Endless Day

When I got out of bed, it was the equivalent of 8pm Wednesday night. If all goes smoothly, I'll be climbing into my own bed at 1am Saturday morning. 

Today has been seemingly endless. In fact, at one point today, it was actually tomorrow. Yep, let that sink in for a while.

We awoke Thursday morning, packed and got ourselves ready for a couple days of travel. A rainy visit to Angkor Wat meant our shoes and clothes were wet and muddy and whatever we had tried to do with our hair was now completely gone. And this is how we'd begin our days of travel. (Oh, and I forgot to mention that our safe where the passports were kept wouldn't open until three people and forty five minutes later, the manager arrived with a key.)

We flew into Singapore and had about ten hours before our flight out toward the states. We had talked about a hotel, but the ones in Singapore are fairly expensive and our flight home was at 6am, meaning we'd need to be at the airport at 4am. The Singapore airport boasts all sorts of entertainment like a movie theater, a pool, several gardens and some lounges. So, we decided we would just go out into the city for a drink then enjoy the airport. (If you're a frequent flyer, you've probably already caught a couple problems with our plan that we should have also caught.)

Arrival went smoothly, got our bags, went through customs and then off to find the luggage storage. The information booth told us where the 24 hour storage room was, but then hit us with the bad news. We had exited the airport which meant we had left all of the cool entertainment things behind, and we couldn't check in until 3am. Meaning, we were stuck on public seating areas. Well, we'll just go enjoy some of Singapore for a few hours. Problem was, many things close in Singapore at 10 (including most airport restaurants) and it was about 9 with a thirty minute train ride into the city.

Luggage stored, TripAdvisor read, we purchased MRT tickets that took us toward My Awesome Cafe that was open until midnight. The MRT closed around 11, so we'd have to find another route back. We found the restaurant, a really fun, eclectic, hopping joint where we treated ourselves to tasty meals and fancy drinks (I had prosecco mixed with raspberry gin-yum!).

We left there about midnight, having zero desire to go sit in the airport, so we decided to see the city all lit up at night. Singapore is one of the safest places in the world, and we felt completely comfortable wandering by the harbor after midnight.

On our first days on this trip, which now seems like ages ago, we had enjoyed the Gardens by the Bay and the fancy man-made trees. We went back to see the trees all lit up at night. Wow, they were magical! 

All of our wanderings led us to about 1:30am when we found a cab to get us back to the airport. We walked for a bit, knowing that sitting was going to take up the majority of our time over the next two days, then succumbed to sitting for a bit.

At 3am, luggage retrieved, we checked in to our flights. I had booked my DEN to BHM separately from the other flights, but I wanted to connect them so I didn't have to touch my luggage until Birmingham. The very kind lady behind the counter kept double checking with me that that flight, my fourth of the day was in fact on the same day. Yep, it was going to be a long day. Despite having booked our flights and chosen seats next to each other, something happened and on our longest leg of the flight, we had to sit separately. Perhaps fate was telling us that six weeks of 24/7 time together could use a small break.

We sleepily walked through customs, found our gate and colored some. What use was it to try to sleep at this point anyway?

Boarded our flight, no problem. We had about a seven hour flight to Tokyo that was uneventful and filled with sporadic short naps.

We had a three hour layover in Tokyo and were really pretty excited. Unfortunately, we found no sushi, but we did enjoy looking st the souvenirs and odd candy like wasabi kit kats. The toilets were quite fascinating, too! 

On our ten hour flight to San Jose, we were separated, but both had window seats so thankfully we got to watch a gorgeous sunset (I'm watching another one right now as I type...).

I watched Gifted, then blubbered my way through (I'll pretend exhaustion had something to do with the many tears, but I'm not sure that's true) Forrest Gump which I had not seen in years then dozed and hummed along while watching the new Beauty and the Beast.

Landing in San Jose was exciting as it was US soil and our phones worked like we wanted them to. Then, came US customs. Rarely a pleasant nor smooth venture. We were near the back to the plane, meaning near the back of the line. We were given the chance to try a computer screening program that would allow us to bypass the line if we were approved. Jess was approved, I was not. A good forty minutes later, when our next flight was set to board in twenty minutes, and I'm only half way through the line, airport workers came looking for me and other Denver bound passengers and pushed us to the front of the line. Rushing to find Jess, grab our bags and go through customs, and of course this is the time that the customs officer and security officer wanted to be chatty. There was a little bit of running involved but we made it to our gate with time to spare.

The flight to Denver was short and uneventful, our eyes struggled to stay open. In Denver, we parted ways, thankful to be almost home, but also incredibly thankful to have had this travel adventure together. (And don't worry, we'll see each other in another week!)  I had about three hours to kill in the Denver airport so I was looking forward to a nice burrito and a margarita, plus perhaps a nap. Jessica texted and said my bag was on the carousel. Hmmm... I could have gone to get it, rechecked it in and gone back through security, but I was afraid that may be pushing my time. No worries, I would go speak to the airline customer service and they could take care of it. Two hours later, hungry and getting anxious about my flight, I left the line hoping someone noticed my bag in lost luggage had a BHM sticker on it and maybe I'd see it at home. Grabbed a wrap and rushed toward my gate where I found another customer service desk with only one person waiting in line. I presented my problem and my bag is hopefully on board down below or will be on the next flight to BHM.

I always look for people I recognize when getting on a flight for Birmingham, after all, it's not that big of a city. I saw no one I knew, and yet, I felt these were my people. Accents, clothing items and warm personalities reminded me that I really do love my home state.

