29 MARCH - MONTEVERDE

FUN AT SELVATURA (web phot0s)

We are waken up at 6 by earth quake!!! Well, that is what it feels like - the whole building shaking and just about falling apart. Just to discover that it is the contractors on the next door property shaking down the earth! We use the time to watch the movie Juno (Oscar for best scrip) - fun and heart warming movie.

After another “typical” breakfast we hit the road to our day of adventure. Our first stop is at Skytrek, where you take a sky tram to the top and then go down massive zip lines - we see the last line, it is 700 meters and 130 meters up in the air! Luckily Luc cannot go as he is too young - thank goodness for that!!!

The stop of the day is at Selvature Adventure park. We bump into Luc’s friend who tells him that he is going on the zip line - now there is no stopping, Luc also wants to go! We are a bit weary, especially after the Arenal scene! We decide to make the most of the day and book all the adventures.

The zip line is first and not nearly as high and intimidating as the one at Arenal. Luc goes with a guide for two lines and then decides that he wants to go on his own - which is not allowed. Half way through the tour, we get to a high swing, you have to jump off a 5 meter platform on a 20 meter rope. Thank goodness Luc gets cold feet and this gives Monique the chance to run away as well. Callie goes down with one hell of a scream. The longest zip line is just over 400 and goes high above the tree tops. At the end of the trip Luc has all his confidence back and all the guides say goodbye! Not sure what stories he told them!

The insect exhibition is next. We see wonderful displays of butterflies - this is a private collection of more than 1 million insects. Luc loves the scorpions and Monique takes a fancy in the giant elephant beetles. The snake exhibition is Luc’s highlight. We see a green snake bite a small white mouse - we were lucky got there at feeding time. It was actually sad - seeing this little white mouse washing himself with death hovering mm’s above him. They also feed mouse babies to the Jesus Christ Lizard - this basilisc can run on water for about 4 meters when they are small. Luc is very upset to see the baby mouse waiting to be eaten. We see some of the venomous Costa Rican snakes.

The last two activities of the day is the amazing walking bridges. There are 10 hanging bridges that take you high above the canopy. We are amazed by the size of the plants - would love to take Suzette one of the giant philladendrons! We end the day with a visit to the hummingbird garden - they are similar to our suikerbekkies.

We go coffee and curio shopping. This area is famous for its coffee - very good organic coffee. Back at the hotel Callie and Luc goes for a swim and then we get dressed for dinner at Café Vida Flo - the best vegetarian option in town. Luc falls asleep after taking 3 bites of his pasta.

We are all dead tired and in bed by 9 o’clock - must be the altitude - or perhaps the 3 km walk!!!!

MONTEVERDE 28 MARCH

Hotel Poco - Swimming pool

Dinner at Morpho

Bat Tour

HOTEL POCO A POCO
POOL
ROOM
MORPO BUTTERFLY

Callie is up and six and tries to wake up the rest of the family in vain. He goes for a stroll through the garden and sees stunning birds (including the tucan). The rest get up for breakfast which is once again a great buffet. The restaurant has stunning vistas and feeding areas for the birds - so we see beautiful hummingbirds. Luc enjoys the chicken nuggets and watermelon - lots of fruit here. And Monique eats her favourite - black beans and rice. Callie and Luc chats with his friend and his family.

We decide to do the bat exhibition/tour. This is a great experience starting off with an educational section where we learn that Costa Rica has vampire bats, but they drink as much blood (from cows) as a mosquito. They are not family of the mice nor bird but the wings look like hands (scary!!!). There are over 600 bat species in Costa Rica and Callie & Monique learns that the big bats the saw in the jungle (8 years ago) were indeed flying fox (fruit eaters). The highlight of the tour is the live exhibition, venturing into a dark room with funny noises. The bats are behind glass and the noises are amplified sounds they make. We see lots of baby bats and also learn that bats only have one baby once a year. They are mammals and the baby drinks milks for 3 months. The tour ends with a beautiful animation movie, called Stellaluna, about a baby bat. Luc wants a bat Tshirt, but the shop has none - so he gets a frog Tshirt (after much ado!).

We check out of our nice hotel, makes a stop at the famous Stella bakery and the local co-op to support the local artists. We see a howling monkey (those where the ones we heard in Arenal, who sounds like lions) running across the phone lines.

