Brace Yourselves... So before I go any further, we have some exciting and unexpected news. And it doesn't involve cars. I know what you're thinking. I can see the wheels in your mind spinning and the look of shock and surprise on your faces. And yes, it is true. Our family is growing! It certainly wasn't planned. But poor Hungry has been so lonely lately, so miserable stuffed inside a dark purse all day...we decided it was time. Time to get him some friends. So without any further ado, I would like to introduce you to the newest members of the Rogers clan...Rebel the black sheep, and Haka, the kiwi bird! (Come on, admit it...we got you!) Our final day in Auckland was spent touring the national museum (right down the street from our guesthouse). I ... read more

Malaysian Satay Skewers: $17 Singapore Dollars Two Singapore Slings: $48 Singapore Dollars Malaysian Satay Skewers and Two Singapore Slings in the Ambiance of the 1920’s Raffles Hotel Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was invented: Priceless! Our final day in Singapore was spent dodging rain and hiding indoors. We headed for Orchard Road, a famous shopping district, and found ourselves at a showing of the new movie 2012 (one of the worst movies of the year, for sure)…but hey, it killed a couple hours on a rainy afternoon (stupid monsoons!). The day was saved by the aforementioned drinks and appetizers at Raffles Hotel, a gorgeous icon in the center of town where relics like Hemingway and Chaplin once sat and kicked back the delicious cocktail consisting of gin, cherry brandy, cointreau, pineapple juice, grenadine, and bitters. ... read more

Well, this has got to be a first. Jeremy is out on a lovely sunny afternoon, our last in Siem Reap, shopping and getting a massage. I am sitting in our nice cold hotel room, exhausted, worn-out, and fighting (possibly) another head-cold. And before you ask, "That jerk! Why isn't he there taking care of you?" let me assure you that I sent him out willingly after barely staying awake through lunch. I'm not the best of company today, I guess, and I wish I had more energy for our final day here. But alas, I think road-weariness is finally creeping up on me... But enough of that. You didn't open this blog to listen to me mope and complain. We had a fantastic two days prior to this one (hence the reason I'm so worn ... read more

Step aside, Great Wall. Get out of here, Yangshuo. Move down the list, Ha Long Bay. You've been demoted, Summer Palace. We have a sight that beats them all, a sight that is really too fantastic to put into words. It trumps all else we've seen in Asia, and honestly, it trumps most ancient sights I've seen anywhere else in the world. The fantastic thing is, this sight was buried in the jungle for the better part of a MILLENIUM, completely unknown to the outside world until a little French man "stumbled" upon it back in the 1800's. Wars and civil strife in the country made it inaccessible to tourists, even when restoration work had been going on for a century. But now...for the last fifteen years or so, any and all are welcome to Cambodia ... read more

Before I launch into Saigon, I want to update everyone on our itinerary, as we just booked the rest of our flights last night, since we are (sadly) nearing the end of our Asian campaign. On Sunday we will be catching a bus over the border of Cambodia and going directly to Siem Reap, the town bordering the famous Angkor Wat temples. We will spend almost a week there touring the temples before catching a flight down to Singapore for two nights. After that we're hopping a flight to Sydney, Australia, for 3 days, before our final flight to Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday December 5th. We would love to see more of Australia, but right now our dollar to theirs is extremely weak, and it's an expensive country to begin with, so we're hoping that ... read more