Mara-Joy, Buitenpost, Netherlands

Tess Posted Jun 29, 2007, 6:55 pm	Today Mara-Joy and Boone the Raccoon ..also went on their journey into the world. The both of them were send to Neil and Isobel in the UK. Packed together ..maybe comfy or at least hopefully being comfy to cross the Canal. Vaya con Diaz my friends...and have fun Tessa and Wendy
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:41 pm	Hi Wendy Well we finally arrived!  It's been a long journey, but we are very pleased to be here now.  Here we are, still in our box, blinking and stretching after so long in the dark.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:47 pm	And once out of our travel box, my first thought was of you, and so here I am with some pretty flowers for you, and wishing you LOTS of love from sunny (for a few minutes at least) England.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:51 pm	Well, I have a lot to tell you.  My hosts seem normal.  That's always a good thing. And there are a lot of other ToyVoyagers hanging around, waiting for their opportunity to travel. We met a monkey called Bobbo who is quite mad! He insisted that Boon and I (and Beak of course!) join his music class. As we are quite new here, and too shy to say we were tired, we did!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:56 pm	No sooner had we played the first notes, than a whole bunch of music-mad ToyVoyagers turned up and suddenly we were an ORCHESTRA!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 10:00 pm	Although we were tired, we had a great time, and when we get home, we will play you all the tunes we have learnt ... We will keep practising so we become extra good!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 10:05 pm	Good evening Wendy! Well it's been a great day. Because we'd been so good at practising our music, our hosts took us to the local park as a treat. Little things please ToyVoyagers, so that was fine with us. Here we are on the swing ....
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 10:07 pm	... the seesaw ...
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 10:08 pm	... and the slide ... WHEEEEEEEEEE!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 10, 2007, 10:18 pm	And now it is well past our bedtime, so we will say 'Goodnight' to you, and 'Sweet Dreams' too. NightNight Wendy XXX
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 7:26 pm	Hi Wendy! Well you should have been there today because we went on a double decker bus tour of Stratford-Upon-Avon, which is not too far away from ToyVoyagersCentral. Isobel took along the whole tribe, and there was us, and this odd fellow called William, he said he liked writing, or at least I think he did, and he called me 'Thee' a lot instead of saying 'you' like everyone else does. It was very funny because Isobel kept trying to get photos as the bus lurched round corners (lots of winding lanes) and on the top deck it was very blustery because there was no roof on the bus! Anyway, here's a picture of me just as we set off, and just before Isobel fell off her seat for the first time of the day....
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 8:59 pm	Well the good part about this bus is that you get to see all the places that are famous in this town.  Obviously it is most famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare (in fact, even the motorwway and road signs round here say "Shakespeare's Stratford"), so here's a signpost showing where he was born.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 9:00 pm	And here's a view of what was once the Market Square - perhaps Shakespeare bought his food here!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 9:06 pm	Some of the beautiful old buildings that are typical of the centre of Stratford.  Apparently (according to the bus tour guide) the amount of wooden beams showing on the front of the house tells us how wealthy the house's owner was - and each building like this took about 70 mature oak trees to make (so there is no longer a huge 'Forest of Arden' here anymore). I guess a millionaire must have lived in this house!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 9:28 pm	And another pretty house with a fabulous tree (magnolia grandiflora says my host) in the garden.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 9:39 pm	The bus stopped at lots of different places, but we stayed on until we got to Anne Hathaway's (Shakespeare's wife) Cottage. First we went across the road to a little Tea Room for lunch. It was very exciting - there were lots of ducks in the garden!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 9:52 pm	.. and they had little tiny ducklings with them! Can you see them Wendy?
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 10:05 pm	And then we went back over the road to see the Cottage where Shakespeare's wife lived before they were married. Look at the beautiful cottage garden there.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 11, 2007, 10:07 pm	And here is the cottage itself.  It's what the English call 'chocolate box' (so beautiful that chocolate makers used to paint scenes like this on their packaging).
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 7:20 pm	Well, Wendy, it's been a little while since you heard from us, but we are now visiting Isobel's parents in Derbyshire. This is Chesterfield, and this road in the town centre is called Knifesmithsgate (there are a lot of road names ending in -gate in the town).  There are many attractive old buildings here. A lot of them lean over into the street, and you could tell that Beak thought they were going to drop on his head! It's early in the morning in this picture, so there are not many people about.  This is because Isobel had to work today ... more of that, and how we helped her(!), later ....
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 7:25 pm	So, Wendy, as promised, here's me helping Isobel with her work. I was given a red pen and told to make tick marks on pieces of paper.  For this I get paid.  I did the job really quickly Wendy!  You would have been proud of my speedy work! Unfortunately when Isobel asked if I'd actually read any of the work before I'd ticked it, I had to say 'No', and Isobel took the red pen away and gave it to Boone ...
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 10:03 pm	With no work to do, Boone and Beak and I were left to our own devices. First we went for the coffee ...
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 10:04 pm	Then we overdid the caffeine ...
