Five Fun Facts on Friday

I've been very blessed to travel the world in my early 20's, pre-children. For today's Five Fun Facts I thought I'd share with you a piece of my little traveling history. I love to travel but now that I have three little ones it makes traveling a wee bit more complicated and expensive! Prior to being a stay-at-home mom I worked at a church so most of these trips were "open doors" to ministry, some were "pit stops" and some for pleasure. 

1. Thailand

Okay so it was only for a month but I lived there and it was the most incredible experience ever. I traveled to Khon Kean a city in Isan when I was 20 years old to help an organization called Mercy International. Mercy focuses on underprivileged children, especially those orphaned by AIDS and those suffering with HIV/AIDS. I love the people and their food (it's my favorite). Did lots of sight seeing while I was there but the floating market was probably one of the neatest places. That experience taught me so much, and the people of Thailand will always have a special place in my heart.

Floating Market

2. Paris, France

The city of love. I'm happy to check this one off of my bucket list and the best part was traveling with my husband. We are both history lovers so we were so happy that we got to visit the Louvre and of course the Eiffel Tower. We loved visiting little coffee shops, eating crepes, and walking the streets. All of this was before Facebook, blogging, and our love for photography so maybe one day we will get to experience a repeat to capture these moments again.

3. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This trip was for ministry purposes back when I was on staff at a church. Of course the food was fun to try. There are a lot of Indian influences so I got to experience the taste of Indian food and fell in love. The people are beautiful. Malaysia is known as the "melting pot" the population includes the country's three major ethnic groups: the Malays, Chinese, and the Indians. I got to visit the Petronas Towers which is one of the tallest buildings in the world.

4. Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland

This trip was one of the most sobering. It's one thing to watch Schindler's List on your television screen and it's another walking down the path of what is now the Auschwitz-Birkenau  Memorial Museum. It is gut wrenching viewing thousands of shoes, eyeglasses, suitcases, pots and pans that were once in possession of a human being. It is one of those trips that give you world perspective. 

5. New York

I've only been once, but it was enough to spark my interest for what I hope becomes a few more visits. My husband and I along with some friends got lucky with a group package and stayed at the lovely Belvedere Hotel. Because Asian food is my favorite I totally enjoyed eating at a hole in the wall joint in China Town. We also ate in Little Italy, Gray's Papaya (thanks to the movie Fools Rush In), and all kinds of quaint little places. Shopped till we dropped and watched my first Broadway show, Aida. 

Happy Friday!