Chengs' World-Wide Odyssey
In and around World
Many years ago, when Karsten and Stephanie were still very young, we decided that it would be important to travel with them in order to give them a world view that was much larger than the Canadian backyard they were growing up in. We believed that the exposure to different cultures and different situations would teach them more about themselves, about the world and about God than they would ever learn in even the best school we could enroll them in. Travelling together in foreign lands would also, hopefully, provide us with a common history that would bind us together with a story that would beome "our story". We also hoped that together as a family we might be able to share with others some of the blessings and privileges that we take so for granted. We hoped to use our efforts and resources to bless others who have less than we. We figured that the best time to take such a trip would be when our children wire in their early teens - old enough to allow the trip to make a lasting impact, young enough that they would still happily follow us around the globe. When we started thinking about such a trip it seemed so far in the future...but suddenly, the kids ARE in their early teens and it is time to go!
Hence, we have planned an itinerary (sort of), we have got our shots (Ouch!), and we are packing our bags (travel light is the motto!). The Chengs' World-Wide Odyssey is about to begin!
Route taken and entries written by The Cheng Family
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1
The Blessings Fund
What is the Blessings Fund?It is NOT money to be used to send the Chengs ona crazy trip around the world! None of it will be used for or by the... Continue reading »
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Chengs' Itinerary
This will be our itinerary for the next 10-1/2 months:Jun 19, 2006 - Flying from Vancouver to LondonJun 20 - 23, 2006 - Touring LondonJun 24 - Jul 1,... Continue reading »
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First Stop - London
Wednesday, June 21, 2006London, EnglandWe’ve’walked ‘til we’ve dropped’ for two days in London now. It hardly seems possible that we are here, but her... Continue reading »
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Trip from London to Bath
Sunday, June 25, 2006Bradford – on AvonAfter four full days in London, we feel ready to pack our bags and go on to our next adventure in England. We’r... Continue reading »
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Stephanie's Musings on the Cotswolds
June 28, 2006Visiting the Cotswolds is a new and historical experience, especially if your mom turns your nice quiet trip into an audio radio for ever... Continue reading »
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Historical York by Karsten
June 30, 2006York Do you like history? Are you the type of person that likes to know everything about history? Do you like seeing medieval ruins and a... Continue reading »
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Left is Right - Driving in the UK (by David)
June 20 - July 2, 2006“Left is right!” exclaimed my navigator Stephanie from the backseat as we circled the roundabout in our rented car. That really... Continue reading »
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From Paris with Love
July 3, 2006ParisWe haven’t been able to update our blog for some time because of lack of internet availability. It really is not as available here as... Continue reading »
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Paris to Normandy
July 7, 2006Normandy, FranceHere we are with only 3 days left in France and it is time to capture some of our thoughts and impressions of this country... Continue reading »
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Sleepless in Chartres
It seems like a long time since we have updated our journal. A week goes by quickly in Canada. One looks back at a week and wonders where the time wen... Continue reading »
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11
"Drum Bun" (meaning Good Journey) in Romania
We have been in Romania for almost a week now and feel like we have seen much of the country and its people. It was arranged for us that Dawn Elenbaas... Continue reading »
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12
The Blessings Fund Update
August 5, 2006TimisoaraWe have made use of the Blessings Fund to support Dawn Elenbaas' children's ministry here in Romania. We have used some o... Continue reading »
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13
Goodbye to Romania
August 4, 2006Timisoara, Romania Amazingly, our 4 weeks in Romania are almost over! Tomorrow will be our last day working at the baby hospital. It’s b... Continue reading »
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The Romanian Revolution - by Karsten Cheng
Romania and the Revolution By: Karsten Cheng August 7, 2006 Do you know when the Revolution happened in Romania? Would you have the courage to sta... Continue reading »
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15
Treasures Found in Germany!