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 10:06 pm	Then Isobel found us our postcard stash and we settled down to write to you!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 19, 2007, 10:26 pm	We did get a break from working, and went to see the Church of St Mary and All Saints (Chesterfield's Parish Church), otherwise known as The Crooked Spire. It's famous, as there isn't anything else quite like it.  It was built during the time of The Black Death (the plague) and it is thought that there were fewer skilled craftsmen around to do the building and supervise the workers.  As a result, the spire was made with unseasoned (green) timber and the weight of the lead roof on top has made the whole structure twist and lean in this way. It leans over by more than 9 feet! - and one day it might fall over completely. From the look on Beak's face, it was obvious that he thought it was going to fall down today!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 27, 2007, 11:22 pm	We went up to the county of Tyne and Wear, in the North of England, to visit some friends. We were staying near to the coast, so we went on the beach!  It was a sunny evening but a little bit chilly. But look Wendy!  Mad people!  Swimming in the sea!  (You might have to look quite hard!!)
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 8:59 am	Today, Wendy, we went on a great adventure! We caught a Metro train (tube) that went all round Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and the surrounding areas. We started out near the coast at Monkseaton. Here I am waiting for the Metro to arrive!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:02 am	We decided to get the Shields Ferry across the River Tyne... Here I am waiting for it to arrive, and, being a little scared of the water, I was pleased to see this life-saver!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:08 am	And here's the ferry, The Pride of the Tyne, arriving! There has been ferry services across the River Tyne since the 14th Century and this is the only route that remains. The Shields ferry service makes just under 25,000 journeys across the Tyne per year, and carries nearly a million passengers annually! You would like the ferry Wendy!  You can go up onto the top deck and watch all the boats on the river.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:11 am	You'll be pleased to hear that we landed safely on the other side of the river, and here's a statue to greet us! This is a statue dedicated to the Merchant Navy and it's on the dockside at South Shields.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:15 am	Tyneside has been a focus of regeneration in recent years, and a lot of the new artwork shows the links between the ship-building/ shipping/ fishing industries and the local area. Here's a huge mural on the side of a building!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:17 am	We got back on the Metro, and travelled to Gateshead, which is across the Tyne from Newcastle. Here I am sitting next to the driver's booth.  It was like being on a rollercoaster!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:26 am	Gateshead has been compared - unfavourably - with Newcastle-Upon-Tyne for many years, but lately has had a cultural renaissance.  There are lots of new and exciting buildings, and public artworks like this one pictured (Isobel's friend says it's a genie, but we're not sure ...  ) We saw this beautiful building Wendy, like silver chrysalises that shone in the sun!  Isobel says this is 'The Sage' a specially built music venue, built in 1994.  We also went inside and Isobel bought a musical instrument that croaks like a frog!  The Sage is made of glass, so you can see out over the whole of Newcastle, with its famous Tyne Bridge.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 9:59 am	Hey Wendy, we're still in Gateshead, and here's another picture of the Tyne Bridge (Isobel loves it, and has taken way too many shots of it!). The next bridge is award-winning! It is called the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, and was built in 2001. The bridge won the James Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2002. The next picture shows a converted flour mill.  It is now an art galllery, The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. We didn't go in (not enough time) but it's full of great artwork.
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 10:04 am	Wendy, you might not know this author yet but this plaque commemmorates Daniel Defoe, the writer of 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Moll Flanders'.  I think fam-united's ToyVoyager 'Robinson' might have been named after his most famous character! Anyway, Defoe lived around here many many years ago, so we thought we'd show you this!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 10:16 am	So we crossed the River Tyne by walking across the Millennium Bridge, stopping to enjoy the sunshine and listen to buskers as we went. When we got to Newcastle's quayside, we turned back, and Isobel took this picture of me and the Tyne Bridge (again!) between the buildings of the Quayside.  She really does like that bridge! Then we started a steep climb up Grey Street into Newcastle city centre,  here's a pic of going up Grey Street, with its beautiful Georgian buildings.  You can see the view down Grey Street if you would care to look at my friends' Boone and Beak's Travelog It was voted 'Best Street in the UK' in 2002 by BBC Radio 4 listeners, and was designed by John Dobson and Richard Grainger in the 1830s. It was even declared by Sir John Betjeman (famous English poet and Poet Laureate) to be "pefection". At the very top of the hill is Grey's Monument (Lord Grey was a British Prime Minister).  We were quite out of breath when we got there! Can you guess that Grey Street is another one of Isobel's "Likes"?!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 10:38 am	Today we went to the Blue Reef Aquarium Wendy! It was great - there were lots of fish, some sharks, otters, lobsters and seals (which you can see if you go to Boone and Beak's Travelog), and lots of other sea creatures.  It was really interesting, and I learnt lots! Isobel took many pictures, but they all look like she stayed at home and kept me in the cellar, because they all look dark and gloomy, and you can't see any fish at all!  (Boone's pics are a bit better than mine  ) But here is one that did come out ... it's me, looking into a rock pool at all the little animals. Look!  Can you see the starfish and the sea-urchins Wendy?
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 10:51 am	On the way back home, we stopped off to look at the 'Angel of the North' statue which stands overlooking Gateshead. Some quick facts:  it is wider than the Statue of Liberty is tall, it's as tall as four double decker buses, and Isobel likes it a lot!  You can learn more about it, and even see all the way round it, here, on Gateshead Council's own website. It made me feel tiny!
