North Korea also has nuclear bombs. They are very dangerous and the United States and many other countries are worried North Korea will use the nuclear bombs. Kristin says the United States and many other countries are now talking to the North Korean government about getting rid of the nuclear bombs. She says the talks have been going pretty good in the past few months. I sure hope they stay that way!

I’ve learned a lot more about Korea than what I just wrote, but this has been a really long message and Kristin says she needs her computer again.

More later….

Flat Michael Visits NIS

2007-11-08T08:30:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone. I hope all is well in Iowa. Kristin, Sean, and their journalist friends are SO busy that I barely have time to write about my various adventures. Kristin is really busy on her computer tonight, but I have time to share one small story.

On Tuesday morning a special bus came to our hotel to pick up the group. After a half-an-hour drive, we arrived at a building that had lots of policemen guarding it. Kristin told me it was the home of Korea's National Intelligence Service or NIS. I asked Kristin if we were going to visit smart people. She smiled and told me that we would get to see some very smart people. But she also told me the NIS is like the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in the US. Kristin says the CIA does lots of secret stuff that most people in the United States don't know about.

I'd love to tell you all of the interesting things I saw and learned during our visit but I can't. The meeting was "off-the-record." The guards even took Kristin's camera and cell phone before she could enter the building.

But NIS does have a gift shop and Kristin bought me a few things with the NIS logo so I can remember my visit. Thanks Kristin!

Doesn't is seem strange that I can't tell you about my visit to NIS, but Kristin can buy items with the NIS logo? Oh well, at least I can say I was there!

That's all for now...

Officially Off-the-Record

2007-11-07T06:25:00.001-06:00

Hi everyone. I hope all is well. I am tired, but I'm learning a lot about Korea.

For the past two days, Kristin and her journalist friends have been attending meetings with very important people. They visited the United States Ambassador to South Korea on Monday morning. His name is Alexander Vershbow. Ambassador Vershbow and his wife also hosted Kristin's group for dinner on Monday night at his home here in Seoul. His house, which is the official residence for the American ambassador, is very nice. The house is in downtown Seoul and it looks like some of the wooden houses and temples I have seen on my other visits to Asia. Kristin couldn't take pictures for security reasons, so you are going to have to trust me on this!

I wish I could tell you more about the meetings Kristin and her friends have attended since we arrived in Seoul, but I can't. Kristin says that's because the meetings are something called, "off-the-record." She says this means that she and the other journalists can't quote the people they meet. Kristin says in some ways "off-the-record" is like keeping a BIG secret. It is SO hard to keep secrets! But Kristin says she and the other journalists will be in BIG trouble if I give you specific details of the "off-the-record" meetings. I don't want Kristin to get into trouble, so I won't tell you what I heard (but I can tell you that most of the people were talking about politics...and politics is always very confusing to me!).

Kristin says this week we are going to have more special and "off-the-record" meetings. I'll keep you posted when I can, but Kristin says I may not have time to work on the computer for another couple of days.

Until next time....

Gospel Soul in Seoul

2007-11-07T06:22:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I've been sleeping or SO busy going to meetings with Kristin and her journalist friends that I haven't had time to write until now.

As I mentioned earlier, we are staying in South Korea's capital, Seoul. Seoul sounds like "soul." So I guess it makes sense that one of the first places we visited Sunday was a church.

But this church, the Yoido Full Gospel Church, sure doesn't look like my church at home. It is the biggest church I have ever seen!

Kristin says a growing number of people in South Korea follow the Christian faith and the Yoido Free Gospel Church claims to be one of the largest churches in the world. Church leaders told us there are more than 750,000 members. There are so many people that want to attend Full Gospel that the church has to hold many different services on Sunday. Church leaders say that as many as 30,000 people attend the 11am Sunday service. That's more people than the entire population of Muscatine. Can you believe it?!

The main church building only holds about 12,000 people, but there are many buildings near the church and throughout Seoul where people can watch services on video.

Kristin's group visited an afternoon youth ceremony. We didn't stay for the entire service, but I can tell you that they really like singing. I couldn't understand the words of the song. Kristin says that's because they were singing in the Korean language. Who knew?

There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of people at the service. There were so many people that I decided to stay in Kristin's bag so I wouldn't get lost.

My visit to the church must have made me really tired because I fell asleep on my way back to the hotel.

