Arizona and Sedona

Driving near Tuzigoot

After two nights in Flagstaff we headed south to Sedona.  The red rock area that's part way between Flagstaff and Phoenix is a must see. It may not be quite as well known internationally as the Grand Canyon and I won't venture to guess about it's domestic reknown.  I had been to Sedona once as a teenager when we stopped there as a family.  My mom went to school at the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and consequently had spent plenty of time in Sedona, less than a hour drive.

Sedona near Chapel of the Holy Cross

In many ways I prefer Sedona to the Grand Canyon.  The rock formations extend up above car level, not below like the Canyon.  The colors are more vibrant.  The formations lend themselves to imagination.  They are named by what people thought they looked like: Bell Rock, Snoopy Rock, Coffeepot Rock, etc. The colors change a lot as the sun moves.  The color contrast between the bright blue sky, the green scrub brush and the red rock is breath taking.

Jerome Saloon

While staying in Sedona we saw Chapel of the Holy Cross, and day tripped to Cottonwood, Jerome: an old mining town that was nearly abandoned in the 1950's when the mine closed and the population dropped from 1000 to less than 400 people.  The town still has an old west mining feel and is mostly supported by tourism now. We saw the Tuzigoot National monument which is Native American ruins from roughly 1125- 1400AD.  On the drive down to Phoenix we tried to go to V-bar-V to see petroglyphs but it was closed so we made do with Montezuma Well and Montezuma Castle which continued the trend we saw starting with Tuzigoot of really poorly named things. 

Montezuma Well: a self sustaining well with a constant spring in the bottom, middle. Two Native American groups consider it their source of origin.

Tuzigoot is a derivative of Tuzighoot which means crooked water in an Apache language, named for the creek that runs nearby. Tuzigoot (with a different emphasis) means nothing in any language. There was a reference at most National monuments in this area to the Sin Agua Indians.  That name comes from a Spanish explorers name for the  hills nearby, Sierra Sin Agua, though most historians now recognize that there were never a people who referred to themselves or were referred to by others as the Sinaguas. Montezuma, of course, was never in Arizona but the inital discovery team thought that both the well and castle may have been part of the Aztec empire ruled over by Montezuma.  Hey, it was the 1800's, no google back then. There were again references to the Sinaguas at MC and MW.

Old World Brewery sampler.  The Season was Yard Dog - a sour version of the Dark Knight Porter.

The last night in Arizona we stayed in Phoenix due to our 5am flight the following day. I wasn't sure how we'd pass the time until I found a LivingSocial deal for Old World Brewery. Two tasting flights of five samples each, two pint glasses, a six pack for $17. We met Matt, the head brewer and chatted him and another employee up about their beers.  That earned us three more tastes, two off the tanks in the back. The Dark Knight Porter is their most popular beer and I can understand why.  The guys then recommended Angel's Trumpet to us.  Wow.  I wish that Angel's was in Seattle.  35 taps including local beers and imports.  Three taps turned over in the hour and a half we were there.  We each got a six place sampler for $9 and picked different from each other to have the biggest spread. What a stellar selection.  The food was plentiful and very good.  We even saw Matt from Old World again!

Final thoughts on the trip:
It proved to be a very good, potentially important step in my still budding relationship with 25. We got along through navigation snafus, nights of very short sleep, familial trials and lots of time together. We stayed near our loosely outlined budget, neither left the other on the side of a road, and, speaking only for myself, I enjoyed my time immensely for the historical aspects, the romantic possibilities and the breathtaking scenery.

Holiday Recap

I've just realized that I didn't share any of my holiday goings-on.

I went down to California to visit my mom in November for Thanksgiving so my sister and her partner went south for Christmas.  That meant that I was without biological relatives nearby. Instead of  a family Christmas that looked neither exactly like an animated special or National Lampoon Chrismas:

I had two first dates. One was a nice guy but neither of us wants a relationship with the other.  Strangely enough I think he'll be a good friend.  The second I'm still sorting out.  I saw him twice more over Christmas break.  I'm not sure where it's going, or if it's going, but I'll be sure to keep you up to date.

I went to a friend's German Christmas Eve. There were about eight of us, three Germans, including the host.  The food was fantastic.  It was relaxed and I beat Santa home.

Christmas was brunch by E.  He's probably the best friend I've made this year. We met hiking.  We have a ton in common and we "get" each other. He hosted brunch on Christmas day. There was bacon, which in and of itself would make for a great Christmas.  He also made blueberry waffles and an oven omelet (I'd never had one but it was fantastic), there was coffee and egg nog martinis to boot.  Gal and I were the only timely ones but we made the most of it before a few other scragglers made their way over. 
I usually think of myself as good company for myself.  I forgot how the holidays can kind of screw with your head and was very happy that Germaness and E both provided friendly diversions.