Isobel&Neil Posted Jul 28, 2007, 10:57 am	Anyway, Wendy, that was our North of England experience.  I had a great time and have tried really hard to give you a 'flavour' of the North-East.  I hope you enjoyed my updates. I'm sending you these flowers to keep you cheery and to let you know that no matter how good a time I'm having I still miss you and think of you all the time. Lots of Love, MJ
Isobel&Neil Posted Aug 6, 2007, 10:09 pm	Well, Wendy, we've been in England for a while now, but we are never bored ...  We have had lots of very important jobs to do during our time here.  So I thought I'd show you the sort of things we've been up to (when it hasn't been raining, of course! ) I was often asked to arrange flowers I helped to feed the birds by filling up their feeders. And I did LOTS of watering!
Isobel&Neil Posted Aug 6, 2007, 10:34 pm	Then I was sent out to check on the plants ...  I looked out for ripe tomatoes ... had to look VERY hard for blackcurrants (ungrateful birds not bothering to eat from those feeders!) I ckecked out the ripening damsons ... And counted up the many apples on the apple tree ...
3tmom Posted Sep 16, 2007, 1:34 am	I've arrived, Wendy.  I don't know where, but, look!  It's Ballet Cindy! I'm with Ballet Cindy again. Oh, Wendy, I'm sooo happy.
3tmom Posted Sep 16, 2007, 1:42 am	I'm very tired from my journey.  I'm going to go to bed.  Ballet Cindy and I are going to sleep in the bunk beds because we are sisters. Good night, Wendy.
3tmom Posted Sep 16, 2007, 1:51 am	Today I met many new friends.  We played pirates and castle.  I'm not sure playing pirates is ladylike but Ballet Cindy is shy and is more comfortable playing with the princess and the castle.
3tmom Posted Sep 16, 2007, 1:54 am	The neighbors had a bonfire and we roasted marshmallows.  They are so gooey, Wendy.  The evening air was cool but the fire was hot.  I could barely see friends across the fire pit because the flames were so high.
3tmom Posted Sep 19, 2007, 1:51 am	Today was Ballet Cindy's birthday and I still am very excited.  I travelled here for her surprise birthday party.  We played games and had a beautiful birthday cake.  First we played "Pin the Horns on Smooch". Buzz Lightyear turned each of us around, "1..., 2..., 3...." Then, shouts of "The other way" and "Turn right," until the player pinned the horns on Smooch. Smooch now has extra sets of horns and should never have problems while in traffic.
3tmom Posted Sep 19, 2007, 1:54 am	Then we played "Musical Chairs". We walked around the chairs while the band played a horn and when the music stopped, we rushed to sit down. The player without a seat watched the next rounds. Sometimes more than one player tried to sit in a seat, sort of like cuddling. Each round, there was one less seat until only one chair remained.
3tmom Posted Sep 19, 2007, 1:58 am	Ballet Cindy's birthday cake was a beautiful butterfly! We sang, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Ballet Cindy, Happy birthday to you." And then she blew the candle out. The cake was wonderful.
3tmom Posted Sep 19, 2007, 2:05 am	I rode Tee's bike this morning.  The wind whistled through my ringlets.  Then I looked inside Tee's school bus.  I helped Gerdy garden this afternoon.  He's a man of few words and appreciated my ladylike ways.
3tmom Posted Sep 19, 2007, 2:11 am	Today was picture day at Tee's school.  3tmom took Ballet Cindy and me with her to school so we could get our photos taken.  I wished I had the beautiful outfit I wore at BunTraveler's house but realized it was too formal for school pictures. We waited in line for a while. The students helped each other get ready and look their best. Finally, it was our turn.  The photographer arranged our pose and took a picture.  The proofs will be back at school in a few weeks. Wendy, we'll send you our school pictures when they come in.
3tmom Posted Sep 20, 2007, 12:56 pm	Today, 3tmom and I discussed my pop star career.  We talked about the pros and cons of a high profile life with lots of travel, clothes, money, and groupies.  We decided we needed a professional consultation so we went to American Idol. American Idol suggested I take private voice, theater, dance, and presentation classes. We'll look into those later. American Idol also highly recommended Idol Camp 2008. Yeah! I registered right away.
3tmom Posted Sep 20, 2007, 4:26 pm	This morning we visited a performance academy that offers everything I need: voice, instrument, and stage lessons.  I can start after I pay the registration fee.  3tmom says I need to show commitment by earning that money myself.  Maybe I can babysit... but not this weekend.  Ballet Cindy and I are going to a women's retreat in Nag's Head, North Carolina!
