Sri Lanka

We believe Sri Lanka is a hidden gem that our adventurous friends should discover.  North Americans are the least likely visitors, which is probably due to where it is situated (below India, Far Away), and most people have never heard of Sri Lanka.  It is an amazing place and has to be home to the friendliest people in the world.  It is a place we will be visiting again soon!  

The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist.  You can visit these temples all around the country. 

Each of us took a turn being blessed by the Monk. 

He told me that he blessed me with the hope that I will someday have a daughter.  Ugh!

These boys were studying to become Monks. 

This little girl is three and she loves Carter!  I am pretty sure I could have offered the family money and we could have come home with a daughter.  She was precious, happy, and very poor.  Her mother asked if she could be our nanny.  

Bird watching was taken very seriously. 

We loved our time in the Tuk Tuk and had the best driver ever!

Flying Fox bats!  The largest bat in the world!  They eat fruit, so don't be afraid!  

They can have a wing span up to 5 feet long. 

Visiting the local school was amazing!  

These kids were so thankful for the one pencil we gave to them. 

Cameron was quite popular!

After our amazing school experience we went to our Tuk Tuk drivers home.  His friend decided we each needed a coconut.  He climbed quickly into this tree to bring down a treat for all of us.  

We came home to all of our beds decorated with flowers.  This place was so much fun!

Yala National Park was amazing!  They have a healthy Asian Elephant population. This little guy is about 5 months old. 

Many of the mommas had a 5 year old and a baby.  Seeing them in the wild was an unforgettable experience. 

We spent 13 hours in this jeep.  

I little creepy!

The sloth bear was an amazing find!

Most people go to Yala to see the leopard.  They are not easy to find.  We were able to find 2!  They are difficult to photograph. 

After being on our Safari for 13 hours we ended up sleeping in a tent.  We went for the full meal deal!  We had 7 helpers at the campground and we were not allowed to do anything.  It was so awkward being served.  We slept in the tent while the rest slept around the campsite.  They had to be on the lookout for elephants while we slept!  

We taught the staff at this hotel how to play Uno.  They loved it!

Our driver for a few days. The roads are crazy in Sri Lanka, so hiring a driver is a good idea. 

Our picnic while on Safari. 

Cameron in his underwear relaxing. The animals hide in the heat of the day, so we spent a few hours eating, swimming, and just hanging out. 

Amazing place!  Great guides! 

Camping in the middle of nowhere.  I kept thinking where we were on a map.  Far away from home!

There are so many good things to say about this country.  It is untouched by tourism, which is a good thing in my eyes.  It is home to so many different animals and the adventures are endless.  We will be back but have a few more (lots more) countries on our list.  Good bye Sri Lanka!  Thanks for an incredible experience! 

School Is Out

I thought I would have more time this school year to focus on some of the small things in life.  I guess I did, but getting to this blog every weekend did not work out.

All I can say about this school year is that it was amazing!  Our boys grew in so many ways and I was challenged each day.  It was an incredible experience and we are so thankful to be part of the Kaust community!

I am glad our family was brave enough to pack up our life and move to such a mysterious place.  It was the best decision we could have made!

Rollin' Down The Highway To the Red Sea

What is it like to cruise down a Saudi highway?  It isn't a trip that most people will ever be able to experience.  This weekend I was able to do a road trip 3 1/2 hours south of here, so I saw a lot of the highway.  Here are the things I saw: sand, camels, sand, garbage, sand dunes, sand, blue sky, sand, security check points, and more sand.  At times I would drift off to sleep and then open my eyes and I would see a freeway from home, but when I looked closer I would notice that the people driving were men in Thobes with wives covered in the back seat.  Every once in awhile I would feel several speed bumps, which meant we were approaching a security checkpoint.  I have never stopped at one of these checkpoints, and hope that we can always easily pass right on through.  The important thing to notice is which line is passing through quickly.  I always wonder why some people choose the slow line.

To you it might seem very dusty, brown, and boring, but these road trips can lead to some marvelous unexplored places.  This weekend I was able to stay at a hotel on the red sea.  Now this hotel was nothing to write home about.  In fact, I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.  It was very bizarre but it was on the shores of the red sea, which is a fascinating place that is the least explored sea in the world. 

I boarded a boat early on Friday and Saturday with about 15 others and a few researchers from the University and we set out to find Whale Sharks.  This is the time of year that the juveniles come into the red sea to feed on plankton.  Researchers are studying them and trying to figure out why the adults are staying out in the Indian Ocean.  Unfortunately this weekend was one of the few weekends that these gigantic fish were not seen.  Yes, they are the world's largest fish.  They are not even a whale or a shark, but have similarities to both, so hence the name. 

Even though we didn't see these incredible creatures, we had a lot of opportunities  to snorkel and dive.  I chose to dive each time to get a break from the waves and see the beauty under the surface.  It was amazing.  I felt like I was placed in the Nemo movie!   So many fish, coral, urchins, anemones, sting rays, and a turtle. There was so much to see and an hour wasn't even long enough.  I spent a total of 4 hours under the sea and I want more!  It was so fun swimming around coral mountains, going under bridges of coral, and going up and down the bottom of the sea.  I have never been so at ease diving.   If you live in this unique place you must dive!  It is amazing! 

