The Silence of Sarah

Finally in Cape Town and it’s been amazing so far. Marisa & Stus friend, Dave, kindly picked me up from the airport and we went straight to his family bri (BBQ) in Hermanus. I couldn’t believe the beautiful house on the beach and breathtaking views o f the ocean and coast. The weather was sunny and perfect. I could finally wear a tank top and jeans without sweating to death. I could get used to this! Another country, another warm welcome from a family I’ve never met before. It was perfect, and as we all know, it’s the people part of my traveling that I truly enjoy the most. I think the bar has been set pretty high at this point with the lovely views and gracious welcomes I received. :) Dave was nice enough to cook dinner that evening – Spaghetti. Yum! The most perfect comfort food. He gave me a little bit of history, some recommendations, and I was beginning to feel pretty acclimated. Cape Town is fantastic. Very different than what I pictured. I feel very comfortable here. I moved into my dorm yesterday (ok – maybe not 100% comfortable). ;) But it’s fine, and I get to put my things out of my suitcase for more than 2 days – Yeah! One downfall is that it’s getting a little chilly here and I’m not really prepared. I sent a lot of stuff home because it was not being used up to this point. Sort of kicking myself now..

Unfortunately, I don’t start my project until Friday. I was pretty bummed, but I guess it gives me a few days to learn the lay of the land, get settled, so I have plenty of energy for the kids. Some of the girls who have already started confirmed how amazing the kids are and what a great experience it is, but they also said they are exhausted every day. My first thought was “Perfect, I’ll hopefully be able to start getting some sleep.” I can’t wait to meet them!!

I can’t believe this trip has flown by so fast, it’s halfway over and I’m already here. I considered calling this post “The Sigh of Relief of Sarah”, as that was what I was feeling on my flight here. I have had the most amazing 2 ½ months traveling, seeing the world, experiencing things I could have never imagined. I had a blast meeting new people and meeting up with friends, but to be honest, I’m exhausted. I have been nonstop and on the go the whole time, with a few days here and there to really do nothing. I’m ready for a break and to be in one place for awhile and have a “home”. It has been so much fun documenting my story and sharing it with everyone, but when I started calling it my “homework”, I knew something wasn’t right. I enjoy it, especially since it gives me an opportunity to get my memories down while they are fresh in my mind, but I was trying to squeeze it in any free chance I had. Often the internet connections are terrible as well, which makes it really frustrating.

So I’m going silent, at least while I’m in South Africa. I think it’s really time for me to focus on myself and the kids I will be helping. I want to get back into my nutrition and fitness routine and get back on track. If I feel inspired to write, I will pick up the computer for sure. I will still have access to email and I also have a cell phone again, so I can be contacted either of those ways. Feel free.  I love to get little notes and texts by suprise. 


Thank you all so much for encouraging me to write and update you! It is extremely flattering and I really do enjoy it. I just need a break and some quality Sarah time! I will be in touch soon!! XOXO

The Shenanigans of SarChaRika

The Shenanigans of SarChaRika


Part of me wanted to name this the stupids of SarChaRika. For three really smart girls, we sure had our heads in the clouds quite a few times. But everything ended up ok and now we have quite a few funny stories to tell. Here is a recap of some of our sillier and stupid moments:


• Learning that raising your tone of voice with a little flirting will get you margaritas to go.

•You can use “Same Same but Different” for a whole lot of things.

• Me thinking I lost my passport in Luang Prabang and getting my Visa for Vietnam for 2 days after we were supposed to arrive. Oopsy. Thankfully they let me know 2 days early.


• “There goes the kitty”


• Riding our bikes like a bunch of 12 year old school girls.


• Getting sprayed with hoses by 10 year olds.


• Almost being “Taken” 3 times.


• Making friends on the beach.


• “Are you twins?” Nope. Same same, but different.


• Why did the rooster cross the road?


• Moon pies


• Me arguing with the snack lady in Halong Bay. I refused to pay $15 for 3 snacks. She wouldn’t give me my money back.


• The creepy bar pictures on night club row


• The voicemail I left for Charity – which I still need to listen to.


• Did we just take out $10,000 from the ATM?


• Mr. Tohm at the Indochina. He’s tall!


• How many accidents do you have here? No accidents in Vietnam (as a biker runs right into the door as he opens it).


• Frogger/Looking Traumatized/Being Hanoiyed with Hanoiying.