I'm on my flight now, watched a stunning sunset and will hopefully catch a few winks before landing at 11:59pm. Yep, July 14 can officially go down in history as the longest day of my life, not metaphorically but actually. It has been 37 hours long and I saw every moment of it, minus a few short dozes here and there. But you know what? I would do it again if it meant visiting some of the amazing places we got to see. You know, not tomorrow, but again, nevertheless.

A Vibrant City

Coming from busy Hanoi, we were excited about the size of Siem Reap. Our ride in the first night helped us to see that it would not be like Hanoi. And it didn't take but a few minutes for us to feel the vibrant atmosphere in this town. 

Our hotel was just a block or so from the night market, a tourist trap, of course, but with a marvelous atmosphere. Brightly colored lights lit up the streets. Musicians played traditional music. Food cart vendors and souvenir stands were eager to make a deal.

The streets here are... well, different. Despite being a good sized city (a quick Google result says about 250,000), many of the roads lack any sort of painted lines, nor room for two full lanes. Many are dusty and where potholes have formed, the resourceful people have broken up bricks to fill in the holes.

The night market was visited just about every night. We made purchases of souvenirs we didn't need, had a fishy pedicure and ate fried ice cream rolls. They were delicious. Mixing our chosen ingredients over a frozen pan, almost as if for a crepe, the mixture was flattened and the rolled up like an egg roll.

One night, we ventured to Pub Street, just a few minutes walk from our hotel. It almost felt like Bourbon Street. Bars and restaurants lined the street that was overflowing with tourists.

We treated ourselves to henna tattoos. I have had a few of these for Hindu weddings and loved them. The people who do them are typically just excellent doodlers, artists at their own craft. I asked the guy for a lotus, but I told him to be creative and he could design how he wanted. His eyes lit up and he seemed to enjoy the freedom to design!

Our food was all delicious. We had mainly Khmer food of curry, noodles or more amok and we enjoyed all of it. None of the food has had the spice of Thailand, but all have had unique flavors of their own.

On our last evening, after a delicious meal, we decided we should be fair judges and get a massage in Cambodia like we had done in all other countries. It was a wonderful massage! Almost like the Thai massage, but not quite as much yoga-type stretches. A great way to wrap up our trip. I sure am going to miss getting massages for under $10!

In one section of the night market, we had happened upon a unique scene and decided we should be part of it. At the back of the market, under the large metal roof, we got a foot scrub and pedicure. That doesn't seem out of the ordinary, I know, but add to that the stage entertaining those getting pedicures. And, on that stage were cross-dressers lip syncing to great artists such as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. It was fantastic, oh so entertaining and oh so random.

Our last evening, while wandering around the busy, lively streets, we overheard "Sweet Home Alabama" and "American Pie," signs we were quite certain that meant we should be heading home.

For a while, Jessica and I thought that we may have completed our journey backward, really just based on how we had enjoyed the things we had done. But Siem Reap changed that. It was the perfect book end to our trip. The city was a perfect size, the people were some of the kindest we've met, food was delicious, shopping was fun and the energetic atmosphere that the city gave off was contagious.

Temples of Old

The greatest source of national pride in Cambodia is the temples of Angkor. It is why people come to this country, although, I'm quite certain it's the people that make tourists fall in love with this place.

Almost 1,000 years ago, in the city of Angkor, massive stone temples were being built to honor the gods. These temples still stand today in all their glory and majesty. They were stunning and mind blowing.

We joined the fellow tourists to try to catch sunrise at the largest and most well-known temple, Angkor Wat. It is the world's largest religious building and it was built in the early twelfth century from sandstone blocks brought from 50 kilometers away. It was meant to be an earthly representation of Mt. Meru, the Olympus of Hindu gods. (This country has been both majority Hindu and Buddhist at different times and the temples have changed with the religious beliefs.) While we did get to see some color in the sky, we didn't get the postcard sunrise we were looking for, but no matter what, we got to experience the majesty of this ancient wonder before the heat of the day set in. 

The temple was almost endless, each doorway led to another stone hallway or a courtyard. In the center, five towers stood tall, reaching toward the heavens. The symmetry and careful architectural design of the temple was amazing. The most impressive part to me, however, was the detailed, intricate  designs etched into the sandstone walls. Sometimes they were figures carefully drawn and in other places, beautiful, simple, yet elegantly duplicated designs. These days, both monks and monkeys can be found in the temple.

Next, Tom took us to Angkor Thom (yes, we joked that it was his). Around the same time of  Angkor Wat, in the late twelfth century, this became the capital. The ancient city was surrounded by an impressive wall with a moat all around it. At each gate, a line of demons on one side and gods on the other appeared to play tug of war with a giant snake. There were buildings for people inside these city walls, but they were made of wood, as the rocks were reserved for the gods, so the abodes of people have long disintegrated. It was here that the last capital of the Khmer empire lasted for several hundred years. 

Angkor Thom is home to several temples, of which the names begin to run together, but Bayon Temple is the most well known and there is certainly a reason for that. The temple is adorned with a multitude of faces of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist god who gazed down on the world and encompasses compassion for all people. Legend says that the figure head's have a striking resemblance of the king who commissioned them.

Inside Angkor Thom was also Baphuon, originally a Hindu temple, but later a reclining Buddha was added to the back. We loved the long walkway and the stairways to heaven at the top.

