Off the grid, seriously.

Matt heard about this cool city in Cambodia that foreigners rarely visit, it's supposed to be a hidden gem.  Apparently there is easy access to lots great attractions; bamboo trains, killing fields, and some beautiful Buddhist temples.   So... Matt drug me out of bed EARLY this morning to head to this city (I can't pronounce the name of this place let alone spell it).  After a gruelling four hour bus ride we arrived here...

I was getting a little nervous until we pulled into our resort...

This resort is killer, the accommodations are these great private bungalows.  Currently we are the only guests, so we have the entire place to ourselves!  The cost to say here is ridiculous, as in dirt cheap!  Matt's favorite part is that the resort has a few old school jeeps available for the guest to use, he's stoked to drive through the rice fields tomorrow.   We are off to see nearby sights, including the 'killing fields,' and I am also dying to eat copious amounts of traditional Khmer food.  Had some amok fish and egg noodle stir fry for dinner, awesome!

I HEART CAMBODIA

Everyone has limits and I hit mine today.  I was done with being a grungy/stinky/hippie, I was in desperate need to embrace all things girly and anti-backpacker.  I strapped on a pair of platforms, jewelry, clean clothes, makeup and went shopping.  I had hit the grunge wall...Matt was a good sport, and he definitely comes in handy when trying to barter (he is one stubborn and hard bargaining SOB).  I didn't come away with much, I'm not really in the market for tiger balm ointment or elephant printed silk pillows.  But, it was still a great and surprisingly cool experience and a nice change from visiting all the tourist sites and temples.

We had been planning to visit the a local orphanage tonight.  I had been mentally preparing myself all day. I knew it would be a very emotional experience, but I had no idea just how much it would impact me, we were there for a whole two minutes before my eyes swelled up with tears.  The kids put on a show for us, they did a few traditional Cambodian dances, and also played a few typical folk songs.  Many of the performers were young and talented, they danced and sang as professionals... Honestly, a great cause run by some very giving and professional people.  We got to play with the kids and congratulate them after the days performance.  I don't even think I can put into words how special the experience was.  It was extremely humbling to say the least.  This was one of the best experiences I have had traveling.  We are going to try to rearrange our travel schedule so we can come back to volunteer for a few days.   Here is the website for the orphanage if you'd like to donate or  check it out:  www.acodo.org

Thanks for following us on this crazy journey!

CAMBODIA

I'm not going to lie, yesterday was brutal.  Here is a recap: One hour taxi to bus station, five hour bus to Thai/Cambodia border (sitting right by the bathroom, sick!), got scammed by tuk-tuk driver, got scammed by border police, negotiated for an hour for a taxi, got scammed by taxi, two hour taxi ride in a 1990 Camery with six people and one baby, scammed again by tuk-tuk driver, finally arrived at our hotel in Siem Reap.  Sigh...All that work for $32...priceless!

We got to our hotel room and took a few minutes to relax after our day from Hell.  We finally ventured out into the city for dinner, mediocre mexican Cambodian style, you can probably sense the authenticity of these tacos and chimichangas.  Downtown Siem Reap is pretty charming, lots of cute little bistros and street shops.  There is a large French influence here, we are planning to explore the French Quarters tomorrow.

Today we toured several temples; Angkor Wat, The Bayon, Ta Prohm (where Tomb Raider was filmed).  We took an extensive tour of Angkor Wat, it was neat to learn about the religion, history, and architecture.  It took 1 million people 37 year to complete the structure.  It's amazing how much time and energy went into building the temples.  

The past 48 hours have been so stressful and exhausting, I'm hoping I can talk Matt into another massage tonight!  Oh ya, I used my first squat toilet, it wasn't pretty.

Bangkok Baby!...And a rare Mooney sighting!

We started our first day here bright and early, hoping to avoid hoards of tourists.  We went to several of the main sights around the city.  After becoming famished from rushing from sight to sight we decided to walk to the Khao Sam Road area (basically a backpackers heaven).  We had some fantastic street food and then strolled through the market and main road, if you haven't heard of Khoa Sam, it might provide you with hours of endless wiki/google searches.  Matt was trying on some knockoff Ray Bans when I said, "Hey babe, that looks like your friend Brett Mooney?"  Matt, "Wow, it does...wait, that is Mooney!"  (Brett and Matt grew up together in good old Farmington, Utah.  He's one of Jared's best friends from elementary school to today.)  For the rest of the day Brett was kind enough to be our personal tour guide through Bangkok and to steer us in the right direction for some great street food!  It was so great to run into a good friend nearly 8,000 miles away from home, and very random/crazy to say the least!!!

Today we spent the morning roaming around new Bangkok.  We stumbled upon a National Food festival and got to try several different Thai specialties.  This afternoon we took Thai cooking classes.  We learned how to make several different dishes,  I was surprised by how labor intensive each dish was.  We got back to our hotel tonight with aching feet so we both got a three dollar foot massage, it was a perfect end to a long day.

