Weekends in Vientiane

The threat of flood is diminishing, starting this past Friday. The sun came out along with the usual summer humidity. We spent the weekend having our first BBQ and staying in door reading and entertaining ourselves. Desmond and Lani made friends with neighborhood kids and were in and out of the house (and theirs).

Yumi and I did our usual things as we did in Hong Kong and Singapore: play tennis, hit the gym, read, have coffee and get massage (in that order). Oh yeah, we didn't forget to spend some time with the kids.

Desmond, Lani, Kaili with their new friend, Helena.

I haven't done this for some time so some (ok most) were a bit burnt!

Kaili and Lani entertaining themselves thru coloring, singing, reading and of course fighting among themselves.

Noe-chan and Kaili enjoying home-made pool.

Kaili can't wait no more for Daddy's burnt BBQ.

Noe-chan is laughing at Daddy for burning the food.

Where is the damn food?

Exciting Living in Laos

You may have read in the news (again you may not since Laos doesn't get in the news that often) that Vientiane is flooding due to the heavy raining season. Luckily, we live in the highest part of town. It is no wonder the US Ambassador's residence is a stone throw away! It is business as usual for us.

That said, we are closely monitoring the situation. Some roads near our house were flooded, but it will take more than that to break the Samurai spirit of the Teso's!

Actually, the water level has gone down as at today and the worse, I hope, is behind us. Yumi and I even got to play tennis the last two nights! Flood or no flood, we will do so again this weekend.

We will take some pictures this weekend to share with you.

We considered renting a house with a Mekong river riew. Yumi said that we used to have the Victoria Harbour view in Hong Kong so we can go without the Mekong view in Laos. Smart move by Yumi!

Army boys helping with flood preventing measures.

The Mekong water level is as high as its river bank.

This road is near our house, but should be no trouble for our SUV to get through.

Noelani Turns One

We are back in Vientiane from Kamakura so I'll download on what we did during our vacation.

First and foremost, we celebrated Noelani's first birthday on July 23. Noe-chan is our fourth and we often say the most precious, simply because she is yet to talk back to us like the other three older kids. Also, she is starting to walk a few months before her first birthday, faster than the other three kids, giving us hope yet that this may be the one to make it to the WTA Tour!

Grandma cooked a special meal (roast beef, sushi rice and lots of veggies) and Noe-chan is the first one to have a birthday cake written in Japanese.

This is Noe-chan at one month old. 

At one year old, enjoying the beach with her Papa.

Opening her birthday gifts with much help from the other three. Needless to say, she didn't get a chance to enjoy the toy until the other three finished with it!

With her older sister?

Grandma spent a lot of time making a special dinner. Arigato!

Noe-chan's cake all in Japanese.

Noe-chan and her best friend since birth, Garlista. 

Kamakura - A Place Called Home

We are still alive and kicking. We are now in Kamakura, Yumi's hometown, for our summer vacation. We are staying with Yumi's parents and having a blast. Granma and Granpa are taking great care of the kids. They don't want to go back....

Kamakura is a beach town about 1 hour by train from Tokyo. It reminds me so much of Hawaii, having grown up there myself. Yumi's house is about 30 meters from the beach. The trade wind keeps the evenings cool and there is picturesque running track along the ocean. This is indeed home for us. More on that later.

The kids are in heaven in Tokyo's toy store.

The most famous attraction in Kamakura - The Great Buddha Statue. 

Desmond and Lani joined in the local summer fun program.

Taking our morning walk, the kids taking care of each other.

Mixing the old and the new - I say Kamakura is better than Hawaii!

We didn't plan on swimming, but then the house is only 30 meters away.

Life of a Miner

I am now at our mine site up in the mountain, about 4 hours by car from the head office. I have been living like a miner: sleeping in a dormitory-style room, eating in dining hall, getting up at 5 am in the morning, and wearing hard hats and boots to the office. It was sure different than the work in Hong Kong and Singapore, but I think it is quite refreshing!

Most of the colleagues I met work on a "roster" basis. They would fly in from Australia and work something like 20 days straight, then they would go home for 10 days. I met several guys who are so excited to go back home on the eve of their leave. I was presented with a more palatable option: 5 days on and 2 days off with the family based in Bangkok. But I pleaded with Yumi to come to Vientiane with me because I wouldn't be able to handle the separation from her...oh, and the kids. I owed her a great deal.

On our way to the mine site: we have to wait for some pedestrians.

People actually wash their clothes and bath in this river. The water is very clear.

This is the scene just outside my dorm room at sunset.

This is certainly not the Shangri-La Hotel!!

At least there is a cable TV, and I am watching Wimbledon in the middle of nowhere.

The mountain at 5:30 am. Time for breakfast!

First Visitor to Laos

My first visitor to Vientiane just happens to be my ex-boss. Tod came to Vientiane to attend the ASEAN Director General Meeting (that's a good one, Tod). Although Tod is a big city, American expat, he is gamed for everything. We went to a local restaurant and had some genuine Lao dishes, including fried frog skins, beef tongues and what Tod thought was a big jerky!

We also went around town to look at the landmarks in Vientiane. That took us all of 10 minutes!

I had great experience working with Tod the past 18 months. He is the type of boss who gives you a lot of autonomy and who makes sure that his people are treated fairly while also having fun. I was also able to develop some of the leadership skills that I lack, especially the art of office politics. Tod is the MASTER of that!

Tod promised to come visit Vientiane again with his beautiful wife, Sophia. We'll be ready for you!

Tod learning how to eat local style: with his hands!

Fried frog skins and Beer Lao are always a good starter!

Tod and other participants unwinding after a hard day at work in Vientiane...if you can believe that!

First Week in Vientiane

My first week in Vientiane was wet and pretty much uneventful: went to work, did some laundry and had some simple dinner. Lunch is served at the office so I am pretty much in the office from 8 to 6. 

I am hoping I get to hit some tennis balls today if it stays dry. I hit once this past week against a youngster who just won an Open tournament. Let's just say that there is a new sheriff in town!

The best thing is that I am in touch with Yumi by phone and email all the time. The kids sound like they are having a blast because now Yumi can totally focus on them instead of me and them. Not sure how big the phone bill will be, but it was all worth it! 

The view outside my 5th floor temporary apartment

My laundromat. It costs me about USD7 for a week of laundry!

My fine dining restaurant is the best noodle soup in town. Yumi ate here as well!

Pho has most of the basic food groups and then some: vegie, meat, carbs, salt and fat! All this for USD2.

A great by-product of this former French colony is that there are a lot of great coffee and bakery places. This was my dessert back in my room.