The 'Asia-Lite' Tour

Finally, finally, finally! We are going on vacation. I was told by one of my cousins that we are always on vacation. Not so. In fact, we haven't been on a real vacation since last summer, unless you count visiting relatives and getting family pictures done (Love you, guys!). We were supposed to go to New Orleans for Christmas last year but our little nugget, Walter, was sick.
I mean, how were we supposed to leave a face like that? Though it's been difficult for both of us to go this long without a break, the wait definitely makes this vacation all the more sweet, even if Ryan is keeping a tight lip on happiness until he actually finishes his last day of work today (OK, so we had one little quick trip to California to see amazing friends for 5 days last month... shhhh...).

We're doing the Asia-Lite tour this year. You know, the parts of Asia that have had major Western influence. I lived in Taiwan for a number of years but Ryan has never experienced the crock-pots full of eggs boiling in tea in every 7-11, or gone to night markets to buy a BBQ squid on a stick. I had to spend a full 5 years just getting him used to crabcakes so we needed a vacation that pushed the boundaries but still had a burger and fries accessible if need be. Hong Kong is our first stop (pictured above), followed by a couple days in Singapore.
We're doing a round of 'city' before we take most of the vacation to relax in Bali. Now, for those of you that haven't followed us in the past, you need to realize that Ryan has only started learning how to relax on vacation. You can ask his mother and sister what it used to be like traveling with him. Until recently, he was an 'up at 5:00 a.m. to stand in line at the Louvre' kind of traveler but after our trip to Turkey and our stay at the Four Seasons Bosphorus in Istanbul, he was hooked on lounging, cabanas, cocktails, and books. Music to my ears.

I have been to Bali and Hong Kong but never Singapore though Bali is what I'm most looking forward to... especially since Ryan is the King of 'we should probably go for this' when it comes to hotel rooms. I've got to admit, it's amazing how far the Canadian dollar is stretched in Bali. Here's a little look-see at what you can expect for the same price as a shoebox in New York City:
Looking forward to traveling with you all.