We got back to Poco Poco to check in. Nice cool room and wireless, so Monique gets time to catch up with everyone. Luc and Callie hits the heated pool. Late afternoon we decide to go for a hike in the Ecological Sanctuary. This is a family run, wildlife refuge and much drier than the cloud forest on the other side of the mountain. We do a one & ½ hour hike - see stunning views and a few faka’s (something like dassies).

Back at home we get dressed and take the winding road into Santa Elena town where we go for dinner at the other backpackers favourite, Morphos Café. Stunning restaurant painted full of the beautiful blue Morpho butterfly. Tonight is more the evening for families as there are lots of kids there. The cosoda is great and Luc enjoys his chicken with tortillas. And even more - the banana split with wonderful local vanilla ice-cream.

We stop at the hotel DVD shop and Luc watches his movie called, Snowbuddies, about a group of Labrador puppies who takes part in a snowski race. The old folks only see half of the movie before falling asleep.

TO MONTEVERDE - 27 MARCH

Night tour - Monteverde!

Bats!

Tarantula

Luc & Bella


Fonda Vela - Room outside

ROOM AT FONDA VELA (web photo)

A HIKE IN MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST (web photo)

THE FAMOUS QAETZAL (web photo)

ARENAL FROM MONTEVERDE (web photo)

The plan was to stay an additional day in Arenal, but Miguel told us how much there was to do in Monteverde - so we decide to hit the road - without any booking on the other side. Off on an early morning adventure - to Arenal waterfall. It is a steep hike down (and up - 320 steps!), but worth the walk. Callie and Luc is also brave enough to try the freezing water in the river. Spent the rest of the morning trying to get the photos off the camera, so that all of you can see what we are really busy with. Luc and I go for a drink at the only restaurant in town with wireless, so that we can stay in touch with everyone.

We leave at about noon, very sad to say goodbye to this very special place.

It is a long slow drive around the lake back to Tiliran. We stop at the Bug Shop (had lunch with Uri here was well on previous trip). Stunning little restaurant and shop - with great story. German family decided to move her and the 3 kids (triplets) saved a pregnant dog, who was bagged in a plastic bag. They decided to open a shop to raise funds which they use to save animals. We meet the dog “hero” - Bella - which is Spanish for beautiful!

Monteverde is just about 40 kilometers on the other side of Tilaran, but it takes us more than one and ½ hour to get there. It is a long and windy dirt road that just goes on forever! Monteverde is Costa Rica’s most famous tourist destination. We are exhausted by the time we hit Santa Elena. The town is not at all what we expected. Situated against the side of the mountain, with a small centre and little dirt roads leading in all sorts of directions. It takes us a while to orientate ourselves. We stop at our hotel booked for the next night to see if they have a room. Poco Poco is also located on the side of the road - but looks a bit commercial to us - however with great views and nice pool. Unfortunately the hotel is full and they tell us to try next door. Stunning hotel in stunning garden, but at $ 180 way to expensive - cannot understand that they would drop prices for last minute walk in. We then decide to try our luck and go to the No 1 hotel in Monteverde. A long and windy dirt road takes us to the Hotel Fonda Vela - the closest hotel to Monteverde Cloud Forest. We are very luck - there is only one room available. We get a key to check it out. This is much more what we expected. Stunning log cabins in the woods. The rooms are old, but massive with double bed and TV (much to Luc’s delight!). We got back to book and then the receptionist tells us they will include breakfast in the price - so we got an absolute bargain!

We also manage to book a night tour in Monteverde and quickly go to the Supermarket. Boil some noodles and quickly eat so that we can go on the tour. It is wet and misty when we get to the forest. We are in a group of 8 people and Luc is very scared of the darkness, but within 10 minutes he is walking behind the guide, sharing all sorts of African stories and seeing all the bugs!!! We see a Walking Stick, very small glass frogs and the highlight - a tarantula!!! Also the bats were great!

We are exhausted when we get home and asleep within minutes.

