Traveling with my parents...

My weeks in the States this summer have been full of many moments spent with family and friends.  I just recently returned from a cruise with a very good friend of mine.  Rewind a few weeks, shortly after returning to the States in June, to be exact, three days after I landed in the States, I was off and running.  The destination: Charleston, South Carolina.

The older I grow, and the farther I live away from family, the more I realize how important it is to spend time with family, building memories, and sharing moments.  And, what better way to do that than with a getaway, traveling with my parents....

I could honestly ramble on for paragraph after paragraph about all the little memories, the little jokes, the various funny moments, but honestly they are not the same read as opposed to heard in person.  The pictures will have to suffice.  I look forward to looking back on these pictures, remembering the memories made and the moments spent together.

Good food at Poogan's Porch.

Bloody Mary at Hyman's Seafood.

Beautiful homes.

Real gas street lamps.

Beautiful Churches. 

Cutest Parents Award.
After our morning carriage ride around Charleston.

Haunted Graveyard Tour, followed by a Haunted Jail Tour.  

Our guides told us to take lots of pictures, we may capture an ghostly image.
I have not seen anything, but please tell me if you see anything in any of the photos in our album. 

Giant Oak Tree
Angel Tree

Touring Fort Sumter. 

Ending our trip with a dinner and fireworks cruise for Independence Day. 

If you want to view all the photos from our trip, please view:

Charleston, South Carolina.

If you see any ghostly images in the photos, please tell me.

SCUBA and Sea Turtles...

This time last year, Ryan and I were on an island in French Polynesia, enjoying a relaxing honeymoon. About this time last month, Ryan and I were on an island, a very tiny island off the coast of Borneo.  After surviving our days in the rain forest, we boarded a boat, and set off for Lankayan Island.  Ryan was excited for some amazing diving, I was excited for sea turtles.  We were also looking forward to relaxation and enjoying modern conveniences that the rain forest did not offer.

The island is incredibly small.  The restaurant, and dive center are located on piers off the island.  Ryan and I were able to walk around the entire island in about 10 minutes!  Ryan even swam around the entire island!! 

Lankayan Island is home to sea turtle conservation efforts.  They collect sea turtle eggs, place them in a hatchery for safety, and once the eggs hatch, they release the sea turtles back to the ocean.  I was told we would see a lot of sea turtles, and we did.  Each day we were able to watch turtles hatching, slowing coming out of the sand.  My favorite was their release to the ocean, their little flippers moving so quickly across the sand, and their final dip into the ocean.  One evening, we were able to view a sea turtle laying eggs.  Interesting experience, I was definitely surprised how large sea turtles are!

We are also the proud, adoptive parents of our own sea turtle nest.  I was told we would receive an email when our eggs hatch.  Based on the incubation period, I should hopefully hear something in the next couple weeks!

Ryan modeling his new shirt after we adopted our turtles.

As I ran around, watching sea turtles, catching some sun, and relaxing, Ryan was off diving.  He was able to get some really nice dives in, and try out his camera, underwater.  If you recall, I tried diving while we were in Egypt, and that was a big, fat fail.  Well, you may be surprised to know that I recently completed my online scuba class, and on August 3rd and 4th, I will be completing my open water dive certification.  I am going to need much encouraging, I am not overly confident I will succeed, but I have found a woman in the area that teaches diving, and I will be one-on-one.  Hopefully she is patient.  I like to refer to my upcoming dive training as drowning training.  But, I want to be able to join Ryan on his dives, and be able to share that experience with him.  I will keep you updated.

If you want to check out more adorable sea turtle pictures, and underwater dive pictures, check out our photo album from Lankayan Island.  Click HERE

A small addition to the previous post.  I came across a couple more pictures from our time "down the river" and wanted to share:

Awesome snack, purple potatoes.  

Our second lodge provided us with sarong material, and we were told to fashion them into an outfit and wear it to dinner that evening.  

A leaky sink?
The least of our worries in the middle of the rainforest, I quickly solved that problem.  

Once in a lifetime...

Our days spent in the rain forest of Borneo were a once in a lifetime experience, basically because I do not ever see myself repeating the experience a second time.  Only joking, if Ryan asked me to go back to Borneo, or to another rain forest area of the world, I would.

Last Sunday, July 14th, marked our 1 year "wedding" anniversary.  Next month, August 12th, marks our 3 year "marriage" anniversary.  In our almost three years together, Ryan and I have had a few experiences that when we look back on, we think they make good "tests" for a marriage.  If a husband and wife can survive the experience, come out still loving each other, and alive, then they are truly meant to be together.  For example - renting a car in Scotland, with the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car while driving on the opposite side of the road.  Add the wife in the passenger seat, with a Blackberry for GPS, begin road trip around the country.  If a husband and wife can successfully travel around the country, and return in one piece (car and humans), and still speaking to each other, the two are meant to be married.

