California, North America, USA

NorCal

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Leaving Hillsborough we stopped to check out the Headlands in San Francisco for some stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge popping out of that majestic SF fog.

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::there she is, peeking out at us::

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::the Headlands. Not too shabby, San Fran::

And the Cali coast winds on…

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::Pismo Beach – beware of the sharks::
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::BBQ oysters at The Marshall Store::
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::”awww” (those of you who witnessed our vows will understand)::

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I could stare at these shores forever.

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On the road again, on the road again. Next stop to lay our heads down was the Inn at Cobbler Hill (a splurge night for us at $175 plus tax). We arrived during wine hour and were treated to a few glasses of Chenin Blanc and some light h’or d’oeuvres on the house. This place is spectacular – phenomenal service, beautiful grounds, and some stunning coastal views along the headlands. In the main area there are chickens hanging out – including one I affectionately named Boots With The Fur – and they even leave chicken feed in little bags in the rooms for you to feed them!

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::feeding the chickens::
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::llama pasture. those dark stemmed pink lily-like flowers are all over northern Cali. any idea what those are called?::

Y’all know I love my animals. There’s also a llama pasture you can walk through. Plus there are 3 little trails on property. One down to the beach… AMAZING. We walked down before sunset, it was maybe a half mile round trip, but down in this little cove you are surrounded by beautiful rocks and a pretty stellar ocean view. We even saw some sea otters (or were they seals?) poking their heads out as they swam around the bay.

We picnic-ed in our room for dinner, enjoying a bottle of red wine we had brought with us from LA, some fantastic fennel pollen salami, local brie and crackers. They also left little fresh baked brownies in the room, and in the entrance area there is a constant supply of free homemade cookies and coffee/tea/cocoa.

The next morning we woke early and walked a different path out to the headlands. Talk about stunning coastlines.

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::amber waves of grain::
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::we saw two deer on the walk in::
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::I could hardly contain my excitement::

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Shortly after we returned to the room we were greeted by staff that delivered a three course breakfast in picnic basket to your door. Fantastic quality. Fresh squeezed organic OJ, Baked local pears with anise-hyssop and berries, Mediterranean quiche, homemade zucchini bread, coffee/tea/cocoa. The basket also included a little note with the weather forecast for the day.

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::breakfast of Mendocino champions::

California, North America, USA

California Coastin

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August 16, 2013 (Friday) – We hit the open road (meaning bumper to bumper traffic on the 101 North) Friday afternoon, August 16, 2013.  Sven (our Volvo C70 hardtop convertible) was filled with camping gear, black tie wedding attire, and everything in between.  Despite this range, we were disciplined enough to take only that which would still allow us to utilize the drop-top and live out our fantasy of rolling like soccer mom gangsta rappers.

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We cut over to Route 1 just before San Luis Obispo and split takeout from the Cracked Crab in Pismo Beach.  Fish tacos and a king crab po’boy.  King crab sounds even more oxymoronic than oysters or shrimp when paired with po’boy.  We arrived at our campsite in the Washburn campground of San Simeon State Park at 7:20 pm.  The Washburn campground is set up on a hill about a mile inland from the ocean.  A few of the sites have ocean views, but most do not.  After we set up the tent, I drove down to the ranger station to confirm the water spigots dispensed potable water.  I returned to find Jenni in a mild verbal scuffle with a French family in an RV who claimed to have returned to their rightful site for the evening.  We had noticed some folding chairs in the area (but of course no tent), and perhaps foolishly thought it more likely that someone from a nearby site had spread out for a bit than that the campground would have double booked the site.  We erred, but after accusing Jenni of stealing because she sat in one of the chairs, the other family switched sites.  A small fire blazing in the ring, we popped the Moët to celebrate the first night of the trip.

August 17, 2013 (Saturday) – Left over rolls with butter and coffee sustained us through a “grand rooms” tour of Hearst Castle.  We arrived around 10 am and joined a 10:20 tour with no reservation.  Twenty-five dollars per ticket is steep, but the experience is worthwhile.  It was cool and foggy at the coast, sunny and about 20º warmer atop the hill.

We made a quick stop at elephant seal beach and continued up the coast to a 1:30 pm lunch at Whale Watchers Café in Gorda.  Spaghetti Bolognese and a tuna melt for over $40 is no prize, but options are few and far between on this stretch of Route 1.  After lunch we continued up the coast and cut inland on the 156 to the 101 to save some time getting to Felix and Amanda’s beautiful house in Hillsborough.  We drove to charming, downtown Burlingame with several blocks of shops and restaurants.  Earlier that day, I wondered if I would have chance encounters with friends while traveling.  Less than 36 hours into the trip, we ran into Doug and Tracy on our way to dinner at Urban Bistro.

August 18, 2013 (Sunday) – We woke around 7:30 am and did more research on what to do and where to stay.  Amanda cooked some eggs and we departed around 11 and drove up the hill to the 280 North and over the Golden Gate bridge.  When we left their house it was warm and sunny, but at the bridge is was cool and foggy.  We drove up to the Marin Headlands anyway and were rewarded with some lovely views of the bridge and the city.  Next, we drove through Sausalito and rejoined Route 1.  The road is very windy and hilly at least to Stinson Beach.  Muir Beach was closed for a few months for some reason.  Stinson was quite crowded despite that it was cool and foggy.  There is a little town there, the beach has dog and no-dog sections, and there are hiking trails to/from Mt. Tamalpais, Mill Valley, etc.

We took a quick peek and continued as the road hugs Bolinas Lagoon before becoming inland for a while along Point Reyes National Seashore then returning to the inland coast again at Tomales Bay.  There are many cyclists and bikers.  Tomales Bay Oyster Company was packed with perhaps 100 cars parked on the roadside.  We passed this place and stopped up the road at The Marshall Store which I think sources the same oysters.  There is an indoor counter where you order and the menu, natch, is seafood-focused.  Though there is also a smoker and they serve pulled pork.  BBQ oysters are famous in these parts and that’s what I got, with butter and garlic.  Six large oysters per order for $16, comes with some grilled bread.  The sauce was a little tangy, my dish was tasty.  Jenni got fish tacos ($13) that were grilled and mediocre.  The Allagash White ($3) was not cold enough.  The vibe and location were great, the service was very good, but the execution could be improved.  Around the shack is a little wood deck with some chairs and then there are long wood tables on the road side with chairs facing each other, half to the road and half to the bay.  A couple hundred yards up the road is a place renting kayaks.  The crowd was a mix of tourists, SF’ers, wine country folks, bikers, etc.  It reminded me of a lakeside BBQ because it’s a narrow bay and you can see the other side, and the beach is small.  This area feels like Maine or Cape Cod with more hills, cows and birds of prey.

From there Route 1 heads inland before cutting back to meet the ocean at Bodega Bay.  We saw signs for the Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival the weekend of August 24-25 and that’s probably pretty neat.  Beyond here Route 1 becomes spectacular.  I realize it is heresy to do anything but extol the virtues of Big Sur, but for my money I think I prefer the coast North of Bodega Bay.  It is possibly a touch less spectacular, but far less crowded and feels less touristy.  The town of Jenner was cute, as was Gualala and Point Arena.  While we stopped at neither, John at Glendeven recommended Bones (BBQ) in Gualala and Franny’s Cup & Saucer (bakery) in Point Arena.

We arrived at the Inn at Cobbler’s Walk a little after 6 pm.  This is the sister property across the street from Glendeven in the town of Little River, just a couple miles south of Mendocino.  It is very charming with outstanding service (when they say there is a parking spot with your name on it, they mean it).  The Glendeven is on the inland side and has a reception area with wine bar, complimentary wine from 5:30-6:30 pm, and a little deli fridge with charcuterie.  We bought a delicious fennel pollen salami with Sangiovese wine from Olli Salumeria and a Petite Creme Brie from Marin French Cheese Company that we savored with Raincoast Crisps cranberry and hazelnut crackers in our room with some Peachy Canyon zinfandel. There is a chicken coop, a llama pen, gardens, etc.  The Inn is on the coastal side and also has a main room with coffee, tea, cookies and dining area.  Decor in the common spaces is dark wood and espresso leather.