There were several other temples we visited that day, and frankly, they have already started to run together, all but Ta Prohm, one of a couple of temples around where Mother Nature has truly shown her power. In the twelfth century, kings commissioned incredible temples to worship their gods, but long after the men have gone, Mother Nature shows who is truly powerful. The trees grew out of the temple and somehow encompassed both sides of stone walls.

On our second day, which started not nearly as early, Tom drove us to Kbal Spean, a temple only "discovered" in the last fifty years. We hiked a nice hike through the jungle, uphill, not exactly knowing what we were looking for, but in the end, we saw pieces of crumbled stones and columns ornately decorated lying in the riverbed, signs of glorious days gone by, now in disfiguration, but beautiful nonetheless. Look carefully at the riverbed and the boulders in the background.

Next, we headed to another favorite of mine: Banteay Sri, the Citadel of the Women. Why? Partly because of the pinkish hue of the stones used for creating this wonder, begun in 967 (no, I didn't leave off a digit). However, the true reason behind the name is because "it is said that it must have been built by women as the elaborate carvings are too fine for the hand of a man." Girl power over 1,000 years old? I love it! The details were incredibly detailed and intricate! 

Tom drove us back toward Angkor Wat, to Preah Khan, a temple of true fusion where Buddhist and Hindu deities are honored. It is a large maze of long corridors which create a sort of hall of mirrors effect. 

It was here that we got stuck with a rain shower for a bit, but that's okay. What kid hasn't wanted to get stuck for a while in an ancient temple with hallways that look the same one after another? This temple also showed the incredible power of Mother Nature.

Inside the temple we were greeted by a nun, probably one of the oldest, most feeble, and yet genuinely happy women I've ever seen. She offered to bless us both, and how could we refuse. She tied a brightly colored string on our wrist with careful precision, held our hand, then blew gently on our foreheads. Seemingly following the bad spirits out and away from our bodies, she ran her hand down our arms and with a cheerful little sound released them all. 

Tom took us to a couple more temples, but it was raining and we had already seen some of the grandest around. Saying that, had any of these been our only temple visit, we would have been in awe, but with the grandeur of the others, it is hard to compare it.

 

Our last temple of the day was Phnom Bakheng. An enormously tall structure, now a common spot to watch the sunset, and we could see why!

Our last day in Siem Reap was a short one as packing took up a great deal of time, and we had to leave for the airport by 2. Since our bags were thoroughly stuffed and we knew that any walk around the city would include new purchases, we opted to go back to Angkor Wat in hopes of finding blue skies.

Instead, the rain pelted down on us as we approached. Tom put flaps down on the tuk tuk to keep us dry, and covered in a poncho, he saw no reason to call our journey to an end. When we arrived, a clever salesman stuck his hands in the tuk tuk with two ponchos. We really didn't even try to bargain, anything seemed worth it. Our feet, avoiding puddles whenever possible, found a semi-dry spot under a tree for a moment while the rain slowed. Almost as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

Unfortunately, we didn't get blue skies at the temple, nor did we find curious monkeys that we wanted to, but the crowds were fewer, and even in gray skies, Angkor Wat is majestic and being in her presence, even for just a little bit longer was completely worth the rain. We also got blessed by a young Buddhist monk. He also tied a brightly colored string on our wrist, then chanted as he sprinkled us with water droplets.

We could, and quite possibly should, have gotten a personal guide for a fairly reasonable price, but we opted against that, wanting to move at our own pace. I'm sure I would have loved learning more of the details and specifics of the temples, but Jessica and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the temples, cameras in hand, taking our time.

The temples were probably what drew us here, to Cambodia, and I am so thankful for that. But it's not only the temples that I enjoyed seeing, but a beautiful, vibrant city and people that are beautiful both inside and out.

So, T, Tom and Aussies

For me, traveling is about seeing beautiful places and connecting with people. When you connect with people in other places, you find similarities between yourselves, an understanding that wasn't there before, that allows you to appreciate others' differences. It is a way to remind yourself that there are others out there, and that your own way of life is not the only way nor necessarily the right way. While we certainly saw beauty in the world today, it was the connections with the people that will be remembered long past what my eyes absorbed.

Let me start with last night. We arrived in Cambodia, and like all arrivals gates into new countries, it was a bit hectic and unorganized. However, after filling out three forms, paying $30 for a visa (yes, US dollars because ATMs here dispense US dollars), going through three checkpoints and receiving our luggage, we were greeted by Tom. Tom is a local, a Khmer, who has offered to be our tuk tuk driver for the week. He's got an award winning smile and a warm nature that instantly made us feel safe in this country.  Although, we did get into a tuk tuk at night with a man we didn't know and then drove through dark countryside... A little uneasy at times because of the lack of civilization in sight, but nevertheless we enjoyed the ride through the countryside in this, my 34th country to visit. Sunglasses and closed mouths were necessary despite the lack of light, simply to keep out the dust and eager crickets that wanted to join us. We drove past many homes that had two bright lights, almost light sabers, forming X's in their yards. When we later inquired, we learned these were to attract crickets that then fell into collecting sheets. Yes, we saw crickets for sale on the street. No, I'm sorry, I didn't pop any of the jumpy critters into my mouth.

Tom took us safely to our lovely hotel and said, "I'd love to be your driver for the week." Perfect. Already taken care of.

Inside the stunning hotel, already missing our gracious Jenny from Hanoi, we were greeted by T. (As the languages in this area of the world are very hard for our western mouths to form, people often choose nicknames to share with English speakers.) T greeted us warmly, presented us with ideas of things to do, went over a map of the area with us and gave us a refreshing icy mint drink. Again, well taken care of by some wonderful people. When the wifi password to your hotel is "sinceresmile," you realize you are in the right spot.