Not a lot between Christmas and New Year's.  A snowshoe trip to be mentioned in a future blog.

I was invited to a Seahawks game on Sunday the 30th.  They are the local NFL (American Football) team and were in contention for the playoffs. They won the game and locked a playoff spot.  The games are fun but usually expensive.  We were about two dozen rows from the top of the stadium, or as 25 said, "three rows from God". I wore long underwear under my long underwear. We met another couple, friends of 25's. Pregame drinks were essential and my choice of A Frenchman in Dublin (like an Irish coffee with Irish cream plus courvoisier) was perfect. While the Hawks didn't play as well as they had been, it was really fun.  I suppose they could only keep averaging 50 points per game for so long.

New Year's Eve was a Monday so everyone had to work . . .except me because I'm still between contracts. 25 and I made plans.  We met and taxied to a restaurant in Fremont called 9 Million in Unmarked Bills.  The decor was fun and welcoming.  Our waiter was on top of things and we never waited long. We were surprised to be there in time for happy hour which didn't end until 7.  The food was stellar.  We shared a selection of crostinis, caprese salad, both veal chorizo and buffalo sliders, and diablo prawns with ricotta pancakes. He had a mint julep.  My winterized old-fashioned (with an apple cider reduction) was brilliant. I think we both agreed we would go back again in a heartbeat.

A two block walk down the street to Nectar where we had tickets to see Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme.  It was sold out and a small venue anyway.  The music was as good as expected and very upbeat,lively for the holiday.  There was an intermission with belly dancers that were somewhere between Arabic style and Vegas showgirls. The DJ played lots of old school stuff that got the crowd up and going.  I only had two drinks there an was sober the entire evening.  No, I'm not complaining.  I had a wonderful evening all around.



One sidenote - when we were in line to get in to Nectar, a homeless, Native American man was sitting on the sidewalk with a makeshift drum and cup.  He said hello, so I said hello.  He commented that he'd said hello to everyone in line and I was the only one who had taken a few minutes to talk to him.  Inside Nectar, we were bumped in to by a guy who looked like an old Hell's Angel's biker.  By the time he stumbled by we'd noticed him several times and he was fairly sloshed. That considered, he was very nice and seemed to be more lonely than anything.  25's protective shields went up as the Angel went in for a kiss to thank me for keeping an eye on his jacket (electricians union) later, but I think he was harmless.  Both cases made me think that apparently there is something about me that makes me approachable.  Also, why are so many people ignored and discarded by our society? It makes me double up my commitment to volunteer and help where I can, even if it's simply hello and eye contact.

Holiday Lonlies

The holidays are tough.  The shopping, parking, the chaos, cooking, family, the long cold dark days . . . .Do I need to continue? It almost makes even agnostic/semi-atheistic folks like myself glad that the Christian propaganda machine co-opted a mid-winter holiday that's taken over the globe.

The holidays are tough for the folks who have family.  Now, in some way, we all have family.  There are three basic family types when I think about it. 
* The first is your given family.  They are the people who raised you, potentially genetic relations, potentially adoptive relations. 
* The second is a family you choose.  I have a handful of close friends who are my family.  Especially when living overseas, this kind of family is common and necessary. When you live far away from your given family, you need other people to make your life abroad.  These are the people that you depend on, who bring you soup when you are sick, who celebrate your birthday with you, who cry along with you and then drink along with you.
* The third family is the one you make, i.e. marriage, relationships and procreation/adoption. Obvious! Also, one I don't have at the mo.

Holidays exacerbate a situation for people are lacking family.  I think of myself as a friendly, active person with people in her life.  That said, this holiday season, my given family (what little of it I have) were away.  My chosen family are, for the most part, in other countries and other parts of this country.  E was my rock as he hosted brunch on Christmas.  He is the Star of Bethlehem in my Christmas story this year.  Other than that, no one was around.  Not for fault of their own, I'm not blaming them.  It's impossible to pluck a friend from Madrid, a few from Jakarta, one from California, etc, etc, until we get the "beam me up" style technology I keep hoping for. All that considered, I had pangs of loneliness and twinges of depression.

Apparently, I am not the only one.  I had a few first dates in December.  I thought I was doing pretty well only to find out that a couple of my friends had even more dates.  One girlfriend had about seven dates in two weeks.  Another male friend had so many I couldn't keep them straight as he was telling me about them.  How did I not know that December was dating gold?

Granted, the results don't seem to be any better (or worse) than dating any other time of the year. Santa didn't bring me Mr. Fantastic this year.  I didn't stumble into him while Christmas shopping rom-com style. But, as I always advocate, meeting more people means that the laws of averages have to bend in your favor at some point!

I am interested to see what happens now, after the new year has sprung and we are in the marshlands between NYE and Valentine's Day. Will the dates continue? Will men lay low until after cupid has disappeared for another year?  In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed as the last of the holiday cheer runs its course. Another first day next week!