After checking in, we walked down to a small beach near the Little River Inn (which staff had recommended for a nice meal).  There was driftwood, beautiful coastline scenery, and what seemed to be a sea otter playing offshore.  Our room was reasonably spacious with an angled vaulted ceiling and a fireplace stocked with Duraflame logs.  The weather after Stinson Beach was spectacular, mostly 60s and sunny along the coast.

August 19, 2013 (Monday) – An early morning light hike down to the Mendocino headlands was a delightful start to the day.  There is a narrow dirt path right from the Inn’s parking area through flora including thistle with pine trees.  We passed deer on the 10 minute walk to the coast where there are cliffs and offshore rocks and crashing waves with lots of kelp.  There are a couple wooden benches (not slats, rather a huge piece of wood carved to a bench) and some sea birds.  We walked around and returned to our room for a promptly-delivered 9 am breakfast.  It arrived in a basket containing Jenni’s cocoa, my coffee and cream, freshly squeezed organic OJ, homemade zucchini bread, Mediterranean quiche and baked local pears with anise-hyssop & berries.  This place also does farm to table dinners Wednesday-Saturday for $50++.

We hit the road and stopped at Harvest at Mendosa’s in the center of the adorable little town of Mendocino.  This is a legit mid-sized market with a good butcher (including some products from Roundman’s Smoke House in Fort Bragg).  We picked up ground beef, thick slices of bacon, rolls, oatmeal and firewood.  Patterson’s Pub had been recommended for a casual meal/drink the night before.  The Joshua Grindle Inn is a lodging alternative we had considered.

The town of Fort Bragg is larger with national chain stores and fast food.  Route 1 again becomes very windy and hilly before joining the 101 at Leggett, which is inland and about 30º warmer than the coast.  This stretch of the 101 is also fairly hilly and windy but more like a narrow highway with large trucks.  We stopped at Confusion Hill, a classic old-school roadside attraction that’s been there since 1949.  The gravity house of tilt-induced optical illusions was probably worth the $5 entrance fee.

The 101 becomes a more typical highway and enters Humboldt County.  We did not explore Eureka in depth, but it appears to be a s*#thole.  If I were looking to cast a film about cooking meth, I might exclaim “eureka” upon arrival.  About 40 miles up the coast in Orick, we pulled into the Elk Meadow Day Use Area off Davison Road where we spotted a pair of beautiful Roosevelt bulls and enjoyed some wild blackberries.

A quarter mile up the road at Elk Meadow Cabins there were perhaps 15 females.  We arrived at Del Norte State Park shortly after 6 pm and got a first come spot (#102) at the Mill Creek campground.  Thirty-five dollars is steep for camping, but the site was more private than San Simeon.  Amenities include a bear locker, fire ring, picnic table, potable water, flush toilets and coin operated showers at $0.50 for five minutes.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn we could leave scented items in the car or the bear locker.  At Yosemite, they are adamant that there can be no scented items outside the bear lockers.  I grilled some bacon cheeseburgers on the portable propane Weber and we finished the Peachy Canyon zinfandel and had a little chocolate for dessert.  It was surprisingly warm as we went to sleep before 9 pm.  Up here it rains little in the summer but 10-12” per month in winter.

August 20, 2013 (Tuesday) – The morning was cool but pleasant and it was another gorgeous day.  We cooked some healthy oatmeal type product and made coffee and tea.  Shortly after 9:30 am we drove four miles south to the Damnation Creek Trailhead at mile marker 16 on the 101.  The trail ascends briefly before dropping over 1,000 feet to a rocky beach.  It is described as steep and strenuous.  That is a mild overstatement if you are an experienced hiker, but I imagine the bottom portion could be quite tricky in wet conditions.  We saw several others, but it was not crowded.  It took us 45 minutes to descend, we spent 45 minutes at the bottom and required under an hour to ascend.  I recommend this hike as the coast is rugged and beautiful.

If you’ve enough gas in the tank to hold out for Brookings, Oregon, you’ll save $0.10-0.30/gallon.  You will also continue to enjoy a breathtakingly beautiful coastline in Southern Oregon.

I love the North coast of California.  The coastline is jaw-dropping, there are countless spit beaches with a lagoon/river on one side and the ocean on the other, it is verdant, and not crowded.  Many of the homes are rustic but quite nice looking.

California, North America, USA

“Things are tough all over, cupcake, an’ it rains on the just an’ the unjust alike…except in California.” Alan Moore, Watchmen

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Saturday morning, we woke up and re-packed the car (oi – still work in progress, must organize better), and drove up to Hearst Castle.  We took a tour of the Grand Rooms and walked around pools etc. Pretty incredible place. That drive up the hillside is almost worth the exorbitant entry price ($25 a person for a little tour!!). Saw a “wild” zebra on the side of the road a few miles up when driving away (one of the remnants of the Hearst’s private zoo).

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 ::hearst castle::

We stopped at a few lookout spots along the way, enjoying the spectacular coastlines, though there was much more fog than the first time I’d traveled this road. Bummer. Stopped for lunch at Whale Watcher Café. Completely missable. Totally overpriced and disappointing food (tourist trap! But we were hungry). Want something that is 100% worth the stop? Elephant seals. All day every day folks. Those big love muffs are fun to look at (and listen to!).

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::check out the schnoz on that mister::

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::California’s beautiful coastlines – Big Sur::

A little worse for the wear, we arrived in Hillsborough where we welcomed by good friends for the night. Hillsborough has an adorable little town center that reminded me a bit of a college town. Bopping around the sidewalks, we ran into a work acquaintance of Alan’s – small world already. Had dinner at a little take out spot that had salads and sandwiches. Their home was beautiful and sleeping in that bed was heaven on earth. After camping, packing, moving, sleeping on the floor in our bedroom, oi. We were beat and that was the most comfortable place I may have ever slept.

Man I love California.

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::hooty liked the view too::

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How Not to Prepare for a 3 Month Road Trip Around the U.S. (and consequent indefinite length world travel)

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Here’s how: do what we did. SPOILER ALERT! I’m going to do essentially nothing but complain in the rest of this post. I know, I know. I realize how lucky/fortunate I/we am/are to have this opportunity, and I’m so thankful and elated for the journey to come, but this platform is part blog, part keep-in-touch and let everyone know where we are, and also part diary. So… Dear Diary, I need a bitch fest.

Moving was HORRIBLE. Note to future self: moving is like what mothers say pregnancy is like… it’s an epically painful mess, and then years go by between moves and you totally forget, and think, “hey, moving’s not so bad, I can do that again.” Except that with childbirth it’s probably an evolutionary blessing, and with moving it can only be pure psychological repression. Well, future Jenni, READ THIS before you say again “whatever, we’ll just put all our stuff in storage, and figure it out.” And when you’re husband says “just put anything you think you might need over the next few years near the front of our 20×15 shed/pile of accumulated hoarded goods,” do not just say “oh, OK” and continue to wait until the day before the mover’s arrive to begin sorting out just what one might need on a three month road trip around the US in a CONVERTIBLE with backpacking gear and attire for THREE BLACK TIE WEDDINGS (including one in which you are a bridesmaid and thus must pack a separate gown to be worn on no other occasion), followed by 5 months in Asia which includes probably a few weeks trekking in Nepal, and then oh maybe just what’d you’d need if you needed to crash in LA for 6 weeks while applying for jobs again before you figured out just where you might pick up your life again. Double ugh.

So Alan and I spent the better part of the two days between Kenny leaving (my brother in law, who stayed with us in LA for 6 weeks as he interned in LA pre-business school) and the movers coming trying to sort through our belongings, tie up essential loose ends and “pack.” We tried, really. Think we both underestimated how much prep is needed when you’re organizing for the trip of a lifetime. We got about 3 and a half hours sleep the night before the movers came, waking up at 6 to keep plugging away at the plethora of items hidden in the crevices of our 2 bedroom apartment. Mind you this is all made more difficult when you’re married to a man whose response to anything you want to donate/sell/toss is “well, that could come in handy… are you sure? Are you really sure? Should we talk about it for a half an hour first?” I kid, sort of. I love you, Alan, but you got to let the junk go.

