Road Tripping

We took a different kind of road trip with baby this year. We headed down to Florida, roughly 500 miles from Atlanta to Fort Myers Beach. After packing up the car with all kinds of baby stuff, we discovered that our water heater was leaking. One call to the plumber later, we hit the road.

We broke up by the trip by stopping in Gainesville, Florida. Used Priceline to get a hotel, which was a steal at a Hilton. Even the desk clerk told me it was a good deal. I prefer priceline to hotwire these days. Travel tip: Use betterbidding.com to check beforehand what hotel you are likely to get. If you get the hotel on your first bid on priceline, you probably bid too high.

Back to the road trip. Owen slept most of the time in the car, which was great. But when we were one mile from our destination, we got stuck behind a trolley that stopped every minute and he was melting down. One blowout diaper and a side of the road diaper change and we were back on our merry way.

Zero Degrees of Separation

This morning Phil writes from Zambia that he bumped into our friend Jamie at his hotel in Lusaka. We had no idea that there was even a remote chance he would be there. I suppose these small world coincidences should no longer make me scratch my head. Jamie is the same pal who we bumped into in a DC bistro and travels to places near and far like Antarctica. Let me try to dig up this incredible photo he sent from that cruise to the South Pole.

Armchair Traveler

I am somewhat reluctant to admit that I've been watching The Amazing Race this season. Last week they milked camels in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso and then sped on this week to Lithuania. EW does the episode justice with this snarky recap. There's some level of desperation and frustration that any harried traveler can relate to, albeit on a slightly less dramatic playing field.

Speaking of journeys, Phil went to a game park outside of Nairobi this weekend and saw a slew of elephants, black rhinos and giraffe. He writes: Did you know that there are 9 sub-species of giraffe in Africa? Nope, I didn't. Or that the plural of giraffe is giraffe.

In this photo, I am pointing to a giant termite mound in the Entebbe Botanical Garden in Uganda. It is one of the pics I used to create a poster of our trip on Snapfish and hung it on our fridge which has been a great conversation starter for house parties.

La Dolce Vita

Everything tasted better in Italy. The gelato, of course, and all of the food, wine and cappuccinos, which apparently should only be ordered early in the day, according to proper etiquette. We had a marvelous time, dining from dusk to dawn with the group at cozy pizzerias and charming cafes. After a successful outing at the frantoio, or olive press, we took it easy for a few days. We climbed the clock tower in Sienna overlooking the mother of all piazzas and viewed the frescos in Arezzo. The Italians enjoy a passegiata, or stroll around 7pm when everyone walks down the main cobblestone avenue and greets their friends, "Ciao! Ciao!" They really know how to enjoy the good life. Sigh.

Oregon By the Numbers

Miles traversed: 2,321
Number of bridges crossed: 18
California sea lion sightings: 2, Sea Lion Caves and Newport dock
Elk sightings: 1, by the roadside on Rt. 26
Cloudy days: 6 of 7
Sunsets on the beach: 1 (Cannon Beach)
Surfers spotted: 13
Compost bins spotted: 1, at University of Oregon in Eugene
Drive-thru espresso shacks: 22 (Dutch Bros. Coffee seems to be popular)
Fish sandwiches consumed: 5 (the best one at Blackfish Grill)
Real estate purchased: 0

I can definitely see the appeal of retiring in Oregon, especially by the coast. Cannon Beach was my favorite pit stop where we sat and watched the sunset by Haystack Rock. All in all, a successful trip!

Roadtripping in Oregon

This is my first time visiting the Pacific Northwest and the scenery is magnificent, if a bit gray. Even a nature-phobe can appreciate all of the beautiful hills, forests, rivers, vast farmland and rolling vineyards. The outdoor wedding took place in a picturesque winery just north of Portland. The next day we drove south (about six hours) and stayed for a night at the Crater Lake Lodge, which overlooks blue waters of a volcanic caldera. The electricity went out in the middle of the night (temps were in the high 20s) and the backup generator went out too. Brrr. We high-tailed it out of there to Bend, where we finally saw some blue skies and sun.

The Big Chill

So we're headed shortly to Portland, Oregon. I've always thought I'd like to live there even though I've never been. But checking the 10-day weather forecast has me shivering in my flip-flops. Highs are expected in the high 50s and lows are in the mid-40s. Brrr. I was planning to wear a strapless dress for the wedding, but I might need to bring my mittens along too. My friend Elisabeth loaned me her Fodor's guidebook and whispered two magic words: long underwear. Now I thought living in Ithaca, NY was chilly, but it turns out the weather there this weekend is in the 80s. Go figure.

I am Thai

In case you can't tell by now, I absolutely LOVED Thailand. I fell in love with the people, the food, the quirky customs, just about everything (minus the smog). So last night at a party, I found myself arguing with a friend (to my delight):

Jen: I LOVED Thailand!
Vivek: No, I loved Thailand.
Jen: Dude, I loved Thailand more than anyone!
Vivek: No, I loved Thailand more than anyone.

And it went on like that for awhile. To his credit, Vivek traveled to more remote parts of the country and knew a lot more about the country's history and politics. And so I have taken his recommendations to heart for the next trip and will definitely hop over to Angkor Wat, Cambodia and Luang Prabang in Laos.

Let me also clarify for those who think we were just vacationing, Phil did work during the trip. So I definitely had 10 times more fun than him but Phil LOVES Thailand too!

Dinner with Friends

One of the most memorable parts of our travel adventures has been meeting friends of friends who live all over the world and sharing a meal together. There is something delightful about making a new friend in a new place. In many ways, I've become less of a tourist and can now live easily out of a suitcase (to my surprise). I love exploring cities on foot and uncovering cultural nuances, like how Thais are too polite to let you foot the bill.