Packing and Lady GaGa!!!

The past week has been pretty crazy, we have been running around the city trying to get everything we need for Asia.  Luckily, we did manage to squeeze in some socializing and entertainment.  Matt got me tickets to Lady GaGa last May and I have been counting down the days ever since.  I was chatting with my hair stylist about the concert this week and she mentioned her anxiety over proper attire for the concert.  Honestly, I hadn't really given much thought to it.  I figured I would wear skinnies and a black shirt, something pretty low key.  So thats what I went with, very basic, understated.  Matt had his typical uniform on, he basically always looks like he just stepped out of a J Crew catalog.  Well, as soon as we walked into the Energy Solutions Arena I knew we were sorely out of place.  Matt went to use the mens room and had quite the show before the show.  One "woman" walked in and said "Hey boys!" and proceeded to used the stand up urinal next to him, well, he knew he was in for quite the night!  Meanwhile, I was being accosted by four "guys" swearing that they knew me from somewhere...I'm guessing the salon or the MAC counter!

I think Matt was among the few men not dressed in drag and most of the women were wearing leotards with fishnets.   Anyway, the concert was really entertaining!  GaGa did not disappoint.  That chick has a lot of spunk, she was ranting about gay rights while playing in a fountain of blood... Not exactly my typical Saturday night, but I LOVED it!

Now we are off to Asia...

Home Sweet Home...at least for a bit!

It has been SO great to be home for a few days!  Clean clothes, safety and Max!  I can't believe how gitty I was to use my Clearsonic and reunite with my beauty products and shoes!  I have been lovin' the snow, the storm Monday was so pretty.  We have been really busy catching up on things.  The best part of being home is spending time with my pup, Max!  I have also enjoyed catching up with family and friends.

One of our first stops in SLC was my brothers house, I couldn't wait to see my niece and nephew.  They are so stinking cute!  I also met up with Suzanne, (a friend I met through work last year) she has spent the last month in Thailand so we had lots to talk about.  Suzanne is a talented model and nurse, but she has recently become a stylist for Stella and Dot!  The jewelry line is AMAZING!  They have such beautiful pieces at great prices.  Check out her website at http://www.facebook.com/shopwithsuzanne?sk=wall . I also caught up with one of my BFFs, Lyndsay.  It was so fun to spend the day with her and her adorable daughter.  Matt was thrilled to hear that Jeremy was in town from Mexico, so we grabbed sushi with Jer and Cassie.  It's always exciting to hear about their crazy life in San Felipe.   My mom and her hubby got home from Hawaii today so it was great to catch up with them.  My mom has spent time in China, so she had lots of great travel tips for me.

We will be going no stop until we leave the country again.  We have so much to do!  Wish us luck!!!

Food, Food, Food and more Food...

More on the food in a minute.  Much to my surprise the Oscars were aired here in English!  I was ecstatic to say the least.  I'm still undecided on the hosts and show in general.  Lets be honest, Anne Hathaway bugs and James Franco must have smoked a Colombian doobie before the show, so...  The fashion was also a bit of a let down.  I mean Jennifer Laurence wore the same Calvin Klein that Scarlett Johansen wore in 2006, come on!  I will say that the girls from Black Swan both looked lovely!  I was happy with the winners and I loved a few of the acceptance speeches.

We spent all day yesterday cruising around the Zona Rosa, it's the ritzy part of Bogota.  We had a great lunch and browsed throughout a few designer boutiques.  On the wild cab ride back to our hotel we got into a little fender bender!  At first I was frantic but once I realized everything was ok I couldn't stop laughing!  Taxi and bus rides in Colombia should be right up there with base jumping and skin diving as an extreme sport.  I guess after six weeks I have learned to laugh at this crazy continent.  I really have loved exploring this place and getting to know the kind and friendly people here, hopefully I will be back soon.

A few things that have been entertaining us... Charlie Sheen's antics, that guy is a real train wreck and I can't look away!  Telenovelas, (Latin Soap Operas) so amusing and SO dramatic.  Hours of reminiscing about Max, miss that little guy so much!

I think I have had some of the best meals of my life here in South America so I thought I would mention a few and post some pics.  The beef in Argentina is to die for!  We also found a few amazing Italian and Spanish restaurants in Argentina.  Peruvian ceviche was one of my favorite authentic foods.  Ajiaco soup in Colombia; three different types of potatoes, corn, rice, avocado, and cheese.  It is delicious, I can't wait to try to cook some when we get back home.  We found a place that had great Spanish tapas, we couldn't get enough of it.  We also enjoyed lots of crepes, waffles, all types of french pastries, blood sausage, dry cured venison, smoked trout, empanadas, and lots of exotic fruit.  All so yummy!