As you should very well be able to gather (if you’ve made it this far through my bitchfest), we were so massively unprepared for this undertaking. We built in two weeks of unemployed cushion thinking we’d knock out entire to-do lists and figure everything out. Well, that two weeks turned into about three full weeks of unemployment, and while much got done, not nearly half of what we’d hoped to accomplish was tackled. To be fair, we had a third roomie that we don’t often enough get to see and so savored our time with him, as well as a few houseguests in our last week, and many many people we dearly wanted to say “goodbye” (so long for now?!) to. So there were a lot of non-productive moments. Also, there were a handful of moments of “well, we won’t have a couch, or a TV, or a home for long so… maybe we should just order delivery and watch movies and enjoy having a couch, TV and a home tonight.”

When moving day came, it took 4 movers (plus Alan and myself) over 10 hours to just pack everything up and get in the car. It was another 3 or so hours getting it all to our storage facility in Van Nuys and strategically stuffing it in our little shed. Mind you Alan oversaw this part while I began hosting our “goodbye party.” I use this term loosely because I basically provided none of the traditional things one offers their guests (chairs, glasses, food, ice cubes). No, instead, we provided them an empty apartment and party favors of their choice from our pantry, wine collection and liquor cabinets. And a LOT of wine and liquor was distributed. Thanks LA friends, I hope you think of us fondly when you get schmammy 🙂

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 ::friends, checking out the loot::

 

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::the only furniture left (picked up the next day –  along with a Weber Gas Grill and a vacuum cleaner – in less than 15 minutes on the side of our road!)::

We slept on the floor of our bedroom in our sleeping bags that last night, leaving the last of the cleanup/packing for the morning. Boy, did we underestimate again. Gareth came through as an absolute superstar lifesaver by showing up with coffee, Gjelina egg sammies, and a helping hand. He helped us drag our furniture and trash out to the street and trash bins, and even drove out with us to Van Nuys to stuff our storage facility the leftover goods which wouldn’t fit in our already cramped car. THANK YOU GARETH! We owe you guys two dinners now 😉

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 ::all our belongings, crammed in a 20×15. that’s a lotta stuff::

Alrighty. Well, I’m not exactly sure yet what I want to get out of this experience, but one thing is for sure: I want to learn. In retrospect, not bad, before the journey even technically began, I learned a lesson in preparedness. Boom. Lesson one down.

Oh, and here’s a little anecdote those of you who know me may appreciate. To top off this lovely little move, once we finally left the apartment – without a proper goodbye! (totally not my style… had time allowed I would have much prepared a tear ridden, overly dramatic, goodbye house, goodbye mouse style parting) – we get in Sven, with Gareth following close behind, and literally a handful of blocks from our apartment I erupt in a scream of bloody murder as a spider criss-crosses his uninvited, trespassing little way across the dash in front of me. Alan pulled over and disposed of the little bugger, and we were on our way again. No big loss, except the 4 years of life my heart most certainly lost in the process.

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::Sven and Alan, ready to leave Goshen for good::

 After we finally left Gareth at the Public Storage facility, we hit the traffic-ridden road (so long 405 – I most certainly won’t miss you!) with 8600 miles on Sven’s odometer. By way of introduction, Sven is my Volvo C70 convertible (he’s Sveeeeeedish), and our mode of transportation for the next 3 months. (I’ll also mention now that we’re joined by a stuffed toy owl called Hooty. I may explain later, I may not. I’m not entirely sure there is an explanation). By this time it was now about 2 in the afternoon, and we thanked our lucky stars we knew we shouldn’t be so ambitious as to reserve a campsite up in Big Sur. So up we drove, reminiscing about the night before, our emotions in the moment, the experience so far, what it feels like to be homeless (which is, woah, we’re homeless, that is kind of cool! Probably way less cool in worse circumstances but hey). The drive up conjured memories of wedding planning and the countless drives we made to and from Santa Barbara in that process. We got giddy passing the exit for Dos Pueblos, where our wedding was, and made our first pit stop in Montecito to use the restrooms in our favorite brunch spot where we ate LOTS of lobster benedict throughout the year pre-nuptials. Jeanine’s people, Jeanine’s. Go there. Order the lobster benedict. Thank me later.

Anyway, the drive continued on, up the PCH. There were occasional bouts of sing-alongs (the General by Dispatch came on and Alan reminisced about making his decision to move to LA when that song was playing. We decided Dispatch along the PCH is a good combo).

We stopped in Pismo beach for some takeout from the Cracked Crab. Split the fish tacos and a King Crab Po Boy (oxymoron? I never know. Alanis Morissette instilled me with a fear that I will never really comprehend what is truly ironic, thanks Alanis. I still love your angsty music. Which reminds me, I will need to do some Alanis sing alongs in the near future. Are you all thankful you’re not road tripping with me yet? P.S. total stream of consciousness, that’s what you get here in case you hadn’t noticed. Also I’ve had a lot of wine tonight.)

We camped at San Simeon State Park. Got there around when sun was setting, set up our tent, unpacked the car which was bursting at its seams (I had to sit Indian style as even the floor space under my seat was taken). A few minutes after unloading the car and pitching the tent, Alan drove the car back a few miles to the ranger station to find out whether the water was potable, and an RV pulled up to the space. A French man and his wife then popped out of said RV and proceeded to yell at me for stealing their space. I was tempted to practice my French, but it was not the time. Some background: there had been a few folding chairs left in the area, but nothing else. In hindsight, maybe we should have driven back to the ranger station before pitching our tent to find out what the deal was, but we were exhausted. Even so, I assumed since it was so late that someone maybe just thought the space was open for the night and was trying to claim it for spreading out. The thought did not occur to me that an RV might park in the tiny little spot. Any way, the super high ranger (yes, SUPER SUPER stoned.. like… biggest stoner type ranger man I may have ever encountered, and this is coming from a girl who went to high school with boys who worked at Walden pond in the summers to smoke weed and make money) partially screwed up by giving us their space, and the French couple partially screwed up by forgetting to re-check in for a space since they made separate reservations for the evening. I guess I feel like I have something to prove, but if we were in the wrong it all, I’d say we were probably the least in the wrong of all three parties. At least not in the wrong enough that the French man should have the right to yell at me, try to get me to take all my bags and tent away before Alan even came back with the car, and accuse me of STEALING for sitting in his chair for five minutes to read my book while Alan was down at the ranger station. I mean, we’re camping folks. It’s a chair. I promise my touching it for five minutes did not meaningfully diminish the value of this chair. Also, one of his 100 children that spilled out of the RV tried to steal our firewood when they eventually moved. So, snotty French sir, by your own logic, your spawn is a thief. For a lawyer, I’m pretty damn non-confrontational. So getting yelled at less than 8 hours into our trip by a man who barely spoke English? Bad start, right? All’s well that end’s well. His wife had some sense in her, and we leveled with her to get them to switch spaces since all they had to do was pack up a few chairs and drive the RV away (versus our repacking a tent and our overstuffed convertible whose contents were now strewn about a dark campsite). And the best part? We’d packed a bottle of champagne to toast our trip, so once they’d left, we started a fire, poured our Moet, and toasted “fuck the French, let’s drink their wine.” Disclaimer: I love the French, I love France. I hate that mean bitter man who unnecessarily escalated a totally fixable problem.

 

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 ::the campsite that was fought over::

And that was day one!Image

::last sunset on our roof deck::

California, General, North America, USA

Getting out of Dodge(rtown)

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GIVING NOTICE

WARNING: The first part of this post is about my decision to leave my job for an indefinite period of travel, what it was like to give notice and to pack up and leave, and some rumination on life.  If this interests you, please continue.  If not, you might want to skip to the lower section or the posts more directly covering the geographic journey.

I loved my life in LA and had fought hard for an extremely coveted job at a wonderful buy-side shop in Santa Monica.  Resolving to leave all this was terribly difficult.  But the more I thought about it, the less afraid I became of the downside risk.  And the more afraid I became of living with major regret if Jenni and I did not seize the opportunity to travel the world sans kids and mortgage.  Besides, a certain level of risk ought to be welcomed.  I do not believe life is a perfectly efficient market, but there is undoubtedly correlation between risk and reward.