• Spending an hour to find Bobby Chins to find out it had moved.


• Our crazy cab ride from the airport with the American.


• Seeing the tourist push the Cyclo driver.


• “We have a pool table, but no pool.”


• Spiderman


• It’s pork, but not pork.


• Long Duc Dong


• Riding the luggage cart at the airport


• Slipping the “Do not disturb” sign on my toe.


• Deep Thoughts by Charity Gonzalez. “I always think I’m going to tan because I’m Mexican, but then I don’t”


• Charity in the Now


• Playing “Golf”


• The Lover


• Don’t be lazy, be crazy.


• Erika’s white bikini


• Charity giving up on golf and bolting to the pool cannonball style.


• Stupid human pool tricks.


• Bom Chika Wah Wah


• Sarah is like a bobble head – looking in every which direction.


• “Charity, are you itchy?”


• Myers Briggs and Charity’s rule defining


• Extra Special Friendly Person


• Perfecting our chopstick skills thanks to our teacher Erika. Charity refused to let go once she got it.


• Russians, South Africans, shots of tequila and rave music.

The Saigon of Sarah

Good Morning, Vietnam! Despite the things I had heard, Saigon was actually pretty cool for a big city. MUCH BETTER than Hanoiying anyway…We had the whole day to explore until Erika had to head to the airport to catch her flight home. I actually was on a mission to take care of a few last errands before heading to Cape Town, one of them being to find a decent place to finally get my hair cut (after 2 ½ months in the sun and sand, I needed it big time).

We were up bright and early and went straight to the War Remnants Museum. Eeks! Talk about depressing and so rough to see. Originally called the War Crimes Museum, it’s a comprehensive collection of weapons, photos, planes, tanks, and documents of the Vietnam wars with the French and Americans. It was extremely eye opening (I vaguely remember much about what I had learned in school about the war), but also extremely controversial, giving a very skued side of the story and it’s funny; they call it the American War. I know there are two sides to all stories and Vietnam was far from innocent, but it was very hard to read all the articles and sickening to view all the photos of what our country and military were capable of. My main question was “why so much violence”? Even if we were getting attacked, there was still no need to use the force we did and the disgusting acts of torture. I can’t even fathom how it must feel for the thousands of Vietnam vets that visit it each year.

The rest of the day was nonstop for me. After the museum we had a nice lunch at this great little café Charity found in her travel book. We shared a few dishes, including a peanut butter, bacon, cheese, and tomato Panini. Sounds gross but it was to die for! I then headed to the nicest hotel in town, the Park Hyatt, to see if they had any hair appointments available. I was in luck because it was 2pm and they were able to take me at 3pm. Even better, the price was half what I would pay in Chicago! Having an hour to kill, one can only guess what I wanted to do. I headed to the concierge and asked if there were any shops in the area I could run to before my appointment. As I finished my sentence, this beautiful, fit, stylish woman came up to me and with her British accent, she offers to help me. She had been living with her husband (a high end furniture designer) in Saigon for 10 years. She was into fashion and personal styling and mentioned her clients included top executives. She told me how she knew what it was like for a young girl like me to want to be sent in the right direction when it comes to shopping. Her driver came and picked us up, dropped us a few blocks away and she showed me this great shop that I wouldn’t have recognized otherwise. All the clothes were hand embroidered and were gorgeous. She showed me a few pieces she just loved, gave me her contact info and directions to another one of her favorites, and she was off. Just like that. What are the chances? My own personal shopper in Saigon. Come to find out later that everyone knows Saigon Sally. Ha!

My hair turned out ok. They guy sort of went a little scissor happy on me. Let’s just say it hasn’t been this short in awhile. It’s growing on me (no pun intended), not the fact that it’s a couple of inches shorter, but more because it is so much healthier now. Message, nails, hair done all in the same week, I was all set to begin the next part of my journey.

Charity, Erika and I had one last drink that night to send Erika off. I can’t believe how fast the time went. It feels like just yesterday that Erika and I were planning for the trip and now she’s gone. Charity and I were ready to hit the town. We called the contact Duc from Hoi An had set us up with, we met him out at the Park Hyatt bar, which was so swank. We met some other people at the bar and headed dancing – something that I couldn’t wait to do one more time before I left. We had so much fun, but it didn’t make for a very nice 30 hours of traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a 12 hour layover and then another 10 hour flight to Cape Town. HEADACHE!

