Here are some highlights of my trip so far. I have finished 14 days, and have about 10 more days until I hit Kashmir. But, this is the last chance to use a friend's computer. From now on, it will be more questionable, as I'll have to use internet cafes. I don't know their system, how crowded, etc.

I left Wisconsin on June 10th, and flew to Seattle, and then on to Tokyo, Japan where I spent the night in a hotel that the airline gave me. No problems at all. The following day, I went on to Guam, where I had taught for 5 years in the 80's. Most of the people I knew then are gone. But, I spent 2 nights with Al Wootten and his Russian wife, and 2 more with Glenn Johnson and his Thai wife. Both ladies are trying to fix me up with ladies in their own countries. The first day I was there, Al got me on 2 talk radio shows and I put out the call for former students to contact me. That evening, I went to the Chamorro Village, where I had Guamanian fiesta food for the first time in 10 years. The next day, I went home with Glenn, and had Thai cooking. In the morning, Al and I went around the hotel row in Tumon to see all the changes in the past decade.

On my 3rd day on Guam, I went to school with Glenn, and saw about a half dozen teachers who are still there from my days. One was a former student who was amazed that I remembered that he played saxophone!  After leaving the school, I drove the circumference of the island and visited a couple other people I knew.  After a meal of Thai curry, Glenn and I went back to Al's where we played RISK. My last day was Saturday the 15th. I started out by going to the Dededo flea market. It was just like old times, and I had missed that part of Guam. After that, I had lunch with two former students (flute and clarinet) and then mid-afternoon snack with 3 band teachers/orchestra members. Chuck, Carroll and I had all started teaching together in 1984, and Chuck's wife Ona had played flute in the Guam Symphony with me for about 4 years.

On the 16th, I flew to Hong Kong, where I was met with another Guam band director, Brian Whittle, who is now in Hong Kong at an International School. That evening, we sat by the pool and talked. My first full day at Hong Kong was spent on Hong Kong Island. Brian, Joanne and I went to Repulse Bay on the south shore to the beach there, and a nearby Buddhist temple and statues. A building above the beach had a huge hole in it. Legend has it that this hole is for the dragon to fly through as it goes from the bay to the top of the mountain. That hole was the only reason they were given permission to build the building. After there, we went to Stanley Market, which was mostly a tourist market. We also rode most of the full length of the tram car through the downtown area.

My 2nd day in Hong Kong was spent on the Kowloon Penninsula. I had an infection from an ingrown fingernail, and the Chinese doctor we went to jabbed me hard to drain it. Ouch!! Then, we went to a reservoir where wild monkeys were jumping into it off of trees and the dam. They were hilarious. An old Chinese lady was illegally feeding them and would call them by name, but only the ones she liked. Others she would cuff hard on the head if they approached her.

We then went to the Fa Yuen market, which is a local Chinese market which was super-crowded. It is said that it has the highest population density in the world with 100,000 people in a square kilometer. Hong Kong is crowded in general. High rises all over the place, and it is also said that half of the 7 million people there live above the 10th floor. Before going home, we went to the waterfront and took the ferry across.

My final day on Hong Kong was spent at Cheung Chau island, which doesn't have automobiles. It is sort of like old Hong Kong the way it used to be. Great food there, also. From Hong Kong, I flew to Singapore to visit Dave and Flora Rittenhouse, whom I also knew on Guam. I am currently using their laptop, the last one I'll have access to besides internet cafes. My first day here, I just stayed around here and helped Flora clean their other apartment (they are staying at another missionary's apartment before the move now and are packing out that one.) The movers are packing the container for Austrailia on Tuesday, so I helped with the final cleaning day there. In the evening, we went to a cell-group Bible study, which was very good. I got talked into playing piano for the sing-along songs.

Yesterday, I went to the bus station and got my ticket. Then, I went to the Haw Par Villa (Tiger Balm Gardens) and saw the colorful painted decorations. The most interesting was the Chinese torture Chamber.  That one told the crime, and then the torture punishment prescribed. Pretty gruesome!  From there, I went to Mount Faber, and caught the cable car over to the playground island, Sentosa Island. Because June is school holiday, it was packed. At one of the beaches, I saw the sand sculpture display, which was set on an Egyptian theme. I got some good digital camera pictures of that stuff. Also down there, was the southernmost point of the Asian Continent.

On Sentosa, I rode the monorail, and saw the musical fountain. That fountain has shows in the evening, lit up by lights of all colors, with the fountain changing shapes in time to the music. One addition, was the use of lasers, making 3-D images right in the fountain water. That was fantastic!  Before the fountain show, I heard a band on the stage there from Finland. Guess which song they obviously finnished (pun intended) with? Finlandia! Some of the lasers came from the eyes of the Merlion. The merlion is the symbol of Singapore and is half lion and half fish (mermaid with lion head).

That merlion is new since last time I was here, and is 12 stories high. I paid the $3 (U.S. $1.65) to go to the top, and had great views of the whole island. At the bottom, of course, they led us through a gift shop. I bought a shirt that says "Singapore is a Fine City." Under the title it says "No spitting, $300 fine; No urinating in lifts, $500 fine; Not flushing, $800 fine and so forth. Nearby the Merlion, I also saw a scented garden and a spice garden.

Today, we went to church. Afterwards, David and I went to an outlying island, Palau Ubin on bumboats which look like they shouldn't float. On that island, we rented bicycles and rode around the island. For dinner, we had Satay, which is Indonesian. I've got that recipe at home, I think, and I'm going to have to cook it for people when I get back. I forgot how good it is!

Tomorrow, I catch the train to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From there, I'll get another train to Butterworth, and  transfer to a 3rd train, which should get me to Bangkok, Thailand late on Tuesday. After 3 days there, I'll move on to India. I hope you are doing well. I may write another "book" before my last flight up to Kashmir on the 4th of July.

Keith