2008 moments...

Moments That Took My Breath Away in 2008

• Trekking across the Sahara Desert in Morocco
• Snow shoeing in the mountains of Bulgaria
• Presenting in a teacher’s conference about writing in Istanbul
• Running a ½ marathon in Vienna
• Playing with Katrina, family and Jenny in Copenhagen
• Jenny visiting the wild west and watching her breath taken away in the Grand Canyon
• Moving across the world to Kuala Lumpur
• Floating in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam with Becky
• Teasing the monkeys in the treehouse outside of Kuching with Leanne
• Mary and Sue’s visit to KL
• Visiting the many temples and learning about Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Taoism
• Upcoming trip for Christmas to Angkor Wat in Cambodia

I realize what a lucky girl I am and what this year has brought for me! 2009 has to be just as exciting as I keep exploring Asia and this part of the world. Please keep in touch and let me know how you are! Check out my blogspot as I keep adding pictures: http://kendra-amazingasia.blogspot.com
My address is :ISKL, P.O. Box 12645, 50784, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Love all of you and miss you! Happy Holidays and sending all of my love across many miles!
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
This quote has turned up all throughout the year and I feel that it really has special meaning for me this year!
Love you- Kendra

Jakarta, Indonesia

It was a girl's weekend in Jakarta! I know what you are thinking, there is one guy in the picture.... Jason! He is like our brother and wanted to come and spend the weekend with us! This is the last picture after our weekend in the airport! We look pretty great especially after the long nights and all of the fun!
me, Jason
Chris, Elysa, Laura and Becky




Jason is trying to make up after being mean to me. Thought the picture is precious!








Here we are at Eastern Promise. One of the bars, that is also an Indian restaurant, and they play live music- the bagpipes. Only abroad does one get such a variety in one place. We spent a lot of time here. Lots of expats hang out here!








Our tuk tuk ride to go shopping! (me, Becky and Jason)

Mary and Sue's visit

Mary and Sue came to visit me in KL! They made their way over after a trip to Bhutan. They have inspired me so much that I am planning a trip to Bhutan for Spring Break.

Here is Mary and Sue at the Batu caves. It has been made into a Hindu temple.

Here is Mary and I inside the main cave next to an altar.

Mary and Sue taught my class about Bhutan. The students learned about the culture, geography and religion of the area. They loved the presentation and we are still talking about Bhutan today!

Kuching (cat), Malaysia

Leanne and I decided to go to Kuching for Deepavali. A 3 day weekend and we headed out for the beach and the treehouses! Before the relaxation, there was a lot of shopping to be done. I have never seen so much woodwork and antiques in my life. Interesting to learn about the Malaysian tribes of the region and the beliefs of the people. One piece of art was a carving of a man. It is said that carvings were done of people to take all of the sickness away from a person and left in the forest. This was to take out all the bad and leave it to the spirits deep in the forest to be taken out of the body. Looking at the carving of the man, it looks like a weathered ghost... but my eyes were glued to the mystery of who this was carved for and what was wrong with him. No, I didn't buy it, but I can say I can still picture this carving.

The treehouse that we stayed in was incredible because of the silver leaf monkeys flying in the trees with us. Yes, the treehouse was about 100 meters in the air. It actually moved as another person walked in the room or even to flush the toilet. We had decided to watch a scary movie one night and I can truly say that I had a difficult time sleeping that night. Talk about the setting for a future scary movie! Is that my book????

Melaka-Malaysia

Melaka-Malacca... two ways to spell the name of this city in Malaysia. It is an old trade center that was ruled by the Dutch and Portuguese at one point in the Malaysia history. This is a remnant of a fort that was left behind... destroyed and left to remember them.

This is a Catholic Church that shows the red bricks in the memory of the Dutch. They used to bring the spices back to Holland and to load down the ships when they came back; they would put in red bricks. There is a whole street with red buildings.

This is a tombstone of a Dutch person that was left in another church on the hill. There were two men playing their guitars in the demolished church. At the time that we visited, I saw the guitar there and the whole picture set the mood of what was happening in the church.

This is a altar for the Tiger God in the Chinese temple. People will make an offering of food to the altar and tell their problem to the god. Then, afterwards the tiger would come and scare away any problems that the person had. 

This was at the top of the Chinese temple. I love all of the ornate details on the temples.

Vietnam- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Here is one of my favorite pictures in the Mekong Delta. Becky and I had to take a small row boat because the water was low in that area. No we weren't rowing... a small Vietnamese lady had four passengers and directed the boat with ease.

This is the Cao Dai Temple 

outside of Saigon. The people follow

the Cao Dai religion which they believe in

Jesus, Confucius, Taoism and Buddha.

This is a typical picture of the daily life. The women work extremely hard and are selling food, drinks, vegetables, fruits, books, etc. In extreme heat and rain, they are carrying around the items from place to place.

This is inside the Presidential Palace. I am looking official in the Presidential war room. It is in the basement of the palace and in that area were many rooms with old typewriters, telephones, etc.
This is the Notre Dame Cathedral. The French architecture can be seen throughout the city! Right next to it is the Post Office that also displays the French architecture!

Monkeys in my life

Yes, my friend is sitting on the gravestone. There were actually many of them, but he really caught my eye. It seemed as if he wanted to pose and make sure that I really got a great photo. So, monkeys are very photogenic!

This is my favorite photo! This monkey really is debating if he is ready for an education at our school and is wondering if it is really worth the effort to get through. He is watching his friends go through the garbage cans and isn't really sure if he is quick enough to get any food.

Here are two of my latest friends. I was afraid that I would be lonely without any pets, but these two often come to visit me and they always bring food. Now, they don't really like to share and hiss at me, but we are starting to become friends. I let them rummage through the garbage cans and we are building a friendship. I haven't seen them in a few days and I am hoping that they haven't been eaten by the cobras.....

Just wanted to share a part of my daily life in Malaysia!

The beginning....

One always has to begin somewhere with technology... I am starting my new blog in hopes of recording and sharing my adventures. Maybe this will encourage me to finally start writing my book. I have come to many conclusions today- I am a lucky girl with so much. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful family and the best friends. My realization is that I need to do something a little more meaningful with my life. But for now, I will put money away, travel, see the world and start writing.

Don't worry... I will share more pictures with everyone soon! I love this picture because it was the last time that I was at the Grand Canyon!