Our room here is a suite with a living room area, a balcony, along with a full tub, shower and toilet all in separate rooms, and double sinks, and it's cheaper than many of the roadside hotels at home. We, once again feel like royalty. After discussing some plans for the next day and reading some reviews online we chose a cooking class and a boat ride nearby. We asked T to make the reservations for us and then we went out for a few hours.

The next morning, dependable Tom was there to pick us up. He took us to a cooking class, although it was not the one we had asked T to reserve. He double checked and we were in fact at the place she had planned. A little frustrated, we went inside. Quickly reading the brochure and looking at Trip Advisor, we found that the two were very comparable. Charlie, our resident chef had a great laugh and seemed very genuine when he spoke. Our only other classmates were nine Aussies: five teachers and four students in a volunteering vacation of sorts. Marisa, the principal of the small school, told me that it was a school for students with a diagnosed mental disorder whether ADHD, autism, anxiety or anger management. The public school had just over fifty students, only seven or eight per class. What an incredible concept to make sure that students of varying needs get exactly what they need. The students were selected from their school and were here volunteering with a non-profit. They built a house, worked at the primary schools, visited an orphanage as well as making it to some of the sights. The middle and high schoolers lit up when we asked them about their favorite parts. Each loved the volunteer work and the connections they had made with local people. What an incredible gift; what an incredible experience for them!

And as for the cooking class, it was grand! I've discovered that when someone else purchases all the ingredients, washes and chops them, then cleans up after you, cooking is really quite simple. Charlie started by leading us through the market. It was not quite as fragrant as the one in Bangkok, but eye opening nevertheless. Sections of fresh fruits and vegetables were mixed in with spices, meats and fish. The flies and ants scattered about made the meats less appetizing. Whole fish were sold seperately, in jars or on skewers. I watched where I stepped and glanced another way anytime the knife fell, hoping to avoid seeing things I did not want to see.

Our first dish was spring rolls. Those were fun to make, delicious and will be fun to customize at home! 

Our next dish was a local cuisine of amok fish (amok referring to the spices, not the type of fish). Using these fresh ingredients, Charlie had already made a curry for us to use in the dish:

 

A plethora of other spices and sauces went into the pan along with carrots, onions, cabbage, mushroom and amok leaf. The dish was quite tasty, not spicy, but full of flavor, and they gave us excellent tools for presenting it in a beautiful way.

Our last course was fried bananas in passion fruit and coconut milk. A banana dessert is typically at the top of my list of favorite desserts, and this one did not disappoint. We fried bananas cut in half lengthwise that were still in the peel for just a few minutes until they were a golden brown perfection. 

After each course, Charlie would ask, "you want to yum yum now or later?" We always responded with now, and we enjoyed our meals while visiting with the students and patient teachers. They told us they'd be working at a yogurt shop that evening, so we said we'd try to stop by.

Faithful Tom was there to pick us up. He told us that he'd be happy to take us to the boat ride that afternoon, but he had recently had some customers that had done that boat ride and had been really disappointed. He offered for a cheaper price to take us to a lotus farm and a floating village where we could have a private boat tour. Sure, why not trust in Tom.

After a swim in our lovely pool and refreshing ourselves, we set out to enjoy the countryside. Homes here are a very different quality than what we are used to. Many are more what we would call shacks, but the people seem happy and content. They are stand alone homes, some with four walls, some with three. Many of the homes we saw on this trip were on stilts so as to avoid flooding.

We stopped at a lotus farm where one of the national symbols is grown, looking a lot like what I would call a lily. Small huts with hammocks were scattered about where visitors to the lotus farm could spend an afternoon away from the sun. And did you know that you could eat the fruit of a lotus? Me neither. After the flower had bloomed, the fruit inside it grows in a green seed pod and you can eat the small green pieces in the center of the fruit. They were actually quite tasty!

While wandering the lotus farm, I recognized a young man who worked at our hotel. He approached us and said he heard where we were going for the afternoon and wanted to join us to shoot a video. And now, let me introduce So, an energetic, ambitious young man in his first year of college studying English and political science who spends his spare time traveling, making videos and volunteering. I can't tell you how thankful I am that he joined us for he answered so many questions for us, shot a video of our day (that I've seen but don't have) and was a great tour guide. He dreams of seeing snow one day, is traveling solo to Thailand in a few weeks and loves traveling to each of the provinces of Cambodia to meet people, learn about them and make videos that he shares online. He wants to be a politician when he grows up, and he's the perfect example of people this country (and we) need leading. Cambodia's government is set up much like the UK's with a king, prime minister and parliament made up of House of Commons and House of Lords. Since you can be in the House of Commons at a younger age, that is So's desire. He mentioned something about the country's violent past, and we felt incredibly ignorant knowing very little. You may know more, but in case you didn't, here is what I learned from So and my travel book. The ancient Khmer empire was a huge, powerful dynasty. The city of Angkor (more on that when I talk about the temples), at its height, had over a million citizens while at the same time, London was home to about 50,000. The Khmer empire fell, Cambodia was colonized by the French, won her freedom in the 1950s and was then used during the Vietnam war as "hiding," sneak attack or holding ground. Soon after that, in the 1970s (yes, just before my birth), the country fell under a ruler with extreme views who wanted to create an "equal" society, yet in doing so, it was a genocide with forced slavery. Almost two million Khmer people were killer, most of whom were the wealthy and the well educated. Those who weren't killed were forced into long, hard labor. Angelina Jolie has recently directed a film about this time, based on a biography I had on my list, First they Killed My Father. I hope to find that soon after my return.

