keziad

It's definitely been awhile since I posted but it is much more difficult to find fast (and affordable!) internet in Thailand! I still haven't seen anywhere I can post photos so I guess that will have to wait until I get home on Tuesday. The beaches in Thailand are definitely beautiful but they are nothing if not hard to get to! We said a sad goodbye to Ann Candler in Bangkok and she took off for JAX while we boarded a flight to Krabi. Carlos bought the wrong plane ticket (a common problem for he and I on this trip!) so he was scheduled to take the flight later that day. Kimika, Jason and I arrived in Krabi and found out that we then had to get on a crosstown bus, then a small mini-van, then ... read more

So if Laos was 180 degrees different than Cambodia, then Vietnam is another 180 degrees different from both of them. Although I know that's not really possible, there is no other way to describe it. A good example of this is the cows in Cambodia are really sad. They're skinny and walk around with their heads down as if they are as depressed as many of the country's people. The cows in Laos are still thin but they look much healthier and don't have the same forlorn appearance as those in Cambodia. Still, the cows in Vietnam seem by far the happiest. They are by no means fat, but the bulls look much more like the front of a Red Bull can - robust and healthy. So the animal is the same-same (as they say in ... read more

First of all, I'm so frustrated because I cannot seem to get my camera to upload pictures anywhere here! I wish I could share some photos of where we have been but it may have to wait until I get home... :( I am in love with Siem Reap! The temples were as spectacular as has I had heard, read and seen in pictures. My favorite was definitely Ta Prahm with the enormous trees growing through the temples. It is kind of inconceivable that these trees, nicknamed "the Destroyers," could wreak this much havoc on such a massive structure. Angkor Wat was also spectacular and I fell in love with one of the statues of Vishnu who appeared to be holding all eight of her hands in a thumbs up! Again, I wish I could post ... read more

After a relaxing and uneventful day in Bangkok (and one the best massages I've ever had!), we headed to the airport and our flight to Phnom Penh on Bangkok Air was fantastic! I think the experience even cheered Jason up, who is quite bummed and annoyed that Delta still has not located his bags!! All day yesterday, the news was reporting that the major clashes were ending and the leaders of the red-shirts were surrendering. Apparently the followers are not following suit. While we were waiting for our flight, the BBC reported that the Thai stock exchange was on fire and once we boraded our flight and took off, you could see downtown Bangkok burning in the distance. So apparently things aren't getting better yet... Our arrival in Phnom Penh was really easy except the customs ... read more

Things are getting worse in Thailand so this seems like the perfect time for us to head there, right?!?! It does seem a little crazy to fly to the city that is front page news for major violence right now but we have been reassured over and over that we will be fine at our hotel for our 15 hours or so in Bangkok. I think we're all disappointed that we won't get to see Bangkok but maybe things will have dissipated by the time we pass through at the end of our trip. Today I'm packing up and getting ready for my LONG day tomorrow. The day won't actually end until Tuesday night when we arrive in Asia. I fly out of Wilmington tomorrow morning at 5:30, then connect in Charlotte before I get to ... read more