2 months? Holy . .

It's infinitely interesting to me how time is so elastic and infinite and undefinable.  Yes, I suppose we as a people have defined it by breaking  time as a whole into days and hours and seconds. Yet there are episodes in life when time flies. When a year is gone and you haven't even lifted your head to see it zoom by the window.  There are other periods when a day lasts eons and even staring at the clock doesn't mean you can will it to drag by a tiny bit faster.

My life these days is a fairly random mix of these two I suppose.  I both knew it had been ages since I blogged and didn't really feel the time sliding by as it went. The last two months have been a bit chaotic, though not in an entirely undesirable way. 

Between October 30th and November 24th I spent only four days at home in Seattle. The rest was in Southern California.  First, a ten day trip to visit my mom and best friend Ana.  That was a chosen, vacation -type trip. I enjoyed my time there and trucked back home with a smile on my face.  The day after I arrived home I was contacted by a company, SSI, that I have been working with.  They needed someone to rush down to  California to help at a clinic.  Funny enough, it was the exact area my mom was working and only about 15 minutes from where Ana lives. More rants about this company later.  They sent me down to work in Torrance from Nov 11-16th.  I asked to have my flight back delayed a week as was able to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, stepdad and about twenty members (no exaggeration) of his family. It was nice to see them for the holiday since I had sworn I would not fly for turkey day.  Too many crazies.  Since my flight was the 11th, it was actually ok. I'll probably do a separate post about Thanksgiving.  At least it gives you a timeline for why I haven't blogged.

I returned home on the 25th and have been cleaning, recovering, shopping and seeing friends since. I know I need to get back to blogging; for my own benefit more than anyone else's. Blog you can expect to see this month:
Awful drivers
DNR
Seasons/daylight
Online dating!!
Crush
Holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas
More dating
Updates
Wintering

Signing off for the Weekend

It's my first Labor Day weekend Stateside in some time. It's a ceremonial death of summer but it's also a great weekend to be in Seattle.  The first Bumbershoot wasn’t called Bumbershoot but rather Festival ’71. The two-day event, the brainchild of Mayor Wes Uhlman.  It also includes a logging show, indoor motorcycle races in the Coliseum (now KeyArena), horseback rides for kids and ‘the world’s first electronic music instrument jam.’ … The ‘Hot Pants Contest’ was one of the biggest draws. Local rock bands and dance troupes were featured. The sun-drenched festival, held Aug. 13–15, was a hit, attracting the largest crowds to Seattle Center since the 1962-63 World’s Fair.

In '72 the Seattle Repertory Theater, Seattle Opera and One Reel Vaudeville show were added to the music lineup.  In '73 Bumbershoot was named such.  The festival grew in audience, days (now five), and programming breadth. By '75 it was up to a record eleven days.  Over it's 42 years, Bumbershoot audiences have seen the likes of Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Fleetwood Mac, Eurythmics, Bonnie Raitt, Fats Domino, Los Lobos, BB King, Al Green, The Posies, Violent Femmes, 10,000 Maniacs, Sex Pistols, Sir Mix-a-Lot, R.E.M, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, Be Harper, The Black Crowes, Everclear, and hundred mores.  Bumbershoot also includes comedians, short films, live performances, skits by theater companies and much more.  There are nineteen venues that includes five stages.

My friend Danielle is coming up from Portland for Saturday and Sunday.  We're going to strategize tonight. A plan of attack for what we want to see together, what I want to see that she doesn't and vice versa, when to drive up and back.

Don't expect to hear from me until Tuesday.

A last bit of trivia:

bum•ber•shoot
—n. informal
An umbrella.
The word bumbershoot first appeared in the U.S. around 1915–1920. It is thought to be an alteration of the umber- part of umbrella plus a respelling of -chute (as in parachute). Bumbershoot was chosen as the Festival’s name as a metaphor for the Festival being an umbrella for all of the various arts and performers it encompasses.

Diving head to head

Koh Tao is great diving for coral reefs, wildlife and a great first experience.  Pattaya is very different.  I would've hated the place if I hadn't been diving.

Pattaya is one of the original places in Thailand for sex tourists.  There were lots of bars that were full of single women at each table, waiting for men to come in "looking for company".  There weren't as many girly bars - topless, strip clubs, etc-as in Phuket. But the men were older, more desperate, creepier. There were men traveling in twos or threes picking up girls who looked young enough to be their granddaughters, although it's hard to estimate age in Asian women. Aside from my first part of a day walking around, I spent every other day I was there out on the boat.  That's the best way to pass time in Pattaya.