Once my mind was made, I dreaded the necessary conversation with my colleagues.  I feared I was letting them down, and that they would hurl barbs of guilt and accusations of madness.  If any felt this way, they hid it well.  I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by how supportive and understanding they were.  To be sure, this is a reflection of the good nature, warmth and professionalism of my colleagues.  I think it is also because others tend to respect those who demonstrate courage and conviction.

Reactions to the news in general were overwhelmingly positive.  “Congratulations” may have been the most common refrain.  I was nervous (and sad) about telling the student I mentored that we would have to end our formal relationship, but even he (at 15 years old) demonstrated such maturity and compassion in his reaction.  He pretty much said “well, that sounds like a great opportunity and I’d probably do the same thing if I were you.”  A few evoked Verbal Kint when Special Agent Kujan asks “who’s Keyser Soze.”  Oh #$*&, now I have to confront the possibility that maybe I could do this.  Many said they were envious and wished they had done something like this or could do something like this.  If you are reading this, I will wager that you are not dodging bullets in war-torn Congo and desperately wondering where you will find bread for sustenance.  And if I am correct, then it is probable that your life decisions (from the mundane to the complex) are really about priorities.  Perhaps you are pregnant or must care for a loved one who is not well, but most likely you could drastically change your life and start traveling soon if not this moment.  Which is not to say that you should do so.  I find it challenging yet rewarding often to ask myself the difficult questions in life rather than passively accepting the status quo.  Instead of saying “I wish I did that” or “I would love to but just can’t do that,” you might consider switching the phraseology to “I could do that, and/but…” You will thus free your mind to assess the relative weight of your priorities in life.

This exercise may be difficult in part because the side of the scale representing benefits of drastic change may have fewer objects readily visible.  And it is often difficult to determine the weight of the object without holding it in your hand, so to speak.  How do I measure the positive “weight” of traveling the world when I’ve never done it?  It seems far simpler to comprehend the negative “weight” of those thousand details that have to be sorted out when uprooting your life and, of course, the supremely scary notion of giving up a paid occupation.  All I can say is: make your decisions consciously and faithfully, then rejoice; when you are honest with yourself, you cannot be wrong.  I want to reiterate that this is a very personal decision and one size does not fit all.  I find some of the full-time travel writers more than a little patronizing when they suggest theirs is clearly the right path to choose.  I merely want to impart that if you really want to make a big change in your life, you probably can.  And if you care about the reactions of your closest family, friends and colleagues, which would be perfectly normal, those reactions may be more positive than you think.

Make no mistake, drastic change is not easy.  The path of least resistance is usually the easiest.  As with most significant undertakings, the effort is front-loaded and the reward comes after.  Think of this like physics.  It takes a tremendous amount of energy to stop a moving train and start it going in the other direction.  I won’t bore you with all the details of becoming voluntarily homeless, though there are probably more than you would imagine at first.  But once done, this new direction becomes the path of least resistance.  This is why we decided to give up an apartment we loved, sell some possessions and put the rest in storage.

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This was by far the hardest moving experience of my life.  It is much more difficult to figure out what to keep, what to dispose of, what we might need access to, etc., than it is just to throw everything into boxes and move it to a place where it will be unpacked promptly.  On the back-end, though, there is no abode to decorate or cable service to set up.  Having already undertaken the effort to scale down and become rather nomadic, the presumption is now in favor of continuing to travel.

I began to notice some changes in my life even before we left LA.  Brace yourselves…I took the bus a few times!  It may seem ridiculous to those outside LA that this is worthy of comment, but most people I know in LA have literally never once ridden public transportation (in LA).  The immediate opportunity to spend more time with family was both fortuitous and related to this decision.  We probably would have seen Mia and Matty at the Phish show at the Hollywood Bowl anyway, but definitely would not have hung out with them and their delightful friends til the wee hours at Cantor’s on a Monday.  When Sam and Kaitlyn were in town a couple of days later, I was able to spend more time with them, and likewise my cousin Jonathan a few days after that.  Not much beats quality time with family.

Adventure awaits us, and I am excited to see what the world has in store!

A COUPLE DETAILS, BUDGET, LINKS, DOMESTIC PACKING

Slimming down included selling one of our two cars.  Since Jenni’s car is newer and more spacious for a road trip, gets far better gas mileage and is still under warranty, that meant saying goodbye to Seymour (my Audi S4 convertible, and first true love in California).  It was an emotional event; I truly feel that Seymour was inextricably linked with my identity and joy upon arrival in LA eight years ago.  Classic LA stuff, I know.  I spoke with a couple Audi dealers who would not even make a bid and then a local used car business that bid me much less than I wanted.  CarMax handily beat that price, and I have nothing but good things to say about the experience.  You may be able to get a little more if you cut out the middleman, but that entails locating a buyer, ensuring payment clears, dealing with title transfer, possibly risking liability, etc.  If you want a reasonable bid and stress-free solution, check out CarMax.

Like most Americans, our health insurance was provided by our employers.  We have not yet selected a replacement since COBRA effectively offers a 60-day free option (you can enroll retroactively).  Based on our research to date, we expect to go with International Medical Group.  I will likely provide more details in a later post.

We picked a somewhat arbitrary budget of $100/night for accommodation and $70/day for food and beverage (all of these figures are total for two people).  The idea is to be frugal, but not unnecessarily so given our savings.  Some backpack internationally and spend a small fraction of this, and we certainly hope to rack up non-camping nights in Asia and elsewhere for more like $20-40/night.  The accommodation budget should allow us a mix of camping, hostels, airbnb and splurges.  Though in truth most of these splurges will seem more like the budget option from our most recent employed lifestyle.  Camping typically costs $10-25/night.  We enjoy it, and it allows us to fill our splurge fund.  Here are a few links for camping and budget accommodation:

Oatmeal for breakfast, PB&J sandwiches and simple grilled protein help save money and allow for some higher-end meals in foodie locales.

I plan to write in greater depth about packing and preparing for the international trip, but I will mention a few things about the US road trip.  We own some backpacking gear and that made it easier to camp a lot while still fitting everything into a small car.  Gear includes the following:

  • MSR MicroRocket Stove
  • MSR Quick 2 System Cookset
  • Camo folding boat seats from Wal-Mart…seriously.  We bought these in Napa for Bottlerock thinking we would just throw them out after the festival, but they have become our new favorite purchase.  They are easy to transport and, unlike a typical folding chair, can turn a picnic table bench into a comfortable dining seat. IMG_0624
  • Kelty Gunnison 2.0 Tent
  • North Face Cat’s Meow 20º bag for me and Sierra Designs Eleanor DriDown 19º bag for Jenni
  • Weber portable propane grill
  • A soft-sided cooler

For a camera, we chose the Panasonic Lumix ZS20.  There are probably point and shoot cameras that take somewhat higher quality pictures in a range of conditions, but this one got generally good reviews and the 20x optical zoom was the key selling point.  We will have more than enough gear without hauling an SLR, and I like a powerful optical zoom, especially for the inevitable African safaris.  A few photography equipment review sites that I have come across include:

A fantastic resource for traveling and life in general is downloading eBooks from your local library.  I do not know which public libraries offer this service, but I know Santa Monica and LA do, and it is amazing.  If you are a resident, typically you can join for free and download free software and then check out books to read on your computer, iPad, smart phone etc…for free, anywhere in the world you have an internet connection.

Books, General

Books

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One of the many enjoyable aspects of long-term travel is I get to read a lot more…for pleasure.  I am starting a new post that I will update periodically to list the books that I have read (or am reading) since our journey began.  Note that many of these authors have corresponding blogs where you can get a taste for the concept without buying/reading a whole book.  And if you have suggestions for books you think I would enjoy, please do let me know!
The Lean Startup: a very popular book relevant for both new entrepreneurs and established companies launching new products, among others…as the title suggests, the goal is to figure out if your business is viable and if so start and grow it without betting the farm…advocates practices like continual testing of assumptions, metrics that are both measurable (of course) but also meaningful, etc.

