Buddhists are neat.

So a while back we took a drive to a reserve to see birds, but it was raining and al we saw was some monitor lizards and a whole pack of mosquitos. Then we found monkeys playing in the streets. Afterwards we had lunch next to a buddhist temple and decided to visit. Ps. Buddhists are swell folks.

Singapore Zoo

So uncle Sureesh, auntie Evelyn and Shankar took Rachel and I to the singapore zoo. It was by far the best zoo i have ever been to. They let the orang utans roam free all over the zoo. Before you correct my spelling of orang utan you should know that orang utan is malaysian for "forest man". Yeah, thats cool. Long story short it was a blast and we all had good times. The family here has really been great, they have catered to our every need and given us so much! This sunday we are going to some waterfalls in malaysia, i am pretty stoked.

Thailand, good times

Fun in the Sun- East Coast Singapore

This last monday the whole crew went for a fantastic holiday to the east side of Singapore. It was a long drive, all of 15 minutes- considering singapore is an island everywhere is close to the ocean. We had a great time swimming in the sea, playing roundus, eating icecream and lying in the sun. It was a really great time had by all. Later that night we all went to auntie shobi's house and had dinner with the family, afterwards we played cards and had a super wonderfully time. Singapore really has been a blast, Unkle Sureesh and his family has really taken wonderful care of us and shown us all the sights. So far singapore has been a blast! Anywho, tommorow we fly to phuket, thailand, and Rachel and I are excited to go to Thailand and see the sights! Love you all.

Cabin fever!

First and foremost o would like to apologize for the disturbing lack of new photos on the blog. We have an amazing camera, but it is so nice and so large that we rarely take pictures of the more mundane particulars of our travels. Right now i am sitting on a bed in the heart of Singapore. After a grueling 14 hour flight from San Fransisco to Hong Kong the 3 1/2 hour flight on to Singapore seemed like a cake walk. I must be honest though- being almost 14 hours ahead time wise has lead to both Rachel and i feeling brutalized, jet lag is an understatement. It is now 1:30 in the morning on Friday the 16. Back home it is 10:30 in the morning on Thursday the 15. ugh. All in all the flights were pleasant and for the most part went off without a hitch. We arrived in Singapore to find a plethora of Rachel's family waiting for us. They all seem like great people and have been more than hospitable. I am now ready to pass out, as is Rachel. Ergo, Fairwell, more to follow. Love Derek and Rachel

Sticking to the trail-

In an attempt to stay true to our commitment to post to this thing, i will now post- to this thing. Anyway, this last few weeks have been a whirlwind of visiting madness. On Wednesday the 23 of April we finished with Utah, sub-letted our apartment and left. The girl who rented our place is great and we are excited about not paying the rent all summer. After the long drive from Utah to California we arrived in Loyalton and had a splendid time with my mom. Activities included going to a Scottish-games event and seeing hundreds of burly scots bare their nethers, doing lots of thrifting in Reno, walking in the high mountain desert with my mother and generally having a good time. After a week or so of rollicking we flew out to Dallas to visit the other side of the family. After landing in Dallas we drove to longview to spend some time with our lovely mother Sree. We also attended the funeral services for one of Rachel's great aunts, and then picked up brother Jesse from the airport. Jesse, by the way, has just finished Officer Candidate School for the navy and to be quite honest is a rather hard-core chap these days. After good times in east Texas we drove back to Dallas and picked up Rachel's dad. The three of us then went on a splendid road trip down to Austin and then finally ending up in San Antonio. In San Antonio we spent the day looking for apartments for Gary ( Rachel's dad), we found a really nice place that makes our basement back in Utah look like a basement from Utah- if you get my drift. After returning to Dallas and spending the night we are now preparing for the long flight back to Reno and then an even longer flight to Singapore. Long story short things have been crazy good times in a box. Well, hope to keep y'all updated, feel free to comment on stuff if you feel i am being too descriptive, or not descriptive enough. We love you all.