The best diving in Pattaya is the wreck diving.  There are three wrecks, two intentional sinkings that are mast upright and nearly identical except one has been down eight years and one has been down five. The third is a ship that was used as a cargo ship in World War Two after the Japanese took over Thailand. It's been down since 1945. It is on it's side with cargo spilled, holes cut in the hull when they salvaged the engines and oil barrels, and it's covered in sea life. After doing two wreck dives the first day I decided I might as well get my Wreck Specialty certification.  I spent two days doing four dives on the Hardeep, the WWII wreck. I mapped it, lined in and out and in general, thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Pattaya beach

Good eats at the night market.  And pork to boot!

Our departure point for diving

Hardeep wreck info

After Pattaya I headed to Aryutthaya, a city that used to be a royal capital.  It's a small city just north of Bangkok that is an island of sorts.  It's a couple square miles of land completely surrounded by rivers. It has more temples per square inch than anywhere I've ever seen. They're gorgeous. I took a riverboat ride at sunset that showcased three of the oldest and most beautiful. I stayed three nights, but didn't get as much time in town since it took me almost a full day to get there even though it's not far from Pattaya.

Temple from the river at sunset

Very old temple in a park

My least port of call in Thailand was Bangkok.  I didn't see much of the city.  By that point my ankle was still swollen and very painful.  It was limiting my mobility.  I even made an appointment with the doc from Thailand for the day I got back.  The cut on my left foot that I mentioned previously? It was infected.  I'd sought assistance at a pharmacy in Pattaya but with all the time in the ocean I think it never dried or I got a bug from the sea in it.  I was almost as painful as the ankle.  I was exhausted mentally and physically so stayed pretty close to my hotel.  Consequently I only saw two markets and a mall.  Two of the three were straight across the street from where I was staying. I did get to see some pretty great public art.

Street art.  This is one of three giant tigers

Happy year of the water dragon

Treasure is where you find it.

I arrived in Jakarta at 1am, picked up a key to my friends place from her at a bar, and collapsed into her guest room. The weekend led to a debridement of my cut, a wrapping of my ankle and then just rest.

Thailand returns and the diving begins

I'm still trying to find my rhythm here in Seattle. Hence tomorrow being today which was actually six days later.

I left off at my arrival in Koh Tao. I showed up with a busted ankle but otherwise ready to get my Open Water (OWD) scuba certification. Koh Tao is a tiny island that is a diving mecca.  It's reputed to be the cheapest place in the world to get certified.  Koh Tao is the most northern of the three islands off the east coast of Thailand and the hardest to get to.  It has over 25 dive shops and more than a dozen dive sites.

Phoenix Divers shop patio

The pink beast

After talking to the shop I wanted  to do my cert with, we decided I'd wait a day to start.  Tuesday was a rest day, and most of it in a restaurant or in my hut to stay off my feet.  The dive shops are competitive and offer great packages. With my OWD I got four free nights lodging in a little hut.  Nothing fancy but enough room to spread out.  The fan was enough and the mozzie net greatly appreciated. The course was a half day the first day, all classroom work watching videos and doing worksheets. Day two was coursework in the morning and pool "diving" in the afternoon.  Its the first time we gear up and practice the required skills. Day three is the written test and afternoon dive in the ocean while completing skills.  Day four was a morning dive and then we were finished. There were only three of us in my class and Al, our instructor, said we were the easiest class he'd had in a long time.  No one failed their test or skills and we had a good time along the way.

Outside my hut

I was hooked from the first dive.  I grew up a pool rat, starting on swim team at age six and working as a lifeguard and swim instructor for nearly nine years.  If I'd grown up in a warmer climate I guarantee I would have gotten my certificate much sooner. The only downside, something learned since Koh Tao, is that the diving SO good that it makes everything else pale in comparison.

Last dive for OWD!!

I finished my OWD and the two guys in my course both left the island.  I took a day off and then went straight into AWD, Advanced Open Water Diver. No one else signed up so it was just Al and I.  No jump in price even though it was a private class, AND because it was my second course with them I got a discount. I'm now cleared to dive up to thirty meters, in low visibility/at night, using navigation techniques and a dive computer and I have perfect buoyancy. I also managed to put a gash in the outside of my left foot too.  Remember that for later.

In all I was on Koh Tao about ten days and was hard pressed to leave.  I didn't see much of the island except what was in walking distance of Phoenix Divers and I didn't mind. The food was close and good, or good enough.  At night the vibe was mellow.  There was a bar with a great fireshow, even better than Koh Phi-Phi.  And here's the kicker.  The performers are under 15 years old. Next time I'll rent a motorbike and see the peaks and other coves on the island. From Koh Tao I could have taken two boats to a bus or train to Bangkok.  Instead I spent a little more and saved myself a day of travel.  I took the local boat to Koh Samui, spent the night and then flew out to Pattaya in the morning.  Bangkok Airways gets a big gold star from me.  Free deli snacks and beverages at the airport, food on the plane, nice attendants and all for a flight that was just over an hour.