Investment Biker: older book by Jim Rogers, partner of George Soros at the Quantum Fund with legendary returns…as Amazon says, it is “the fascinating story of his 1990 investing trip around the world by motorcycle, with many tidbits of hard-headed advice for investing in foreign markets.” while not infallible, he is quite prescient and it is a good read.
Delivering Happiness: the Zappos story, a book about building the best customer service business and having fun in the process.  Tony offers some neat ideas for managing employees and creating the right culture.  I enjoyed it a lot and many of his philosophies align with my own.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: book about the Mumbai slums.  Bill Gates said, “It reads like a novel by Dickens, but is a real-life depiction of the challenges hundreds of millions of people face every day in urban slums. It’s also a reminder of the humanity that connects us all.”  The tales of corruption are truly horrifying.

Business Stripped Bare: Richard Branson book about how he got started with Virgin and his relentless focus on brand.  If you do not define your brand, someone else will.

Long Walk to Freedom: Nelson Mandela’s autobiography.  His patience, tolerance, sacrifice and humility are quite the inspiration.

The 4-Hour Workweek: another very popular book, Tim aims not only to inspire you to examine your professional and personal lives but he gives step by step instructions for freeing your time and generating income.  At first I was lukewarm because it seemed like another book heavy on philosophy (which I don’t really need since I already made the decision!), but then Tim proceeds to offer a wealth of resources for starting businesses and using outsourcing both professionally and personally.

The Kite Runner: per Amazon, Khaled Hosseini offers “an educational and eye-opening account of a country’s political turmoil–in this case, Afghanistan–while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over.”  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and great fiction is just what Madurai called for.  I think I particularly like historical fiction for the simultaneous escape/repose and learning.

Half the Sky: informative book on women’s rights issues around the world, which the authors wisely convey as human rights issues.  They focus largely on maternal mortality, human trafficking, sexual violence and routine daily discrimination.  The authors argue there are extensive pragmatic, as well as ethical, reasons to empower women and eliminate discrimination and repression.  A nice balance of facts and studies with many individual stories makes it an enjoyable read, and the authors recommend specific remedies at the policy level and actions you can take to help.

Little Princes: about an American man (Conor Grennan) who volunteered at an orphanage in Nepal at the start of a round-the-world trip and was drawn to return and start a children’s home and reunite children lost/trafficked during Nepal’s civil war with their families.  A very enjoyable read, and for those Latham-ites seeing this, Liz Flanagan is featured prominently as she connected with Conor, then spent time with him and the kids in Nepal and now they are married.

David and Goliath: a disappointing entry from Malcolm Gladwell.  The theme is that sometimes what we consider disadvantages are actually advantages, and vice versa.  He covers topics like the extraordinary success of many with dyslexia, inverted U-curves witnessed in studies of school class size, the limits of power, etc.  I loved Blink, The Tipping Point and Outliers and had high expectations.  This is not a bad book, it is just not nearly as good as his others.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: a book about Dr. Paul Farmer’s work in Haiti and elsewhere. Though my Kindle loan expired midway through, I enjoyed what I read.  Clearly a brilliant man, Dr. Farmer’s work focuses on the intersection of medicine and anthropology.

Undaunted Courage: a terrific book by Stephen Ambrose, per Amazon “the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.”  Jeremy L. recommended this book to me years ago and I finally got around to reading it…I only wish I had done so before our US road trip!

Three Day Road: Joseph Boyden’s first novel about two Cree Indian friends who leave Canada to fight in World War I.  It is said to be loosely based on the real life of a famous Canadian sniper. Quite graphic but a good read.  And as I read it immediately after Undaunted Courage, it furthered my education on some of the abuses by whites against native Indians in North America.

A Lesson Before Dying: I did not love this book

Omnivore’s Dilemma: I loved this book.  A seemingly balanced and very informative analysis of the facts and philosophy of America’s food system.  Highly recommended.

Born to Run: a very enjoyable read about the Tarahumara tribe and Mexico’s Copper Canyons.   And more generally about running and approaches to living.   A nice mix of scientific support and a riveting story.

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage: fantastic book about the extraordinary survival journey of Ernest Shackleton and his fellow shipmates.  A quote for all you mariners: “But the sea is a different sort of enemy.  Unlike the land, where courage and the simple will to endure can often see a man through, the struggle against the sea is an act of physical combat, and there is no escape.  It is a battle against a tireless enemy in which man never actually wins; the most that he can hope for is not to be defeated.”

Setting the Table: Danny Meyer’s book about hospitality.  His priority is to his own team, then in descending order guests, community, suppliers and investors.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: I thought the book was good but not amazing.  The story, though, is pretty amazing.  Per Amazon, she “was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more.”

Miracle in the Andes: inspiring book written by one of the survivors (he was one of two who made the trek to get help) of the famous Uruguayan rugby team plane crash in 1972 in the Andes.  A great tale of overcoming unspeakable personal tragedy.

Asia, Cambodia

Cambodia (old notes)

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For some years before I started a blog, I took notes on trips.  Sometimes friends ask for these notes to help with trip planning.  To organize everything in one place, I’m adding my old trip notes to my blog.  These were written shorthand and probably not too enjoyable to read but hopefully useful to plan a trip.

I do not have access while traveling to my old photos, but I think through the link below you can see Jenni’s Facebook album from this trip even if you do not have a Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.832103361035.2478054.414086&type=1&l=a00c0128e7

We spent a week in Cambodia over Thanksgiving 2010, visiting Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.  It was a phenomenal trip.  So much so that I cannot but wonder whether Cambodia is that terrific or was there an element of this being one of those trips that just clicks…as I discussed in my Sri Lanka post.  But now that I’ve reread all my notes, I think Cambodia is just awesome.

11/19-21

Airport in PP small but very smooth, easy visa ($20) etc. Take 4 pm flight to Siem Reap on turbo prop, about 40 minutes.

Met at airport by driver with V12 Benz (which ended up being about the nicest car we saw the whole trip, only two seats in the back), usually charge but hotel got us free because had told me could send car to pick us up in Phnom Penh then said no because of boat festival.

Terrasse des Elephants Hotel is nice. Room is $65 and has sitting area where first enter with a day-bed type thing, big balcony off to the right that connects to back staircase which could take to the pool or dining area, to the left is bed with mosquito net and then beyond that a step or two up with a cool carved fountain and on either side a shower and a sink, rooftop edgeless pool. Right at old market and pub street etc.

After a swim, we saw fireworks from the roof, then we ate dinner at Khmer Kitchen across from old market. J had Khmer Curry with pumpkin and tofu and I had amok with fish. That, big water and two Angkor beers for $10.

Then walked down to river where boat festival going on. Awesome. Tons of people, band on a stage, almost walked into a little boy peeing. Saw cars with long wooden boats on the roof, like 8 ft hanging over the car on each side. Then just walked around a bit more before returning. Area is great, lots of alleys with bars and restaurants. Very happening. Weather is hot and humid but not super oppressive.

11/22

Breakfast at hotel around 7:30. Pancakes with homemade pineapple jam and honey, eggs with hash brown and grilled tomato, delish coffee, fresh oj, dragon fruit. Then met our guide thai and driver yan ($30 and $40 for day because went farther away) and drove to Angkor entrance and bought 3 of 7 day passes for $40 each. Crowded. Drove through villages and past temples. Houses mainly on stilts for water and to keep out snakes, scorpions, etc. Saw people making palm sugar, water buffalo, cows, etc.

Got to Kbal Splean maybe around 10 and walked about 1.5 km on trail through light jungle. Quite a few others around. J with flip flops, oops. It’s the River of 1000 Lingas which is the phallic symbol. To represent water flowing off mtn (like Mt Meru), all is Hindu, holy water. Hike not too tough but rocks etc so tough for oldies, lots of butterflies. Saw a cave, waterfall, some sanskrit writing on the rocks. At start a bunch of puppies and kids and peeps trying to sell t-shirts and scarves and books. A little pushy but not too bad and rather sweet.

Drove maybe 15 minutes back to Banteay Srei, saw water buffalo in water and taking mud bath. Ox cart. Road is two lanes, pretty wide and nice. Driving not too crazy.

