This picture reminded me of one we took of the girls shortly after we arrived in the DR. They were happy then, and they're happy now. We'll miss our friends the most, but we'll also miss trips to the beach, snorkeling the reef, swimming in the canyon streams, and a hundred other things. We'll go from having a big tropical yard, to a busy street! We'll have lot's of parks nearby, though.

The next few days will be spent packing, finishing up some Thailand video editing, and tying up some loose ends. In an ironic twist, our internet is working right for the first time in months, and we have three days to enjoy it!

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"Home" is one of those flexible words, at least for we in the Mullins family. Since our wedding back in '91, we have moved six times, and we will make our seventh, back to Canada on July 29. For me, home is more about family than zip code, so wherever Lynn and the girls are is home for me. That said, I got home yesterday around four. We got back from the airport and handed out the various souvenirs and gifts I had accumulated while away, and just enjoyed being together again. This sunset didn't hurt either.

The next ten days will be busy ones as we prepare for our return. We still need to complete the paperwork for selling the truck, and we have lots of stuff to sort through and give away. We also want to paint our condo and leave it ship-shape for the next tenant. And I need to edit the ten hours of footage I shpt in Thailand, and complete a few projects for friends. This Sunday will be our last with "The Gathering", so that will be a tough goodbye, but we are so grateful for the friends we've made while we've been here, and are glad they've found eachother too.

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Sign beside a bike rental place in Thailand.

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Our last few days in Thailand were busy ones. After a day of rock climbing and repelling, we went on a sunset and scuba island BBQ around some of the beautiful places near Railey Beach, across the bay from Phuket. Friday was spent snorkeling around Koh Phi Phi, again, awesome. Saturday we got back on a double decker boat and headed about two hours west for the start of our two-day sea kayaking trip. We traveled through some mangrove swamps and then came into this deep canyon with vegetated cliffs. At that moment the clouds opened up and dumped sheets of horizontal rain. Kind of a added a cool, life-threatening twist to the adventure as we battled our way back to the big boat. The next day, our last in Thailand, we kayaked around an island, stopping to swim through this narrow tunnel that opened into the lagoon you see above. The scenery was really spectacular, and after an hour ride and delicious lunch onboard, we arrived at Phuket Pier and then the airport, where we caught our flight to Bangkok, and then on to LA, where I'm spending the day recovering from jetlag and waiting for my 11:00pm flight to Miami. At 12:50, I fly to Puerto Plata, where Lynn and the girl will pick me up at 2:50pm. Can't wait!

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The past few days have been intense to say the least. I may be able to post a few pictures to my facebook page tomorrow, but I thought I'd update you on where I've been the past few days.

Wednesday we returned to the mountains of northern Thailand and spent the night at the Lisu Lodge, one of several accommodations operated by the various hill tribes that live here. We got up on Thursday morning and began our two day trek way up into the hills, and when I say "up", I mean "up". Not sure what our altitude was, but we were definitely in cloud forest territory. The first three hours were uphill, a challenge for this body, which was built for comfort not speed, and for stability in high winds. After stopping at a few different hill tribe villages, we ended the day way up on a ridge at an outpost with an unbelievable view. It was actually populated by a tribe with Tibetan roots, so the culture was remarkable. Friday morning we trekked back down the mountain, in the rain, and stopping for a swim in a waterfall, before finishing the hike with a 10k whitewater rafting trip.

It was a pretty hardcore few days, and stretched most of us way beyond our comfort zones, physically and culturally. My biggest challenge was actually keeping my camera dry and functioning with a collection of dry bags and umbrellas. The video footage was stunning and I can't wait to get it edited. The group has made my job easier too. They are a great bunch of university students - 29 in all.

Today we visited three major temples in Chiang Mai. This used to be the capital of Thailand until hostilities with Burma necessitated a move of the capital south to Bangkok. It is still in many ways the spiritual capital, though. The temple on top of Doi Suthep, the large mountain overlooking the city, is amazing, and the view of Chiang Mai is stunning. After witnessing the intricacies of Buddhism, I am more in love than ever with the simplicity of following Jesus.

Tomorrow we have our last day here before catching the night train to Bangkok. Monday will be spent sightseeing there, before catching an afternoon flight down to Phuket and then on to Kao Sok for some river tubing, rock climbing at Railay Beach and sea kayaking before heading home on the 15th.

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Don't worry, Dear. We're not moving to Thailand. But if we did, we would live here in Chiang Mai. The people are so friendly and open, and it is a truly beautiful part of the world. We drove through the mountain range you see above on our way to live with a hill tribe for a few days last week. As it turns out, the village is half Christian, which makes it quite unique in 96% Buddhist Thailand. And the church in the village is of the Baptist variety, which made my world a whole lot smaller. I had quite a conversation with the pastor, and am seriously thinking about bringing a team back here some day.

As you may have surmised, this trip has been one of the most spectacular I have taken over the past few years. But it's also been one of the most challenging, physically and mentally. We hiked through a cave for a kilometer or so, and then to the top of the mountain above it. I will need a Thai massage before I can use my legs again. We'll spend the rest of this week in Chiang Mai, before taking an overnight train ride to Bangkok for Sunday and Monday, and then flying to Phuket in the south for the rest of the trip - rock climbing, snorkeling, beach crawling.

But it's also been tough to be away from my family, especially as we prepare to move home. Lynn is doing alot of the leg work, packing stuff up, and she deserves kudos for that. I am really thankful for Skype - I talked with my girls for over a half-hour today and yesterday for free, and even chatted with my Dad for a while this evening. They are on the exact opposite side of the world, and it felt like they were right next door.

Did I mention that I have the best family in the world? If I mention going away again this year, hit me in the head with something solid, would you?

You can look at more of my pictures here!

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