The Soleil of Sarah

Not much to say about our next destination of Nha Trang (beach town further down the East coast), or should I say actually the Diamond Bay Beach Resort. We arrived to the resort and didn’t move until we left for the airport 3 days later. Our days consisted of this – Wake up, eat breakfast, maybe go for a run, lay by the pool, swim, read, perform stupid human tricks in the pool, nap, get sunburned, drink wine, play cards, eat, did I mention drink wine? Fantastic! A much needed period of relaxation – especially for me. I had a lot of time to think about blog titles. With the help of Erika and Charity, we came up with Soleil because it has a double entendre – Soleil for sunbathing and Cirque du Soleil for our acrobats and pool tricks. Three girls in our thirties taking pictures of each other doing cannonballs and handstands I’m sure made for quite the spectacle. 30 is the new 10? For 3 days, that seemed to be the case.

The So Charming of Sarah

It was 90 degrees and sunny when we arrived in Hoi An. It was so great to finally be in the sun and we quickly determined that being Hanoiyed in Hanoi only made us appreciate getting to Hoi An even more. We pulled up to the Ha An Hotel and couldn’t believe our eyes. This by far was the cutest place I stayed in SE Asia. There were beach cruisers calling my name as we walked in. Hammocks and cute patio sets in the front lawn. We asked if there was a pool and the attendant quickly replied, “No pool, but we have a pool table.” and quickly pointed to the pool table in the corner. Too funny! Our rooms where tranquil like a spa, including fresh flowers and petals scattered about the room.

Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It originated as a port and trading post, and today its big attraction is silk and tailor made clothing for dirt cheap. The town is so quaint and picturesque with its Chinese and Japanese influences. It quickly became another one of my favorite spots on the trip.

All we wanted to do was get some sun. My tan was starting to fade and Erika and Charity were determined to go home with a tan. We hopped on the beach cruisers and headed to the beach. It was quite a ride and much different than the quiet town of Luang Prabang. We made it safely and it was more beautiful than we had imagined. We relaxed, had a few drinks, fended off the beach vendors (You take a look? Looking free.”) and baked in the sun. That evening, we were all burnt to a crisp; we headed to Brothers Café for dinner. It was a great Vietnamese meal and the most beautiful setting on the river.

Day 2 landed us on the beach again. We were worried we weren’t going to get sun again so we figured we should take full advantage because the weather here was perfect – warm and sunny with a nice breeze to keep us cool. We road our bikes to the beach and Charity and I went for a nice run. We switched I-pods so each of us could have a bit more motivation to run. Afterwards, we went straight to the ocean in our workout clothes. We cooled off and did a little swap-a-roo into our bikinis right there in the water and then we sat in the sun and relaxed.  Erika made some new friends, Sun Sun and Mimi, both beach vendors who were practicing their English and telling their life stories. Charity and I teased her for the rest of the trip about befriending randoms everywhere we went. I had joked around the day before that I was going to take the “Do Not Disturb” sign from our room and hang it around my toe so we wouldn’t be bothered and could get some relaxing time (See photo below.  This was only for a photo opp.  I didn't actually leave it on my toe). We headed back to the hotel for a few hours of pampering at the spa.  Pretty much a standard in SE Asia, we were all in the same room getting our treatments.  Charity started with a body wrap and Erika and I couldn’t stop laughing because I think she said she was itchy about 50 times. She quickly begged her way out of the wrap for a massage instead. It was so relaxing and much needed after our busy days on the beach.  ;)

That evening we headed to town to do a little shopping. None of us really had anything in mind to have made and at that point we wouldn’t have had enough time because we were leaving the following morning – although a few shops did offer to make me some pants and drop them to my hotel first thing the following morning. We wondered around the streets of the Old Quarter, admiring all the shops and the adorable lanterns streamed above us.

My doctor in Chicago suggested we try a restaurant called Mango Mango and she gave me the name of the chef, Duc. I asked the hostess he was there that evening and he had actually been at a table sitting with a friend.  I walked up and introduced myself. He was so kind, making sure we had drinks, providing his recommendation on the menu. I think you would call his cuisine a Vietnamese/Japanese/Latin America Fusion – very tasty! After dinner he came back to have a glass of wine with us and we picked his brain about his story and about Vietnam. He was actually a refugee that fled to America after the war. He spent his time dishwashing and working in the kitchen of many restaurants throughout the states and then finally went to culinary school and traveled the world as a chef. He eventually came back to his homeland to start his successful businesses. He told us about life in Vietnam, about his future house plans, about his time in the states. He highly recommended Saigon (what is now Ho Chi Minh City – but the locals still refer to it by its original name), provided us with a few spots for dinner/drinks and even gave a call to his friend to take us out on the town when we arrived. We had a great time chatting him up and learning all about him and the Vietnamese culture.


