Final Days ... for real this time

We got home from Phi Phi Island pretty late, so Charlie didn't get picked up until the next morning. Everyone was very happy to see him.

The day before I left, I went and got my hair washed and straightened. It's super cheap (as are most things there) and of course the head massage feels wonderful. Can you guess what he's doing in the picture below?

He's washing my hair! As I'm sitting in the chair in front of the mirror. The thing he's holding above my head is like a little vinegar jar but it's full of water and he puts little bits of shampoo in one hand and pours little bits of water on with the other and then starts massaging it in ... and somehow, it doesn't drip. Not one little bit. In the picture below he's about to scoop off the excess suds and he goes to dump it in the sink and then comes back and keeps massaging. It's very strange but very fun.

In the end, you do go to the sink to rinse it out, but it's just so different that I had to take a picture.

Here we are having our last supper at Chili's.

This picture of Charlie and I would look a lot funnier if he had his tongue sticking out like he did about a second previously and a second later. I had just put on a wonderful smelling lotion on my legs, arms and face and all of a sudden Charlie was my best friend. He was following me around and every time I would stop he would all of a sudden be licking my leg. I didn't clue in right away that it was because of the lotion, but when I would pick him up (he is always VERY calm and sits like a child when you hold him) he would stare straight ahead and then slowly turn his head and start licking my neck. Ok, I know this will gross some of you out, but it actually was making us all laugh really hard. I think it might be one of those things where you had to be there.

The next morning was my departure date. I said goodbye to the kids in the evening before and luckily I know I'll see them again this summer, so it wasn't a teary goodbye. As we drive to the airport we pass the 13 km bridge that connects their island to the mainland.

Then we arrived at the airport. Jode and I said our goodbyes and were on our way. I'll actually get to see her again in a few weeks as she has to come to a city near me to take a course, so I'm looking forward to that. Goodbye Malaysia. Who knows if I'll ever see you again, but thanks for hosting me not once, but twice. You are a beautiful country.

I had the awesome privilege of stopping over again in Singapore to see my Bible School friends and this time I got to go to their place and see where they live. Almost all apartment complexes that I visited in Malaysia and Singapore have a pool and a workout room. Nice!

This was the Christmas tree that Lisa made for them. I thought it was so cute.

Roommates reunited. I'm so glad that we've stayed in touch and stayed friends over all these years, Lise. I'm praying for your health, work and school situations over there. Thank you for taking the time out to show me around and for letting me see your world. You are doing wonderful things over there. Love you guys!

I had a wonderful trip and it was extremely hard to come back ... especially when you wake up to this the next morning. I couldn't believe how many times it snowed here this year. Anyways, that was back in January and much has happened since then. Thank you for taking this tour of Southeast Asia with me. Back to the real world ... until my next trip! :)