up to now...

we are once again in Siem Reap.  The gods have smiled down on us for the past several weeks and brought Mrs. Charlotte(Austin's mom) out here to grace us!!!  THANK YOU!!!  We have been enjoying her company very very much!  While she's been here, we have tramped through beautiful Laos and the Temples of Angkor!  We started in Luang Prabang, Laos.  Luang Prabang is loved by everyone I talk to...and now I know why!!  It is a sleepy French colonial city and now World Heritage Site.  Monks float throughout the city, dressed in their beautiful saffron robes collecting alms or moving from temple to temple for chants and meditation sessions.  Just a beautiful place to relax!  We also swam in waterfalls and rode the cutest elephants:)

After L.P. we headed to Vang Vieng-backpacker heaven-known for its lazy river tubing and wild drink fests.  You should have seen the fit Mrs. Charlotte pitched when we told her she couldn't do it...that it was too wild and crazy of a partay!  ahhah!!  Just kidding!  We all decided to cut the tubing and kayak instead...and rock climb...and just enjoy the beautiful scenery.  You know, perhaps if some of you guys would get your booties out here we could play in rivers and tubes....you know Austin and I can't do everything by ourselves:)

So after all that we went over to the capital...Vientienne, which can surely be skipped for anyone planning a future trip.  But we were there for Laos' largest festival...the Full Moon fest. I must add, that I am a pure SUCKA for festivals...but these people have a totally different agenda....selling goods, clothes for a dollar, and companies forcing their employees to dance and sing for advertisement!  Fun...oh yeah...and did I mention that they truck em in by the thousands from all over the country???  "That Luang Festival" is the name and it is a religious festival that starts and ends with monks from all over the country walking around a temple collecting alms(offerings).  Don't know much else about it. 

After all that jazz...we went down to the South of Laos and played around near the most beautiful waterfalls EVER!!!  They were by far the best I have ever seen!!!  HANDS DOWN!  We also went down to what is known as the 4000 Islands which are islands in the Mekong River. Here, the river stretches out 9miles wide!  Mrs. Charlotte and Austin took a small boat and searched for the Mekong River Dolphins....they are called Irrawadday Dolphins...I had the world's worst headache, so I stayed behind!!  

So now we are just back in Siem Reap hanging out and viewing temples:)  So kool!!!!!!  Chat soon!

don't tell my mom...

that I've been run over by a car, lost at sea...twice, stung by malaria filled mosquitos, been victim of an attempted break in...that I'm stuck in Bangkok admist protests...that I steer Elephants by my lonesome while holding onto sugarcane(their fave)...and so much more! Some of you have asked for the good stuff...the stuff we don't tell our moms...so I figured what the heck, we've survived...so I'll just say it:) Because, these are the things that make our trip flavorful:) So the story goes....since we've last been up to date with the blogs...we've gone back to Indonesia. We went to Pulau Weh to do some diving for about 9days. Little did we know in those 9days we would be lost at sea TWICE:) woops! We laugh about it now, but we were slightly pissed when this went down. Austin and I were way down deep having a dive with an experienced dive master and some guy from Singapore, who sucked at diving..but no judgement here, just that later we would find out it was all his dang fault.....anywho! Another group underwater is making the sign for shark...usually I like to go the opposite way when that happens, but as we are in super warm waters, the sharks aren't scary, but often very interesting....so we turn to follow the other group. But the little guy has gone, so our group turn yet again and proceed on our merry lil way. The currents begin to pick up and our dive master motions for Austin and I(who are teamed up as "buddies") to follow him to the sandy bottom where the currents are more manageable. So we do...then ZIPPIDY DOO DA...we turn our heads and just like that, our dive master has disappeared....what in tarnations!!! So Austin and I do what experts like us(haha) were taught...look for one minute, if you can't find them, do a 3minute stop in 5meters of water, then surface. So, to interrupt here...we don't have watches and Frank surely doesn't know where 5meters is:) woops! So we attach ourself to the corral, trying not to hold on to that ole Scorpion fish whose poison will put our arms out of commission for life, and we wait in what our gauge says is 9meters and for what our watches that we don't have tell us is about 3minutes. LOVELY:) The current is beating us up too:) So we surface! The boat is close by, so no worries moms and dads:)

But wait, it gets better....our dive master gets on the boat and asks US where WE went...ahhaha!!!

