Catching up in CT!

Whew, it's been a wild ride! Dad and I got back to the U.S. on Feb. 6th after an amazing tour of Asia! We saw more temples in Cambodia and Vietnam - saw the base in Danang where Dad was stationed in the 60's and hiked up a few hundred steps to peek into caves that were used to hide out the buddhas and supplies during the revolution.

Cambodia was fantastic - Angkor Wat is a must see if you are remotely close to Siem Rep. I went out at 5am twice to watch the sun rise over this majestic temple / village built in the 11th century. It's amazing to see all the carvings up close - every inch of the temple and others we saw in the area were carved with scripture, stories and visual drawing of the wars that took place over 900 years ago.

The people we met in the villages were very friendly. They work long hours - alot of them farmers or groundskeepers for the temples. Cambodia in Feb is H-O-T - Temps were regularly in the high 80s or low 90s and it was a bit humid. I met our driver's family who treated me to lunch and a fresh off the tree coconut!

Vietnam was amazing as well but much colder than Cambodia. We were unprepared for the rain and 55 degrees in the north in Hanoi. Again - we were treated to exceptional tour guides and saved from being run over by motorcycles more than once!

The central part of Vietnam in Danang was warmer - we spent about 4 days in Danang and Hoi An. We visited the 'real' China Beach where soldiers had R & R, Monkey Mountain, Marble Mountain, Historical homes, a wood carving community, a boat building company and a few markets with load of fresh veggies, fruits, meats and fish.

I had the most amazing massage of my life at the Life Resort in Hoi An. A woman named Mai did such a great job, I had to go back on day 2 for another dose of pampering. Highly recommended, worth the money (about 1/3 the cost of a massage in the US) and totally relaxing! I spent two or three nights out with Mai and Oanh(the bartender). You know, the two most important people at a resort! We partied, ate, danced, rode motorcycles, listened to Kareoke and had a blast! We were like sisters by the time I left for Hue. I'm going back to this part of Vietnam soon and hope to work with Mai and Oanh on their Englilsh.

Hue was a pretty city but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was cold and rainy so we hurried through the one day tour. Off to HoChiMin (aka Saigon)- much warmer than the rest of Vietnam. This is another big city like Bangkok wtih large buildings, lots of stores as opposed to the local farmer's markets, lots of motorcycles too. They were getting ready to celebrate their Tet Lunar New Year in 4 days and the party had already started! The streets were decorated with brilliant flowers, paintings and photographs. People rode their motorcycles by the thousands around and around the town square just to see and be seen. Young and old - all had a great time.

Our trip concluded here in HoChiMin - we headed for the airport in the evening, transfered in Hong Kong and were off to LAX without a hitch. It's a loooooong flight - but it's worth it. Dad flew back to CT the next day and I headed to San Diego for a week.

Fortunately for me, I was able to see several friends the week I was back. My friends are terrific for working me in to their schedules lately! I flew up to South Lake Tahoe to spend a week with a friend and do some snow boarding, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. Not to mention the spin class, work out class, dog walks and airplane ride! That was all in a week! So, I'm now in CT planning my next adventure back to Vietnam.

Yes that's right. I had such an emotional, awakening experience there. It's hard to describe but it was like experiencing poverty and generocity all at once. I have to go back and get more of that. It's very humbling and very powerful. I'm going to volunteer with Global Volunteer Network from May - July in an orphanage near Danang. I don't have a lot of details yet but will post them when I do. In the meantime, I'm enjoying being with my family, especially my godson and some of my friends in CT! Stay tuned...