MONTEVERDE INTERESTING FACTS:
Straddling the Continental Divide at 1440 meters (4662 ft) and only 168 kms from San Jose, the Santa Elena and Monteverde Cloud Forest area offers one of the most interesting place to visit in Costa Rica. In Monteverde Costa Rica rain forest are found more than 100 species of mammals including 5 species of cats, over 400 species of birds including 30 kinds of hummingbirds, tens of thousands of insect species (over 5000 species of moths) and 2,500 species of plants (420 kinds of orchids). The area is acclaimed as one of the most outstanding wildlife refuges in the New World Tropics.Hiking, bird watching and canopy tours are the biggest attractions here, but horseback riding, coffee tours and the plethora of natural history museums need not be forgotten. El Espinero was the indigenous name for Monteverde, a name created by the Corobici Indians who originally hunted the region. In the early 1900’s the first Costa Rican settlers moved to the area and founded the town of Santa Elena. In the 1920’s, settlers began cultivating coffee, a major source of income in the area until the dairy industry became dominant. This occurred in the 1950's when several Quaker families from Alabama settled in the region, naming it Monteverde, meaning green mountains. The Quakers brought with them a sense of community and philosophy and they spurred the beginning of an economy with the introduction of cows and dairy. In 1953, they founded the Cheese Factory, which further spurred growth in the area. Right from the start, they preserved a third of their property (originally 3460 acres, 1400 hectares) in order to protect the watershed above their new settlement. Today, the Cloud Forest Reserve is a valuable addition to the Arenal–Monteverde Protected Zone. In 1972 the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve was established as the second protected area in the area and in 1977, the first hotel was built. Since that time, more than 40 privately protected areas have been established in the area and more than 200,000 visitors visit the Cloud Forest Reserve alone. Tourism is the number one industry in Monteverde today. After driving up a long, gravel road to reach the Monteverde area, Santa Elena is the first of the Monteverde villages you will encounter. Santa Elena is the largest of the three and the heart of the commerce in the Monteverde area. There is a supermarket, bank, police station, lots of restaurants and budget hotels/cabinas. Buses arriving to Monteverde all end their journey in Santa Elena, across from the bank in the center of town. The insectario, ranario and serpentario can all be found here as well. A little further up the road as you head towards Monteverde and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is the small town of Cerro Plano where you will find more hotels and restaurants of varying prices, an internet café and the ecological sanctuary, good for hiking, bird watching and night tours.

ARENAL - 26 MARCH

CHILLING OUT!

STRESSING OUT!

COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE!

SPA WILDLIFE

ROOM AT CERO CHATO!

Up early. Callie decides to do last minute white water rafting and is off in seconds! Luc and mom opt for the more relaxed adventure - Baldi Mineral Springs - as recommended by Miguel. The plan was to take the family to Tabacon Springs - where I went with Uri in 2005. But now it seems you have to reserve and Miguel was sure that Luc would enjoy Baldi more.

It is a struggle to get internet. We end up parking in the street next to a restaurant and logging into their system! Baldi is very quiet when we get there. It is much more built up and less natural than Tabacon, and I must say Tabacon is much better. But the waterslide is a hit with Luc - who was brave enough to slide down - he misjudged the slide and came down screaming and trying to break - then went flying in the air! We move down from pool to pool - most of them are heated. There are big pools and small pools - spa pools and pools with beds inside!

By 1 I am tired of all the water and decide to go for a treatment - coffee body scrub, followed by chocolate mask and massage. The treatment rooms are all wooden platforms with bamboo blinds, situated around a very hot pool. Luc has a field day assisting the beautician with my treatments - helping to scrub me and also trying to taste the chocolate mask - which did not taste anything like chocolate - much to his disgust!!!

We leave at 3 to pick up Callie who should be home after his white water rafting. He was not at all impressed with the company who took them out. He was in a boat with 3 French men and a Canadian. There was little water and it seems that the guide did not know what he was doing - they did a lot of swimming and the French loved Callie’s French comment about the guide (we will not repeat what he said, but it was something that Stephan taught him in the jungle!).

We go for early dinner at Lava Lounge in Fortuna. The Casado (local dish) is once again a favourite and Luc is now just as much in love with black beans and rice as his mother! Callie and Luc goes back to Baldi Springs. The two boys enjoy the waterslide - but Callie, in a brave (or stupid) moment decides to go down head first, and nearly end up with whip lash!

It rains a lot, but the boys enjoy every minute. Monique spends some more serious time preparing for interview at Crystal Cathedral. We are once again all exhausted by 9!

ARENAL - 25 MARCH

BEFORE - THE ZIP LINE FAMILY

MONIQUE IN ACTION! DON'T LOOK DOWN - 80 METERS TO FALL!

LUC WORRIED!

LUC ABOUT TO GIVE UP!

LUC PREFERS TO BE WITH BOTH FEET ON THE GROUND!