But, I digress... our next stop was a floating village, in ways similar to the ones we saw in Vietnam, but in some ways very different. We we ushered onto a private boat, a long narrow boat with about ten seats and a cover to block some of the hot sun. We traveled on a muddy river where floating houses lined both shorelines. Most of the people here made their money from fishing, but rather than being fish farms of sorts that we saw in Vietnam, each day these people would go out to catch fish in the deeper water, sometimes setting traps overnight. They have a school, a church, a supermarket, police and even an electronic repair shop all in their floating village.

So was a great tour guide. He was just as excited as we were to see these places, but he already knew much more about them than we did. He laughed at our ignorance several times, like when we asked how people moved their houses and he cheekily said, "the water." Or the time I smiled as his camera aimed at me and he said, "it's not a photo." Using his camera, his GoPro and his drone, he got a variety of great shots of the afternoon.

We stopped at a crocodile farm where Cambodian crocodiles are caught, then kept and raised for food or their skins. The rickety boards that we walked on above the sharp-toothed beasts was very reassuring. So said Cambodia still had crocodiles, but he laughed when we asked if they were in the water we were traveling on. When we asked where they came from, he just said water like this. Not completely reassuring, but he seemed confident in his answer.

We enjoyed a lovely, peaceful drive home where we continued to drill So with questions, and he patiently and eagerly answered them all. Seeing the world by tuk tuk is really quite pleasant. Picture a golf cart, or perhaps small carriage being pulled by a scooter. It is open air, but moves fast enough to create a pleasant breeze.

Back just in time, we headed to the yogurt shop to see the students we had met that day. They were out front of Project Y, dancing and passing out yogurt samples, thrilled to see some familiar faces. We met some Khmer students also working there, but more on that in a moment. Delicious flavors of Australian frozen yogurt with great toppings made for a healthy dinner.

It began raining heavily, so we went upstairs to enjoy the yogurt and were soon greeted by the teachers who were thrilled to see us again. We also got to meet Aviv Palti, an amazing man whom I was honored to meet. Since he arrived and sat with the teachers, I asked how he was connected to the school. He said, "do you have a few minutes?" About ten years ago, Aviv and his family came to Cambodia from Australia on a volunteering trip, the brainchild of his then 14-year-old-daughter. They worked in the schools, and fell in love with the people. He said it best when he said, "they are like what human kind should be like." He's right, these resilient people have incredible genuine qualities, kind smiles and optimistic spirits. They wanted to do more. His family started a non-profit that would pay for high school and university kids from rural Cambodia to go to school in the city. The kids have to keep up good grades, email consistently with their sponsors and do volunteer work. He said the students are incredible. As they see education as the key to a better life, they work hard on their own. They love going back to do volunteer work with their communities to inspire other young children (we later made the connection with So that this is the group he volunteers with!). The yogurt shop? Well, just one more teaching tool. This non-profit has zero overhead costs. Instead, the students are given different jobs, teaching them important skills. Some are volunteer managers, publicity managers and more. The yogurt shop itself is run entirely by the university students and all of the profits go back into their education. Business professionals from around the world volunteer some of their time to come and speak with the students, and beginning in the next few months, some chosen students will be ambassadors for the organization and travel to other countries to present the non-profit in hopes of making even more connections. I cannot begin to describe how impressed I was (am) with this man and the organization he's started. It costs $1,000 to sponsor a student for a year. If you've got any desire to help in any way, or learn more, or if you ever want to travel in the area and do some volunteer work, get to know this organization more, check out their website: https://www.cambodiaruralschooltrust.org/

And how did Aviv connect with Marisa? Truly a chance meeting that led to a possibility, and a connection between her small school and his organization. He found sponsors to pay for their trip, they raised money for the organization, and those students and teachers will go back with a love of the Khmer people, spreading the word about this nonprofit.

I made connections with a small school in Australian and an organization that helps educate children in Cambodia. I can't wait to see where these connections might lead and the potential impact on my own students. And you know, we wouldn't have made these connections at all if T had booked us on the other cooking class. (She later told us she booked that one because other customers had really enjoyed that one. Thank you, T.)

I am so incredibly thankful for the people we've met on this trip and today was a true highlight.

Bus Boat Bus Debacle

When in Hanoi, Jessica and I asked our friendly hotel clerk, Jenny, to help us book transportation to and from Cat Ba Island. Even though we've just met Jenny, I think we'd trust her with our lives. She's got a beautiful smile, and a warm, caring personality that made us feel instantly comfortable. She had asked us what time we wanted to depart and we said mid-morning. The next day she said, "I think it is better for your health if you leave at 8 so you can relax on the beach in the afternoon." You're right, Jenny, we should escape this hectic city and do that. She told us they'd pick us up here and asked for the address of our hotel in Cat Ba. We signed the receipt and were good to go.

We had paid about half the amount for a private car to pick us up at the airport about forty minutes away, so Jessica and I sort of assumed Jenny had arranged some sort of private car. We should have asked more questions, or perhaps just known better as she did say "bus."

At 8, a crowded minibus arrived to pick us up. We were squeezed onto the back row surrounded by people who eagerly got out to smoke at any stop we made and loud teenagers who were excited to go the beach. Nope, not exactly what we pictured. 

