worth a thousand words...cambodia

The Butterfly Garden is a restaurant that buys butterflies from local kids as a way for them to make a bit of money for their families and to encourage them to stay in school. We got to watch the kids come and release their butterflies into the restaurant while we were eating. The restaurant also trains older teenagers in the kitchen giving them some vocational skills. Many graduates of this program go on to have a successful career, which is an opportunity they otherwise wouldn't have had.

This is the local "gas station!" Most motor bike drivers will stop and fill up their tanks at places like this. I thought it was odd to see a little girl just hanging out on the barrel of fuel eating a snack.

A monkey at Angkor Wat. I spent 4 days exploring the temples and they were truly amazing!!

This little girl was so adorable! She was at the Butterfly Restaurant releasing her butterflies.

Cambodia has a pretty recent and intense history of civil war and genocide. These are just 2 of the 8 levels of skulls excavated at the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh.

I got the chance to experience some alternative medicine. I got a procedure called cupping done on my back. It is done by creating a vacuum on the back using a flame and a glass jar. The jars are placed on specific points on the body, depending on your ailment. Other people do it just to invigorate themselves and increase blood flow. I'm not sure mine was done correctly, however, because I found out later I was at a "happy ending" massage place that happened to do cupping as well! But don't worry, no happy endings here!

I spent a week volunteering at a center for street children in Siem Reap. It was one of my best weeks spent traveling! The kids are so beautiful. There is so much need in Cambodia and it was nice to be able to give a little, even though I wish it could have been more. Volunteering gave me a little bit more of an inside peek at local Khmer people and their lives.

I love this picture!! I think the big balloons and her skinny long legs are a funny combination!

Ta Prohm, one of the many temples of Angkor Wat. This one is where Tomb Raider was shot at. It is really overgrown with huge trees. Although there are always a ton of tourists, it feels like you are discovering something new because of all the overgrowth. The temples aren't blocked off at all, which is cool too.

Taking a break in the rain...

worth a thousand words...Laos

Laos was the country where I grew accustomed to seeing monks every day. These three rode with us on the slow boat from the border of Laos to Luang Prubang. At first I had urges to takes pictures of every monk I saw, but then I got used to seeing them around all the time. You begin to notice how annoying it is when everyone stops to take pictures of every monk they see. Yep, I was one of "those" people for about a week, but at least I can admit it. I also found it strange to see monks smoking; which I happened upon a lot. Weird, right? I learned that it is a common practice in Laos for men to serve in a monastery for two years and then resume their normal lives.
These are the type of boats we road in for two days to Luang Prubang. They are nicknamed slow boats for a reason! Luckily, the scenery during our boat trip was breathtaking! It was also a nice distraction to have a poker game going on in the back of the boat.
Sorry I can't rotate this picture. I uploaded this at a Korean PC room and I can't figure out the Korean word for "rotate". I tried, though, believe me! =o) These little girls are two of the many children that sell little trinkets and birds, to "set free" when you get to a temple, as a blessing to whomever you worship. What most people don't realize is that their wings are clipped and they are recaught after you leave and sold again.
Laos seriously was one of the most stunning countries in terms of scenery for me. This is the view I had from my hostel in Vang Vieng at sunset. Add a day of tubing, caving, or lounging in a hammock to this view and you can't go wrong!

The waterfall in Luang Prubang! I've seen quite a few waterfalls on my trip, but this one takes the cake! After hiking all the way to the top I jumped in the top pool for a swim. As I swam over to the edge of the first pool I was in awe as I saw the waterfall cascading down the mountain, forming 16 seafoam green pools as it fell. People were swimming in various pools and the sun was giving off the perfect light. It didn't seem real. This picture is at the pool at the very top of the falls.

Here is a another waterfall! I actually had another video of one more waterfall, but it didn't upload correctly. I'll try again soon.