I wished we had another day or two to be able to really get some shopping done and possibly some clothes made, but I guess that’s for another trip back to Hoi An!

The Sensory Overload

Next stop from Luang Prabang was Hanoi, Vietnam, where we would meet up with Charity. Charity was in sales and used to call on us at Quaker, which is how we became friends. We knew she had never traveled this far and were excited to get her reaction on her first day in Vietnam. As Erika and I were leaving the airport to find a taxi to the city, an American comes up to us and asks us to share a ride. This guy didn’t have a place to stay yet (not too uncommon for backpackers), but also asked us where we were staying and he had no luggage (just a small backpack that was barely filled yet when we asked him he claimed it had everything he needed). Let me just add that this wasn’t the first time or the last time this happened to us. No joke. Right out of the movie Taken. The first time it happened at the Luang Prabang airport, Erika kindly agreed and I immediately thought of this exact scenario in the movie and I went silent. Erika knew something was wrong. I had to give her a little signal that I wasn’t comfortable and she kindly declined the offer. In Vietnam, it was different. Maybe because he was American? It wasn’t until I was in the car that my stomach dropped. It was the taxi driver, the guy who negotiated our rate, the American, Erika and me and all I could think was they were all in on it, had just seen us take out several million Dong (Vietnamese currency. 2mm equals approx. $100), and they were going to kidnap us, steal our belongings, and sell us into slavery. I went into panic mode and my defense mechanisms went into full gear. I immediately spoke up and mentioned Charity and how she was expecting us at our hotel. I even called her (knowing she wouldn’t pick up) and faked speaking to her, telling her what time she should expect us. Obviously it all ended up being ok, but a definite wakeup call. The next time we might not get so lucky. It is a funny story to tell and I’m dying to hear myself on Charity’s voicemail.


If we weren’t going to die by being kidnapped and held for ransom, we were pretty sure it would be in a car accident or becoming road kill. I thought Bangkok was bad, but this place was nuts. I have never seen anything like it before. There are no driving lanes, few traffic lights, absolutely no signs anywhere. Drivers (mostly on motos) are coming from every which direction and all they do is honk their horns. Hundreds of their headlights clustered together about an inch away from each other and the cars around them. Charity appropriately described it as Frogger. It was utter chaos.

Erika and I went to our hotel to check in and Mr. Thom at the reception desk seemed to be pepped up on something. He was so happy, chatting us up and making us laugh within the first few minutes we arrived. Quite a different experience than what we’ve had at the quieter guest houses in Laos. I think he sort of wound us up because when Charity arrived we were all so giddy. We were so happy to be together and had so much to catch up each other up on. Wandering the crazy streets of Hanoi, searching for a restaurant called Bobby Chins (Charity as the navigator) it wasn’t until about 40 minutes later that we realized we were in the right, but Bobby Chinns had moved a few months prior. Our books weren’t up to date - we weren’t crazy after all!

The following morning was our trip and overnight stay in Halong Bay. To be honest, it’s not much to talk about. It’s supposed to be one of the best things to do in Vietnam, but unfortunately, the weather was misty and gloomy, just like it was when Amber and I were on our Milford Sound trip in NZ. The yucky weather makes for a depressing gloomy day. It was a beautiful place, but it is very disappointing for me when I can’t have pictures to justify it. The trip too and from was pretty miserable - packed like sardines in a 3 hour van ride.  We did have a good time posing and trying to do my signature pose all in sync (after about 5 tries, the photo below is the best we did).  Haha!  I would only recommend anyone go here if the weather is nice.
Hanoi made for an overwhelming and slow start to our tour of Vietnam…we appropriately titled this part of the trip “Hanoiying”.

The Sabaidee of Sarah

Sabaidee. Hello in Lao. Another UNESCO World Heritage site, Luang Prabang has probably been one of my favorites thus far. With its French colonial architecture, street side cafes, ancient temples, and the most laid back locals living a slow pace in Laos time. There is just something so magical about it. Every morning Erika and I would wake around 5am to the sound of the temple drums, which starts each new day followed by the sacred ritual procession of monks who walk the streets to make merit, receiving rice and fortune cookies from the townspeople to ensure they don’t go hungry in their next lifetime.