August 7th – August 17th, 2006We have spent almost two weeks in Germany now and we feel like kings! We have been treated like royalty by a wealth of c... Continue reading »
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Paradise Found in Germany
August 17 – 18th, 2006Bodensee, GermanyWe have found a part of paradise in Germany! The Bodensee area is truly an unforgettable area with its beautifu... Continue reading »
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Celebrating King Ludwig's Birthday in Oberammergau - by Steffi
On Aug 24, our family visited a little village called Oberammergau. Oberammergau is located in south central Germany in the Bavarian Region. This vill... Continue reading »
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Schooling in Austria
Dalaas, AustriaSeptember 1, 2006It’s September and I am finding that the start of this month brings with it mixed emotions. September usually brings w... Continue reading »
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Enjoying South Tyrol, Italy
Mühlbach, South Tyrol, ItalySeptember 3, 2006Getting back to enjoying and experiencing local life and culture, however, we were definitely at the righ... Continue reading »
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Magical Venice
Memories of Venice – September 9 and 10th, 2006I must admit, I wasn’t really keen on visiting Venice. When I was 12 years old, I visited Venice with m... Continue reading »
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Italian Immersion in Emilia Romagne Province of Italy
Emilia Romagna Province (principally Bologna) - September 11 – 15th, 2006It’s been a while since we’ve updated our travelblog, and that is primarily b... Continue reading »
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Impression No. 1 of Cinque Terre by Steff
Cinque Terre National Park &nbs... Continue reading »
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Impression No. 2 of Cinque Terre by Karsten
Cinque Terre – A UNESCO World Heritage Site UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, an agency of the UN and i... Continue reading »
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Hill Towns in Tuscany
Hill Towns in TuscanySeptember 20 – 28th, 2006Dreams sometimes do come true! A week in late September exploring hill towns in Tuscany is as close to a... Continue reading »
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History Lession in Rome
Sept 28 – Oct 2, 2006RomeWhat can one say about Rome? Words really do fail to describe this city. The history, the magnificence and the enormity of th... Continue reading »
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Turkey for Thanksgiving
October 9, 2006Turkey for ThanksgivingIt is Thanksgiving Monday and we are thinking of you all at home in Canada enjoying turkey and cranberry sauce a... Continue reading »
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28
Out of This World in Cappadocia
Cappadoccia October 9th – 12th, 2006After much deliberation, David and I finally decided to succumb to having a travel agent arrange a tour of Turkey... Continue reading »
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Ancient City of Ephesus
Ancient City of EphesusOctober 17, 2006We woke up early on the morning of the 17th of October and found that the weather was overcast and raining. Aft... Continue reading »
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Hierapolis & Pamukkale
Hierapolis & PamukkaleOctober 18th, 2006Today we were supposed to leave by 8:30 am today in order to catch a 3 hour bus ride to Hierapolis and Pam... Continue reading »
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Studying Pythagoras Theorem on Samos
Studying Pythagoras Theorem on SamosOctober 19, 2006You might have heard the saying called a2 +b2 = c2. This is called the Pythagoras Theorem. It was... Continue reading »
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Tour of the Greek Islands
Autumn in GreeceIf one is traveling around the world and doesn’t want to carry warm clothes for cold climates, when and where does one leave Europe an... Continue reading »
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The Perfect Beach on a Greek Island
The Perfect Beach on a Greek IslandOctober 24, 2006On a far, far away Greek island, Paros a lone, white, sandy beach lay waiting for someone to come a... Continue reading »
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Final European Destination - Athens
AthensNovember 7 – 11, 2006Everything we had heard and read about Athens prepared us for a polluted, grey and somewhat boring city. See the Acropolis... Continue reading »
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Into Africa
November 16, 2006 NairobiWow! It’s only been 4 days since we arrived in Africa but it seems so much longer! We have seen and experienced many new thin... Continue reading »
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A Journey (Safari) to Remember
Safari in the Maasai Mara Games ReserveKenyaNovember 17 – 19, 2006As we were unable to be accommodated at A Rocha until November 20th, we decided to u... Continue reading »
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Volunteering at A Rocha Kenya
December 1, 2006A RochaTurtle Bay, KenyaNovember 22, 2006 saw us on the road again. This time we were taking a 10 hour trip by bus, leaving the big ci... Continue reading »
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Football in Dongokundu
Dongokundu December 4, 2006 It all started when we wanted to walk through Dongokundu. Dongokundu is a village on the coast of Kenya and across the str... Continue reading »
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40
Merry Christmas
To all our family and friends in Canada and all of the great people who we have met along the way in the past six months,Merry Christmas!We wish you a... Continue reading »
