June 2010
3 posts
So hard to Say Goodbye
Our flight left Phnom Penh around 10:30, but Sriyani must have wanted to torture us because we left the hotel at 6:30. It was really hard to say good bye to her and Tom; they had kind of been like my parents over the last couple of weeks. The worst part was I didn’t (and still don’t) know when I will see them again.
I must say this was the most memorable vacation I have ever taken. It has...
Last Night in Singapore
Our ferry ride back to Singapore was pretty uneventful. They played old-school Mickey Mouse episodes they whole way, so I had some entertainment. Who would have known a 22-year-old “kid” would still love cartoons. Go figure.
Sriyani had to skip our trip to Indonesia because of conflicts with her visa. So she stayed in Singapore to get some work done while we were on the beach. And by work I...
May 2010
39 posts
My skin is fried, just like this hamburger
I finally broke down and decided to take a tuk-tuk ride to dinner that night. Believe me, if you could only see the way the Cambodians drive, you would have been nervous too. But since I’m easily persuaded, I hopped on with the rest of the crew and headed to a little American café. Much to my pleasure, they had cheeseburgers, pizza, spaghetti (American style) and milkshakes. So, like a...
Boating on the Mekong=Sunburn City
When faced with the decision of whether to go boating or spend the day talking about human trafficking, I chose to go boating. Was this the best idea? Yes and no. Yes because it was tons of fun! No because I got a wicked sunburn. Oh well…totally worth it.
Some local Cambodians took us down the Mekong River, the main river in Cambodia. I was a little nervous at first because I was worried...
Good ole free time
We had some free time between the prison and dinner that night, so Tricia and I decided to relax in our room. Thank goodness for American television in Cambodia! We ended up watching “Bringing Down the House,” a Steve Martin and Queen Latifa movie. It was a good relief from the heavy thoughts from the rest of the day. It was good to get a laugh in.
A rough night
After our salon experience, we all headed out to find a restaurant for supper. We settled on a little bistro just around the corner, mostly because there was pizza and cheeseburgers on the menu. However, it wasn’t the food that made it a rough night. It was a very dirty, homeless lady and her young baby sitting on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.
I thought I had seen poverty before that...
"You go across street?"
After we drove to Phnom Penh, said goodbye to tour guide Som and got settled in, I thought it would be a good idea to go to the spa. So, I grabbed a couple of the other girls and we headed to the 1st floor. When we got there, all we saw was a bunch of rubble and rocks everywhere. I was all sorts of confused. Thankfully, there was a hotel guy that had seen us walk in, so he offered to call some...
On the Road Again
Our night at the bungalows came to end and we headed off to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. We stopped in a French-colonial town called Kompong Cham. Since France occupied Cambodia until 1953, it wasn’t too surprising to see some of the Western buildings.
We visited another small temple called Wat Nokor in the heart of Kompong Cham. The temple was really very cool, but I was way more...
the morning after...part 3
After my great sleep under the mosquito net, I had the most relaxing shower of my life! I know some of my readers obviously don’t want to read about my showers, but this one was worth writing about.
The shower was on a lower level than the bathroom floor and was made of some kind of natural, yellow stone. There was a small window in the shower (with frosted glass), so the natural night came...
The Simple Life...kind of
We spent the night in a village called Kompong Thom. It was considerably smaller than Siem Reap (where we came from) and Phnom Penh (where we were headed). We made it to the hotel, which was a grouping of small little bungalows, complete with mosquito nets. At first, I thought, “Are you kidding me? This is going to freaking suck.” But after a swim, I decided to lighten up and give it a...
"I'm not eating that."
Lunch left very little to the imagination. I did very well adapting to the abundance of fish and rice, but this was the meal that completely pushed me over the edge. We pulled up to a little restaurant and headed into our gazebos for lunch. The rice was no surprise, thank goodness, but the second course definitely was a shock. Out comes this whole fish; eyes, teeth, head, tail and bones still...
Wat Nokor
That morning, we left Siem Reap. I was a little nervous about what could be in store for us the next couple of days. But, like a champ, I jumped on the bus with my Dramamine and a smile. We stopped at Sambor Prei Kuk, a smaller temple on the way to Kompong Thom. (Say it out loud, it’s funny!)