Bryan did this journey a in March and was also on one of the few trips that did not see the Whale Sharks.  So, next year we will try it again and hopefully be swimming with the world's largest fish.  We will for sure take Cameron next year, since he is a full on fish in the sea.  He will snorkel for hours!  Carter is a little hesitant, so we will see how he progresses by this time next year. 

The diving center offers a "Little Bubbles" course that is for kids 8 and up.  We are going to check it out next year for Cameron.  Also, if you are a high school student here you become a certified diver during your P.E. class.  How cool is that?! 

Here area a few pictures. I guess you need a red filter for the camera to pick up all the colors.  Just turn on Nemo and you will see what I saw!

 Blue Spotted Sting Ray!

 Nemo!

 These giant clams are beautiful!  They are bright blue inside.



Me!  About 60 feet under! 

Now we are one month from leaving our home and coming back to the U.S. for a summer holiday. Of course we are taking the long way home, which will lead to more blogging. 

April Madness

April has been a very busy month!  Which has caused me to be away from blogging.  I am so sad that I have missed some key events.  Here is a little summary of our last 6 weeks.

1. Work - We do work hard!
2. Bryan went on a 2 day whale shark expedition. (Didn't see any but had fun!)
3. Bryan and the boys went to Dubai for three nights to meet Thomas and Kyle.  They only saw Thomas for about an hour because his little body couldn't handle the time change. :(  They had fun sledding on the indoor mountain, seeing the world's tallest building, and going to the waterslides.
4. I turned 40!  It is tough going to the next decade!  The only good thing that I can see about it so far is it puts me in a new age bracket when I race.  My birthday consisted of working, exploring a different compound , and my first Lebanese dinner, which was wonderful! My students also sang to me in English and Arabic.  It was great!
5. Bryan and I have been diving in the red sea!  It is incredible and I will blog some pictures soon.  It is like swimming in a fish tank!
6. Bryan was accepted into a University and will be getting his teaching certificate next year!  This will be his last career change!  
7. Don't forget we work hard!

However, today's blog is dedicated to our Desert Picnic!  We joined about 12 other families and caravanned about 40 minutes from here where we were able to drive like crazy in the sand!  We happened to pick a day with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, but we made it work and really enjoyed our experience.  We drove over sand dunes and each vehicle had to master the challenge of climbing to the ridge.  We then found a great place to make a bon fire and have a picnic.  We stayed until the stars came out.  We saw a lot of sand, but here are a few pictures of other things we found.

 The sweaty husband! 

 

 This is the typical bush that grows in the desert.  It is full of huge thorns.

 

 The kids tackling the hill.

 

 This little bush was growing in the middle of a huge open area.  It was the only bush I found of its kind.  It had beautiful flowers.  I felt like I should give it water, but then figured I would end up killing it.

 

 Here is our fleet of cars.  It is best to always caravan just in case a car breaks down or whatever else you can imagine happening in this country. Bryan is trying to talk me into getting our own car.  It was tough for him being a passenger. He really wants to drive like a crazy person over the sand. I keep reminding him that he will be a college student next year, and college students do not own cars!

 

I know this looks gross, but fascinating on how it is decomposing.  It still had eyelashes!  There wasn't any odor either! The wind was covering it with sad, which made me think of all the dead things that could be below my feet.

 

This man was herding about 100 camels.  I am not sure how he was able to get them all to follow, but they were all in a line. I am sure he was surprised to see so many women uncovered.  

Camels are not wild in Saudi.  They belong to someone and are branded on their back end. 

 

 Cameron and I watched this camel  for quite awhile.  He would always reach for the highest branch.  The bush has huge thorns so it was amazing he was able to get into it and eat.  We noticed he would close his eyes while reaching upwards.  We are thinking camels must have think eyelids.

 Our picnic in the sand was a success. The wind stopped blowing and we were able to relax and enjoy some great company and food!

It was a great day!  We haven't spent a lot of time exploring outside of our community.  We have so much to do here that it is easy to forget about the rest of the country.  We are motivated to see more.  Saudi Arabia has some unique historical sites and great "wilderness" areas.  We hope to explore more next school year. 

We have 7 weeks left until we leave for the summer months.  It is too hot to stay here during June, July, and August.  We will be coming back in August so we will have to battle a few months of intense heat (110ish), but we have been amazed by the pleasant weather we have had since November.  Everyday has been between 85-95, which feels pleasant when you live in the desert.  This year it has rained more than many have ever seen.  I witnessed 5 different rain showers.  Only 1 was quite severe but only lasted about 15 minutes.  The rest have been only a few drops.  I guess the rainy season is now over.  When I wake up in the morning it looks like our windows are sweating, and when you walk outside you are blasted with the intense heat.  (The AC has been running since we arrived

However, this will be considered pleasant for what is coming our way.  The heat does not slow the Johnsons down.  We find other ways to enjoy ourselves: swimming, movies, and more swimming! Also, don't forget that we do work, so we spend much of our day inside!  Yes, we do work!!  Ha! 

Our Red Sea pictures will be coming soon!