I'd booked a bed in a eight person room in Pattaya.  I got in and found Mermaid Divers on my first afternoon. After walking around the city for an estimated five miles and seven hours, I went back and found I'd lucked. I was the only one in my room. Mermaids picked me up in the morning and we went out diving.

An outline of diving in Pattaya and contrasting it with Koh Tao, Bangkok, Arutthaya and (hopefully) a wrap up of Thailand tomorrow.

Thailandia

Knowing that I was leaving Indonesia, I took full advantage of my last school holiday with a trip to Thailand. Luckily my friend Donna was also on holiday and decided to join me.  We flew to Penang, Malaysia on Christmas.  It was a very, very early flight and we'd both been up all night. I spent Christmas eve in a bar on the scrungy backpacker street in Jakarta surrounded by friends. It was a great night despite recovering from a stomach bug. Donna and I spent the morning of the 26th enjoying Penang and then caught a quick flight up to Phuket.

Phuket is one of the two big ports in Thailand. It's a large island off the west coast ringed with beautiful beaches. We elected to stay in Phuket town as opposed to the tourist strip.  I really liked Phuket town.  It has the feel of an artist community.  It has a smaller, quieter feel. We made the bus ride to "downtown" for a "transvestite extravaganza".  The ladyboys and shows are a big draw in Phuket.  It was fantastic.  The ladies were all so beautiful and the performance mesmerizing. The night life in general was completely a different world from Jakarta or anywhere else. We went to a ping-pong show.  Modesty and potential embarrassment prohibit me from explaining exactly what that was but I'm sure google will help you.A day boat trip to James Bond island was a nice day activity.

From Phuket we went to Koh Phi-Phi (pronounced pee-pee).  Koh is Thai for island. It is a party center for gap year kids with time and liver cells to burn. We were only there for two night but one of them happened to be New Year's Eve. We did drink and carry on but not nearly as long as some of the kids. We also got out on a longtail boat for a snorkel trip and saw turtles!

Reilay, near Krabi, would be the last place Donna and I visited together.  It's a small town that's a rock climbing mecca. The beaches are short and rocky for the most part, although there is a beautiful sandy beach surrounded by limestone boulders/cliffs. Unfortunately a good part of our time there was eaten up checking on bus and train availability.  After Donna left, I went for a half day rock climbing trip.  The rocks were busy but the belaying lesson went well.  I was the first one to go up.  Our course wasn't set for beginners as it zig-zagged up.  I was about a quarter of the way up went I had some trouble finding a handhold.  I slipped three times before I found my way.  The first slip was a big one.  The guide hadn't taken enough line in and I dropped about two or three meters (I was told) and whacked my right foot. I made it to the top  but when I got down and the adrenaline wore off I realized how bad my ankle was. It swelled up a lot very quickly and I had to call off any further climbs.  It made the transportation day I had planned seem long.

My next stop was Koh Tao.  It's the northern most of a three island cluster off the east coast. It's not an easy trip from Reilay to Koh Tao and mine was less easy than I'd hoped.  A longtail boat to Krabi, a van, a bus.  Upon reaching Surat Thani on the east coast I found out that the overnight boat to Koh Tao wasn't running due to weather.  I met Francesca who was in the same boat.  We elected to stay the night and catch the morning boat.  The bus picked us up in the morning for an hour ride to the port.  The boat was actually two. One that made a stop in Koh Samui and went on to Koh Phangan, then a change for the last boat to Koh Tao.  A day and a half later, I limped in to Koh Tao.

More tomorrow!

Away again

As you might have guessed by my lack of blogs recently, I'm traveling again.  This time it's Thailand.  I'm taking advantage of my last big holiday break before I leave SE Asia.  I'll be on the road for nearly a month, all in Thailand.  The first week and a half I'll have Donna, a great friend from Jakarta, along as a traveling companion.  Then I'm flying solo.  I arrived in Phuket two days ago and have been packing the days full so far.

I don't know if I'll get any blogs up while I'm on the road but I'll definitely pick up again when I get back.  I do apologize for the lack of blogs before holiday.  That was a combination of busy life and lack of interesting writing topics.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/other and Enjoys ringing in the New Year with someone they love. Catch you in 2012!

A Rare Moment

I'm not speechless but I do find myself with little to say.  I've been very busy trying to make the most of my remaining time in Indonesia, I rarely have an evening to myself. I have consolidated the radio show and business class into a single night of back-to-back busy-ness and fill at least three of the other four weeknights with dinners/get togethers.

It's year end at work which means overall reports.  If you'd like more information on that please see this blog.  I am happy to report that I finished the grade 4 scores a day before they are due and with much less stress and hassle than previously.  Its makes sense that I'd have my system down pat about the time I leave.
I've also lined up several upcoming trips.  My friend Donna and I will spend Christmas Day winging to Penang, Malaysia to spend a night and then truck up to Phuket, Thailand.  We'll travel together for about a week.  After she returns to Jakarta, I'll carry on for almost another three weeks.