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 6:19 pm	We're on our way to the Outer Banks (OBX), North Carolina. Ballet Cindy, 3tmom, and I are going on a retreat with lots of women.  We went over a bridge and through a tunnel and over a bridge, all called the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.  We saw Navy boats.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 6:28 pm	The Outer Banks towns have strange names: Kitty Hawk, Duck, Nag's Head.  After we checked into our beachfront hotel in Kitty Hawk, we walked to the Atlantic Ocean beach. The pier was fascinating, I wanted to surf underneath.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 6:34 pm	We skipped down the beach, picking up seashells and trying to catch tiny crabs.  All we could see were little eyeballs and movement. I have to tell you about Emma.  She is an energetic dog who loves to play on the beach.  She helped Ballet Cindy and me build our sand castle. We washed the sand off our legs and feet after we left the beach.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:31 pm	We checked out the pool and a dolphin statue next.  We saw dolphins leaping near the beach but we couldn't get a photo, they were sooo quick.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:40 pm	Ballet Cindy and I looked at fish in the hotel lobby aquariums while the women attended a meeting.  The fish were really fascinating.  The Dogface Puffer and another fish looked like they had dentures.  Ballet Cindy and I played hide-n-seek with the fish.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:46 pm	Ballet Cindy and I went sight-seeing this morning because the women had another meeting. Three women from  the Aycock Brown Welcome Center helped us. I looked at the map first to see where we were going.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:49 pm	Kitty Hawk is famous as the site of the first controlled powered flight in the world.  Wilbur and Orville Wright travelled from Ohio to Kitty Hawk for their flight.  Kitty Hawk has soft dunes to land on.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:52 pm	Next we climbed 268 steps to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  It is the tallest brick lighthouse in North America.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 7:54 pm	Ballet Cindy and I went back to the hotel at lunchtime.  Crabs swim in the pool at night and take a long time to get out.  I wanted to swim with them.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 8:02 pm	Ballet Cindy, some women, and I took a last walk on the beach and pier. I examined a jellyfish and a horseshoe crabshell.  The crabshell was fascinating.  Seeing these fascinating creatures made think of Rangler. He has much more substance than these beachbums.
3tmom Posted Sep 25, 2007, 8:06 pm	We made one last trek down the pier.  I fished, using squid for bait.  I didn't catch anything. Then we drove home.
3tmom Posted Sep 26, 2007, 2:38 am	I babysat this afternoon to earn money for my lessons.  I have great respect for babysitters.  It was rough. Ballet Cindy, Bonnie Voyage, and Brian had it easy.
3tmom Posted Sep 26, 2007, 2:39 am	I'm glad I was buckled in.
3tmom Posted Sep 27, 2007, 3:07 am	This morning we (Ballet Cindy, Bonnie Voyage, and that wild boy Brian) travelled to the US Army Transportation Museum.  I kissed a mule (I pretended it was Rangler), watched a sailor, checked out a Bed & Breakfast, and rode a train.
3tmom Posted Sep 28, 2007, 2:21 am	Brian and I played Foosball while Ballet Cindy practiced ballet.  Bonnie Voyage watched Cindy. This foosball table is for left-handers.
3tmom Posted Sep 28, 2007, 6:20 pm	Ballet Cindy is flying to Australia today. She told me sisters are special and she loves me.  I blushed. Good bye, Cindy, I love you.
3tmom Posted Oct 1, 2007, 2:12 am	Today was payday.  All that babysitting paid off and now I can register for lessons.  Wourpet, will you help me register when I get to your house?
3tmom Posted Oct 1, 2007, 2:23 am	We all went to the Chesapeake Bay and Western (CB&W) Train Club this afternoon.  It is huge! This HO scale train layout is on two floors with six levels and two helices! Neat!!  It's the largest fixed train layout in Virginia.
3tmom Posted Oct 1, 2007, 2:33 am	Bonnie Voyage, Brian, and I worked in the dispatcher's office, moved scenery and laid track, worked the yard, and just had a great time.
3tmom Posted Oct 1, 2007, 5:58 pm	I'm writing postcards to Wendy and Rangler and updating my journal before I leave for New Mexico. Bye, Bonnie Voyage and Brian.  Please remember to mail the postcards!
wourpet Posted Oct 4, 2007, 5:15 am	Well, I'm here.  Sunny (and quite hot today) New Mexico.  I was a bit disappointed there wasn't anyone helping me unpack or to greet me when I arrived but my host has assured me that everyone else has gone on ahead to get ready to welcome me in Colorado next week.  She said Rosa was here waiting and left just minutes before I arrived -- she has gone to France quite unexpectedly apparently. But I am here and feel quite rested (I napped on my first class trip)and am looking forward to seeing New Mexico and Colorado.  Maybe I can even get my pop star lessons started.
wourpet Posted Oct 4, 2007, 5:58 pm	I wandered out into the garden early this morning and knew right away I was in the desert.  I was careful not to get any cactus thorns and I did discover some roses that are still blooming.  Then wourpet took me for a drive.  We went down to the Animas River where things didn't look so deserty at all.
wourpet Posted Oct 4, 2007, 6:05 pm	The San Juan Valley is rich in oil and gas and we saw some antique displays of steam engines and then I saw a Pumpjack. The pumpjack is quite interesting.  They are named after a donkey -- can you believe it.  And the big part at the top is called the head. They are used to pump the oil and gas up to the surface and send it down a pipeline.  In oil rich areas like this they can be seen everywhere like dots on the hillsides. Sometimes they are called nodding donkeys instead of pumpjacks but I think they look like big sewing machines.
wourpet Posted Oct 8, 2007, 3:37 am	Today is my last day in Farmington.  We were loading some things on the trailer and it started to rain.  After the rain I saw a pretty rainbow. Now I am ready to go in the camera bag.  we will be leaving in the morning so I will sleep right here so I don't get left behind.