Now, the latest experience.  Take a husband and wife, put them 50 km down a river in the middle of the rain forest in Borneo.  Turn the thermostat up to about 95 degrees with a humidity of about 99.9%.  Now, take away air conditioning, and put the two in a very, VERY basic lodging room.  It may not sound too bad to you, but when the above mentioned wife is accustomed to fancy ways, fancy hotels, and holds the nickname Fancypants, the experience becomes interesting.

I love Ryan, I say that a lot, and I truly mean it.  His patience, kindness, and frequent attempts to make jokes, or pull pranks (at my expense) made our time in Borneo once in a lifetime.  We laughed through the sticky moments of being covered in sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray.  Enjoyed numerous incredible animal sightings.  Provided endless amounts of entertainment for our guide, Junior.  My camera and I survived a prank involving Ryan brushing a twig through my hair, me nonchalantly swatting it away because I was busy taking photos.  All was calm until our guide (sitting behind me in the boat) said, "Don't move, there's a giant......" to which my screaming and flailing arms drowned the remaining part of the sentence.

Our Borneo rain forest, jungle experience can be viewed in our photo album : Borneo Rainforest.

A preview of the album:

Proboscis Monkeys!!!

Pygmy Elephants!!!

Ryan and Virginia!!!

My attempt to make a joke of our lodging situation:

We brought a few pieces of chocolate from Kuala Lumpur.  We didn't know at the time, but they were to become not only a main food staple, but also a thermometer.  I placed them on the safe, if you had to lick the chocolate out of the wrapper, it was very hot.  If you were able to unwrap the chocolate, pick it up, and bite into it, you were incredibly lucky.  

And because our days down the river, in the jungle were a wonderful adventure, I will end with one of many beautiful sunsets experienced on a boat, on a river, in the middle of Borneo.  So thankful I had Ryan sitting next to me, experiencing each moment with me.  

If you wish to see the other photos, click here.

The adventure begins...

Sunsets, hikes, mountains, canopy walks, giant flowers, and orangutans.  Our adventure in Borneo begins....

I have decided, since Ryan and I both have cameras now, and since the amount of pictures have doubled, I will allow the pictures to speak for themselves (a picture is worth a thousand words).  No need to worry, I will (and have) added a few words of my own.

Arrival in Kota Kinabalu, our hotel was very nice, we enjoyed the sunset, and relaxing atmosphere.  We also love when everyone always thinks we are on our honeymoon.  We returned to our room one evening to rose petals, and hearts all over the bed.  Almost three years into our marriage, and people still think we are honeymooners.

Hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

Very cloudy, but still a lovely sunset.  Enjoyed while lounging at the sunset bar, sipping drinks. 

Thanks to our lovely travel agent.  Apparently this is what happens when you book multiple vacations.  

After an evening relaxing, enjoying dinner, and sipping Dom Perignon, the last thing on my mind was hiking through a jungle.  But always one for an adventure, and never one to miss out on anything, I laced up the adventure shoes....

Virginia + Hiking = endless entertaining faces and comments

Mount Kinabalu

Canopy Walk
Very narrow, very high, very fun...

Ryan's fish eye lens distorts "normal" pictures, but is incredible at capturing wide angle pictures.
I love his pictures from the canopy walk, he was able to capture wide landscape photos, and truly show how high we were.  Check them out in the album!

Rafflesia plant.  Apparently the largest, individual flower.  Also known as the corpse flower for its decaying flesh smell.  Luckily the wind was in our favor and we were not able to smell the flower.
We were very fortunate to see this, they take almost nine months to mature, and only bloom for 2-3 days before dying.  

After our time in Kota Kinabalu, we boarded a flight to the far eastern side of Borneo.  It was there we visited the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center.  Orangutans are only found in the wild, in Borneo and Sumatra.  During our visit, we adopted an orangutan, her name is Bella.  We may not have children of our own, but we are now adoptive, orangutan parents.  All our pamphlets were sent to Russia, so once I return, I will have to post more information, and pictures of Bella.  

Very excited to find Red Bull, and also in need of a caffeine boost. 

After our visit to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, we drove to the dock to board our boat that would take us to our true Borneo adventure.  Along the way, our guide explained what we could expect during our time in the jungle.  I do not remember much from the ride, but I do remember certain phrases, "no air conditioning" "50 km down the river" "middle of the jungle with nothing around."

What did I get myself into?

A small preview, first reactions after seeing the boat that would take us 50 km downriver, and as the realization sunk in that I was in for a true adventure.  My fancypants ways were in for a test.

Want to check out more pictures from our first couple days?

Check out the album:

Mount Kinabalu, Canopy Walk, and Orangutans