Cambodia had the most beautiful children I've seen... anywhere. They were not only sweet and adorable, but had super spunk and were so friendly.




We had many opportunities to interact with Cambodian kids, probably the most memorable was when we had dinner with a local family. The kids ran out to greet us and took our hands to guide us through the dark to their home. They taught us games ("taught" is a relative term considering we couldn't verbally communicate with them) but we all had fun regardless. We taught them western style dancing. If I was able to upload video on this blog, I'd be able to share some of this. These kids were so creative, making flowers of tissue paper and jewelry of palm leaves.

School kids are everywhere - in uniform - getting to and from school in every way imaginable - including boat:



And then, occasionally, you run into a kid, who makes you look like a professional:

I had heard that Thai massages are legendary and a "do not miss" while in Thailand. I honestly had no idea what I was getting into, with the exception of the fact that this kind of massage is administered to somebody fully clothed. Armed with recent success at my chiropractor appointments, I felt I should not deprive myself of this memorable experience.

The massage "studio," if you can call it that, was on the third floor of a corner building at the end of an alley. We only found this place obviously with the assistance of a helpful local. From the studio, you can smell food cooking on the street below. Thai massages are apparently are traditionally longer than hour. The "receptionist" recommended a 4 hour massage. I figured that considering I only have 5 foot 2 inches of body, I opted for 2 hours, thinking even that was excessive. This came to a whooping total of $6. Whoo.

Step one was to remove my own pants in favor of the "regulation" Thai massage pants. These are enormous, waistless trousers with two straps that at first appear to be the end of a drawstring, but no. They are two straps with no elasticity or even a hole to pull through. In essence, not blond proof. After several minutes of being completely perplexed, I emerged from the changing room with the only solution I could come up with, even though I knew it was entirely incorrect. I had tied these straps around the back of my neck. The masseurs in the room just about died of laughter. Kind of the response I expected, but I knew doing that would also make it clear that I needed help. My masseur (a tiny man of about 25) promptly took pity on me. I have to say it has been a while since I had anybody help me get dressed, let alone a man. Here is a picture of my travel companion holding up a pair of these trousers:



Thai massage does not use a table, instead, the "massagee" lies down on a thin mattress on the floor. This means in order to have any effectiveness, a masseuse has to get on the mat with me. He starts working on one leg, using his elbows, hands, knees and feet to pressurize my muscles into submission. My body is immediately put on the defensive. I try to relax, but it is kind of hard when I continue to register where his body parts were in relation to mine. Have you ever had a small Thai man massage your rear with his elbow? Knee? No? Well it is something different for sure. Two hours of this was more exhausting than relaxing. I think I found the Thai version of a personal trainer.

Bangkok, Thailand was my least favorite place of the trip, and I knew that was the case before I visited anywhere else. It is quite honestly, the most polluted place I've ever been to. Thank goodness I was only there for 2 days. Having said that, it still managed to produce some pretty good photography material for me.

Hello everyone!

I have returned from a tremendous trip to South East Asia. It was a fabulous, unforgettable journey that was very wet and hot. I spent most of my time in a state of drenching sweat or drenching rain. But that didn't stop me from taking lots of photos, experiencing many new things and eating plenty of delicious food.

So where to start? I think I will begin with where I went first and for the shortest amount of time - Korea. In total, I spent 16 hours in Seoul, over two layovers. I have to hand it to the Koreans, they totally understand the importance of marketing and PR. Not only are they incredibly friendly, but they also work very hard to present their country in the best of all possible lights. Here are just a few examples:

For foreigners, they have totally free "cultural" centers in the airport, in which travelers can learn about traditional Korean arts by actually making some of it for themselves to take home... for free. How cool is it to have an authentic souvenir from a country you didn't even spend 24 hours in? That you made? And for FREE?? I took this twenty minute activity very seriously and expanded it easily to 40 minutes. I expected the center's staff would be kicking me out, but instead, they marveled at my dedication - "You are like professional!" I was impressed at how they tried to give me as much of a Korean experience I could have within the short time I was in their airport. They were not at all offended that I was only passing through. In fact, they encouraged me to visit the center on my way back out to make a different souvenir.

The airport also offers tours of the city for people with long - incredibly long- layovers. They are not free, but they are very reasonably priced considering the alternative of spending 12 hours in an airport. On my 5 hour tour of Seoul, the Koreans continued to make a lasting good impression by treating me like a celebrity. Literally. I lost track of how many photos were taken of me. I almost lost my group several times trying to keep up with the demand for photographs. I even had students interview me for an English class project. Nobody else in the tour group got any attention. I guess blonds do have more fun. Especially in Korea.

And then, there was the 8 year old boy who approached me out of the blue at the gate, offering me an orange. At first, I was completely taken aback, but quickly realized he was looking to practice his english and was giving me fruit in exchange for my services. During our conversation, I learned that he likes Harry Potter, the books as well as the movies. He is also familiar with Bill Clinton, the Kennedys and Obama. I asked him what exactly he knew about Obama. "He is graduate of Law School at Harvard." When I finished eating my orange, before I had a chance to throw the rinds away myself, he collected them and threw them away for me.

Talk about PR!

Loyal readers, here begins what will probably be a three week haitus. I am taking a much anticipated trip to Southeast Asia. I promise to take careful notes and lots of pictures and will blog lots once I get back.

May you all have a very beautiful October.

The weather in the PNW is at its best in September. I have been here for 2 Septembers now, so I think I can say that with some confidence. I went to visit Mt. Rainier on Sunday. It was pretty spectacular.