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A Memorable Journey to Forget
A Memorable Journey to ForgetDecember 28, 2006It all started out innocently enough – we merely wanted to arrange for safe transportation from Watamu o... Continue reading »
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Blessings Fund Update
Blessings Fund UpdateDecember 28, 2006It has been more than 6 months since our family left Vancouver, and readers of our travelblog may have felt at t... Continue reading »
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43
Reunion in Cape Town
Cape Town, South AfricaDec 31, 2006 – Jan 4, 2007 and Jan 20 – 22, 2007We didn’t know what we would find in South Africa except that Barb’s mom would... Continue reading »
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The Winelands Tour
Winelands Tour of South AfricaJanuary 4 – 10th, 2007The Winelands are an easy and scenic few hours drive away from Cape Town and were our first stop a... Continue reading »
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The Lovely Garden Route of South Africa
The Garden Route of South AfricaJanuary 11 – 19th, 2007When I had heard of the Garden Route in South Africa, I had always pictured well groomed garden... Continue reading »
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Goodbye Africa, Hello Asia
BangkokJan 24 – 27, 2007What a welcome we received at Bangkok – when our luggage arrived, Karsten discovered that the lock on his checked luggage was... Continue reading »
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Adventures in Chiang Mai
Adventures in Chiang MaiJanuary 27 – 31, 2007Having woken up to the realization that we may have been had by a tout and a travel agency, we embarked o... Continue reading »
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The Road Trip - by Steff
Chiang Mai to Siem Reap by RoadFeb 1-2, 2007Have you ever traveled while you're really sick? Or worse, travel for 27 hours from Chiang Mai, Thailand t... Continue reading »
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Amazing Angkor Wat - by Karsten
Siem Reap, Cambodia February 4, 2007 Angkor Wat Anybody who comes to visit Cambodia has to see Angkor Wat. It is the world’s largest religious buildin... Continue reading »
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50
V is for Vietnam...V is also for Visa
Feb 9, 2007V is for Vietnam VisaO is for Oops! We forgot to get them!T is for Two extra days in Thailand as a result$ is for the extra money a ‘fast v... Continue reading »
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The Mekong Delta - by Steff
Mekong DeltaThe Mekong Delta is a piece of land that has been formed from the Mekong River’s silt. The Mekong is one of the largest rivers in the worl... Continue reading »
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52
The Ocean is Bluer on the Other Side
One of our biggest anticipations for visiting Vietnam was the possibility of enjoying the South China Sea and lounging on idyllic sandy beaches. This... Continue reading »
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Moments of Hilarity in Vietnam
Moments of Hilarity in Vietnam Barb points to the statue in the park and says: “Look, there is a statue of Lenin”Steff responds: “Lenin who? Joh... Continue reading »
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54
Goodbye Vietnam
Good Bye, Vietnam!Four weeks visiting you has flown by so quickly! It seems like only yesterday that we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (that’s what the r... Continue reading »
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55
Beijing Surprises
Beijing SurprisesYes, our first week in China has been full of surprises and to be honest, we are still a little befuddled. Is this really China, we a... Continue reading »
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The Forbidden City - by Steff
The Forbidden CityThis massive structure of buildings entwining together forms one great big palace. In fact this palace is the world’s largest surviv... Continue reading »
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The Great Wall - by Karsten
The Amazing Great Wall Have you heard the saying that you can see the Great Wall of China from the moon with the naked eye? Have you ever wondered wha... Continue reading »
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Ancient Warriors of Xi'an
Ancient Warriors of Xi’anMarch 20, 2007Xi’an is the city noted worldwide for the famous terracotta army found nearby. This was the impetus for our ove... Continue reading »
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Chengdu Panda Adventure - by Stephanie
Chengdu Panda Adventure - by StephanieMarch 23, 2007Visiting the Giant Pandas in Chengdu, China was one of the highlights of this trip for me. Giant P... Continue reading »
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Cultural Immersion on the Yangtze River
Cultural Immersion on the Yangtze RiverMarch 24 – 27th, 2007Having seen the pandas in Chengdu, we wondered what next? Where should our next destinatio... Continue reading »
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Chinese Curiosities
Chinese CuriositiesWe’ve already alluded to it in previous blogs, but what we’ve often found as fascinating about China as its very interesting histor... Continue reading »
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Short Term Volunteer Project with International China Concern
April 3 – 17thShort term team with International China ConcernHeng Yang Welfare CentreNone of us really knew what to expect from our short term team p... Continue reading »
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Hong Kong - the Last Stop on our Adventure
Hong KongApril 18 – 28th, 2007Having slogged our way around China by train, bus and boat for a month and then spent two weeks volunteering with Intern... Continue reading »
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