Erika and I had a great 3 days in LP. The first day we explored the city, figured out the lay of the land, did a little bit of shopping and just enjoyed the laid back atmosphere. I was in heaven when we rented beach cruisers and cruised around the town and along the Mekong River. I felt like such a kid again. The weather was perfect, with the wind whipping us in the face, flying down the hills, doing silly tricks, laughing and hoot and hollering. I was pretty sure we would be renting bikes every day from then on. We climbed Mount Phousi to watch the sunset, which gave us a really nice panoramic view of the entire town of LP. On the way up, women were selling flowers and incense to give gifts to Buddha in the temple at the top of Phousi. One woman was selling birds (you let them loose as gifts), and Erika got suckered into buying two. We felt so bad, these two baby birds inside this tiny cage. It was very nice to set them free, but we were convinced they would just fly back down to the woman who would feed them and lock them up again for the next customer.

The highlight of LP (and probably this portion of the trip) was our Mahout Elephant Trekking Experience. A Mahout is the caregiver of the elephant. I was determined to ride an elephant bareback. The Elephant Village’s mission is saving elephants. The camp was beautiful, housing 9 female elephants. We learned how to mount them (tugging on their ear as they lend you their leg to pull up) and control them. We took a tour through the swamps, fed them, and bathed them. The water wasn’t the cleanest in the world (apparently elephants love baths but they clearly don’t care they are bathing where they do their business sometimes too). When you gotta go, you gotta go, I guess...? I tried to ignore it as we were on the elephants brushing their heads, ears and backs (which I really just think is a nice massage for them vs. actually cleaning), until my Mahout was being a funny guy and made my elephant sit down in the water and slowly but surely I slipped in. Ewww! I scrambled so fast to get back up. We were all dieing laughing. It was so much fun, such a great learning experience and new found appreciation for the elephants. For sure something thing I would do a second time if I had the chance.

We were not looking forward to leaving Luang Prabang, We still felt like there were things to see and plus, we hadn’t found Jude Law & Sienna Miller yet!! We got word from a girl on our elephant trek that they were in town and she spotted them at three different times the day before. E & I were pretty sure we probably passed by them at least once given we were all over the place, but I think we were just too caught up in the town to notice. We woke up early to give merit to the monks, which was very overwhelming at first. We were bombarded by a woman who shoved rice and cookies in our hands without asking or telling us how much we should pay. It really made to a very irritating start of the day –especially at 5:30am. I was not happy. We finally got away from her and we were able to walk the streets and truly experience the ritual, as well as take some nice photos. These monks are amazing to me. They walk the streets, ride in Tuk Tuks, talk on cell phones, sit on their laptops outside the temple. We often see them doing chores around the temples like cutting down trees, painting, etc. There is something so mysterious about each one of them. I guess it’s just my fascination with their dedication to their religion and their unknown stories on why they became a monk (even if for only a week).

Since we were up so early, we did a little more sightseeing and visited a few more temples. We headed to the Kuangsi Waterfalls for a quick swim before we headed to the airport. The limestone rock and bluish green water was breathtaking; just like the scene out of a movie. There were people everywhere diving in, jumping off the waterfall, swinging from the tree ropes. I only wished we had more time to spend there. On the way back from the waterfall, we got a nice taste for the festivities that were beginning for the upcoming Lao New Year celebration. The kids in the streets spray hoses and toss buckets of water at each moto or Tuk Tuk going passed and boy, do they get a kick out of it. Little stinkers. Let’s just say we were happy to be getting out of town... Last but not least, I finally got a chance to mail the infamous Buddha statue home. Took about an hour, but the guy at the post office used his small machete to work his magic and custom create a box for me. Then I shipped it off on the slow boat. My Buddha statue is “on a boat” and it will probably arrive right around the time I’m getting home to Chicago. I hope it makes it. I’m just happy it’s off my hands.

To Erika – Kawp jai lai lai for experiencing this amazing part of my journey with me! We heart Luang Prabang!!