I have a ridiculous five days of work at the end of January to complete my contract.  It's not even a Monday - Friday; it'll be Wednesday-Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday.  I'd hoped to squeeze in a trip to Lombok and the Gili Islands in February but that is in serious doubt now.  I'll have to wait until then and see if I have any cents left (note the intentional spelling there).

I return to the land of red, white and blue the second week of February with hopes of an interview that week.  I'll be at home long enough to unpack and rest before going to Puerto Rico for a wedding of two fantastic people I met in Spain.  Lord knows I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I'll be there a week.

That aside, there are a few things in a bigger picture but that picture is a bit fuzzy now and shan't be discussed yet. Hopefully I'll find something adequately inspiring to write you about tomorrow.

Exhausted

ex·haust [ig-zawst] 

verb (used with object)

1. to drain of strength or energy, wear out, or fatigue greatly, as a person: I have exhausted myself working.

2. to use up or consume completely; expend the whole of: He exhausted a fortune in stock-market speculation.

3. to draw out all that is essential in (a subject, topic, etc.); treat or study thoroughly.

4. to empty by drawing out the contents: to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.

5. to create a vacuum in.

 

Origin: 1515-25; 1895-1900 for def 11; Latin exhaustus emptied out, drained out, past participle of exhaurire.

Synonyms: 1. tire, enervate, prostrate, debilitate.

I think numbers one through four all apply to me today. I am so tired I can barely think straight.  Its my own doing and I wouldn't undo it for anything.

 

I went away to Bali for the weekend with two friends.  Nora who was my visitor from the States last week, and Donna, another American slogging away here in the Big Durian. We rushed through Friday evening traffic and hopped on a plane over to the Isle of Other.  As social coordinator, I'd made reservations and we went straight to the hotel to change clothes and drop our bags.

We headed out in search of dinner at midnight.  Nora disappeared into the dark to find a friend.  Donna and I had a fantastic time people watching.  Bali felt younger than when I was there a couple weeks ago.  There were lots of Australian schoolies (high schoolers and families there on winter vacation) and at 29 I felt old. We had quite a laugh drinking 1/2 liter beverages from plastic ducks while commenting on everyone who went by from the gorgeous to the bloodied to the tragic.

Saturday Nora was still MIA so Donna and I lounged by the pool trying to recover our strength. Eventually we made our way to Mojo's Flying Burrito.  It was a recommendation from another friend in Jakarta and it was stellar.  He didn't inflate the truth.  Mission burritos, nachos, tacos.  Mexican food like I've never found in Asia. A meandering pace through Jalan Legian as we picked up gelato and headed for a nap.  I had all intention of napping until I struck up conversation with a couple Australian guys.  Brandt is a teacher and away the conversation went.  His brother Malcolm and old friend Rod made us a quartet. Six hours later we were still sat at the pool tell stories and drinking beer.  Rod had gone, Donna and Nora joined. The ambient was cool and relaxed, the beers icy cold, the conversation stimulating.  It was a night that lasted into the morning.  

Sunday proved tougher still to wake up.  Donna, thankfully, banged on my door and we shuffled off to the beach.  She's ridiculously pale so we couldn't stay long but any beach is better than no beach. We packed up and checked out leaving our bags for later.  Mojo's was a lunch repeat and again, did not disappoint.  Donna went for a shop and I headed back to the pool. That evening I picked up a few bits and pieces at the shops near the hotel, we grabbed a bite where I had the best caipiroska of my life, and hailed a cab to the airport.  

It was a big full busy weekend but things had mostly gone swimmingly. Nora left us Saturday night and stayed with a friend before heading to the airport.  I don't envy her the long flight.  I'll have my own soon.  Sunday night Donna and I went to the airport with and hour and a half to our 22:15 flight.  On check in we were told the flight was an hour delayed.  By the time we got off the ground it was almost three hours delayed.  That meant instead of getting to my house about midnight I arrived home at 2:30.  The 6 am alarm was especially painful.

After five classes, more rigamarole with my teaching "partner" and lots of marking, I'm beat.  Toast. Dead where I sit.  I am. . . beyond exhausted. Though on the back of a weekend in Bali, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanksgiving

A few simple lines for Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful for my family who have always been there for me and supported me in more ways that I can recount.

I appreciate my chosen family, my friends, now mostly here in Jakarta, but also those in Madrid and elsewhere.

I'm thankful for so many opportunities to travel this year.  I have seen so many amazing things and met some wonderful people in a variety of places.

I'm excited to be moving back to Seattle, and close to my family.  I'm almost as excited that I'll be living in a city where things work in a logical way (even if a lot of things in the States aren't).