Two hours later we arrived to... where I have no idea as it sort of appeared to just be the end of a road. We were shuffled along with other groups from other buses onto a boat. There is a feeling that accompanies boats, almost a romantic charm that rings inside of me when someone mentions a boat ride. Whether it's a cruise, watching the sunset over the lake, an early morning kayak ride or even a ferry that seamlessly delivers you from place to place. I'm learning that this feeling should not be associated with all boats. The interior of the boat looked more like an airplane with three seats on each side. As Jessica and I were two of the last ones on board, not only were we worried about our luggage toppling off the pile in the back, but we had to squeeze into the last two remaining seats. That's okay, it'll be a nice view. Wrong again. The boat sat low in the water and the windows were sort of grungy. We soon learned why. Thankfully, the windows were closed (why yes, you're right, the airflow was just fine on this humid July day), because the waves crashed well above them blocking all hopes of seeing the gorgeous island we were approaching.

We deboarded to the smell of rotting fish and climbed aboard another bus. This one was much larger, so we were able to spread out. Of course the old, squeaky seats made the hour long journey across the island not quite as pleasant. We asked our adorable guide if the bus would take us to the hotel. She said no, but told us a very cheap price that we should be able to get a taxi to the hotel. 

We were dropped off in the heart of Cat Ba town surrounded by a dozen or so buses at a pier where lots of other boats were bringing in fellow tourists, so we assumed catching a taxi would not be difficult. Jenny had told us the golden rule of Vietnam was to bargain, even for food and even in stores. She had also told us that many taxi drivers will try to scam you, so our feet had been our only taxi so far. Studying the map to book our hotel, I knew it wasn't too far, but I didn't know exactly how far and I was fairly certain it was in the uphill direction. I found a taxi driver and asked how much to our hotel. He said "50,000." Our guide had told us it should be 30,000, so I started there. He didn't meet me half way, he just said no. So, we walked away thinking he'd call us back. Nope, he didn't actually look interested in working as he and his fellow taxi driver friends seemed to be busy telling jokes to one another. We walked on thinking we'd find many more. Guess what, wrong again. One man did lean out his window and yell, "taxi," but as there were no signs of any sort on his car, and visions of Taken flashed in our heads, we said no. Our guide had also told us that the hotel probably had a private car that would come pick us up. So, I tried calling them. During this time, a Vietnamese man put his son by us to get a picture. Yep, I'm sure I had a real thrilled look on my face. Phone lines wouldn't go through. We walked on a bit more and a man with a sticker on the side of the car yelled "taxi." I asked how much and when he responded with "40,000," I forgot the golden rule and we accepted his price. To put things in perspective, that's $1.76, and yes, we should have just paid the first guy.

Jessica and I had really been looking forward to this resort. It was by far the most expensive place we had booked and we were eager to enjoy relaxing there. So, when the taxi delivered us to a beach bar that could have easily been related to the FloraBama, I repeated the name of our hotel with a question. He pointed and so, hearts sinking, we exited the taxi. Just around the bend in the path, about 100 meters away we arrived at our beautiful resort eager to chill after the four and a half hour journey.

The next day, we began thinking about how we would get back home. Jenny had booked our return trip and had asked for our hotel address, so surely that was all we needed, right? But, we had no paperwork indicating what company was to pick us up nor proof of purchase should they question us. We had seen  bus times advertised saying they left town at 8, 9, 11, 4 and 5, but we were told they'd pick us up at 3. We were able to text (yep, free texts) to our hotel in Hanoi and they confirmed 3pm pick up at our hotel in Cat Ba.

So, we relaxed for a couple more days on the beach, up until 2:30 before our departure, then, with bated breath, waited where our taxi had dropped us off. We watched lots of people passing back and forth, knowing exactly what they were doing. Some were climbing the narrow hillside road from the beach, many were flocking down the hill ready for the beach. A private car for our hotel came down to the narrow parking lot and took some other tourists. We waited, fingers crossed for our ride. A man hurried down the hill, approached us and said, "I'm looking for Jessica and Rebecca." Yes!!! A huge sigh of relief came over us, despite the fact that the minibus had stopped at the top of the hill (it couldn't make it into the narrow parking lot at the bottom of the hill) which meant we were dragging all of our belongings a couple hundred meters up a steep hill.

Our ride back to Hanoi was much more pleasant than our ride to Cat Ba for several reasons. 1) We knew what to expect and so odd occurances did not bother us as much. 2) The bus, boat and bus were not quite as crowded, so we were able to spread out a bit. 3) Our fellow travelers were much more pleasant and not as loud.

I thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride from the boat to Hanoi. Not only did I finish my audiobook, The Book Thief, but the sights were beautiful, tranquil and seemingly idealistic. Much of our ride was on a highway, but just off the highway were extensive farm lands. There were farms growing banana trees, citrus fruits and vines unknown to me. A young man drove down the narrow road alongside the highway peacefully, putting his feet up on the handlebars as he laid back on his scooter. Men with small herds of ten or twenty cows walked along or let the cows nibble in the uncut triangles formed at intersections. One young cow put his head against his guide asking for a scratch. There were what appeared to be graveyards or large groups of small, brightly colored temples in grassy wetlands, reminding me of the famous cemeteries in New Orleans. Small ponds, like catfish ponds at home, were overflowing with white ducks. I must have seen thousands of these ducks along the way. Their life seemed happy, but my guess is that changes when they are put into tight cages and driven down the highway on the back of a motorbike. One man rode a bike as he herded a hundred or so goats down the narrow road.

