Extreme Rafting in China

Hello!

Ahri and I are stuck inside all day waiting out Typhoon Utor. Everything is literally shut down; schools, public transportation, businesses. We went for our morning walk in between rain showers and it was a ghost town. So far the weather hasn't seemed too bad, some strong winds here and there, but nothing like what I was expecting to have even our building's gym closed. 

Before all this crazy weather hit, Ryan and I joined a group of his co-workers for another short trip in China this past weekend. It's fun to see what $15 can get you for a day trip. We boarded a bus early Saturday morning and after a couple hour drive, we stopped in Qingyuan. We visited a couple of tourist locations before going rafting that afternoon to make it a full day. Our first stop was to a bamboo and aloe 'farm'. I use the word 'farm' loosely because it mainly ended up being a tourist trap. We were shown a couple of aloe and bamboo plants in a garden and then brought into a classroom where they began showing all the different products made from the plants (at least I assume, it was all in Mandarin). Then after the class, we conveniently had to walk through a store with all the products we were just shown to exit! 

After a quick stop at a lookout (which no one walked up to due to the heat) and lunch, we were off to a deer farm. Yep, nothing like 2 country kids from Iowa living all the way in China and going to see deer living in a cage. After seeing a few deer, we were brought into yet another classroom and shown more products made from various parts of the deer (once again, from what I can assume). They had some things such as oils that were similar to IcyHot or Bengay to provide a cooling effect. 

After the deer farm we were off for some rafting, or drifting, as it is called in China. We weren't sure if it was going to be the same type of rafting we had done back in the states, but we were excited to try it out. When we got to the actual rapids we found it was a 2 person raft without paddles. The best way to describe it was a water-slide on steroids with lazy rivers in-between. Everyone was also given buckets, which caused mass-chaos of water fights during the lazy river portions. Ryan and I ended up being the targets frequently since we seemed to be the only white people in the whole city. We had a great time experiencing something new in China! 

Jipps in the USA

Hi Everyone!!

I didn't realize how long it had been since I had written! Ryan and I recently made a quick trip back to the states to see some family and friends and escape the Hong Kong heat. We only were able to stay for a little over a week which meant we didn't have much time to visit outside of Milwaukee. It was a jam packed trip with time with many family and friends and lots of fun!

We flew in on a Friday afternoon and after renting a car, drove up to Milwaukee from Chicago. Even though this is only our second trip back from Hong Kong, we already have a tradition of stopping off at the Lake Park Oasis and grabbing some Taco Bell. There's nothing quite like a cheesy gordita crunch to welcome you back to the USA.

After 16 hours on a plane, this is heaven

Immediately we were welcomed by friends and family and quickly got down to celebrating our return home. The following day we attended our favorite Milwaukee Brewfest. I was pretty excited when we realized we would be back in time for it. This will be the 3rd year we have attended and I am happy that we did not end that streak by living away.

The Brewfest crew

Tents full of beer at Brewfest

Mom & Steve- and the Easy-Cheese

The next day we invited friends over to the house for a barbeque. We were so happy to see so many of our friends come out for the afternoon and to catch up with them. Nothing is better than good friends, good weather, good food and some good beer.

Throughout the week Ryan went to work and I spent my days, well, going to Target. I enjoyed a day of shopping with some friends and then throughout the week got us stocked up on some essentials we wanted to bring back to Hong Kong. We've been able to find most of the essentials we like here in Hong Kong, however, there are still some things we like to pick up in the states.

The other main thing I did while home...was eat. I had a list of the restaurants I wanted to visit and I would say I hit 75% of them. It was so enjoyable to eat some of my favorite foods while back, though it defiantly wasn't part of any healthy diet! 

Cheese curds and a butter burger are a must in Wisconsin

What Milwaukee does best...bloody marys

Wings and ranch...my weakness

After a week of shopping, eating and seeing our friends and family, we wrapped it up with another visit from my Mom and a night out with friends. It was such a great time being back in the states and though it was short, we are very thankful for what we were able to accomplish (and no Ryan, I'm not talking about staining the deck).

Wine night with Mom

Only a few hours before we headed to the airport...nothing like enjoying every last minute

We know we weren't able to see everyone that we wish we could have, but we promise we will be back again and hope to see more people then. Thank you also to all of our friends and family who made our time back in the states a memorable week. We are so grateful for those who are able to pick up with us where we left off as if hasn't been over 6 months since we've been together. Coming back to Hong Kong made me realize that though it may not have all the comforts that we are used to back in the states, this is our home for now and we will love it till the next phase of our lives.