Banteay Srei is temple with very intricate carvings, lots of Hindu mythology representations. Surrounded by a little moat. Saw big chameleon and a snake winding through the stones. Big trees all around. Sampled some fresh jack fruit.  After walk through area with stalls selling things and then lunch. J got fried noodles with veggies and egg and I got fried pork with garlic and pepper (as in tons of both, green peppercorns on the vine). Cans of lychee and soursop. Finished lunch about 1:45.

See a lot of people with medical masks. Still are Khmer Rouge around but I guess nobody fights. But guide said in the 90s it was still dangerous.

After lunch stopped where making palm sugar which sell in little brown discs, yummy. Make by boiling palm juice in wok type thing over little oven made of cow dung, clay, rice stalk…burning wood. Said 80% of country perhaps still cooks with wood. Where got sugar also grow bananas, tamarind, mango, lime. There’s poverty but not much hunger it seems because have lots of rice, fish, fruit etc. Maybe more in Phnom Penh .

Our car has driver on right side even though country drives on right side.

Next up was Banteay Samre. Legend is that it’s the farmer’s temple because was a king who loved sweet cucumbers and he gave the farmer a spear to protect his farm if anyone but the king tried to take cukes. Then one day the king wanted to test him so he went and farmer didn’t recognize him so killed him at once and then buried king under his house. And tradition is if they don’t know who is king then have elephant walk around and whomever elephant kneels before is the king. So elephant went to farmer’s house and knelt and everyone thought he was kneeling for the farmer but really was paying respects to the king.

We liked this temple, not so crowded.

Then went to Pre Rup, has 5 towers, much higher than others we saw. Big and steep stairs. From top nice views, green all around. Can see in distance one of towers of Angkor Wat.

Next was Banteay Kdei which is Buddhist temple. Not restored as well as others.  Long day, glad we got car with A/C for today.

Back to hotel around 5:15. Volleyball is popular here. Our hotel great but room has shower that’s just elevated by the fountain in the room, so wouldn’t be good to share other than with s/o!

Swam again, pool is one of those flush with ground, looks nice. There are rooms on pool/roof level. I had an ABC Stout, 8% alc and tasty. Then signed up for cooking class at Le Tigre de Papier and had dinner Angkor Palm. Sat outside on sidewalk, comfy wicker chairs. J got sambor curry with chicken and a Tiger beer, I had 7 plate sampler with a Beer Lao. Both lagers, solid. Then some sweet banana dessert that came with my meal and then we got ice cream at Blue Pumpkin (jackfruit with coconut/pistachio). Walked down Pub Street and over by food market and then across Sivatha St to Angkor night market. Couple places saw groups playing music that said mine victims. Night market has jewelry, t-shirts, carvings, etc. Fish foot and regular massages all over.

Exhausted, back to hotel around 8:40. Shorts with short sleeves at night and still hot.

11/23

Woke before 6 am and went to roof for sunrise but already had risen. Then walked through old market and saw food vendors setting up. Cutting meat, chickens, fish, fruit, etc. And a few places that serve food. Crossed river and walked around, went into tour office to inquire about getting to Phnom Penh and heard over 300 people died in Phnom Penh . Called J’s rents and found out it was a stampede from the boat festival. Lucky we planned trip in this order and smart we didn’t change it once knew about the festival. Walked around a bit more, that side of river is less touristy. Then back to hotel around 7:30 for breakfast. American again but also French toast instead of pancakes, which was delish. And really good coffee. We both agree we like this part of the world. Exotic feel, cheap, people seem peaceful and very deferential. Yesterday our guide sat in the front seat and had his seat so far forward to maximize J’s leg room, even though she didn’t need it.

Hotel dining area has that Indochina colonial feel.

Guide said our hotel used to be a nightclub/karaoke.

Today we’re taking a cooking class at Le Tigre de Papier ($12/p) at 10 am, which is in the alley.

About 8 in our class, teacher was Jenni. Started with walk through the market to show us things. J made mango salad then chicken curry, I made banana flower salad and Samlor Kteas (pork, coconut milk, winter melon, pineapple, broth, tamarind liquid, lemongrass paste which think had lemongrass, turmeric, lime kaffir leaves, red chili). A little tough to understand teacher but was fun and good value. Then sticky rice with mango for dessert. Ended around 1:30 pm.

There are lizards everywhere here. After lunch went to pool and got crappy piña coladas and read.

Afternoon went to Bodia Spa which is on side street near Blue Pumpkin. Got 90 min aromatherapy massages in one “room” with little wall type thing in between. $38 each is very steep for Cambodia , but place was nice and worth it. Nicer than eg Touch in BH where 60 min is $57 and you have to tip.

Then walked around a bit more and back to hotel to shower. Oh, after lunch also went to book store with illegit but cheap. I bought Kitchen Confidential and also The Lonely Planet Story for $11.

Had a glass of wine in room then went outside and got fried noodles with beef from street cart right in front of hotel. Bought water (about 50-60c for 1.5 litres) and looked for some pancakes without luck. Ate noodles in room, $1 fed us both dinner. Siem Reap definitely has some backpacker vibe but perhaps not quite as much as I expected, which makes sense given it’s a world famous cultural attraction. Not the same vibe as Thailand , at least in the islands or Khao San Rd.

11/24

Woke around 5:15 and got tuk tuk to Angkor Wat, arrived around 6:30. Beautiful weather on ride, ticket station empty where Monday was packed. Main entrance is on West so sun rises behind temple. Pretty clouds reflecting in the moat. Very crowded right inside gate but walked through and over to East entrance where not crowded and pretty. Saw some cows by the moat. Romped around for a while, went up steep wood steps to upper level once opened (think 8 am). Nice views. Scaffolding in many places which a bit of a bummer but oh well. Also saw tons of monkeys playing on East side of temple, very fun. Around 9:30 had breakie at Matthieu next to Chez Sophaea outside the temple (think Mathieu and Chez Sophaea are same). Great scrambled eggs, baguettes with jams and butter, latte and espresso. Peaceful spot, pricier than most but very civilized meal. Kenny just texted me that Thursday has been declared National Day of Mourning so we’ll see what that means.

Our tuk tuk driver is Naro (?), $13 for the day, didn’t bargain at all.

After late breakie we drove through Angkor Thom to Ta Prohm. The jungle temple, was fairly crowded but neat and liked it with trees growing all in and around. Feels more natural though is maintained whereas hear Beng Melea (sp?) farther away is more truly wild. Then around 12:15 went to Bayon (54 faces) and walked around a while. Hot and not ideal light but also less crowded than usual. Then walked back along rd to Bauphon and Elephant Terrace etc and got ice cream before meeting our driver. More restoration work and closed areas than I expected, in general. J was bummed 😉 she didn’t get to ride an elephant because have em in morning at Bayon but we kept on to Ta Prohm and when returned…

People use bikes and mopeds for a lot, eg sell sunglasses out of big case attached to back or grill food on a built in. Back to hotel around 2:30 pm.

Went to internet cafe around corner from our place. Good connection for $.75/hr. A number of work peeps, Cubell, Sharath, Cheech emailed to check in after stampede (reports now say 378 dead). Then went across street to Cafe Central which is open air (big windows with plantation shutters, kind of colonial vibe with the potted plants and wicker chairs) caddy corner from old market on Northwest. Got mango daiquiris and margarita pizza. Western menu with some local as well, slightly more expensive than some but seems nice. The pizza was ok, sweet potato pakora (like fritter with corn etc) with mint dip I loved. Around here, not that many Americans. Lots of Europeans and Asians and of course quite a few tour buses.

Back to hotel and washed a few clothes then up to pool where I read and J napped. Really nice on roof in evening when cooler and lights on. J slept a while and I read, back in room.

Dinner at Socheata on market. More authentic, J got fried noodles with beef and a jackfruit shake, and I got khmer chicken (with palm sugar), quite tasty. But also got green papaya salad which was awful. Think has some kind of fermented paste or something which to me tastes rotten. And reminds that on Monday at start of 1000 lingas hike our guide had me taste some liquid from a cut branch which was like sour glue tasting. Guess it’s supposed to help ease pain…hopefully more than it causes in the mouth. Later for us tonight, finished dinner around (gasp) 9:30.