As we reached the temple, I immediately noticed the flock of kids that surrounded the bus. This, of...
Pizza!!!
After nothing but fish and rice for the last several days, I was ready for some good, wholesome, American food. And what is better than pizza?!?
While some of the rest of the group headed back to the night market, Bridget, Hilary, Tawny and I stayed at the hotel for some blogging and American food. It was nice to have a night off with the girls, but I must admit I was a little jealous when...
Silk Factory
That afternoon, a small group of us headed to the silk factory just outside of Siem Reap. While we were there, we got to see the entire process of silk making. We got to see everything from the worms to the finished products.
My favorite part was watching the ladies extracting the silk from the cocoons. She just sat at her chair and stirred a bucket full of water and cocoons. Somehow (I’m...
The bright spot on a dark day
After the boat ride, we wandered into one of the small villages. This was the first time we had been into a market and not gotten swarmed by kids trying to sell us homemade scarves and table runners. Though it was nice to be free of the hecklers, we were faced with a different kind of bother…poverty, everywhere. Then I saw her.
She couldn’t have been older than 2 with a little ponytail on top...
Floating Village
I’m not really sure what I was expecting to see when we visited the floating village. Maybe and island full of markets like the ones in Siem Reap, but that’s definitely not what we saw. Instead, this was the first day I saw just how impoverished the Cambodian people really are. The boat ride was enjoyable, but I couldn’t believe how dirty everything was around me. The river was the same color...
More Temples
Our second day of temple visits was just as interesting as the first. First we went to Banteay Srei, a smaller temple just outside of Siem Reap. The overall appearance of the place was not as grand as the intricate details of the stone carvings on the interior. It was a good warm up for the rest of the day.
Dinner Theatre
Our tour guide, Som, took us to a Cambodia buffet, complete with dinner and a show. There were about 20 dancers and a live band that entertained us while we ate our noodles and spring rolls. I guess I should say “everyone else ate.” By this point in the trip, my stomach was not feeling so great and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to eat another bite of fish…ever. So, I ate some of...
"I could go for a washboard right about now"
I finally broke down and decided to do some laundry after the sixth day of our trip. I still had some clean clothes, but my suitcase was starting to smell from all the sweaty ones that had accumulated. So, Tricia I grabbed my Woolite, filled the bathtub and started scrubbing. By the time it was all said and done, our bathtub water was brown and red (because one of my shirts decided to bleed)...
Elephants!!!
Our Angkor Thom excursion lasted most of the afternoon. But the evening brought one of my favorite parts of the trip (so far). ELEPHANTS!!!
We had the option to ride an elephant up a mountain for the sunset that evening, but it was kind of expensive. So, we walked. BUT, I did love to look at them.
I don’t know what kind of elephants these were, but they had leopard-type spots on their trunks...
The Smiling Buddhas
The entrance to Angkor Thom is lined with demons and gods doing a tug-of-war with a snake. Som, our guide, told us that they have replaced many of the heads of these statues because people steal them and sell them in Thailand for a fancy profit. What and interesting source of income?!?
Once inside, we were greeted by 216 smiling Buddha faces. Som explained to us that each pillar inside the...
Le Grande Cafe...Is that Cambodian?
Our first night in Cambodia was bittersweet. We took our bus to a little café in the downtown, night market of Siem Reap. The café served everything from French food to traditional Cambodian. I was afraid to step too far out of my box, so I ordered fried shrimp and mashed potatoes. It was good, but nothing too special.
For some reason (with nearly every meal), I can’t just stick with my...
Vroom. Fly. Vroom
Cambodia, here we come! Our flight to Siem Reap was uneventful. I do, however, have to mention the food on the Asian airlines…there is always some. Our two-hour flight was complete with a full meal of fish and mashed potatoes. This meal wasn’t as good as the meals on the long flight from L.A. to Tokyo, but oh well.
After we landed on the equator (or at least it felt that way), we headed out of...
Lady, you want tuk-tuk?
After dinner, we all headed out onto the streets to explore the night market. We were immediately surrounded by about a dozen men asking us if we wanted a tuk-tuk ride. First, I should explain tuk-tuks. They are little carts pulled by even smaller scooters. I think it costs US$1 per ride anywhere in the city…a pretty good price, but a little sketchy mode of transportation.