The Spider of Sarah

I’m going to make this short and sweet as I’m sure you can only guess what this one is about. Erika and I arrived at what we thought was the most adorable little guest house, The Villa Senesouk, in Luang Prabang, Laos. We were required to leave our shoes at the door, giving us instant comfort that this place would be pretty clean. Our room was adorable and we were so happy we would have 3 full nights in one place. As we were getting settled, all of a sudden I heard Erika gasp. She was standing in front of the bathroom door; I immediately knew it had to be a bug. I asked her what it was and she told me to come see for myself. I stood there with a petrified look on my face telling her I really didn’t want to see what was possibly living in there. She told me I had to look so I finally peeked my head around the corner and there he was – the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life, his beady little eyes looking right at me. This thing had hairy 3 inch legs – I’m pretty sure it was a tarantula. Erika looked at me and said, “I can kill it”. My reply, “With what?” We both started cracking up – Erika thinking she could save the day. She ran downstairs to the front desk and she said they looked at her and laughed (mind you, she hadn’t told them the size of our little furry pest). She asked the guy at the front desk if he would kill or remove it as she wasn’t sure if killing bugs (or small creatures in this case) was appropriate in SE Asian cultures. He looked at her and said, “Oh, Spiderman.” He came upstairs and his eyeballs nearly popped out of his head. I was so squeamish and nervous that he wouldn’t catch it and it would come running out into our room that I closed the bathroom door to shut him in. For the next 10 minutes all we heard was Spiderman bouncing all over the bathroom. One minute we heard the water running, the next minute we heard a loud bang against the wall. Hilarious. The bathroom door opened and all we wondered was which one of them, the spider or Spiderman, was going to come out alive. Thankfully Spiderman won the battle, and we made sure he had that fuzzy little creature in hand to prove it. From then on, for the next 3 days, we called him Spidey. We are pretty sure he liked his new title.


The following day Erika found and captured a lizard on the wall in the bedroom and let him loose outside. Also, while sitting at the airport, she spotted a cockroach nearly about to crawl up my leg. At that point forward, she was given the job of Pest Control. Hmm, maybe a new career for her when she returns to Chicago…

As proof of really how big this thing was, compare him to the size of the shower drain on the right. Um, yeah! Gross!

The Souvenirs of Sarah

Boy was I excited for my warm hello and welcome by Erika when I arrived to Vientiane late Sunday night. I couldn’t get an earlier flight, so Erika had to spend the day alone exploring the city. It was so great to see her and I think the feeling was mutual. We were so excited to finally start the adventure we had been talking about for months. Erika worked with me at Quaker and knew about my little secret to quit and take this trip long before I gave notice. We secretly planned for her to come meet me and would have secret meetings and exchanges via instant messaging at work, planning out the trip. When I left in February it seemed like I wouldn’t see her for ages. Time has flown by so fast and here we were. Erika had our room all set up and on my bed she had displayed all of the essentials I asked her to bring from home (there are just some things from home I can’t live without), yummy Easter candy (I had forgotten it was even Easter), and a few gossip magazines. So sweet of her! A little slice of home. :)

Getting in late the first night only allowed us to grab a quick bite to eat. I was exhausted from traveling all day and she was starving. We got a great nights rest and woke up bright and early the next morning because we only had half a day in Vientiane before heading to Luang Prabang in northern Laos. Erika showed me a few shops she had stopped in the day before and wanted my opinion on a few things she had found. Of course, it’s impossible for me to go shopping without buying something. Plus, I can justify that my goal is to find a nice piece of art in each country, because someday when I have a home of my own again, I want the décor to reflect my travels. In Australia I picked up a real Aboriginal painting, in New Zealand a statue of a Koru (common NZ symbol meaning new life or beginning), in Thailand I found a painting made with real lotus leaves, and in Cambodia a statue of an Apsara dancer. What would I find in Laos? The first stop was to see these beautiful paintings of Buddha faces, monks, temples. I loved them and convinced her to buy the ones she was eyeing, but of course, I couldn’t resist buying a few for myself. At $2 a piece, I couldn’t afford not to buy them. The next shop she took me to had all sorts of antiques. Immediately upon walking into the store, I fell in love with a leaning Buddha statue. It was so unique and something I had yet to see anywhere else in my travels. It was only $50, so that wasn’t a big deal, but I immediately started contemplating how the heck I would carry it around with me. My suitcase already at its maximum weight, with 2 packages already on their way home with souvenirs and belongings I didn’t want to carry anymore. Would I find something else like it in Luang Prabang or even Vietnam? I was torn. Erika and I decided to take a look around town and come back before we left for the airport and to give me some time to think about it. We went to the market and visited a couple of Wats. Afterwards we headed back to our souvenir shop. To buy or not to buy? I didn’t know what to do. Could I manage to move a few things around in my luggage, give Erika a few things to carry, and ship it once I got to Luang Prabang? We had about 10 minutes before the cab driver was coming to take us to the airport. The store owner convinced me I wouldn’t find anything like it in Luang Prabang. Was he pulling my leg? I didn’t know. Erika herself ended up caving and purchasing a piece she had her eye on, but she only had 2 weeks to lug it around with her, which was worth it. At the last minute, I couldn’t pass it up. I typically don’t go shopping for a piece of art; it has to completely catch my eye and strike me. When I see it, I just know. This was it, the Buddha I had been searching for. It was so me. We had about 5 minutes, the store owner quickly wrapped up our new treasures and we were off. The most comical part was sitting at the airport with our suitcases in front of us, moving things around, re-arranging, tossing things out to make our purchases fit. People were just looking at us and laughing. We finally got situated and were both happy as can be.  It would just be a matter of finding what I was going to do with this thing once I got to Luang Prabang…