He would later lose Austin that same day. But that time was not his fault but simply mother nature! But don't worry...we found him:)

just call me miss raider...

tomb raider that is!! Hey all! Its been way too long, I know, but we've hit dial-up ville again, so it was difficult to follow up on high-tech stuff:) haha...that, or we were just having too much fun playing Lara Croft amongst the temples of Angkor:) So, before you ask yourself...what is she talking about??, get to Blockbuster and rent Tomb Raider...the temples with the trees growing throughout it...that's it!! We had sooo much fun seeing all that we could in 3days.

here's some history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor

and, until we upload our own photos...check these out: www.molon.de/galleries/Cambodia/Angkor/

The photo at the top is from Angkor Wat...sorry but its another image from Getty Images!

Besides that...Austin went into the jungle for 9days in Northern Cambodia. Summation: he....trekked through a rainforest, found some grasslands, ate tons of rice and noodle, and the usual jungle fare...river fish, bats, snakes, and baby bamboo! He....slept practically every night in a hammock in the rain, found out where the locals get the wood to build their house...he was...ravaged by leeches...but made it back to me in one piece:) And guess what??? He loved every minute of it....a little hungry when he got back, but he said his trip was complete with smiles and charm and the local guides made his trip!

Where was I?? OHHH...you remember the blog about brick walls huh?? Well, I was at the beach, and just so you know...I was never successful with the whole friend making scheme:) haha...I was actually stood up one night!! I laugh it off though, because the backbackers in this beach town were a force to be reckoned with and wanted nothing to do with "outsiders"! So, I enjoyed a gorgeous view from my beach hut and very much enjoyed my quiet time by the ocean!

So now, we are in Bangkok, Thailand...knocking off the "To-Do's"...and then.....off to stuff our faces with some awesome Thai cuisine!

talking to brick walls...

sooooo, here I am, alone for the first time of the trip...yup, 11days by-my-self! Scary huh? Well, not to you Corina, you don't count. So any of you who have even known me for a day probably don't think I'll have any problem, seeing as how I'm quite capable of entertaining my self with Mr. Brick over there! haha...well, yes, I am! But it is still weird and I just wanted to share it with you guys. Scene: getting a mani/pedi...asking some random, fellow mani/pedi "getter" where they are staying...."oh", I say, "you are staying near the beach, well how are the beach bars, and, well, I don't know you, but can I meet you and your friends later for drinks maybe??" Ha! Awkwardly, they say sure but add that "they are not quite sure where they will be, so I'm sure I'll run into them somewhere". OKAY, duly noted...mission aborted, tonight I drink alone:) I laugh at myself though, because while I am usually quite damn good at making friends, I managed to fail miserably this time. However, don't fret my pets, Frankie will strike again:)

Well, attempt to anyways!!!

border crossing...

hey guys!! Just wanted to let everyone know that we are now in CAMBODIA...via a walking border crossing and a 2hour bumpy ride on the back of a motobike:) Yesterday, Austin and I set out to test the waters of the recently opened border crossing b/w Vietnam and Cambodia...hoping that since our Vietnam visas were currently expired that this border would offer Cambodian visas like we read about...GUESS WHAT?? Much against our usual luck, it did:) And off we set via our feet on a dirt road with little kiosk looking guard stands...no checking of luggage, no machines to pass them and ourselves through...no worry about customs...just an inflated fee and a few biting ants and WE'RE HERE!! Well almost...we did have to hire motobikes from Vietnam($7pax for over 2hours) to our destination. The scenery was breathtaking, stilt houses high above the rice fields, foreground for lush mountains behind...locals lounging about in the shade(it was lunch time), and cows meandering to find a resting place! If I hadn't feared a lunch of mud and bugs, my mouth would have stayed wide open with the hugest grin in awe of the beauty beyond.

we are currently cooped up at a wonderful guesthouse in a town that is only known for its seafood...and boy is it some kind of good!!! Brings me back to home(the real la kids!)!! The town we are in is Kep...a sleepy little town, but wonderfully relaxing!! Used to be a mecca for the French elite in 1908, but sadly, the Khmer Rouge destroyed it:( And now, all that remains of way back when are burned out villas...but use your imagination and you can surely see all their beauty. But now, its becoming more popular and the view from where I'm sitting is spectacular...even though it is a bit rainy at the moment:(

curious? www.keplodge.com
*pics here are a view from the room, and view from pool & restaurant