There are other parts to Siem Reap we didn’t see, we really just did temples and stayed around old market area except a brief foray across the river yesterday morning. Didn’t do FCC or Hotel de la Paix or National Museum or any bars or restaurants on airport rd…

11/25

Breakie at hotel then check out and get in car with our driver, $85 to Phnom Penh with stop at Kompong Plukh to see flooded forest. Drove about 1 hour, nice to see more of Siem Reap and countryside. Driver used to work for UN and NGOs, think as…driver. KP about 6 km off rd, dirt with villagers around and a little market etc. Then stop at station and paid $20/each for entrance and boat tour on long wooden boat that has maybe 24 seats on wooden benches, two rows of 6 doubles. Just us and car and boat driver on our boat, each seems to depart with only a few tourists…not efficient but guess more full employment. Boat driver is orphan, maybe 16 years old and think paid about $85/month by government and boats til about 1 pm then goes to school. Driver says men get married usually 25 and up, women 17 and up. Often live with her family a few years to save money. He says KP is much better and less crowded than Chong Kneas floating village. He said no mosquitoes on lake now, only at night. Hope he’s right!

On drive to KP also pass turnoffs for the Roluos temples I think.

No mosquitoes confirmed. KP very cool and unique experience. Boat through narrow low tree-lined water lane maybe 20 minutes and then pass government buildings and then get to village, with wooden houses raised maybe 20 ft above water. Lots of kids. People live here to fish. Also saw some pigs in little floating pens, a couple little wooden dug outs with fruit. You pass a monastery on the way too, which is on land. Could get onto smaller boat without motor and go more inside the trees but we didn’t. Get out to open lake and just chill for a bit. Could swim but I was afraid of sickness. Then returned to land around 11:30 am. Funny how everyone is always hustling, but in pretty mellow way. Like our driver telling us can do Phnom Penh in one day and then one day go to Kep and islands and he could drive us and cheaper than if arrange through hotel…something about 35%.

KP has some other tourists but quite few, does not at all feel crowded or touristy.

Always fascinating to see a way of life without materiality. Really all you need is food and water, so if you can get that you just hang out and do odds and ends. And hope you don’t need much in the way of healthcare. See some hospitals and clinics around. Think guide first day said government provides care for everyone up to 15.

Boat has fine looking life jackets but nobody uses. Not a ton but of course see trash in water, and driver throws in his cigarette after a few puffs.

Saw a wedding at market by KP and then many more on the drive. Says they last 2.5 days. Real aggressive driver, no margin for error. And again wheel on right side (another Camry from Japan ). Road to Phnom Penh in pretty good shape. Speed limit 90kmh, sometime he goes about 100-110.

Our Monday tour guide asked a lot about how many lanes we have on our highways. And he laughed a lot at things we wouldn’t necessarily laugh at. And of course they’re amazed at the money we have. The top tax rate, hard to fathom someone can make $250k in a year. Seemed to have a negative view of Obama of late.

Lunch today at some place on the way. Looks like tourist stop but at same time pretty bare bones. Like big place with lots of big tree tabletops and stools but authentic menu and lunch with two sodas was $6 and bathrooms have hole in the ground.

Everywhere takes $ and quotes in $ but often give small change in riel and use interchangeably at 4000 riel per $…think now official exchange rate is about 4050. But at ATMs I’ve tried/used they only dispense $, so you can’t arb for the extra 1.25% 😉 Outside more populous areas and even some within you can buy petrol in plastic or whiskey type bottles.

Almost everyone seems looks healthy, at least where we’ve been very little evidence of war, and nobody is fat nor looks malnourished.

Pass through Kampong Thom which looks like decent sized city/town. River runs through.

At lunch J had fried noodles with veggies and I had spicy soup with fish. So so, fish had bones. I got spicy but was easily tolerated. Chili sauce generally hasn’t been that hot either. Either light for tourists or food not THAT spicy here or a bit of both.

Every Lexus SUV I’ve seen has big Lexus writing and logo on driver side. And some (all?) Land Cruisers as well. Not much military or police presence that I’ve noted. And granted we stayed in touristy areas pretty much and never out past 9:30 but Siem Reap felt very safe.

J noticed some houses are very plain looking with weathered wood but had brightly colored staircase.

Lots of monasteries in the country.

I’ve been reading Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know about/by Ranulph Fiennes, crazy badass explorer/endurance guy. J reading law school outline and Let the Great World Spin. She read I Don’t Remember Anything already, didn’t love it.

Most signs are in English and Khmer (Sanskrit derived I think).

Drive is pretty long, arrived at Blue Lime hotel in Phnom Penh around 5:15 pm, would say at least 5+ hours of driving. Phnom Penh is a real city. Bustling, a little intense.

Saw one KFC in Siem Reap and nothing else. Blue Lime is hip, little bit of Viceroy feel to me. Off alley near National Museum, lobby with couple couches and free computers then walk through pool area (infinity edge, like last place) with several little cabana types and our Room was 21 (last was 201) which is good sized with king bed and private plunge pool in back. $75/nite, but tomorrow we have to switch rooms. Took a dip and left around 6 pm, walked toward riverfront, got some eye drops in pharmacy and went to FCC for drink and ended up getting dinner. Happy hour 5-7, got Mai Tai and Passion fruit drink and strawberry mojito and Angkor Sunset, and 3 small plates. All in $22, pretty good, not amazing. Good spot, on corner on river with 2nd floor (as everywhere, what we call 3rd floor) bar and tables and open air and then rooftop terrace. Lots of white peeps there. After dinner walked a few blocks up riverfront then came back and turned in at Amanjaya. At next corner was spot called Derk Wang which had great looking beef bbq out front. Headed back to room and got home about 8:30. Still warm but nice breeze and a little cooler than Siem Reap. Phnom Penh seems cool, lots of activity, lots of street food. Nice big riverfront area with little park between street and river.

Were planning to do Friends for dinner and passed on walk home (right near hotel) and was closed so guess good decision.

Been taking 4-6 pepto/day and so far, knock wood, no stomach problems.

Rooms here are pretty spacious, concrete bed and grey tile floor. Funny because much more modern looking and has old tube TV where last place had Sony flat screen (maybe 37″ or so) with DVD player.

11/26

Woke around 6:45, ate included breakie out by pool. Coffee, passion fruit juice, bread with jam, scrambled eggs, fruit (banana, pineapple, watermelon, mango). Had to switch to a smaller room (#5, on 2nd floor) so ate then packed up and left bags in room and took tuk tuk to Russian market. Walked around a while, bought some t-shirts and J a top and wicker stuff and little lights to hang, and I got a $3 digi watch. Market has lots of clothes and scarves/throws, prepared and raw food, jewelry, auto/gardening/mechanical stuff. Stayed til about 11:30 then to Tuol Sleng (S-21), the genocide museum. In old high school right in city, pretty depressing. Spent about an hour then same tuk tuk back to hotel. $10 for the roundtrip.

Each place has outlets that take a regular plug. Saw some big houses, of course in middle of all and behind big gates.

Balance must be great because lots sit sideways on the back of mopeds. And sometimes see 3 or 4 peeps on a moped, some kids. Very non-aggressive or confrontational culture as far as I can tell.

Tried to go to Friends for lunch but sign says closed Nov 19-29. Bummer! Then were gonna go to where saw bbq last night but think they grill/roast all day and then serve at night. So walked back to river front and ate at Anjali, with seats side by side right on edge of sidewalk so can watch traffic and river. J got seafood fried rice didn’t like much, I got pan fried fish with kampot pepper and herbs and fries, liked it a lot. Also got shakes and my ice coffee were tasty. Maybe a little cooler / less humid here than in Siem Reap.

Saw a couple gay bars in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, good to see it’s tolerated at least somewhat, not sure extent.

Have barbers on side of street, think cut is about $1.25. And guy had a trimmer device but instead of electric power it’s connected to scissors handle looking things and he just opens and closes scissors over and over!

Toyota seems to dominate car market here, lots of Lexus, Land Cruiser, Camry, some Corolla and RAV4, think one sports car looking thing we saw was like a MR2.

Far bank of river has some truly enormous billboards.