wourpet Posted Oct 8, 2007, 3:51 am	I guess I didn't have to worry about being forgotten.  Wourpet even made me a chair so I could see better and sit right up front without falling all over. The first town we came to was Aztec and it was also the last town before we left New Mexico heading north. The sign when we left said Hasta La Vista.  Most people in New Mexico speak Spanish but my host said she only knows a little bit.  Hast La Vista means "Until your next visit". The next sign said 'Welcome to Colorado'
wourpet Posted Oct 8, 2007, 3:57 am	The next town was Durango, Colorado and for some reason it made me think of Rangler.  We didn't stop there but on the drive through wourpet pointed out some sites, like the Bar D Ranch, and I thought of Rangler.
wourpet Posted Oct 8, 2007, 4:10 am	Next we headed north into the San Juan Mountains. As we got closer it got colder and I could see snow on the tops of the mountains. We drove past old mining towns and lots and lots of corners.  My chair didn't tip over and kept me safe.  We drove right up to where the snow was in some places. We drove through mountains We drove around mountains (and very close) We drove over mountains (and it was a long way down) and we drove under mountains. and HERE I AM!
wourpet Posted Oct 19, 2007, 5:20 am	We drove all the way back through the mountains to finish packing and wait for the big truck to load everything.  By the time it was all finished we headed back to the new house but it was already getting dark.  Wourpet told me to relax and get some rest since we would not be taking pictures this trip. Of course I couldn't relax a whole lot sleeping next to a cactus.
wourpet Posted Oct 19, 2007, 5:33 am	Well its been a long wait for the moving van to get here.  Wourpet spent most of the time painting but I wasn't able to help since I had no painting clothes to wear.  After the truck got unloaded Wourpet said that as soon as she gets done unpacking she will take me down the the Arts and Performance center -- where I can get rock star lessons. So I offered to help and then started counting boxes. And I decide this was going to take a very long time if I didn't help.
wourpet Posted Oct 19, 2007, 5:44 am	Wow!  Its been 2 days and we are still hard at it.  Today I got a great surprise, though.  When I was opening one of the boxes I heard someone moving about inside. When I got the flaps open I met Humphrey.  He was quite nervous at first and tired from being boxed up for so long. I found a pair of glasses and decided he was only nervous because he couldn't see me very well. I gave him his glasses and then he gave me a hello hug.  He told me he is not a toy voyager yet but he has been saving money for traveling.  Then we met a lizard and we all talked for a long while.
wourpet Posted Oct 28, 2007, 3:48 pm	Yippee!  I met a new friend.  A package arrived today and wourpet said I could help open it.  Humphrey and I waited excitedly to see who had arrived (Humphrey still talks of starting his travels) and then the lizard had to pull really hard to get Ruzovacek out of his tight puffy envelope.  He is a very friendly little pig and we all introduced ourselves and then posed for a group picture.
wourpet Posted Oct 29, 2007, 7:11 am	Whee!!  I am glad I was still here when Ruzovacek arrived.  He came running into the house this afternoon and asked me to come outside and play in the leaves.  It was a lot of fun! We bounced and jumped and rolled and had such a great time.
tarepanda Posted Nov 10, 2007, 5:08 pm	Wow, I am here in Miami already!  What a warm welcome party I have: Mocha, Momette, Romeo and Hudson, who just arrived the day before!
tarepanda Posted Nov 15, 2007, 7:31 pm	Today we went to the Miami International Book Fair. See, they even have books our sizes!! We helped out at the PaperBackSwap booth.  We passed out flyers to people telling them what a great site it is for swapping books. FOR FREE!! But somehow people didn't seem to like the word FREE, they looked at us funny.  We had a competition who gave out the most flyers. I got to take a picture with Madeline!! I was so happy I almost forgot my French!  (oh, of course, a lady like me speaks very good French.)
tarepanda Posted Nov 15, 2007, 7:38 pm	Now, how could a visit to Miami not include the beach?  The weather is really nice.  And oh, what a gorgeous view too!
tarepanda Posted Nov 15, 2007, 7:53 pm	Today, we volunteered for the library book sale.  It's an annual four-day event which will be held a few weeks later.  But what we are doing now is to sort the books that people donated. I am not quite strong enough to lift the books, but Mocha, Romeo and I made sure that all the books are put into the correct category (we are working on the biographies in the picture) and that they all stacked neatly with spines up, so people can browse the titles comfortably.
tarepanda Posted Dec 12, 2007, 1:21 pm	We went to the Ramble Festival, one of the oldest festivals in Miami.  It is held in the Fairchild Tropical Garden, famous for its garden. Look at this pretty flower! We found some coconuts that are sprouting!!
tarepanda Posted Dec 12, 2007, 1:51 pm	Hi Wendy, How are you? We celebrated Thanksgiving Day.  It is a major holiday in the U.S., to celebrate how the Native Americans shared their harvest with the English who first came to America, to help them survive. A traditional dish is turkey.  Our host instead has a tradition of donating money to Save A Turkey Project, so we got a tofurkey (vegetarian turkey) instead. We found that it was frozen solid.  We put some sweet potato, onion and gravy in the casserole and baked it.  Mmm, it smelled good! Pumpkin pie is another traditional dish for Thanksgiving. And here's some cherve with walnut and cranberry.  Our host made this at where she works. We also had some pumpkin beer to go with it. Ahh, what a grand meal!!