Last night we dined at my favorite neighborhood pub Brick Store and greatly enjoyed the company of our new friend Peter who grew up in Bulgaria and lives in DC now. He promised to put us in touch with an Italian journalista in Rome who apparently has the most amazing view of a church from her bathroom. We are headed to Tuscany in November to go olive picking with friends from Atlanta. Ciao bella!

The View from Here

Visited family and friends in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. Mark suggested going to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park which was well worth the effort of getting my jet-lagged butt out of bed. The current exhibit feature Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto who takes these breathtaking large-format portraits which I had seen before at the Guggenheim Bilbao. Really incredible.

The photo above was taken on my friend Dave's balcony where there's a tres impressive view of Alcatraz, Coit Tower and and the Transamerica Building.

Killing Time at the Singapore Airport

The Singapore airport is swell for layovers. I've got six hours to kill and there's no shortage of amenities. In addition to the usual shops and eats, there's free internet, a movie theatre and a free shuttle that takes you on a tour of the city. Just got a free foot massage at a machine! Now nearly as good as the traditional Thai massage at Wat Pho, but hey, you get what you pay for.

Just finished Haruki Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart," which is a lovely tale by one of my favorite writers, and now I'm reading "The Omnivore's Dilemna" by Michael Pollen. That should keep me busy on the flight to San Francisco.

Krabi in Paradise

We took a relaxing weekend jaunt to the beach in Southern Thailand. It takes about an hour by flight to Krabi (pronounced 'crabby') and then a 40-minute taxi, followed by a ride in a long-tail boat to Railay Bay Resort and Spa. This area was hit hard by the tsunami but it is absolutely beautiful. Blue-green waters and gorgeous views in every direction. Rock climbers swarm here to scale the limestone cliffs, but we came during low season (called 'green season' because it is rainy) so it felt like we were among the lucky souls to discover this beach paradise.

Dopplegangers Everywhere

Everyone in Thailand thinks that I am Thai. It's quite comical getting asked for directions, as I wander around lost with my map and Lonely Planet guidebook in hand. Today I walked into an art gallery in a shopping mall near the hotel. The artists were positive they knew me and started conversing immediately in Thai. I shook my head dumbly, "No Thai." They were quite surprised.

We also had dinner over the weekend with new acquaintances, Tony (from Birmingham, AL) and his wife Ai, who is Thai and was convinced that I was a former colleague at her university in Bangkok. Now this is not a new experience for me in the States, but it came as a shock here. Even after I explain that I'm Chinese American, they still exclaim, "You look Thai!"

Bridge Over the River Kwai

In Kanchanaburi, you can walk across the bridge over the River Kwai which dozens of snap-happy tourists do every hour. However, there isn't much of a railing and looking down at the drop-off to the water caused a new fear of heights to kick in. Suddenly and to my surprise, my legs became wobbly and I felt like the slightest breeze (or clumsy tourist) would send me bounding over the edge. I had to turn back halfway across the bridge, even as ten-year-olds skipped joyfully along the beams.

The Sobering Truth

Yesterday we took a day trip to Kanchanaburi, which takes about two hours from Bangkok. The area is known for its tragic history during World War II when the Japanese Army forced 300,000 POWs to construct a railway from Siam to Burma. Allied POWs from Australia, UK, America and Holland, along with Asian forced laborers, were forced to work under grueling, sub-human conditions. What was estimated to take five to six years to finish was completed in a year--at the cost of many lives, 16,000 Allied prisoners who lost their lives in Kanchanaburi, an otherwise picturesque town nestled in the foothills of the Three Pagodas Pass.

Wat is the What

Sawadee kah! If I had to sum up our trip so far and life in general around Bangkok, it would go something like this: Eat. Pray. Shop.

Step 1: Feast on delightful curries, tom yum soup and spicy dishes with hard-to-pronounce names. At any hour of the day.
Step 2: Visit wats, or temples. Had a traditional Thai massage at Wat Pho where the city's hustle-bustle just melts away. Today we climbed into a cave atop a mountain at the Wat of Golden Dragon in Kanchanaburi. This is also the wat where a floating nun (doing poses in a swimming pool) entertains tourists. She was apparently off-duty during our visit.
Step 3: Browse and negotiate with vendors at markets hawking jewelry and tons of goods.
Step 4: Sleep. Repeat Steps 1-3.

Stumbling Towards Bangkok

Time plays tricks on you when you travel. I am about to board my fourth--and final, hurrah!--leg of my journey to Thailand. I am standing in the Singapore airport a day and a half later after I flew out of Atlanta through JFK via Frankfurt on Singapore Air. It's gray and sprinkling here. 30+ hours and still counting. I've watched four movies, nodded off periodically and ate a monstrous amount of airplane food, including two klondike bars. Next stop: BKK. Almost there.

Tango in Buenos Aires

How much fun would it be to tango through the streets of Buenos Aires?! You can live vicariously through the Delta SiteSeer Challenge which is sending three teams there. One team was already eliminated in Budapest. Through friends we've met John Crow from Team Steph & Crow On the Go so we are voting for them. You can vote too and earn 250 miles for each round (if you register and watch the videos). Voting for the Argentine round starts August 20.

Lost in Translation

The people I've met so far are kind and friendly. After an introduction, they will smile warmly and say, "You are most welcome."

Yesterday I took a matatu mini-bus around town, which was quite an adventure. Picture 15 passengers jammed into a small VW van which has seen much better days. The conductor (the person who collects the fare, not the driver) was speaking to me in a local dialect (Luganda, perhaps) and I didn't understand a word of it. Other passengers tried to intercede in English.

"Where did you come from?" one woman asked.
"From the United States," I responded, not catching her drift.
"No," she giggled, "What stop did you get on from?"

Right-o. Silly American.