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!

Bogota...Safety Third!

Safety is definitely not a priority this country.  We have been in Bogota, Colombia for the past few days.  This city is chaotic, disorganized and charming all at the same time.  Matt has been showing me around  and reminiscing about the days he spent here on his mission, the people here are so nice and happy to see us.  Matt waited until we arrived in Bogota to share some near death experiences he has had here, such as; being shot at, being held up, etc...but it's totally safe now.  Right.  But really moms no need to stress, there are police on every corner, we are in the wealthy/safe part of town and we don't leave our hotel after dark.  Last night I actually had a dream that the Colombian government recruited me and Matt to help with the war against the FARC (Colombian drug gorilla group).  Matt says I can not read anymore about Colombia's war against drugs.

After being here for a few days I noticed that EVERYONE stares at us, without shame.  On the bus, in the streets, in the mall, everywhere it's like a stare-a-thon!  I guess they don't see many blond haired, green eyed women, or men that are 6' 4".  I think that because of the stigmas attached to this country the people here are not used to seeing many tourists.

Yesterday we went to a large gold museum, it houses over 34,000 historical gold pieces discovered here in Colombia.  It was very interesting and we saw some amazing pieces.  We also went to a museum that has mainly pieces by Botero, but there are also some Picasso's and a few pieces by Degas.  I love all the chubby people in Botero's work, if you're not familiar Matt's comment was that they look like really chubby babies as adults, see below for proof.

Today we went to these beautiful botanical gardens, they have over 5000 orchids.  They also had a huge rose garden, the colors were so vibrant.  And tonight are the Oscars!  Yay!  We spent about an hour this morning trying to find somewhere that aires the awards in English.  Sadly, we were unsuccessful.   My mom said she would record them for us, but it's not the same!  Oh well, I guess I will just put the TV on mute and enjoy the fashion.  We have our Oscar ballots filled out, we will post below.  Very excited to see if my pics win and can't wait to see what everyone is wearing.  Thinking of everyone wishing we were having an Oscar party!

Oscar Pics:

Actor in a leading role:
Annie: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Matt: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

Actor in a supporting role:
Annie: Geoffery Rush, "The King's Speech"
Matt: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

Actress in a leading role:
Annie: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Matt: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Actress in a supporting role:
Annie: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Matt: Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"

Animated Feature Film:
Annie: "Toy Story 3"
Matt: "Toy Story 3"

Art Direction:
Annie: "Alice in Wonderland"
Matt: "Inception"

Cinematography:
Annie: "Inception"
Matt: "Black Swan"

Costume Design:
Annie: "Alice in Wonderland"
Matt,:" The King's Speech"

Directing:
Annie: David Fincher "Social Network"
Matt: David Fincher "Social Network"

Documentary:
Annie: "Inside Job"
Matt: "Exit Through the Gift Shop"

Best Picture:
Annie: "The King's Speech"
Matt: "The King's Speech"

Tanathon...

So much beach time...  We met some Chilean people a few days ago and we have been hanging out with them for the past few days (I will post a pic).  They traveled to Colombia for a wedding.  One of the Chileans' is an older woman, she is my favorite.  She kisses my cheeks non stop, buys me fresh mango, and nags me about sunscreen.  Yesterday she had a vendor make me a necklace to match the bikini I was wearing!  I am constantly surprised by her generosity and kindness.  She doesn't speak english so most of our communication is through affection.  She keeps calling me and Matt her children, she is the mamita (mama) of the entire group.  We leave here tomorrow night, so we are planning to spend our last day here at the beach with our new Chilean friends.

Chatty Matty made friends with some Colombians at the pool at our apartment.  They invited us to a BBQ and told us that they would be making us "Real American Hamburgers!"  Yikes!  Obviously, we ate dinner before we went to the BBQ.  I couldn't imagine what was in store for us.  We arrived to a ecstatic group of Colombians... They were already grilling and they had "Lady in Red" blazing.   They said over and over, "Tonight is for you, please partake, please enjoy."  It was so sweet.  Matt kept trying to take over the grill, the chef told him, "Senior please relax, and partake."  They wouldn't let us lift a finger.   To my surprise, the hamburger was AMAZING, who knew.  Colombians + Hamburgers = Happy Chucky!  The night continued into the wee hours of the morning.  One butt rock 80's American tune after the next.  Matt got really hot after the food so he decided to jump in the pool for a quick dip.  Before I knew it he had all 6 Colombian's in the pool teaching them to swim (Swimming lessons aren't part of the normal Colombian upbringing).  He began with the back float, which proved to be too much.  So he ended up just teaching them to tread water, calmly. We tried to get a picture of their antics but we didn't want to offend them.  Imagine 40 year olds having a panic attack in 4 ft of water, that is what I witnessed.  By the way, these Colombian's are the people I ratted out at 2 AM last week for blasting their music.  Opps, they are good people.

Bogata tomorrow night!  I can't wait!  Love everyone!  See you in 10 days!

Random stuff:  Mankinis, High tops at the beach, terrible rip off DVDs, cold showers, the movie 'The Tourist,' Matt's found his first gray hair and counterfeit Holister/Gap/Tommy Hilfiger