tarepanda Posted Dec 12, 2007, 2:40 pm	Hey Wendy, guess what I saw today?  Alligators!!! Today we  went to Shark Valley.  Which is a funny name for the place, because it's neither a valley and doesn't have shark.  In fact, it's in the Everglades National Park, a swampy area that is a very slow moving river, and it is full of alligators.  Our host decided that she needed some exercise after all the food so we went cycling there. Look, here's an alligator!! Can you spot where it is hiding? Does it look like I am patting the alligator? Here is a big mommy gator with her three babies! In total we counted 18 alligators.  Our host told us that one time, when it was colder and the gators came out to sunbathe, she counted 47 of them.  To me, 18 sounds like plenty already.
tarepanda Posted Dec 13, 2007, 2:53 pm	Gosh Wendy, life is getting more and more exciting!!! Can you guess where I am?  I am in an airplane!! This is the plane we are taking. Hi! Yum... Ice cream and pizza for in flight snack! Yay, we finally arrived!  Welcome to Hong Kong!
tarepanda Posted Dec 14, 2007, 2:35 am	Today we went to an Indonesian restaurant called Dirty Duck, for a bookcrossing meeting.  We got to meet other booklovers and exchanged some books. After dinner we took the subway home.  Since it was a bit early, we went shopping a bit in Mong Kok.  Mong Kok holds the Guiness record as the crowdest place on Earth!  There are a lot of shops that open till very late.
tarepanda Posted Dec 14, 2007, 2:53 am	Today we rode the bus.  The other TVers were totally terrified of it, but I told them not to be afraid, they are called double deckers and we have those in England too.  I told them to hold on tight so they won't fall.  These are nice buses they even have televisions in them! Still, they felt kind of shaky after the ride.  Mocha threw up, so when we got to the restaurant he was ready to eat a lot of food.  So I poured him a cup of White Peony tea to calm his nerves while he looked at the order forms.  You have to mark on the sheets what you want. Food has arrived!!
tarepanda Posted Dec 20, 2007, 2:30 pm	Today we went to the annual fair.  It's one of Tarepanda's must do things when she visits Hong Kong, because they have a lot of food booths offering samples, and other fun things for sale.  Mocha and I at the entrance. Here is a booth promoting a new brand of instant noodles. Here's a booth with lots of traditional snacks. Our host bought some of her favorite food which she had been missing.  Do you think it looks like a cocoon? Turns out it's a candy with finely spun flour wrapping some coconut, sesame and sugar.  It tastes really good.
tarepanda Posted Dec 20, 2007, 4:53 pm	Today we went to the Central (downtown) district of Hong Kong.  It is a very busy area. Here I am, in front of the Bank of China building (left), and the Headquarters of HSBC (right). This is the lion in front of the HSBC Headquarters. It is one of the biggest banks in the world!! Hong Kong has a lot of buildings with funny shapes. We rode the bus again.  This time we actually sat at the front seat on the upper deck and got some splendid view. I also spotted this funny taxi cab with a crab on top! We went window shopping and I have to agree that Hong Kong is a shopping mecca. The shops are all decked up for Christmas. We visited the Avenue of Stars, a promenade dedicated to Hong Kong's movie industry. Here is a statue of Bruce Lee. The handprints of Jackie Chan, a famous movie kung fu star. Isn't the night scenery of Hong Kong so beautiful?
tarepanda Posted Jan 3, 2008, 7:21 pm	Today we went to Macau.  It is about an hour's ride on jetfoil from Hong Kong. This is the most famous landmark of Macau, ruins of the St Paul Cathedral (Ruínas de São Paulo).  It was built in the 16th century but destroyed in a fire in 1835 but was burnt down.  Only the front entrance and the foundation remained.  It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. See, this is the back!! It's almost like a movie set. Macau was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years so it has an interesting mix of Chinese and Portuguese culture.  Like the decoration in this little teashop here. These are the canons at the fort, Fortaleza do Monte, that overlooks the Cathedral  (or what's left of it).  It was built also in the 16th century and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Look at the pretty lotus.  Lotus is the symbolic flower of Macau, because it blooms in the mud, and Macau is a city located in the muddy Pearl River delta.  After the tour, we went for some Macauness delicacies.  This is the Pastel de nata, a sweet egg tart with a very flaky crust.  Yummy!!! We went to a pastry shop where we watched them make egg rolls.  In Asia, the egg rolls are really made with egg and flour and is a light, flute-like pastry. And here they are making peanut candies. They roll the peanut with sugar into long tubes, then cut them into bite size pieces and toss in more peanuts. They also have many varieties of pork and beef jerkies. Hmm, I want to buy some of everything!!
tarepanda Posted Jan 3, 2008, 8:15 pm	This is St. Dominic's Church (Igreja de São Domingos) on Senado Square. Today's highlight is the Museum of Macau. First, we see this terra cotta warrior at the entrance.  Our host tells us that the real thing is in Xian, but I want a photo with him anyway!! This tablet shows how letters like moon, field and water evolved from pictographs into characters.  Wendy, can you guess what they mean? These are some tools for making silk. These are how typical Portuguese style buildings look in Macau. And little mailbox! This is the set up of a traditional tea house in the olden days.  And this is a shop where they make little god statues so people can put in their homes. A traditional medicine shop.  There is a big chopper for chopping up herbal roots and a grinder for grounding the herbs. And this is a traditional wedding chamber.  Red is the lucky color. How pretty it is! Puppets for Chinese opera. And we see this old man selling ice cream on the street.  When you order one, he scoops them out from his little cart. And this is the night view with the Macau Tower in the background.  Wow I must say we had a long day!!
