Monday, August 25, 2008
coming home!
Well, we rode elephants through rain forest, Torrey got her lip pierced, and now we heading home...short a tattoo for me, but oh well. It's been an amazing trip!!!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
adventures in Cambodia
Last week we set off for Cambodia (after our failed attempt to go to Loas). Because our plans changed at the last minute we bussed it a few hour th Chang Rai to tried to catch a plane to Bangkok and get to Cambodia from there...all flight were full...so our adventure began! Later that day we took a 12 hour bus ride to Bangkok...a VIP bus ;) It was actually really nice! Equivalent to first class seats on a plane with service the whole way...not so bad. 24 hour of traveling then turned into 36 as we hopped on another 5 hour (basic) bus ride to the Cambodia border. Getting our visa's and crossing the border was quite an process, but eventually we made it to a taxi to get us to our destination...160 kilometers (about 100 miles) took close to 7 hours on a dirt (mud) road. At one point trucks were getting stuck in the mud everywhere and the bottle necked road was similar to I-5 in rush hour, but in mud, the middle of nowhere, in a torrential downpour. it was quite a ride! Eventually we got to Siem Reap to our nice little 6 dollar a night hotel...woo wee, that shower, beer and steak hit the spot! The next day we explored the Angkor Wat ruins...amazing temples dating back over 1000 years. It was a wonderful day, but with little more to see in that town we decided to take a different rout out of cambodia and booked a boat south for the morning. Our mini bus (8 passenger van crammed with 16 people) picked us up at 5:30 am and off we went to the boat...another great adventure! The boat was over booked, so as some of the last ones on, we sat up on the roof with a few others as well...turned out to be a fun group! The ten or so of us baked in the sun the whole 7 1/2 hours having a great time, while the 25 or so other in the seats below sat quietly reading or sleeping...comfortably and much cooler, but they hardly had the adventure we did :)
As the boat chuged slowly through the heavy brushed swamps we dodged branches while waving at the locals who lived sporadically on the water in little floating shacks. We made a pit stop at a floating restaurant, bought some beer and shared out travel stories with the others (from Australia, Japan, Canada, England, and France)...we had a nice (very hot!) ride waving at the local kids the whole way...they were so excited to see a boat of white people come through they all waved so excitedly...They were SO SWEET! (Our arms were tired after nearly 8 hours of waving...I kind of felt like the rose princess)
Our adventure continued in a taxi to the Thai boarder...this time 2 hours. The road was paved most of the way. But then it was like we were in a twilight zone...We ended up at the same boarder! We spent 10 hours traveling south to cross over the boarder toward the Thai beaches (our destination) and our non-english taxi driver drove us back up north. After a nights rest we headed south in thailand...we made it to the island of Koh Chang by dinner and we've been chillin on the beach ever since! It's really beautiful here!... Gorgeous white sand beaches lines with coconut palms and crystal clear water. It's pretty laid back and not a lot of people, but a few bars along the beach with fire dancers every night... fun ;) Our plan is to head over to another island in a couple days to do more of the same for our last week. ;)
As the boat chuged slowly through the heavy brushed swamps we dodged branches while waving at the locals who lived sporadically on the water in little floating shacks. We made a pit stop at a floating restaurant, bought some beer and shared out travel stories with the others (from Australia, Japan, Canada, England, and France)...we had a nice (very hot!) ride waving at the local kids the whole way...they were so excited to see a boat of white people come through they all waved so excitedly...They were SO SWEET! (Our arms were tired after nearly 8 hours of waving...I kind of felt like the rose princess)
Our adventure continued in a taxi to the Thai boarder...this time 2 hours. The road was paved most of the way. But then it was like we were in a twilight zone...We ended up at the same boarder! We spent 10 hours traveling south to cross over the boarder toward the Thai beaches (our destination) and our non-english taxi driver drove us back up north. After a nights rest we headed south in thailand...we made it to the island of Koh Chang by dinner and we've been chillin on the beach ever since! It's really beautiful here!... Gorgeous white sand beaches lines with coconut palms and crystal clear water. It's pretty laid back and not a lot of people, but a few bars along the beach with fire dancers every night... fun ;) Our plan is to head over to another island in a couple days to do more of the same for our last week. ;)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
trecking around through the rice patties
Northern Thailand is beautiful! Full of rice patty fields nestled in between the lush hills. We spent a little time out at Phons home and their family farm (rice). Her family is so sweet...they all work so hard in the rice patties all day...even Phon's 75 year old mother. We had a great meal of BBQ pork and soup, rode around on their motor bikes and took a long walk while passing out candy to the village kids. I was the white haired fairy ;)
We took a bus further north to take the boat down the Meakong river through Loas, but we only made it into Loas for a little bit...we had to turn back because Phon's passport was not valid for 6 more mos. (what they require) So we found a great little hotel right on the river for the night and enjoyed the view of Loas. Now we are on a bumpy old school bus to go to a town with an airport...we hope to catch a flight south, head into Cambodia, then just go chill on an island for a week.woohoo!