Callie and Luc up at six and off on a hike in the forest. Then some more swimming in the volcanic water. Breakfast is big en nice - lots of fruit, and the other favourite - black beans and rice. Luc meets up with Emma at breakfast and entertains the family. When it is time to say goodbye, Emma’s dad compliments us on the great son we have! They enjoyed his company and many stories! Luc is sad to see Emma going….
We decide to try the spa - there is even a spa treatment for kid and Luc says he is in! Mud wrap and facial. Cannot imagine him sitting for a facial - he screams when you want to put sun block on his face! Unfortunately they are fully booked and Callie manages to get one spot. Luc and Monique back to the pools - by now Luc is as brown as the Costa Ricans and everyone speaks Spanish to us.
We check out at lunch time, but stay at the hotel for the Canopy Tour - the zip line. Luc is all keen and ready with his outfit. We are joined by a family of 5 Canadians and several families from Bollywood! They arrive like with a bang and does not stop talking and taking photos until they leave again. There are several small kids in their party and another 6 year old girl to join Luc.
It is a small hike up the hill to the first zip line, which is extremely high and very intimidating. I am before Callie and Luc and the guide decides to let Monique go. Monique is first in line and the guide decides to keep Luc until last as he and the other girl has to go with the guide. This is a big mistake. After the second line Luc is in tears and decides to get off. Luckily there is a ladder down and a guide takes Luc to the reception area.
By this time Monique is far ahead and is waiting anxiously for Callie and Luc to join on the big platform. The little 6year old girl comes down on her own - but no sign of Luc! It is a thrilling ride (or flight!) high above the trees - with the longest line nearly 400 meters and 80 meters above the ground. Very fast and very high - and the best is to stay focused on the end. One of the lines takes you straight down until it starts going straight.
At the end of the trip we are all chatting to each other. The ride back to the hotel is even more scary - on a trailer behind a tractor up and down the hills. The jungle is really stunning - lost of wild “impatience” flowers all over. Luc is very happy to see us and says if Emma was with - he would have gone all the way!
We leave for Chato Chero Eco Lodge about 5 kms from where we are and closer to the little town, La Fortuna. Monique is amazed by all the development that has taken place since 2005. Even a big hotel has sprung up on the side of the road. The little town now has a massive supermarket and so many new restaurants that we struggle to find our popular 2005 restaurant!
The Eco Lodge is down a little dirt road and is really a budget stop. It is a shock after the upmarket Arenal Paraisio. Basic room with shower - no TV, no pool - hey we are becoming real snobs! Luc immediately makes the most of it and starts building castles in the black building sand heap!!
We meet Miguel - the owner - who gives us good advice on tours and things to see. He suggests that we drive around the volcano to see the lava flow. It is nearly dark and a good time to do this. We see our neighbours walking on the side of the road to town (a 3 km walk!) for dinner. Stop and offer them a lift. In the end they go with us for the ride. The view point is stunning and we see lots of lava coming down the side of the volcano. We drop the New Yorkers at a local restaurant in town and go to our 2005 spot.
It is a local restaurant, with the staff all in traditional wear. We eat the “typical” Costa Rican dish - plate for rice, black beans, fried plantain, sweet corn and sweet potato dish, salad and meat. We are starving! Also discover that there is wireless, so quickly manage to download some emails.
We are exhausted by the time we get home. These late dinners with all the rice and beans - not good for the diet!!!!

24 March - To Arenal

ROOM AT ARENAL PARASIO

WILDLIFE!
MORE WILDLIFE - AFRICANS!

ARENAL FROM THE LAKE

MOSAIC CHURCH

ENJOYING THE HOT SPRINGS!
ME - TARZAN!

VIEW FROM OUR ROOM

VIEWS FROM POOL

Up early. Monique goes curio shopping with Luc, whist Callie (with the help of Uri) tries to find our booked car - that has gone missing. Luc orders a coconut with a straw, whilst we get the best bread from the local bakery. Back at the hotel we find Uri, Callie and the reservations agent on a 3 way Skype conversation on the computer - at no cost - amazing!!!

We get an upgrade and end up with a damaged Rav! The next stop at the Super Merchado - to buy cheap drinks and food. Interesting to check out the local stuff. The trip to Arenal - which is not more than about 200 km is an adventure. Not only driving on the other side of the road - but Mr Strydom is 100% in style - nearly drives off the road cause he is looking at something on the other side, and also nearly kills a poor man on his "la bicicleta"!

We made a quick stop in Canais to view the church that is completely covered in glass and colourful mosaic - much to the delight of the locals, when Callie tries his Zero Spanish to get directions to the church!

