A+B

One of the great things about living in a beautiful, mountainous, high tourist city like Lijiang is that the flow of foreign visitors who are seeking an adventure never stops. For some, this might seem overwhelming, but for Laura and I, we warmly welcome the idea of being involved in people's lives as they experience China for the first time (or second, or third, or fifth...).

And this is no exception for our friends Austin and Brit. Last night, we dropped them off at the train station after a 3 month stay in LJ. We didn't know them prior to their arrival in LJ (we had mutual friends in San Diego), but after these 3 months, we felt like we've been best friends for years.

A+B are also married with no kids. We would often stay up late playing cards, watching movies, and eating out. It was so fun being spontaneous with them. But our time together wasn't just entertainment based; we visited the countryside many times to visit friends, celebrate torch festival, and help with a health clinic. Their service and friendship this Summer will be greatly missed!

At Blue Moon Valley below YuLongXueShan

Torch Festival, ladies dressed up in traditional Yi clothes

Brit holding a little Yi baby

Austin during our mushroom hunting time on XueShan