One of the most fascinating things to me has been the rice fields. I have loved watching diligent farmers growing their rice with careful attention. Flying into Ireland, it looks like a giant green quilt with tracts of land broken into smaller pieces by fences. Here, although not always green, the rice fields give that same sort of effect. The rice fields are shallow, most farmers have on rain boots and that is more than adequate to protect them from getting too wet. In between these fields is tracts of piled dirt, packed tight forming sort of dams as well as walking paths between the multitiude of rice fields. I've watched farmers in a variety of stages of the planting. Some are hoeing through a muddy field, preparing the soil for planting. Some are planting bright green stalks in spaced out rows (transplanting rather than seed planting). Some seem to be breaking up seedbeds where the green plants are close to one another, preparing them to be transplanted.

There I was, mystified by the surroundings and in a nice, comfortable state. Our guide tells us that we won't be dropped at our hotels, but at the lake in the Old Quarter. No problem, that's just a few blocks from our hotel. He gets off early and says the driver will take us there. A few minutes later the driver stops on the side of a major road and tells us all to get off. We are not by a lake. We are not even in the Old Quarter as that's easy to identify with narrow roads and tight spaces. A taxi driver approaches us, and although we knew we were about to be ripped off, we had no clue where we were, so we told him where we were staying. It took a few minutes but he figured it out. Then he said taxis could not go into the Old Quarter. Okay. And yes, since we are not at a tourist attraction nor even a bus station, there seems to be no other choice but to walk and see what we can find.

Did I mention that on our way into the city, it had gotten dark? Not just because the sun had recently set but because the clouds had also settled in. Don't worry, it lit up frequently with lightening. There we were, luggage in tow, in the rain and we had no clue where we were. I turned on my cellular data for about two minutes to use GPS (we'll see what that costs later), but we were able to quickly orient ourselves. Turned out the driver dropped us off just outside the Old Quarter, but still about three quarters of a mile from our hotel. Yes, I know that's not that far, but in the rain, slippery flip flops, a bag on front and on back, scooters parked on the sideways and going every which way on the roads, it felt like an eternity. And I can't tell you how many taxis we also had to navigate our way through, so as for no taxis in the Old Quarter, I don't know.

We did however make it, looking like drowned rats no doubt, and there was Jenny there to greet us with that incredible smile on her face. She asked if they had just dropped us off around the corner. When we told her where they had left us, she was quite upset and said she'd be calling them in the morning. Ah, precious Jenny. Coming back to the Golden Legend sort of felt like coming home.

Were our travel days all that bad? No. Will they be fun stories to tell later? Absolutely. Did we feel stronger, braver and more adventurous after making it through them? Absolutely. What did we learn? Ask more questions, or just take your Dramamine and go along for the ride.

Island Life

I've spent much of my time over the past four days under a cabana, listening to the sounds of waves, reading and people watching. I regret absolutely none of it.

Wednesday and Friday of this week were of basically the same schedule. We slept late, loaded up on beautiful fruits and sweet breads (and even cookies!) at the breakfast buffet and then walked the fifty feet or so from the door of our beachfront bungalow to our cabana and cushioned chairs on the beach. We got up to order drinks from the bar or snacks to nibble on that were delivered to us beachside. The beach sweepers often spent time sweeping away trash and "ocean trash" to keep the beach pure and sandy. Sometimes overcast skies brought rain, but our thatched roofs protected us and we didn't have to budge. The private beach is only somewhat...seemingly during some hours of the day. At times, there are only twenty or so guests on the beach with us and at times it looks like Gulf Shores on the 4th of July. Throngs of tourists (mostly Vietnamese) have filled the beach at times, but the people watching and culture-observing it has provided has been well-worth the occasional crowd.

All other countries we've visited here, it has been the low-tourism season. Here, Vietnamese children are recently out of school and it is the high season. We've loved watching and observing people from afar. We are far from the only white people here, but we are certainly in the minority. We had heard rumors that people would randomly stop on the street and want to snap a photo with us. Thinking those who had shared that rumor were exaggerating, seeing nothing of that in Hanoi, fresh off the bus-boat-bus in Cat Ba, a man placed his ten-year old son next to us and took a photo. We witnessed this on the beach as well. The Vietnamese women seem to be very conservative. Mimi, our food tour guide, had told us that women here don't like to dress in sexy or revealing ways as people may think they have a "bad profession" as she called it. We have been hard pressed to find a Vietnamese woman in a bikini. If they are, many remain in shorts or a cover up. Many women even swim in shorts or swimming suits of sorts that cover the shoulders and certainly stomachs. The men on the other hand have been a bit less conservative. No, not a ton of speedos, but short swimming trunks, occasional shirts just rolled up when wandering about and large silver chains around their necks. We've watched groups of grown men playing soccer, trying diving tricks into the waves and piling sand onto one another's bodies. Groups of women or families all in matching attire have spend well beyond a half-hour trying to accomplish the perfect photo.