So that's it for Laos. This task of 5 pictures gets harder with every country. Keep checking for Cambodia pics soon!

worth a thousand words... Thailand

Hey everyone! Since I'm feeling hopelessly behind on updating everyone on all my experiences with my travels in the last four months, I've decided to let some pictures do the talking. It became clear to me how much writing I would have to do to "fill everyone in" on my experiences while at dinner with a friend the other night. She asked me the simple question, "How was your trip?" I gave her a two hour answer! So, in an effort to make things "short and sweet" I'm going to post 5 of my favorite pictures from each country visited on this trip (which ended up being much harder than expected) and attempt to write a few things about them each. I also have some really random videos that I am going to try really really hard to upload in the next few days!
Sairee Beach in Koh Tao at sunset... the tide is going out and everyone is coming in for the day.
This is view Morgan and I woke up to from our bungalow at the organic farm we worked at in Pai. We got up at 5:45 a.m. everyday to help load soy bean hay from other farmers fields to use as fertilizer for the fields in our farm. It's not so bad waking up that early when this is what you see!
" "Making" rice at the organic farm. I never realized how much work it takes to shell/husk rice until I actually did it myself. It took 4 of us about 3 hours to prepare enough rice for a week or so. We did it the "old-fashioned" way, which obviously takes longer, but gives you much respect for the people that have prepared it that way for years, or who still prepare it this way for lack of better equipment. This lady is separating the shells of the rice from the actual grains. She throws the rice up and the wind takes the husks away, leaving the grains for us to eat!
I love parades! This was a special ceremony that we ran into on the street. I can't remember what it was for, but I know that all the little boys get dressed up in makeup. I really enjoyed all the random things I stumbled upon while traveling.

This is Pe, the owner of the Car Bar in Koh Tao. This was my favorite place on the island. His bar is made out of an old VW band. Everyone is welcome; to drink, play connect four, or just chill. I was lucky enough to get to Koh Tao twice and see Pe and stop at the CarBar again!
This is the truck we used to collect the soy bean hay. We've gotten that hay piled so high I was scared to ride on top at times! I've gotten to see a side of Thailand most travelers don't experience. Driving through the backroad farmland in northern Thailand and seeing how people lived was an insightful view of local life.

Saturday Night Fever

if only i had moves like this... =o)

just to lower your heart rates... =o)

Hello everyone! I know I've been M.I.A. lately in the blogging world. I'm just writing a quick post to let you all know I'm alive and well. The last month and a half has been a blur of activities and poor internet connections. I'm now back in Korea, working at my old school for a few months. I will do my best to update you all on the last month or so of my travels and post some pics and videos (soon, i hope!)

I'm subbing for the new Koala class at my school. Here we are at the Blue House, where the president of Korea lives.

oh say can you see

I love Vietnam! While sitting in a park in Saigon, we met a Vietnamese man that wanted to practice his English with us. We took him to dinner and met a German man and a Chinese man sitting together eating soup on the street. We joined them and got a concert by the Chinese man. He happened to know a ton of national anthems...here is ours. And yes, we do have cd's for sale!

peace and blessings

"I thought you were just being nice..." I trailed off, confused. Who says that to a monk!?

Yep, it was me. I was walking down the street one morning and a monk handed me a card. It was gold and it looked like a bookmark. She says to me, "Take this card and receive peace and blessings."

"Thank you!" I exclaim. What a nice gesture if only everyone was this nice in the mornings. She follows me along the road asking me where I'm from...the standard travel questions. She then hands me a pad of paper and asks me to sign it. I see a slot for a name and then a slot for an amount of money donated. She wanted me to donate money for the card! I guess I should have expected a donation would have been wanted, but she caught me completely off guard!

I tried explaining that I didn't want to give a donation and that I didn't have any money (I really didn't). She really didn't understand and I didn't wanna be rude. So my tactful response is... " I thought you were just being nice..." I tried handing the card back, but she refuses to take it. After all, you can't really take back peace and blessings after you hand them out, can you? I grabbed the card awkwardly and walked off... what a weird way to start the morning!

On another note, tonight is my last night in Cambodia. We head for Vietnam tomorrow. Morgan, Alexis and I explored the capitol, Pnomh Penh for a few days and then headed south to Sihaunouk Ville for some beach time. We are back in the capitol until we leave for Vietnam.