That's all for now....

Greetings from Seoul!

2007-11-03T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I am writing to you from Seoul, South Korea!

Man...it takes a REALLY long time to get to South Korea. Kristin, Keith and Sean met the group of journalists traveling to Korea at 6:00pm on Friday in Los Angeles (November 2). Everyone in the group is very nice.

We left for the airport around 9:30pm and our flight left just after 1:00AM on Saturday (November 3). The flight, on Korean Air, was almost 13 hours long. Can you believe it?

The airplane was very nice, but Kristin didn't get an upgrade. That means no comfortable seat for Kristin this time. :( But Kristin did have her own "TV" screen. It had a really cool map that I could watch during the flight.

If you look really closely at the photo above, you will see our plane had just finished crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Kristin and I also got to watch movies, listen to music, and play video games! Well, I played video games when Kristin was sleeping (shh...don't tell her).

Kristin told me I needed to rest on the flight because we are going to be busy for the next two weeks. I was so excited about going on another trip with Kristin that it was hard to sleep. But I think I slept for half of the flight.

Our plane landed at Incheon International Airport. It is a newer airport. Everyone's suitcases arrived (yeah!) and Kristin didn't have any problems in customs. I was really worried because I still don't have a passport like Kristin's. But Kristin told me not to worry. She made special arrangements for me to travel with her. Whew!

Once everyone in the group passed through customs, we got on a Hyundai bus. I know that Hyundai makes cars because I have seen some in Muscatine. But I didn't know Hyundai makes buses. Kristin says Hyundai makes LOTS of things. She also told me that Hyundai is based here in South Korea. I had NO idea!

It took us about an hour to get to our hotel in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is called the Somerset Palace. It is VERY nice. In fact, I think this might be the best hotel room I have been in yet on my many trips with Kristin. That's because our room is more like an apartment than a hotel room. How cool is that?

Kristin's room has TWO TVs and a full kitchen complete with a large (but empty) refrigerator.

There is even a washer/dryer in the room! Can you believe it?!

This is strangest washer/dryer I've ever seen. At my house we have a washer and a separate dryer. But Kristin says this machine does both! Who knew?

Well I think that's all for now. Kristin says I need to take a nap because I am going to have that jet-lag stuff later today if I don't rest. So I am headed to bed.

Until next time.....bye!

Greetings from Los Angeles!

2007-11-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

We finally made it to Los Angeles last night. Whew! I was really worried Kristin's entire trip would get canceled.

As soon as we got to the hotel, Kristin put her bags in her room and we left with Keith to go to dinner. I wasn't really hungry but Kristin told me that I would really like dinner. Kristin was driving last night and pretty soon I started to recognize some of the buildings. I asked Kristin if we were going to see Rima and her dog Willa. Rima helps Kristin "mix" her radio programs. Kristin just smiled, so I knew I was right!

It was really cool to see Rima and her husband Norb.

I also got to see Willa. She was so excited to see me that she kept barking and jumping up and down! I wanted to play with Willa but Kristin said we were going out to eat. :( Kristin told me not to be sad. She says I'll probably get the chance to play with Willa again someday.

We went to a Mexican restaurant called El Cholo. Rima says it is a very famous place here in Los Angeles. The menu even said that "nachos" were invented at El Cholo. I had no idea!

We had LOTS of food. A waitress handmade guacamole right at our table! Then Keith ordered a dish called, "A Taste of History." I have NO idea how history is supposed to taste, but this sure tasted good.

My big dinner must have made me really tired because I fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel. Kristin kindly tucked me into bed.

We are getting ready to leave Los Angeles. I'll write more once we get to Korea.

Until next time....

My Next Adventure Begins...When King Tut Isn't Mad!

2007-11-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I hope your day is going well. Mine isn't going according to plan.

I would have thought King Tut would no longer be mad at Kristin for taking my picture in his tomb last year. I am WRONG!

King Tut must still be mad because our flight to Chicago was delayed this morning and then canceled. It is a good thing that Kristin knows how to deal with the airlines. She was able to get us tickets on a flight to Denver. We will then take another plane to Los Angeles.

By the way....I learned this morning that my friend Keith from the Stanley Foundation is going with us to Los Angeles. So is Kristin's new co-worker. His name is Sean. He is very nice. Kristin says Sean is also going with us to Korea. Cool!