We've both enjoyed a lot of time for reading as well as people watching. I finished Anna and the King of Siam. It was a bit of a slow starter, and I was often lost during some of the political and diplomatic chapters, but the overall story was truly inspirational. It has been years since I have seen The King and I or Anna and the King, but after reading some information online, it seems the latter was much more accurate. (Of course, there's no reason to cast aside "Getting to Know You.") Anna was an incredible young woman, in her late twenties for most of the story, whom, after being widowed accepted a job as the governess to the king of Siam's children. (Siam is now Thailand.) She educated his many children, many of the women in the harem, and even some of their slaves. She also worked side by side with the king, translating letters and documents. While he was certainly not deprived of charm, nor of feeling, he often acted as a spoiled child. He was quick with his temper which sometimes resulted in imprisonment and even execution. Anna, known to many as the White Angel, worked to free many of these people punished unfairly. She helped to free slaves. Sometimes the king would listen to her and meet her demands, but sometimes he became frustrated with her. Nevertheless, her good-heart and stubborn nature meant she stood up to the king more than just about anybody else around. Her greatest accomplishment may have been in having five years to teach the king's son, Siam's future king. The love and admiration for Lincoln was shared with him, and he understood the cruelty of slavery. In his reign, prostration (the act of "lessers" constantly throwing themselves on the ground) was abolished, religious freedom was granted and slavery was made illegal. As a teacher, this sort of impact on the world was truly inspirational to read.

On Thursday, we booked an all day cruise to get out and see more of the area. We did this almost begrudgingly, wanting to ensure that we had time to relax and also escape crowds of people. After reading reviews, we found a boat that took about twenty passengers and advertised that it went to non-touristy places. Perfect. It was a large boat, so we had plenty of space to spread out. There were a couple Canadians on board, a Russian, but the majority of the others were from Belgium and Denmark, proficient in a multitude of languages, apologizing when they spoke to one another in their common tongue rather than a language we understood. Much of the boat ride was riding around the 365 limestone islands in this area. They were truly stunning, and I was infinitely sorry that I had cautiously left my good camera back in the room.

I was also utterly fascinated by the fishing villages we saw, a real separate culture only a short boat ride away from the main island. These people spend almost the entirety of their lives on these floating houses surrounded by squared off patches, as a gardener might have, but these patches dip into the sea and are surrounded by nets where they grow fish. Some catch and raise crabs, others jellyfish, shark, squid and a variety of fish. Many catch large groupers that they keep at the house because it is a lucky fish. We went in one home where they pulled up the floorboards to show us the "monster" they keep there as luck. Our guide showed us the school where no one goes because it is difficult for them to get there, but also because many don't see it necessary. They marry at the age of 13 or 14, and are happy to go ahead and start their own family, they worship the Mother Ocean who provides everything to them. We even saw a small temple they visit to worship her and make offerings to her. A fresh water boat and a supermarket boat makes regular visits to the villages. The people do make trips to town to the supermarkets, but our guide says the locals can easily tell who these people are based on their clothing and that they are often treated differently and looked down upon. We were also surprised to see dogs on almost every floating home, many no bigger than a dock with narrow planks surrounding the fish "gardens." The dogs (and even a few cats) are kept there to scare away the birds who find easy prey in the fish nets. This amazingly unique culture was fascinating to see.

Also on our boat tour, we got to enjoy swimming in the very salty warm waters, away, our guide promised us, from the massive jellyfish we had passed.

Another appealing aspect of this cruise was the cave kayaking it promised! We stopped at one of the fishing homes that seemed to diversify their living by also renting kayaks out for the day. Here, we piled two by two into kayaks and cruised around the lovely limestone islands covered in tropical green while unsuccessfully looking for monkeys. We entered one cave with danger signs. 

Our guide told us that during low tide we could go far in, but as it was high tide we could only go a hundred meters or so in. It was easy to see why. After turning a narrow corner, we had to duck under stalagmites that hugged the ceiling and bats that flitted about the almost completely darkened den. At times there was no room to use our paddles so we had to use our hands to grip the cave walls to move along. The other caves we entered were more tunnels that took us to enclosed lagoons, hidden gems. 

Very pleased with our outing for the day, we returned the next day to our beach cabana with reading, naps and people watching. My bum barely moved from the chair until the nearly full moon began to dance on the water. 

We haven't ventured into the water much here, in part as the breeze has kept the air very comfortable and there hasn't been a great need to get our skin salty. We've also seen a fair amount of people come out of the water complaining of bites and stings.

Our accomodations here have been nice, while also a bit odd. We admit that our first beach stay in Railay Beach spoiled us as the price was incredibly reasonable and the room incredibly nice. We are thankful here to have our own, ocean view bungalow just feet from the breakfast room, the bar where we've eaten dinner overlooking the moon on the waves and of course the beach.

 The bungalow is nice, relatively simple with its own front "porch," but the bathroom is a bit odd. It is attached to the bungalow, and while mostly covered, it is basically outside with a rock floor. Thankfully, they provided us with shower shoes! As has been the custom in many of our bathrooms, the shower is just a part of the bathroom, rather than its own section. In some ways, I really like this. Many European showers are ones you can barely turn around in, so this is a nice change. Our shower here has actually had some of the best pressure of our whole trip, and it comes from a coconut with water that is pumped through bamboo pipes. 

And I can't forget about our massages! The masseuses came to us under our own cabana on the beach. We have enjoyed massages in each country and decided each one deserved our fair treatment. This one certainly got bonus points for being on the beach, but it was also the toughest massage we've had so far. We both felt a bit beat up afterward, and if the man had looked more like James Bond, I may have thought his neck pop was a move to try and break my neck instead. Nevertheless, it was relaxing addition to our beach retreat.

Cat Ba certainly has more to offer than we saw. There's a national park there, a viewpoint that was used during the war and a town. However, the town seemed as busy as Hanoi, just smaller and we were eager to escape that. As for climbing to viewpoints, well, I could say that the questionable skies kept us away, but it was rather the desire to chill that kept us on the beach, and you know, I'm glad that we did.