tarepanda Posted Jan 11, 2008, 4:45 am	Hey Wendy! Guess where I am now?  This is New Orleans! Okay, sorry, it's not.  It's a street that is modeled after New Orleans.  Today we visited a tourist attraction called Fisherman's Wharf.  Its various sections are modeled after different cities, so it felt like we were on a mini tour of the world. Behind us is the jetfoil we took to come to Macau. Standing in front of this model of walled city, I really feel like I am in China! And this is the Potala Palace in Tibet! Now this is supposed to be Italian.  I have never been to Italy so I don't know if it looks like this or not.  But it sure looks pretty.
tarepanda Posted Jan 12, 2008, 4:03 pm	Hey Wendy, I am in Venice, Italy now!! See the gondola? Ha ha , dear Wendy, I am sorry to confuse you but I am still in Macau.  This is actually a place called Venetian.  It's the largest casino and resort in the world and just opened a few months ago.  The decorations looks really grand and extravagant.  They have these canals inside the building, and the ceilings are painted to look like the sky.  It's a really funny feeling to be inside a building but looks like it's outdoors. You can get a ride in the gondola, though our host thinks it's a silly idea to do it inside a building and I think so too.  The steerman sings as the gondola floats down the canal. And this is the entrance to the hotel. They even have an escalator that is curved. I have never seen such a thing before! This is at what they called San Marco Square.  Modeled after the real one in Venice, I was told.  Isn't it beautiful?  Now I want to visit the real Venice! And here we are, having lunch at the food court.  They have almost 30 restaurants in the food court alone (did I say it's the world's biggest casino?)  We didn't eat Italian though.  This is a Japanese okonomiyaki. A Japanese pancake.
tarepanda Posted Jan 14, 2008, 10:50 pm	Wow it was a fun trip in Macau but now we are back in Hong Kong.  Honestly all that glitter and whirlwind tour of the world stuff is a bit too much for me.  We are very excited when we find a box waiting for us.  I think I can recognize the voices. "Hello who's there?" I ask, tapping the box. "Hurry up and open the box!" screams someone and when we finally get it opened, a really wild cat jumps out at us, all claws and snarls.  Turns out it's Budd.  "Don't mind him," says the monkey, SaruMaru.  "She is just castrophobic." "And very hungry!" adds a scarecrow who turns out to be Trapito, a twin of Mommet. We are really happy that all of us gather together.  We tell them of all the fun we had so far.  The latecomers are a bit jealous.  They are also very hungry too and finish all the cookies we bought in Macau.  And it's both a welcome and a farewell party, for some of us will be leaving Hong Kong in a few days to continue our travel.  I have invited Mocha to come with me to Japan to visit Yumi.
yumi Posted Jan 19, 2008, 4:44 pm	Mocha and I arrived at Yumi's home safely today. We stayed at the local post office for a few days as she wasn't at home when the box was delivered. I thought it was much colder here than HongKong. When we arrived at Yumi's home, it was snowing outside. However, Morado Florence Tokio warmly welcomed us. We became good friends at once!
yumi Posted Jan 28, 2008, 3:57 pm	I decided to stay with other toyvoyagers at Yumi's house today as the weather wasn't good We watched Sumo on TV. Sumo is Japanese traditional wrestling (the national sport) and is the sport for men (Women must not enter the ring!) In a sumo match, two wrestlers who wear a sumo wrestler's loincloth enter the rung fight until on either leaves the ring or touch the ground with any part of his body other than the bottom of his feet. I was very excited to watch!!
yumi Posted Jan 29, 2008, 5:26 pm	Yumi told me that we're going somewhere today. I waited for her with Morado, Florence, Mocha and Pussy Galore in her bag.
yumi Posted Jan 29, 2008, 5:51 pm	We visited Kanazawa 21st museum where was opened in 2004. The museum has some kinds of chairs and benchs to sit and relax.
yumi Posted Feb 1, 2008, 4:10 pm	When we were walking at the museum, we found a swimming pool. Why is a swimming pool here? We thought... The next moment, we all were very surprised that some people were standing in the swimming pool. WHY???
yumi Posted Feb 2, 2008, 3:12 pm	Yahoooo!!!!! I'm under the swimming pool!! I felt very strange.....but it was interesting! I read the leaflet...Swimming Pool designed by Leandro Erlich (so we call it Leandro's pool) A layer of water above thick glass forms a border, through which people above encounter people below (inside the pool)
yumi Posted Feb 8, 2008, 4:00 pm	After we enjoyed the museum, we visited another one named Kanazawa Folklore museum. The building of the museum built in 1899 was once used as a school. At present a junior high school is built next to the museum. Unfortunately the museum isn't allowed photography... (Yumi told me it was okay when I visited here last year) We were only taken in front of the museum. The last photo is the leaflet for the museum.
yumi Posted Feb 14, 2008, 3:26 pm	We visited a few places in Kanazawa today, but unfortunately we couldn't take many photos outside as the weather was bad... I walked Kazue-machi Chaya District where some old and high-class Japanese restaurants are built.