Our new flight doesn't leave until 1:50pm...so Kristin is letting me use her computer while we wait at the airport in Cedar Rapids. Keith and Sean are also busy on their computers.

Keep your fingers crossed our flight to Denver is on time!

Bye for now.....

My Next Adventure Begins Tomorrow

2007-10-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I hope you had a good Halloween. I did!

After I finished trick-or-treat, I went to Kristin's house to help her finishing packing for our trip to Korea. Kristin has a new bag. But don't worry, there is still plenty of space for me.

Kristin says we will leave tomorrow morning and drive to Cedar Rapids where we will get on a plane and fly to Chicago. We will take a second plane to Los Angeles. We will spend the night in Los Angeles and then Kristin will meet the rest of the group going with us to Korea. She says our flight to Seoul, South Korea leaves just after 1:00 AM on Saturday morning. WOW! That is WAY past my bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime, I better get to bed. I know I need to rest before the trip.

Until next time....

My Next Adventure: Korea

2007-10-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. My friend Kristin just called and told me she is going on another big trip and she asked if I wanted to come along. Of course I said YES!

This time Kristin is going to Korea. See if you can find Korea on the map (hint…it is in Asia).

Kristin says she is going as part of a “fact finding” trip with 16 other journalists. She says it is similar to the “fact finding” trip we took to Egypt last year. Cool! I loved the Egypt trip!

Kristin tells me there are lots of things to learn about Korea. I am going to get out my Atlas so I can learn a little bit about Korea before we go.

Kristin says we will leave next Thursday (November 1). I guess I had better get packing!

Until next time…

Meet Jackson Harering

2007-10-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I want you to meet my new friend. His name is Jackson Harering. Jackson Harering is Kristin's new bunny. I finally got to meet him tonight.

Jackson Harering...or JH...is almost 5 months old. He is VERY soft and very nice. He has a nice cage like McGwire's. He also has a whole bunch of toys. Who knew bunny rabbits needed toys?!

JH even has a giant tube he can run and play in.

He also like to play with empty boxes.

Actually, JH likes to play with just about anything. He is much more active than McGwire. Kristin says that's because JH is still a baby bunny.

I am so happy Kristin has a new bunny. I know she was very sad when McGwire died. I still miss McGwire, but Jackson Harering is pretty cool. Kristin agrees Jackson Harering is pretty cool, but she also says he has a "devilish" side. So Kristin bought JH a Halloween costume. Guess what? He's going to be a devil for Halloween.

Jackson Harering has a blog (just like me!). You can see more photos and even a few videos of JH at www.jacksonharering.blogspot.com

That's all for now. Bye!

My Super Secret Trip to China and Tibet!

2007-08-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I am SO excited. I just got back from a really cool trip to China and Tibet. See if you can find both on the map (hint…they are in Asia).

I didn’t get a chance to tell you about this trip, because I was traveling with my new friend Michael. He works with Kristin at the Stanley Foundation. I met him when I was in Cambodia and Thailand earlier this summer.

Right after I got back from that trip, Kristin called and said Michael offered to take me to a very special place. Cool! But then Kristin told me that I would be going without her. At first I was worried. I have never gone anywhere in the world without Kristin. But Kristin told me it was going to be OK. She also said she wished that she was flat so she could go with me. Wow! I knew right away I was going on a COOL trip.

Traveling with Michael was different, but he’s a really nice guy. And, his family was very nice too.

Our first stop was in Beijing. Michael told me that Beijing is the capital of China. I had NO idea! He also told me the Olympic Games in 2008 will be held in Beijing. I guess there is a lot of construction happening for the Olympics. But we didn’t go visit those places; instead, Michael took me to a place called, “The Forbidden City.”

The “Forbidden City” is located in the middle of Beijing and it has lots of buildings that remind me of some of the palaces I have seen on my other trips in Asia and Egypt. Michael told me the Emperor of China used to live in the palace. Normal people were not allowed in, which is why it was called the “Forbidden City.” I’m not sure exactly what an “emperor” is, but I think that means he was the king or ruler of all of China.

Michael also told me there are nearly 1000 buildings in the “Forbidden City.” Who knew? The buildings have lots of neat wood carvings in really cool colors.