The road takes us to Tiliran and then on a winding road all along the Lake Arenal shores. We see massive wind powered stations - standing like waving men on the top of the hill. Other beautiful sites - like a loan stallion on a hill top overlooking the lake. The windy road (and Callie's driving) makes us car sick and we stop at Toad restaurant for their famous Macadamia brownies!

The first views of volcano, Arenal, in the distance is awsome! And getting better the closer we get. This time of year the top is covered in clowds and I realise how lucky Uri and I was to see the exploding top.

Our hotel is fab. Stunning room, and even better 9 volcano spring pools set down a hillside in stunning gardens. We spent hours hopping from one warm pool to the next and eventually end up in the water pub to drink a cocktail. Luc meets up with a very beautiful girl from Chicago - Emma and they are best mates within seconds. He - Tarzan, She - Jane.

We once again hear the howling monkeys - sound like massive lions, but in fact, little black monkeys!

We are exhausted - have cup-a-noodles and watermelon in our room and hit the bed - two men ended up snoring louder than the howling monkeys - perhaps we can call them the snoring Strydoms!!!!

PLAYA DEL COCO & OCOTAL - 23 MARCH

LUC AT ANDRE'S

BOB MARLEY

COCONUT MILK!

MARKET IN PLAYA DEL COCO

We are up early and decide to hit the beach. This area is well-known for the black beaches, but after the previous night's parties the beach is not exaclty clean. We walk up to the atm and is dissapointed to discover that the supermark is closed. We stroll through the market and get Luc a nice CR flower shirt. We also get some nice fresh pineapple slices on the side of the road.

Grab a taxi to Playa Ocotal. This is where Liz and Mike got married. Stunning clean beach. Take them up the hotel on the hilltop where the wedding took place. Stunning views and good memories - and miss the rest of the wedding party of 2005!

We hit the beach and Luc spends the whole day in the water. He meets a new friend - Jessie, whom he keeps on calling Danny! We completely underestimate the sun and by one we all look like lobsters! We go for the famous, mucho grande, cocktails at Father Roosters, complimented with a big plate of Nachos, black beans and really great guagamole. And then take the taxi back. Decide to cool off next to the pool and then hit the cool room for a long afternoon nap.

Luc gets stuck in front of the TV, whilst the two oldies snore away. At 6.30 we hit the road looking for good food. My Fodors guide talks about Cafe Del Playa - but it is far away. We stop for a beer at Andre's in the main street. Meet Andre Rossouw - he is a French Canandian who is also the publisher of the local tourist magazine, estate agent and owner of the pub. Luc falls asleep before we get to dinner. We finally have dinner at our hotel - which is famous for it's sushi. Monique opts for the local dish - which is a plate of rice, black beans, fried plantin (type of banana) and fish. It is a massive plate and really good. Sleep came quickly after this great first day in Costa Rica!!

TO COSTA RICA - 22 MARCH

POOL AT COCO PALMS

We are up early. Hard work to sort out all the clothes - decided to leave all winter stuff and gifts with Uri - all 2 big suitcases!

We meet Uri for breakfast at the French Toastery. This time Luc goes for the pancakes - which looks like our flapjacks - but giant ones. Monique goes for nice, creamy oats and fruit. Sad to say goodbye to Uri, but will see him soon!

Car to Laugardia - thank goodness it is weekend and little traffic. It takes hours to check in and then it turns out, we were chosen to be screened. Body search, wiping and testing our hand luggage - this is even delaying us further. Monique off to visit the ladies - guess Chinatown did not work for this tummy! Callie decides to do some shopping. When Monique gets to boarding gate there is no sign of Callie and Luc and Delta staff very agitated. Threatens to throw the Strydoms off the flight. Monique runs back to find the boys - crazy - if we miss this flight, we miss the fligth to CR. Eventually Callie arrives and we just make the flight!

Flight very early into Atlanta and we could have met up with the Sages. However gets them on the phone and have time to at least have a decent 40 minute conversation. Callie and Luc is hungry, so sit down to have pizzas and beer - which nearly makes the Strydoms late for the next flight. On last boarding call when we arrive - oh, this is so stressful!

It is a long flight and we watch the slow and boring Jane Austin movie. Luc very happily builds his Lego - and looses a lot of piecese in the process. It is shock to go from freezing NY to very hot and humid Costa Rica. We get through customs and immigration very quickly and find a taxi and before we know it we are off to Playa del Coco. Our taxi driver is a character who does not understand English, so we have this very interesting Spanish converstation with him! Somehow we understand each other!!!

