cKenny Bear finally checked in!!!

Hey BC!
I'm so happy to have gotten your email, and I apologize for not writing you sooner. As you will soon see cKenny and I have been very busy traveling the world. He's such a great bear and I think you from the bottom of my heart for you sharing him with the world and most of all...with me. =D
We've done a lot of traveling together, but He really wants to tell you about it. So...I'll type while he dictates, but I must warn you...he's very excited to tell you all about his travels. Please try to bear with him, there's a lot to talk about! I promise that we will both stay in touch from here on out. We have lots more fun to have together. =)
I hope you've had a great summer and I hope you enjoy the fall. It is beautiful here in NY this time of year.
<3 Jenn
Now, what you've been waiting for. cKenny...





Hi Family!
I know you haven't heard from me in quite a while and I'm so sorry...you wouldn't believe how busy I've been! I would like to start off and tell you that I miss you all and I've been having such a great time.
I think Andrew told you that he took me home with him to Durban, South Africa, right? Well, after about a month of exploring ZA with him I met his friend from NY, Jenn, and she adopted me.
We traveled down the coast of South Africa and stopped in Coffee Bay for some cliff jumping, drum lessons and hiking. We then traveled down the coast to Wilderness where we went Kloofing [a ZA version of canyoneering], paragliding and relaxed along the besutiful coastline. We left Wilderness and went down to the southern most point of Africa, Cape Town! We only stayed for a few days because Jenn missed her friend in Durban, so we took a spontaneous flight back to Durban for a few days and then flew up to Johannesburg in preperation for our next trip to Thailand!!! Jenn ended up buying me a pin with the South African flag on it to thank me for traveling with her. I wear it every day now.
I was so excited to go to Thailand, but I was also a bit nervous. I mean, who knows what that do to stuffed bears there?! Well, they welcomed me with open arms and we had a great time. We flew into Bangkok and spent a few days there exploring temples, trying new and strange foods and experiencing the Thai New Year Water Festival! For the hottest week of the year the entire country has the week off from work and hosts a country-wide water fight! Everyone has squirt guns, water baloons, cups/buckets/bottles full of water and face paint to cover you with. It was impossible to go anywhere without getting wet. At one point Jenn's new purse got so wet that it dyed me purple for a few weeks! She eventually got me clean again, but I'm thinking it was a good look for me. I'm considering getting some more color in the future...
Eventually we left Bangkok and headed north to Chang Mai where we explored night markets, ate crickets [they werne't too bad...but I had to talk Jenn into trying one. She was hesitant, but eventually tried it.] and then we went on a three day trek through the Thai mountains and into hilltribe villages. It was so much fun, and so neat to see how these people lived. We slept on cotton mats on the floor and there weren't even real bathrooms or showers. We ended up leaving the villages on bamboo river rafts...we just rafted down through all sorts of rapids until we finally reached a village where a truck was waiting to bring us back to our hotel. It was a lot of fun, but I got a little tired rowing all day and sitting out in the sun. Whew! We headed north a few days later into Chang Rai and explored some ruins. Eventually we had to head back south and ended up in Bangkok again. We spent a few more days here and then decided to go to Cambodia!
So we took a bus across the border into Cambodia and ended up at Siem Reap...the small city famous for the ruins of Angkor Wat. You should look it up online, it's amazing! The ruins seemed so untouched. We hired a private tuk-tuk [mortorbike with a small passenger cart on the back] to drive us around the ruins all day. WE actually went out for the sunset, and sat on the steps of a temple and watched the sun rise over a small lake in front of the temple. It was breathtaking and I felt like I was on a totally different world. We explored new and interesting temples all day and I even got to go through the temple that Toumb Raider was filmed in! We ended the day by watching the sun set from a very large and tall temple, and then took our private motorbike back to the hotel in refelctive silence. It was an amazing day and I would give all my fur to go back again someday. A few days later we took another bus down to Phnom Phen [I think I spelled it right] and got to see the killing fields and a famous prison known for genocide. It was a sad day, but I learned so much about Cambodia and it's history that I'm glad I went. We did go out and have some fun though...we got a great Cambodian dinner and went out exploring at night. Eventually Jenn decided that she was going to continue south to Vietnam. So...before I knew it we were on a bus again crossing the border into that very country.
Vietnam was unexpectedly my favoritte. The people were so nice, the food was amazing, and the culture is so full of vitality. I would love to come back and live here someday. Not to mention that there were plenty of stuffed animal shops everywhere...you should have seen some of these cute animals. I've never considered dating a different animal before, I mean...I've been a bear only kind of bear, but I met this really cute stuffed penguin and we hit it off right away. She was traveling too and I think she just...got me. I hope to see her again someday. You wouldn't believe all the places she's been! Hopefully I'll get to go to all those places someday. But...anyways. We got into Ho Chi Minh City and spent a few interesting days there. It was unlike anywhere I've ever seen. It was so busy, people were everywhere, motorbikes were zipping by, markets were flooded with activity and there was always something to do. We headed out to Nha Trang next and took a boat tour of the islands off the coast. We did some snorkeling in beautiful coral reefs, went cliff jumping and had a great time with new friends! The next day we explored and eventually found this great Reggae bar that we hung out at for the rest of the night. The live music was fun, and it was neat to meet so many people from all over the world there. Next we went to riverside town of Hoi An, which is the 'city of a thousand tailors'. Jenn got lots of clothes made...she got dresses, a custom coat, some high heels that she designed herself and a ton of shirts and sandles that were made just for her! I was on a budget, so I saved my money and didn't by anything. Plus I like traveling with just my coat anyways...it's refreshing to not have a ton of baggage. Eventually we made it further north to Hue and Hanoi...all the way in northern Vietnam. Hanoi was busy like Saigon [Hoh Chi Minh] but had a smaller town feel to it. We ended up going east to Halong Bay where we spent three days on a traditional Virtnamese style junk boat with the sail and everything! It was so neat sailing through all the limestone kasts that were standing out of the water like little mountains. We jumped off the top of the boat, made new friends, ate a lot of traditional Vietnamese food and had an absolute blast. We even got to go kayaking and into some caves. I enjoyed it. We made it back to Hanoi safely and eventually boarded a plane back to Thailand.
Now that I had been to Bangkok three times I felt like I was getting the hang of it. We wandered around for a few days and eventually we hopped back on a plane and went to Hong Kong. It reminded me a lot of New York City...just asian. I got to see the famous view of Hong Kong from above, do some shopping and explore the busy metropolis.
We then headed into Mainland China and went to Yangshoo...a small town in the south that is famous for rock climbing. Jenn, being so into rock climbing, spent a few days out and climbing while I relaxed at the hotel. We got to go on a small boat down the Yangsing river and see some small villages though. That was neat. Eventually we went north and got to go on a three day cruise to see the three gorges dam. It was so big! The cruise was fun too...even though we were some of the only english speakers on the entire thing...
Next we went to Xi' An and rode a bike around the top of the old city walls. We also went to an amazing Chinese Buffet where we stuffed our faces until we almost got sick. Never again! [well...] the city was really neat and we got to go see the famous Terracotta Warriors. Next was Shanghai, and I must say the air was so dirty. Nevertheless we explored all the markets, shops and sights that we could...including a very important Chinese Meuseam....The Shanghai Meuseam. We finished our trip in Beijing where we got to go to the Forbidden City, Tienemen Square, The Great Wall and explore the city to our hearts content. I tried the notorious Peking Duck and it was actually pretty good. I'd eat it again! Eventually it was time to go back to NY, and I was excited to see the states again. It had been a while!