The “Forbidden City” is located near a place called “Tiananmen Square.” It is a BIG square where lots of public events happen in Beijing. Michael told me it is the biggest square in the world. He also told me the Chinese hold big parades in “Tiananmen Square.” Wow, it would be cool to have a place like this in Muscatine to hold parades! “Tiananmen is also a really cool place to fly a kite. If you go to the square early in the morning, you can see lots of kites flying all around.

Michael also told me that many famous events in China’s history have also taken place in “Tiananmen Square.” Some of these things must have been very bad, because I saw lots of policemen patrolling the square.

Here I am near the main entrance to the “Forbidden City.” Michael and I are standing in "Tiananmen Square" in this photo.

Do you see the big painting above the arch? That’s a picture of Mao Zedong. Michael told me he was a Chinese leader and was founder of the People’s Republic of China. He also told me the People’s Republic of China is China’s formal name. I had no idea! But I guess this makes sense because I don’t always say I am from the United States of America. I often say I am from the United States, or America, or the US.

Mao Zedong must have been VERY important. I saw photos and paintings of him everywhere in China.

Next, Michael told me he was taking me to a place called, “The Great Wall of China.” I wasn’t so sure I wanted to spend time looking at a wall. That sounded really BORING. But Michael promised me I would have fun. Michael was right! The “Great Wall of China” is really awesome!

Now I know why Kristin wishes she was flat. And I am sure my Aunt Lynn is really jealous too!

The “Great Wall of China” is a REALLY long wall that looks like an ancient castle or fort I see in the movies and on TV. Michael says it was built between 5th Century BC and the 16th Century to keep bad people out of the Chinese Empire. The whole thing is almost 4000 miles long. That means it is longer than the distance between Washington, DC and Los Angles, California (which is roughly 2700 miles). Who knew!

I thought it would be really fun to walk across the entire Great Wall, but then I realized it would take me MONTHS to do that. Plus, Michael told me he was taking me to a place called Lhasa. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet.

Michael says the history of Tibet is very complicated. Tibet is now part of China, just like Iowa is part of the United States. But it is called an “autonomous region.” I’m not sure what that really means, but I think that means Tibet is special.

I also learned that someone called the “Dalai Lama” is the religious leader of Tibet. But, the “Dalai Lama” isn’t allowed by the Chinese to live in Tibet, so he lives in India. I told Michael I was really confused and he told me it was OK to be confused.

Lhasa is really nice. It is located in the famous Himalayan Mountains. Lhasa is also almost 12,000 feet above the ocean and one of the highest cities in the world. I had no idea! I do know that Denver, Colorado is called the “Mile High” city because it is almost one mile (nearly 5300 feet) above the ocean. Lhasa is more than twice that!

It is really neat to be that high on a mountain, but Michael told me it can also make you sick if you are not careful. That’s because the oxygen in the air is thinner than it is in Muscatine. Who knew? Anyway, I had to get plenty of rest and drink lots of water so I didn’t get what Michael called, “altitude sickness.”

Lhasa is very important to the people who follow a religion called Tibetan Buddhism. I guess this is a bit different that the Buddhism in Thailand, but at least I have seen a Buddha before! The picture above is of a place called “Potala Palace.” This is where the Dalai Lama lived before he left Tibet in 1959. After visiting Potala, I realized that many people view the Dalai Lama as the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. I think that means he is kind of like the pastor at my church, except the Dalai Lama is FAR more famous.

Here I am in front of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Michael says it is the holiest temple for Tibetan Buddhism. Many people visit the temple to pray to Buddha.

It is hard to tell, but the Jokhang Temple is 4 stories tall and has a roof made of something called “gilded” bronze tiles. I know pennies used to be made out of bronze and the color of the Jokhang Temple looks like a shiny new penny.

After our visit in Lhasa, Michael took me to see the “Yarlung Tsangpo River.” Michael told me it is the highest major river in the world. So I guess that means it is almost as famous as the Mississippi River that runs through Muscatine.

It is hard to tell from the picture, but not very far from where I am standing, the “Yarlung Tsangpo River” turns into the “Brahmaputra River.” The Brahmaputra River runs through a country called Bangladesh, which is south of Tibet.

That’s just a small glimpse of the cool things I saw on my secret trip to China and Tibet. I want to give an extra special THANKS to my friend Michael and his family for taking me along with them. I learned so many things and met lots of very nice people.

Until my next adventure…bye!