After lunch walked and saw Wat Onaloum (sp?) but can’t go inside, then to National Museum . $3 entrance, liked it. History on country and Angkor , lots of old statues and carvings, lots of bronze and sandstone. Nice courtyard area. Then back to hotel to swim. Refreshing and sat in cabana but mosquitoes. Bites starting to add up. Each night until now our bed had netting around so am a little worried for these next two nights. From museum I wrote: Someone should make a movie about The Reamker, Indian story.

BlackBerry data hasn’t worked whole trip, phone and text work. Saw weekly newspaper at lunch, has listing of activities including music and art and pilates etc. Probably neat to be expat place like this.

Went to Chow/Quay on the river front for 7 Eleven at 7 pm (on Friday? only). Hotel, looks cool. Great rooftop with chill lounge DJ and chairs and tables etc and great cocktail menu. Happy hour so grapefruit basil martinis for $2.75! Dinner menu as well but didn’t eat here. And weather is great.

Talking about how mellow a culture. Serious city but never beef between tuk tuk drivers over customer, and no road rage at all. At most you see someone look at another driver as pass, but no cursing or gesturing or even muttering under breath. Not much begging. Lots of peeps trying to sell you stuff or give you ride but minimal begging.

Country blessed with almost no natural disasters. Minimal monsoon I think and not really anything else. GDP per capita isn’t necessarily a good measure of quality of life since only measures commercial transactions. If you grow fruit and catch fish and collect rain water and have no disasters or violence, your income and GDP contribution might be zero but your life aint so bad. Granted we saw areas close to lake and rivers and I’m sure some in countryside are “poorer” and in city it’s tougher life, but…think may also be an element of after Khmer Rouge peeps stick together and are so averse to conflict so…

Dinner at Van’s in old Indochina Bank building, just off the river. Fairly empty, nice space. Had smoked duck breast and scallops with passion fruit to start, then duck ravioli in sauce and boneless pork shank. Not bad, not blown away at all but pretty good. About $100 all in with bottle of Cotes du Rhone and water. Took tuk tuk here for $3, could probably bargain more and in general than we did.

After dinner went to Riverhouse Lounge. Fair number of bars etc right there. RL was two stories, paper said hip hop but more like top 40. Kind of cheesy yet young and attractive crowd. Were there about 5-10 minutes at 11:15. Many tables with bottles, all black label. Tuk tuk so easy to get when need one, standard rate around town seems to be $3. Hotel location seems really good, most places on/around river front are quite close.

11/27

Didn’t sleep so well, dogs howling and noise etc. Woke around 7:45, at breakie I had fried eggs. Coffee has been good everywhere. Took tuk tuk to Wat Phnom, the buddhist temple on a little hill paid $1 each to go in but seemed like if you came from different side it was free?? Nice decorations inside. Some monkeys around. J devastated that no elephants there that day, guess he was hurt. Then walked past US embassy and to Raffles hotel le royal. Nice place, cute cafe and shops, think elephant bar supposed to be nice place for happy hour. Right next to National Library which is closed on weekends, and across from biz school that’s in conjunction with Malaysian school. Walked South along Monivong past train station and tall Canadia building, then to Psar Thmei, the central market. Has big dome and then many arms shooting off, kind of more of the same. We bought quick dry shirts, scarf, table runner, bed decoration, t-shirt gifts. Got a coconut to drink, surprised how much liquid inside. Then walked over to Sorya shopping centre, a 7-8 story mall. Walked through Lucky supermarket, quite nice. Have these packaged meals to cook with meat, veggies, seasoning etc, for about $1.90. One store we went into (BS Fashion, haha) was not at all cheap. Then got ice cream cones at Swenson’s in the mall, solid if pricey for Cambodia. Can sit down and they’ll take your order. J got macadamia, I got this vanilla with pb thing and blueberry cobbler.  Then walked down St 63 several blocks, saw Dept of Plastic Arts and Handicrafts, and went East back towards river on St 240.

Some nice little shops, thought about lunch at Freebird (bar with Western menu) but went to The Shop which is great little cafe/bakery etc. Almost like an Urthh Cafe, but better. Seemed to be spot for either tourists or expats or both. Attractive crowd. J got baked brie sammy, I got roast pumpkin and goat cheese salad. Finished up about 2:15.

Really enjoying Phnom Penh , very much has the third world big city feel but manageable and pretty safe feeling and some hip spots / oases.

Went into some more nice stores…housewares, beads, women’s clothes. At corner of St 19 (?) is Red Apron wine shop and bar and then Rubies wine bar as well. Walked down to Royal Palace but didn’t go in, and tuk tuk guy tried to get us to go to some orphanage but we didn’t because unsure of truth and he said it was 20 minutes each way and tired etc. Walked back to hotel up St 178 and got home at 3:40…drained.  Pool.

Earlier today walking we passed used car dealer, prices crazy! Was like $40k+ for a 2004 Lexus SUV. Think an ’09 Camry was about $32k. Went out around 6 pm, grabbed some chicken on a skewer by hotel. Crappy part of wing, cost $.25 and not worth that. Then went into clothes store but didn’t buy anything and then finally the holy grail of Derk Wang bbq! On the same street as Friends but a little North, on a corner. Have cow roasting all day. I got small plate of meat, they serve it with sauces…one is like bbq, one like a lemon pepper with lime juice, another has lemongrass and chilis and lime juice…latter two they put together at the table. We each got a bottle of Angkor beer. They also serve cow innards, braised ox penis, and other things…we refrained. Solid.

Love how no stop signs or lights at all but a few major intersections, yet everyone just gets through. Quote of trip is definitely “hello, tuk tuk”.

Took one to Equinox on St 278 by St 51 (cool little area with bars, shops etc.). Close to Independence Monument . Right across from Elsewhere Bar where have big expat party think first friday of the month. Looks like cool spot with a couple pools and little beds/lounges jutting into them.

Equinox is 3 stories, we sat at bar on 2nd level which is open air and got pizza margarita and mojitos and then a bunch of Angkor drafts. Mekong Pirates is this reggae/funk band with almost a bit of Israeli sound and they went on around 8:30. Maybe 10 or so mainly white dudes and a Cambodian (?) female singer (but some guys sing too), music is in French. Lots of peeps there, seemed to be expats and maybe longer-stay backpackers. Great band and great vibe. Were a couple little kids there with parents, noted how you’d never see that in US but do see it abroad sometimes. Then went up on 3rd floor roof, beautiful night.

Around maybe 10 or 10 :30 walked across street and up to top level (3rd/4th floor) of Top Banana guesthouse and hung out at the bar. That was mainly longer stay backpackers, had bartender Todd from Albany who was very nice. We talked for a while with this guy from Seattle . Really fun. They had happy chocolate truffles on the menu but had run out, and when we left around 11:30 we had tuk tuk driver take us to river front to check out Happy Pizza, and everything was DEAD. FCC maybe was open, but every place else was closed, streets were pretty much abandoned, we were shocked since it was not even midnight on a Saturday. Not sure if most places just shut down early or if there was some effect from the stampede earlier in the week. Guy at our hotel desk suggested was the latter.

11/28

Nobody seems to tip, but I’ve generally been leaving change and maybe touch more at times.

Recalling our driver from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh when telling us about baby pigs we saw said that people buy them and “sponsor” them while they grow up before going to market. Sponsor, to become bacon…haha.

At breakie met a couple from CO (he grew up in Studio City, live Colorado Springs with place in Breckenridge), here a couple days before meeting up with small group for photo safari in Siem Reap then Myanmar.

Asia Life magazine seems good, helpful listing of events etc. That’s how we heard of the Mekong Pirates show last night.

After breakie went to Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Pay $6.25 to enter, need to cover knees and shoulders. Pretty crowded. Nice buildings and architecture, not incredible but worth doing. Finished around 10, I bought the shirt I’d tried on last night (looks like button down with pullover, all one piece, $16) and back to hotel to shower and pack. It’s hot today.

Brought raincoat and zip off pants and pull over, aside from plane ride never wore anything but shorts and short sleeves.

Cab to airport was $10, takes maybe half hour. Ate sandwiches after security. Drinks there expensive, and have to pay $25 departure tax each.