Well...we got home and Jenn wasn't done traveling. She decided to go on a roadtrip across the country, so I asked if I could go. Of course I ended up going, and we ended up going to Salt Lake City first and we got to visit the City Meuseam...it's like a playplace for adults [and stuffed bears!]. Next we went to Denver, and then to Bryce Canyon National Park where we went on a three day backpacking trip through the backcountry and into the canyons. It was great! We then headed to Las vegas for a week so Jenn could visit one of her friends from ZA who was in the states for a conference. Jenn ended up breaking her wrist and ruining her plans to go climbing for the next week...so we went to the beach in California instead. I really liked Long Beach! It was so relaxing and fun. After a few days of recovery Jenn decided on doing some more backpacking so we headed into Utah again and went to Arches National Park. Again we got another backcountry pass and enjoyed three full days of nothing but the beautiful desert, red rocks and peace. I think I really like this backpacking stuff. Especially sleeping in a tent and using a camp stove!!! After Utah we headed back to Denver, up to Boulder, and then to a music festival just outside Denver where I got to see my first live rock bands! Jenn had to convince me not to get a tattoo...she says I may not want that on my fur when I get a bit older. I listened, but I think I really want a heart with 'MOM' in it. It looks so cool! We headed back to NY after this and Jenn started school again.

We went on a few trips to NYC and Boston, and in September we went to Daytona Beach for a few days for Jenn's friends birthday as a surprise. It was a fun trip and I really love being on the beach, even if it is hard to get the sand out of my fur sometimes. Oh, my tag ended up finally falling off, but Jenn found it and saved it. She says she'll make me a new one if she ever gives me to a new travel partner. I made her promise not to pass me off too soon, because she's so fun to travel with!

Well...you may think this is it, but it's NOT! I just got back from Europe!!! We decided to go to Europe a bit spontaneously, and it was interesting but loads of fun over all. We flew from NYC into Rome and spent a few days there. I got to see the Coleseum, try gelato, have Italian cappiccino, go to the Vatican City and see the Basilica [the Sisteen Chapel was closed for some reason... =( ]. Jenn really wanted to go to Germany for Oktoberfest, so I went with her. We met up with a friend of hers from England and had a great time. The beer is the best in the world, and the food is amazing. On the last day of Oktoberfest Jenn got her wallett stolen, and since it was just the two of us we were stuck in Munich for a few days until we could get some money. In that time we explored the city, took lots of pictures and fell in love with Germany. It's a great place! We finally got some money so we headed south through Austria and made it to Venice, Italy intact. What a beautiful city! Our hostel was right near one of the main canals and set back in a small alley. It was called the meuseam because it used to be a palace!!! The floors were granite, the cielings were intricate and there were statues everywhere. I loved it there!!! We even went on a goldola ride and got to see St. Marks square. Next we went to Florence where we saw the famous statue of David and try Crepes for the first time. After a few fun days we headed to Pisa, saw the leaning tower and then it was back to Rome for the end of our few week journey through Europe. I'm sure there was much more to tell about, but it's almost dinner time and I'm starving.

We may be planning a trip back to South Africa in February, so I'll keep you posted. We would be staying for three months and I might get to see a few more African countries! I'll even get to see Andrew again. It should be fun.

I miss you all, and I'll stay in touch.
Love,
cKenny bear.
pix to follow