I'm happy that I will be eating a big turkey dinner with some American friends even though I'm half way around the world and twelve to fifteen hours ahead of Thanksgiving in the US.

I'm thankful I've had some visitors here to Jakarta before I leave.

I'm appreciative of my colleagues.  They aren't my social circle, but they are (mostly) good folks who help me keep what's left of my sanity at work.

I'm happy at the mild success of this blog.  I didn't think I'd care how many people read it, but I do get a thrill when the daily views are high and there are comments.

Lastly, I'm more than pleased to have been around for another year to do all that I have.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Even if you're not American and this isn't your holiday, take a moment to silently be grateful for something or someone in your life.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap exists only because of the massive World Heritage site of the Angkor Wat Temples. We met no one, we didn't particularly have time.  Our entire two and a half days there revolved around our temple visit. Angkor Wat is technically the first temple in this massive temple complex and it's become the name for the collection of temples, there each one has it's own name.

This is a map.  Also available for through this site.

Upon arrival we went to our hostel and then out to Angkor Wat to buy our tickets for the next day.  By purchasing our tickets the night before we got a free hour to walk around from 5-6pm.  It was a nice introduction to the temple of Angkor Wat, and it meant we wouldn't have to wait in the morning.

In town was a disappointing dinner of Amok, fish and veggies steamed in a banana leaf with a bland curry sauce.  We had a couple beers and went to bed in preparation for a 4am wake up. 

We did successfully wake up for sunrise, though it wasn't to be had.  It proceeded to rain for eight of the next ten hours.  We arrived at the temples in near utter darkness.  We moseyed around until the sky began to lighten.  I expected there to be hundreds of visitors all packed into the same area.  Aside from the main walkway, over the bridge and into Angkor Wat, that wasn't the case.  As we made a right turn to circumnavigate the temple, we were alone.  The corridors were quiet but for our conversation.  The side corridors contain carvings that tell a story panel by panel. If one didn't walk around the center to the outer wall, one would miss all the intricacies of the carvings.

 After a wander around Angkor Wat and a coffee we headed on to the Angkor Thom area, starting with the temple of Bayon. This is tied for my favorite.  It's much smaller than Angkor Wat but there's more vertical space.  I literally climbed all over this temple.  The rain was bringing fine bits of dirt and mud into my sandals and it was rubbing my feet raw so I went barefoot. This temple is easily discernible by the large faces on the top points. 

There are two faces up there.

Here's the face in close up.

Next was Baphuon (no idea how to pronounce it). It's been deemed by some the world's largest jigsaw puzzle.  A French restoration team started disassembling the temple to clean and restore it before the Khmer Rouge took over.  When the Khmer Rouge made it too dangerous to continue, the team left and their notes and plans were destroyed.  The temple couldn't be fully reconstructed. There are still blocks lying all around. 

Pieces everywhere.

We wound our way through a few small temples and alters, including Phimeanakas, which I swear should be in Greece, the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants on the way to Ta Keo.  Ta Keo was one of the taller temples.  Just check out all those stairs.

Last was Ta Prom, aka the Indiana Jones temple. The authorities are allowing the jungle to slowly reclaim this temple, as it would with all of them if not for the groundskeepers. There are large trees growing out of and around most of the structures. This is the last major temple on the generally followed route.  It's set farther back from the road and has a very quiet approach through a stock of trees. There was water all throughout the temple and was one of the busiest places.  The only downside were the throngs of vendors out the far side.

I went barefoot at this temple too, and a guide noticed saying "Like Cambodia" and pointing at my feet.  He giggled at the bule carrying her shoes and enjoying the soft mud.

There are three options for temple visitors: a one day, a three day or a seven day pass.  Due to our time constraints we opted for a one day pass and both of us found that to be enough. After a while it all starts to look the same and even with the help of a tuk-tuk to ferry us between the temples, we walked a ton.  It was definitely worth the seven hour long bumpy bus rideseach way from Phnom Pehn. 

Phnom Penh

I was told by several people that one only needs a day and a night in Phnom Pehn (henceforth PP).  I am so glad I didn't listen.  I really enjoyed PP.  I spent one night there before heading up to Siem Reap for two nights.  Then back to PP for the last night with Danielle.  I then had three more nights there on my own.  i found a lot of similarities between PP and Ha Noi.  They are both smaller cities in population, and water plays a part in the city flow.  It was esy to meet people and just hang out, moving at a slower pace.  The eats were good aside from the traditional Cambodian food which was generally lifeless. Tuk-tuks are a must for in PP and Siem Reap.  It wasn't like our Indonesian Bajaj which is what I was expecting.

The Mekong river runs along one side of town and there's a big, beautifully paved waterfront walking area. At night the area comes alive with walkers, impromptu exercise/dance groups and food hawkers. In the morning its an easy place to find a cheap breakfast on a restaurant patio just across the street.  The view and breeze are worth the extra dollar the meal might cost.