yumi Posted Feb 14, 2008, 3:33 pm	Then I visited Higashi Chaya District where some old Japanese houses which Geisha girls had worked at were conserved. The two houses named 'Shima' and 'Kaika-ro' were opened generally (People live in the rest of the houses), but unluckly we didn't have enough time to watch.
yumi Posted Feb 14, 2008, 3:38 pm	Today I had to say good-bye to Mocha, Pussy Galore and Tokio and was sent to spicebunny in Malaysia. I hope I will arrive at her home safely soon. I look forward to meeting her!
spicebunny Posted Feb 24, 2008, 5:46 am	I followed Melissa to college today. She was early so I got to know some of her classmates. They were very nice and asked so many questions that I got confused!!! Luckily Melissa saved my life and told them who I was and where I had been. They thought I was cool. Before class starts - I decided to pose before the camera Melissa's friend Jen took a shot of me She said I was pretty *blush* Miki and I getting to know each other! And this is Jennifer! She followed me and Melissa to take more shots around the college. Do you know, Melissa's college is near to a theme park and 2 minutes walk away from a mall?
spicebunny Posted Feb 24, 2008, 6:06 am	I attended the class with Melissa. As you can see, the lecturer was teaching them something. I was trying to pay attention - but I am confused! He was talking about aparatures and f-stop!! I am looking confused here! I followed Melissa and her friends to have lunch in some restaurant they called it the Cina Restaurant. They mainly served chinese foods. And this is Melissa's lunch.
spicebunny Posted Feb 24, 2008, 6:07 am	More food. An ice-skating ring in the Mall. I think Melissa said it's the first ice-skating ring in a Mall in Malaysia. The over view of the theme park Melissa can't enter the park because she have not updated the membership card. Seemed her college give out membership card which lets her enter for free.
spicebunny Posted Feb 24, 2008, 6:09 am	Another view from the balcony at the mall. Look at this guy! And the promotion they have on the MacDonald at the Mall. It's kinda interesting. I missed some show they have one the stage. But it's mainly for some chinese dance exhibition. And I completed a mission - I met some people - mainly Melissa's friends who are rather friendly
spicebunny Posted Feb 25, 2008, 10:09 am	Melissa took me to Petronas KLCC and boy, was I am impress! I am so tiny compared to the towers! I am before the towers. The brown part is actually a mall called Suria KLCC. Suria, Melissa told me, means sun in Malay. See the linking bridge? I didn't get to go there because the tickets which were given for free is finished before 10 am! Mall. Twin towers. Hotel. and fountain!! I got a little wet due to the spraying!!! I found out it was a cool place to hang out - but Melissa was lazy walking to the park...
spicebunny Posted Mar 3, 2008, 1:00 am	It was a hot day and I think I got tanned!! Melissa decided I should see Putrajaya - a federal territory with lots of nice buildings.. The government offices are really pretty here except I felt a little lonely.   It was a pretty quiet place and everything is so huge!!! Me before the Prime Minister Office. Melissa said Putrajaya is a new township - it was developed as a Government seat at the last years of the last prime minister. Not sure what that was - but someone was home... I can't enter it! Melissa and her fiance wasn't dressed appropriately and so they can't enter it. It is a mosque, and it's pink. Melissa said that if I ever get to go to Brunei - the mosques there are laid with gold.
spicebunny Posted Mar 12, 2008, 1:58 pm	Just want to tell you Melissa brought me to Singapore!!! I will post updates on it soon. I have several great photos to share!!
spicebunny Posted Mar 14, 2008, 6:06 am	yay... i was brought to singapore today. [ps: melissa's laptop is being crazy] i saw this while walking to the train station This was cool. i am in the trainstation -Lavender - and it is super long. it's easier to get around singapore with 'mrt' because i got confused when i looked at the bus schedule. long long long line .... i was sitting with melissa at some restaurant in singapore. At orchard road. it was evening when i came here with melissa. both of us took a nap when we arrived here. outside some mall... we head back to the hotel. i was so tired i was sleeping on the way back
spicebunny Posted Mar 14, 2008, 6:16 am	today i went to see the merlion. melissa got confused and ended up in the wrong place. it was one stop of a mistake so she backtracked. the day was sunny and i got a lot of shots taken!!! waiting for the train to take us to the right area. melissa saidthis used to be the grand post office. now it is a hotel. it looks so pretty. i didn't step inside because i was more interested with the merlion... saw this sculpture that intrigued me... :0 i didn't know what it was. this was what it was on the other side!!!! see behind me?!! that building looked like a fly's eye .. then we took some walk down the river and saw this!! cute. and this! this is the merlion!!! yay.
Tess Posted Apr 5, 2009, 7:21 pm	MARA-JOY WHERE EVER  YOU MAY BE. HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE, BE HAPPY, DO NOT FORGET US... WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU ...STAY JOYFULL...STAY SAFE.
Tess Posted Sep 1, 2009, 8:55 pm	Today Mara-Joy came home after a long and exciting  2 year journey. It was bitter, sweet to see her again but we are greatful to her host, who took good care of her and mailed her home. ~Welcome home MJ~ Wendy would so  have loved to see MJ and her dairy again.

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