Vientiane was nice, but a day and half there was plenty. I think the most exciting part was our souvenir searching and both being lovers of souvenir shopping, realizing that we were going to be great travel buddies.

The Siem Reap of Sarah

And I thought the people in Thailand were nice… Smiles upon smiles everywhere I turned. Cambodians are the most appreciative and kind people. I couldn’t have been more at peace or more relaxed. I arrived in Siem Reap with my personal Tuk Tuk driver, Kimchon, waiting for me. He was basically at my beck and call every minute I was there. The River Garden Guest House, recommended by Erika, was adorable. The cutest rooms, tranquil gardens, a beautiful swimming pool with a waterfall, and hammocks and lounge beds all around. I was in heaven. My first night I got a nice tour of the town, visited the Angkor Artesan Center, which is a professional Khmer Art training center for young Cambodians who are sent to school for 6 months and then employed to create local crafts, painting, carving, sanding, and chopping. They even let me participate in the woodcarving room. Such intricate detail, the amount of labor that goes into every piece is unbelievable.

After learning the lay of the land, getting the feel for the local markets, Kimchon took me to Angkor Wat for the sunset, which is supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately, it was sort of hazy, so there wasn’t much of a sunset, but I got a sneak peak of Angkor, took some great pictures of the monks hanging around, had a nice bottle of wine and some snacks that the River Garden had packed for me, and befriended a few local kids who were roaming around and appeared starved. I shared the rest of my snacks with them and tried to exchange a few words in English and Khmer (the local language). After the sunset, I went to a traditional Cambodian Dance Show (Apsara Dancers). 

The next morning was my big Angkor Tour Day. Angkor What? Angkor was the capital of the ancient Khmer Empire. Located in the jungle of Siem Reap, it spans 77 sq. miles. Although the wooden houses and palaces were destroyed over the years, the stone temples still stand with over 70 temples, tombs and ancient ruins. The temple walls include intricate carvings, telling stories of warriors in combat, the Apsara dancers (celestial dancing girls), and everyday life of the locals. It is said that the temples were built by the King and the architecture was inspired and in honor of the Hindu Gods.

Angkor Wat is considered to be one of the wonders of the world and the most remarkable architecture of S.E. Asia. It was hidden by the jungle and rediscovered and restored until the Vietnam War and rise of Poi Pot’s Khmer Rouge in 1975 – a genocide that killed almost 2 million Cambodians.  The collapse of the Khmer Rouge in the 90s and death of Poi Pot in 1998 allowed Siem Reap to mend and tourism has boosted the Cambodian economy since. It's amazing to me how much has taken place in this part of the world, yet we never really learned much about it in History class.  It wasn't until Erika told me a few years ago what Angkor Wat that it sparked my interest.  Still sort of a hidden gem, I’m glad I got to see it when I did, as I imagine it will only continue to become more of a tourist destination.

In addition to Angkor Wat, I visited the temples of Angkor Thom, including The Temple of Bayon, which was my favorite.  There were carvings of Buddha facing in every direction (54 total towers, 200 total faces). We also visited the Terrace of Elephants and Ta Prohm, where Angelina Jolie’s movie, Tomb Raider, was filmed (when she adopted her first child – a Cambodian Son named Maddox).

