Asia
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Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary & My Week in the Forest
I lay still in the darkness, my eyes sleepy, my ears still awake listening to the unfamiliar sounds of the forest around me. Chirping, creaking and the rustling of leaves around the stilts of the hut. Occasionally the echoed sound of a lizard, “ggggecko” reverberated in my ear, the noise so close it could have been resting on my shoulder. The humming of the generator stopped and all had gone black so I knew it was after 10pm. In the corner of my little hut, enveloped by a pink mosquito net that encircled my bed, the night so quiet and black that it was almost too peaceful to sleep. Unable…
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Snapshot Sunday: Myanmar Ordinary Class
The breeze slowly moves from one window of the train through to the other. The pleather seat sticks to the backs of my legs as I shift on the bench, moving from side to side as the train bobs me up and down. Peering out of the window I watch as the little boys in our car stick their heads out the window, pointing to this and that with excitement in their eyes. The rickety tracks take us on a slow, scenic journey through the countryside giving me a glimpse of rural life as we spend hours on hours bouncing along to our destination. We booked our seats in the…
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A Day in Mandalay
When touring Myanmar there are the four major cities that most tourists visit; Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay. While I was there a lot of other travelers were skipping Mandalay because, unless you fly, transportation between the four cities can take precious time out of your itinerary so seeing the old royal capital wasn’t worth the trip. Big mistake. Mandalay has a completely different feel from the others and there is plenty to see and do to make it worth the trouble of the LONG bus ride or train. Here are some of my favorite Mandalay moments. Climb a hill Where the city gets it name, the near 800…
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Snapshot Sunday: This Little Piggy Went to Market
We were driving back from the salt fields and pepper farms around Kampot, Cambodia when I saw this big bellied pig tied up to a dilapidated house and the two went so well together I asked our driver to stop so I could run back down the road and snap a pic of the pair.
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Best of Bali: 8 Things to Love About Indonesian Island Life
Back to Bali. I returned to Indonesia for the second time to visit a friend and get back to spending winter in my favorite place: Southeast Asia. I wanted to return and dig into the culture and the country to find out a little bit more after only scratching the surface the year before. It is easy to see why I had returned and I quickly remember what drew me here in the first place. Here is a list of the best of Bali, and some of the many reasons you’ll continue to travel back to Indonesia year after year. Intriguing Religion Bali is an island of spirituality and its…
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Snapshot Sunday: A Cambodian Farewell
Cambodia. I’ve been here almost a month and as my time here comes to a close I’m looking back on what a fulfilling experience it has been. I’ve volunteered, biked, beached, interviewed, photographed, marveled and most importantly I’ve learned A LOT. One of my experiences here that will be a forever memory was spending another week with the elephants again this year. There was a smaller group and a newer project making it that much more fun and rewarding to observe & interact with some of my favorite animals!
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Snapshot Sunday: Angkor Wat
Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination, the UNESCO site of Angkor Wat. The iconic view and visiting her surrounding temples will have you up with the sun, then out in the heat of the day, temple hopping to marvel at ancient ruins and explore what lurks behind each corner. Sure, you’ll probably be the sweatiest you’ve ever been, but it’s worth it to experience one of the largest religious structures in the world.
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'Abbie the Explorer' Ballooning in Bagan
“I’ve been on the internet and I’m not going back.” It’s a phrase I’ve used jokingly to describe my dad’s opinion on technology on more than one occasion. He prefers his favorite CD’s to an Ipod and he rarely has his cell phone on. Some days I envy his philosophy and how disconnected he could actually be. As a result of this “anti-tech” lifestyle, I was never really sure how supportive or understanding he was of my online work. “You know, Indonesia has poisonous snakes in the water?”, and “Why do you want to go there?” or “That place is dangerous.” Always worrying about his forever baby girl, these are…
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Snapshot Sunday: Cambodian Hide-n-Seek
I spent the last week volunteering at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, 25,000 acres of protected land where we had the chance to farm, play with elephants and take care of other tasks to facilitate the project. It was a fabulous opportunity to give back in helping to preserve a piece of disappearing wilderness and while there we had the chance to attend a local village temple ceremony. We brought a donation for the temple and everyone was excited to invite us to participate in the events for the evening. It was so rewarding to see an impoverished village come together as a community with such joy and happiness. All the children…
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Snapshot Sunday: My Myanmar
Wow. Words are hard to express what an inspiring, magical time I’ve had in Myanmar. The people are genuine, the scenery breathtaking and the history compelling. I saw the country on all forms of transport, witnessed more sunrises and sunsets than any other visit and marveled at life here. It is safe to say this isn’t the last Myanmar has seen of me.