The hostel I stayed at was one of the best and the worst.  The staff were amazingly helpful in giving information and booking buses, etc.  There was a nice little patio area where I spent hours chatting with other travelers.  The down side was the mattresses which were U-shaped and despite six electric fans running, the room was hot. I slept more poorly here than anywhere. They were understaffed and our room was cleaned only about every third day despite all eight bed being occupied.

In Cambodia it's impossible to throw a rock and not hit a temple.  Wat Thom or Hill Temple was a mere two minutes walk from my hostel and very pretty. The Royal Palace was the only one I saw on this trip.  It was worth the effort as entry times are very specific as is the dress code. The Silvere Pagoda, attached to the palace, was also interesting.

Wat Thom, Hill Temple

Creepy statue at Wat Thom

The eats were cheap, a bowl of noodles with meat and veg for a dollar, beers for fifty and seventy five cents. I found a shop selling handicrafts made by the handicapped.  The sales were good and the products great.  I stocked up on gifts and goodies for myself.
There is nightlife to be found if you want it, both bars and clubs.  One night Danielle and I made friend with four guys from the hostel who because "Ricky, Micky, Martin and Ze German!" Rick and Maarten are Dutch, Miki Chinese and Ze German was, well, German.  I didn't find out his name until after we got back from Siem Reap.  Lars. As a band of heros, we ventured into a dance club after finding four Danes to drag along.  It was an epic night.

My favorite sexy beast, Neil and his other half Nikki, make another appearance in our story here in PP.  The first night Danielle and I were sitting having a beer and talking tattoos when they walked by on the opposite side of the street.  We hadn't seen them since Hoi An.  I literally leapt up and tackled Neil (he's a big guy too). I'm still hoping to hear from them. 

Last big stops were S-21, Security Prison 21 from the reign of the Khmer Rouge and the central market.  It was a harrowing reminder of the cruelty of a regime that was hell bent on remaking Cambodia in it's ideal image, despite the fact it meant killing hundreds of thousands of their own people. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop even though there were several dozen visitors that day. I toured it and Tuol Seng (the Killing Field) with a Welsh couple I met in Ha Noi and saw again at my PP hostel.  We were wide-eyed at the silent reminders of Cambodia's lost generation.

The central market was a fun visit though my shopping was nearly done by then.  Very cool architecture on this building.

The last note on PP adventure.  I met Niall, the British owner of a bar called The Empire (a must go for good grub and chill atmosphere). He and his friends swept me along in their birthday (his) celebrations to a ladyboy/drag show in PP.  How could I say no to that on my last night? So I didn't. 

I was gutted to miss out on their trip to the Kingdom brewery the next day, but I'll know where to go back to.  I skipped Kampot in favor of extra, unrushed days in PP and am very happy for having stayed.

Mekong Delta

After only two plus days in Sai Gon, I was ready to go. Luckily we were on a tight schedule and booked a three-day Mekong Delta tour.  It's been said to be a "must do" in Viet Nam.I'm goin to take you flying through our trip.
Bus to My Tho. We saw tropical fruit plants, tried local honey, and hear traditional music. Then took a small boat.

To see coconut candy made.  It's really good.  Very coconutty and not too sweet. We went on to Ben Tre for a night at a homestay, which was a series of bungalows outside a family house. We made spring rolls with our very animated host.

 He showed us how the local people clean the water (it's very dirty as you can see above, but not polluted) and walked through the market in the morning. The next day was a ride through the market with the village people - the group of eight from our original tour who had stayed at the homestay instead of the hotel.

Using cute kids as salesmen didn't work on us

That afternoon was boats and buses to see a crocodile farm then the worlds fastest trip through a temple.  The bus stopped and we had fifteen minutes to walk around.  I could add some temple photos  like the one below but instead I have this other photo:

It's a penguin trashcan.  This was a theme in Vietnam.  I saw penguin and orca trash bins in a cave on Ha Long Bay. I saw them at the Zoo in Sai Gon.  I'd see them again and again.  I don't understand but kept an eye out anyway.  We headed into Can Tho for night number two on the tour. Can Tho was generally unremarkable.  We found more Bia Hoi and got two liters for less than a dollar.  Here is the jug being filled.

The next morning was a boat trip to see a fish farm, then the floating villages and a Cham village.  The Cham are an ethnic minority group who are Muslim. 

The border crossing into Cambodia was one of the easiest customs/visa incidents I've had.  We stopped on the river, had lunch, the guide came back out with our visas in passports.  Then five minutes more up the river to a stamping station where we had to walk through ourselves.  An hour plus to get upriver to our landing location in Cambodia!!!  Hurray!  We pulled the tarps to see

a green pasture with water buffaloes in the mud.  Welcome to Cambodia.