We have a small but nice room in Coco Palms hotel. We dump the suit cases and hit the town - it is Semana Santa weekend (easter) and the town is buzzing. We stop for dinner at the Papagayo Restaurant - where we had dinner with the pre-wedding party in 2005, when Monique was down here for Liz and Mike's wedding. Callie and Luc is tired and barely touch their food! There are hundreds of people on the streets and the music is loud. Luc and Callie jumps into the pool (about 10 at night!), whist Monique hits the bed. We are all so exhausted that we barely hear all the noise in the streets!

NEW YORK - 21 MARCH

CHINA TOWN SHOPPING

ENJOYING THE FAMOUS CHICKEN CORN SOUP

MEETING SPONGEBOB LEGO

ROCKERFELLER CENTRE

CHINA TOWN

PICASSO

FREEZING IN CENTRAL PARK

THE KNIGHTS

THE GREEKS!

MORE TOY SHOPPING!

We sleep in and take a long stroll through Central Park to the Metropolitian Museum. Luckily it is not that busy when we get there. We start off in the Greek section and Luc takes photos of each and every display. It takes hours to get him out of there. We see a stunning Dali and also stunning Picassos in the modern art section. I get Luc to take photos of two of the stunning Picassos and tell him that he can buy a plane with one of the paintings! Monique falls in love with the French rooms - decorated so beautifully - think she can live there! The boys are in awe with the knights and their armour - especially all the weapons. The Egyptian section is also great and we struggle to get Luc out of there.
Meet Uri and Danny at the Nueve Restaurant. Greeted by a Gustav Klimt print - great day of seeing all the masters! Austrian restaurant and the waiting lines are very long. But finally gets a table. Very expensive, but guess it is the experience that counts. To end the meal Monique decides to order one of the decadent cakes - lots of cakes with cream and chocolate! But the poppyseed marble cake turns out to be a dissappointment - with a lot of comments from the men about the choice!
We decide to walk down to Uri's office - far walk from 96 to 37 avenue. Cold but nice as we get to see a lot of designer shops, stunning buildings and interesting people. Luc decides that Danny is his new best friend, much to this dismay of his mother, who struggles with the rejection!
We make a very long stop at T J Swartz (the massive toy shop!). Luc goes straight off to Lego. Callie gets him a small Lego and Monique secretly buys one for this birthday, which Uri hides away. We also stop at the Rockefeller Building, where we see the beginning of the blooming flowers (for which NY is wellknown) as well as the last of the icescating rink.
After popping into Uri's office, we take the subway to Chinatown for Luc to have his chicken corn soup. Danny spots decent looking restaurant, and whilst they order, Monique runs off to the pastry shop next door - the Chinese make great pastries! After being ignored for some time (which made us wonder if we are invincible to the Chinese!) we order soup and fried rice. We are all straving and dig deep into the food. Luc is now very happy!!!!! Chicken corn coup is his NY favourite.
It is very late and Callie wants to get to a church. We take the underground to 94th - which is close to Uri and where we have seen a big church. It is 7.30 when we get there to see that the church is closed. Then Danny sees the Pres. church on the other side of the street. People are still going in and we run to see if we can join. When we get there we see that all of the people are Chinese. The man at the door is really nice and tells us that the service is in English and Mandarin. Callie decides to go in!
Turns out to be a very long, Easter Friday church service. Stunning singing, but all in Mandrin - thank goodness we had a flyer with English translation. The sermon also in Mandarin, and some of the members of the congregation tries to find someone who can translate for us (we are the only Europeans here!). THey are very sweet and then tell us that the reverant will do some of the sermon in English! After 45 mintutes of Mandrin, we finally understand the English (at this stage I was wondering if I could pray and ask God to help us understand Mandrin!). His 10 minutes of English is great and very interesting - by this time Luc is now fast asleep. It is now 9 already and we are very late for our dinner at Ted, so we ask our hosts to excuse us. They are very kind and seems that our visit was a great honour to them. They ask where we are from and say they will pray for us!
Uri and Danny is waiting outside and we grab a taxi. Ted is on 3rd floor and Luc very unhappy when he wakes up - Callie had to carry him up! Great to see Ted again. He has got nice flat with some big cats, whom has never been outside!!!!! Turns out to be great evening with good food and company.
We leave very late! Hope we will be up in time for our fligth the next day!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY : Luc asking Uri and Danny which of them is the wife?