We took a bus further north to take the boat down the Meakong river through Loas, but we only made it into Loas for a little bit...we had to turn back because Phon's passport was not valid for 6 more mos. (what they require) So we found a great little hotel right on the river for the night and enjoyed the view of Loas. Now we are on a bumpy old school bus to go to a town with an airport...we hope to catch a flight south, head into Cambodia, then just go chill on an island for a week.woohoo!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Lovely, lovely Thailand
We arrived in Chiang Mai a few days ago and met up with my Dad and his girlfriend, Phon (who is very sweet). We stayed a few nights in that town...a very cute small city with quante little shops and resturaunts lining the streets (and a very nice zoo). There were all the convieniences immagininable there...including nice little spas everywhere with full body messages for 5-6 bucks! (Took up on that along with a few other beauty treatments) The people are genuinly nice and so gracious. Lovely is the best way to discribe it...so lovely!
Now we are on the bus heading 5 hours north to the village nearest to Phon's home... now my Dad's home too.
Now we are on the bus heading 5 hours north to the village nearest to Phon's home... now my Dad's home too.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Blond single mom, tall Torrey, and then theres Elijah
The further we go on this trip the more we stand out! My hair keeps getting blonder and blonder in this sun and I swear Tor is getting taller! It started in Greece, Egypt was bad, nut now in India I feels as though we are just freaks of nature. Staring is common, but lots of people point and come up a little closer to take a look.Many others just take pictures of us. It's crazy! The people in South India were very sweet about it...most would come up to us and just say "hi" and look and people waved to us everywhere we went. On the beach one of the groups of people that came up to me, carrying their camera, asked for "one click? One click?" I thought they wanted me to take a picture for them all together, but instead they wanted it of me with them. It happened again today here in Delhi. But most people just take pictures with their phones.
As for being a single mom with a biracial son and a daughter who's not...well I think that just boggles them. I've lied so many times about where my husband is I'm starting to believe I have one back home working and he couldn't take time off. (hope he's there) I don't think we look much like many other American tourist families they see, if they have.
Torrey and I have been very careful about our dress. (especially in Egypt where it's nearly all muslim, with women covered from head to toe...some with only eye slots in their robes) But regardless of how conservative we dress and subtle we try to be people actually laugh at us.
Elijah has been a different story...everybody from Spain to Egypt has loved Elijah! They all say he looks like them!. (here, not, but he's a boy, so he still gets some special treatment) People have came up and started speaking to him in Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turkish(?), and Arabic with out a second thought. All the men just get chummy with him as if he was one of there family members. In Egypt when people asked and he would tell people he was African-American, they would really embrace him...telling him that he was one of them! Our nice bell boy (older man) kept trying to take him home with him. It was very cool for him to have that experience in Africa :)
Well, tonight we head off to Thailand. Torrey's really going to be a tower there! At least we'll never loose each other in a crowd.
As for being a single mom with a biracial son and a daughter who's not...well I think that just boggles them. I've lied so many times about where my husband is I'm starting to believe I have one back home working and he couldn't take time off. (hope he's there) I don't think we look much like many other American tourist families they see, if they have.
Torrey and I have been very careful about our dress. (especially in Egypt where it's nearly all muslim, with women covered from head to toe...some with only eye slots in their robes) But regardless of how conservative we dress and subtle we try to be people actually laugh at us.
Elijah has been a different story...everybody from Spain to Egypt has loved Elijah! They all say he looks like them!. (here, not, but he's a boy, so he still gets some special treatment) People have came up and started speaking to him in Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turkish(?), and Arabic with out a second thought. All the men just get chummy with him as if he was one of there family members. In Egypt when people asked and he would tell people he was African-American, they would really embrace him...telling him that he was one of them! Our nice bell boy (older man) kept trying to take him home with him. It was very cool for him to have that experience in Africa :)
Well, tonight we head off to Thailand. Torrey's really going to be a tower there! At least we'll never loose each other in a crowd.
Friday, August 1, 2008
South India
India so far has been very nice and relaxing. Staying a week in Chennai Beach in this little cabin on the "backwaters" has been great. The backwaters are a long string of rivers, lakes and canals that stretch along most of the coast of the sooth western state of Kerela. So, although our cabin sits on the lake, you can hear the roar of the ocean on the other side.
This down time was needed for the three of us. With no pressure to do anything we have had the opportunity to regroup and work on enjoying each other. For the most part we just played cards and read.
It rained a lot...this is monsoon season, but it was always warm (about 80). When the rain subsided we explored a bit of the local towns by the public buses and rickshaws (little three wheeled taxi's) and when the sun shined we got out and enjoyed the beach, a boat ride on a canoe through the backwaters, and the paddle boat on the lake.
Well, we're off to New Delhi today. I changed my reservation to a hotel out of the center of town...with the recent bombs that hit the other cities in the marketplaces I thought it'd be best if we not stay near a marketplace. I'm sure we'll have much more tell about after we take a day trip to the Taj Mahal tomorrow. :)
This down time was needed for the three of us. With no pressure to do anything we have had the opportunity to regroup and work on enjoying each other. For the most part we just played cards and read.
It rained a lot...this is monsoon season, but it was always warm (about 80). When the rain subsided we explored a bit of the local towns by the public buses and rickshaws (little three wheeled taxi's) and when the sun shined we got out and enjoyed the beach, a boat ride on a canoe through the backwaters, and the paddle boat on the lake.
Well, we're off to New Delhi today. I changed my reservation to a hotel out of the center of town...with the recent bombs that hit the other cities in the marketplaces I thought it'd be best if we not stay near a marketplace. I'm sure we'll have much more tell about after we take a day trip to the Taj Mahal tomorrow. :)
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