Adam-11/10/2008

16 hours on a plane turns out to be a rather long time, especially sitting next to two young gentlemen who are trying to care for a baby. That being said the flight was not too bad. Our route took us over the North Pole, down over Russia, Mongolia, and finally over western China into Hong Kong. Neither Jim nor myself were seated near a window but we occasionally went to the back of the plane to look at the windows at the world below. We were fortunate to get some clear view of ice near the pole, desert in Mongolia, and mountains in China. The flight made me think about how large the world really is. Anyways enough with flying on to the Philippines.

Our first few days here have been spent taking care of business related things, trying to get sleep patterns normalized, and eating way too much food. I have enjoyed learning more about where all of the wooden carvings we know so well come from. Its has also been fascinating seeing the challenges of running a business which involves people from different cultures. We have yet to stray too far from the house we're staying at but tomorrow night we set out to Vigan in order to find a potter with red clay. After that its off to the mountains to visit with the carvers and see some more of the country. That's all for now more later.