Hi Everybody! One thing that gets your attention in Vietnam is the traffic. There are probably 10 scooters for every car, bus, and bicycle. They all constantly blow their horns instead of hitting the brakes. At first, I was a little scared to cross the streets. Occasionally, a native girl would grab my arm and pull me across with her. We would walk in between the scooters. I got to where I could do it on my own. The city also has a force of tourist officers that are very helpful. This is the first city that Walt has allowed me to go out and shop in on my own. I got turned around a few times when I left a market by a different entrance. The tourist guys showed me the way back to my ... read more

Hi Everybody! Both India and Kathmandu are having festivals this week. This is India's largest festival, Diwali, the festival of life. They clean their homes well, give gifts to each other, shoot fireworks, close shops, hang garlands of marigolds, and party. I don't remember the name of Nepal's festival. They celebrate 366 festivals a year. We went to Nepal because Walt has always wanted to go. It is a very small country north of India that is famous for trekking. American tourism has dropped 90% in the last few years. The most exciting thing that we did in Nepal was take an early morning flight to view the Himalayas and Mount Everest. We will never forget that experience! The view of the mountains was breathtaking! Eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world are in ... read more

Hi Everybody! Some of you have e-mailed me that you are having difficulty seeing the photos that I have posted. Try this: Click on the link that is sent to you telling that there is a new journal entry. When the entry comes up, it will have a title like "Taj Mahal." Above the title will be the words: Journals by Everette. Click on Everette and it will take you to the main page of the blog. Next, click on Gallery. I am creating a gallery for each country. If you see a photo for a country, click on the photo and you will be able to see more. E... read more

Hi Everybody! I made a mistake when I explained about Bali's currency. $1000 Bali rupies =10US cents, $10,000 R= $1 US, $100,000 R= $10. That was very confusing. I was glad when some shops accepted US dollars. The people in Bali are very poor. 80 million people in Indonesia live on $1 a day. Some of the workers told us that they mostly live on rice. Rarely can they afford to have any meat. They said that their most skilled workers make around $100 US per month. A man on the plane told me that he had a couple of stone statues commissioned while on the island. He said that they would cost him around $90 each. He also told me that he only paid $26 for his hotel room and stayed for 3 weeks. He ... read more

Hi Everybody! When we first arrived in Bali, it looked like a cross between the Bahamas of the 60's and Mexico today. I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. All of our airports have been very modern. Bali's is old and not as efficient. Life goes at a slower pace here. We are staying on the beach in the southern part of the island in an area known as Kuta. We have decided to just take this time for R & R. We don't want to go on any tours to see elephants, monkeys, or volcanoes. We may want to someday come back to this island. Our hotel sits on the beach and is very attractive. The pool is a huge cloverleaf shape with a swim-in bar. You can sit on the beach ... read more