After we escaped the...
Jumbo vs. Clinic
We met up with some UNL Alumni from Singapore later that night for dinner at a seafood place called “Jumbo.” The food was excellent! I enjoyed every single dish, especially the sweet-chili crab. Not only did it taste awesome, it allowed me to get a little dirty. My mom would have been ashamed at my lack of table manners. I’m pretty sure I even had sauce up to my elbows. Who needs napkins...
The White Speedo
Seriously, who ever thought it was appropriate to produce white spandex?!? While we were sitting at the pool, there was an Asian guy in a white, super tiny, Speedo. Enough said.
Sing it, girl!
After our tour of the city, Hilary, Tricia and I decided to venture back to Orchard Road to find some free Internet (since our hotel didn’t have free wireless.) The Internet and tea were awesome, but I have to admit, the cab ride was the best part.
Somewhat unexpectedly, our cab driver was listening to American music. It just so happened that the three of us knew the song. We started with a...
“One, you’re like a dream come true. Two, just want to be with you. Three, girl...”
– Brian McKnight
"Oh Cecile...you're breaking my heart."
Our tour of Singapore was quite the experience. Our tour guide, a little Chinese lady named Cecile, was quite the character. She was always in a hurry and was very aware of the time we were spending at each destination; Little India, China Town, the Merlion Statue and the Botanic Gardens. “Be back to the bus at 11:45, SHARP!” She obviously had no idea that 9 Americans and 2 Sri Lankans=late to...
In Singapore
Hey All,
Sorry for my lack of updates. We have limited Internet access…free access anyway, so my computer time has been very limited.
We have arrived safely and are heading to Cambodia tomorrow.
I haven’t had much jet lag…thank goodness. We spent today on a bus tour of the city, then a couple of friends and I came down to Starbucks to update blogs and send emails.
I already...
"I think I was born into the wrong family."
Most of the evening was spent wandering around Orchard Road, which is the shopping hub of the city. I’m not kidding, there was an Armani, Prada, Dolce and Gabana or Gucci shop on each corner. I’m not sure why, but I felt like I wasn’t good enough to go in those stores. I guess that was probably because I wasn’t very dressed up and my hair was in a bun on top of my head. Oh well, I don’t need...
"if I move here, will you hire me?"
Most of our afternoon was spent at McCann Worldwide, one of the largest and most popular advertising agencies in the world. They have an incredible list of clients, including MasterCard and KFC (yes, they have KFC in Singapore), Lo’real and the first ever Youth Olympics. It was amazing to see the differences and similarities in the style of Singaporean and American ads. The copy from the Youth...
Am I pittin' out?
When we finally arrived in Singapore, I was shocked at the weather. I don’t really want to discuss the weather in my blog, but it’s probably worth noting. It was about 85° and HUMID!!! I don’t really know why I was surprised by this, but I kind of was. Over the next couple of days, I learned three things.
1. It never cools down in Singapore
2. The humidity never goes away
3. ...
road trip? air trip? whatever.
As I am writing this portion of the trip (2 days afterwards) all I can do is recall the moments, feelings and anticipation of leaving for Singapore. I already find my thoughts and memories in a blur. There has been so much activity and “go-go-go” since we left Lincoln, so much that I had to ask Tricia, my roommate, “What did we do yesterday??” She just laughs at me, mostly because it also...
The Next Chapter in the Book Called "Life"
Saturday, May 8, I celebrated my graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While is was a fun and exciting day full of family and friends, I couldn’t help but think of the challenges and experiences to come. I do have some very awesome opportunties coming up, one of which is the basis of this blog, but I am also worried about the job…and the move…and all that...
April 2010
3 posts
The Morning After
I got shot! Twice!! On Monday afternoon, I payed a visit to the University of Nebraska Health Center. Unlike all of my previous visits, this one was voluntary. In preparation for my trip to SE Asia, I had decided to get a few (three, to be exact) vaccinations, just in case.
One thing must be understood. I, a girl with 13 piercings and a rather large tattoo, HATE shots. Why I think they are...
“Are we going to see elephants? I’m way excited about the elephants. ...”
– Janelle Keeler
First Meeting
Getting everything together for the trip…and eating some pizza and a brownie (neither of which is on the diet.)