The temples were all incredible. It’s amazing to me how much work was put into the temples. The detail, the size. To think they were able to accomplish this thousands of years ago… My personal tour guide, San Park, was great. He knew every detail of Angkor from top to bottom. Any question I had he could answer. He told me that he had just recently graduated from the tourism school that allowed him to be an official tour guide of Angkor. With a wife and 2 sons at home, he was so happy to be working, especially in their slow season and he told me he was saving up for a car. He became my buddy by the end of the day. He was a great guide and picture taker. :)

After my long day of sightseeing, I headed back to the River Garden for a swim and a nice nap in the hammock. It was perfect. For dinner I went into town and ate a few local Khmer dishes at Khmer Kitchen, did a little shopping, some gelato at Blue Pumpkin, and got a fish spa pedicure. I had heard about this, but had yet to try it. As I walked past, a little girl and her Dad were cracking up laughing with their feet in a fish tank, the little fish nibbling at their toes, convincing me to try it.  Let me just say it was one of the weirdest things ever. So ticklish, so awkward, and such a spectable for the people passing by. I’m glad I tried it and have some funny pictures (and really soft feet) to show for it.

My last day in Siem Reap, I got up at 5:30am for the sunrise. Again, I was a little disappointed, especially because Kimchon took me to a different location rather than Angkor Wat and the sun just wasn’t completely shining that morning. Another thing that disappointed me at the sunrise and at the Angkor sites in general were the kids coming up begging me to buy something.  It's one thing when I'm asked once or twice, but they continued and followed me until I had to ignore them completely.  It broke my heart to turn them away, but it's just too difficult to help them all... After the sunrise, I went back to my pool and took a nap for a few hours before I went to my Cooks and Tuk Tuks cooking class. The chef took us to the local market where we got to see the locals purchase anything from spices, to milk, to fruits and veggies, to poultry, to fish.  I did not enjoy walking through some of the stinky rows where women were sitting on their stools, skinning the scales and chopping the heads off the fish. Ick! There was a nice Canadian couple in my class and we got to make Amok, which is a coconut milk curry Khmer dish, banana flower salad, and a sweet potato, sago and coconut milk dessert with fresh hibiscus tea (the hibiscus flowers were picked right off the trees in the garden).  Yum!

My original plans were to stay in and relax my last night in Siem Reap before heading to Laos the next day to meet Erika. One of the guys at the River Garden insisted I see the nightlife in Cambodia. I hesitantly agreed and waited for him to get off work at 10pm. All I could think was how I promised my Mom I would be extremely safe in Cambodia, it wouldn’t be a place I would “go out” anyway, and I would have my own personal driver everywhere. I felt so guilty, as if I were 16 breaking the rules. Lol! A little afraid, I jumped on the back of his motorbike and off we went to the local dance club. We had a couple of beers, I learned a little about his culture and background, and I got to do some great people watching. I was home safe and sound by midnight. A little risky, but like Audrey Hepburn once said, "If you don’t break the rules, you miss all the fun". Sorry, Mom!! :-/

As usual, I wished I had more time in Cambodia. Even though I saw so much in 3 days, I still felt relaxed. I got some good Sarah time in and it was outside of a crazy, bustling city. Next stop was Laos, where I would meet Erika in Vientiane. I knew she was just dying for her trip and I could not wait to see her.

The Silliness of SarAmber

Where do I even begin?? The laughing, the crying, the singing, the dancing, the eating, the drinking, did I mention eating?, the driving, the decisions, the bickering, the one cat fight, the hugging, the snuggling (just when we had to share a double bed a few times), the running, the trekking. So much can happen in a matter of 4 weeks. I could go on and on…But this is more of a recap for Amber and me. I wanted something documented for the both of us so we never forget what an amazing experience we had together. Some of these stories I will explain, some of them are obvious, and the others, well, let’s just say you sort of had to be there and only Amber will know what I’m talking about….


• Scubar – Our first official night out. Crab racing, 18 year olds, Team Chicago, and late night roaming for food.
• Sleeping in bunk beds. Who would have thought I would be climbing up on those things at 31 years old?
•Drinking straight out of the wine bottle before we went out. When you need a drink, you need a drink!
• Tim Tams/Ice Cream/Caramel Brownies/Cookies. And those little Twix and Snicker things. I already can’t remember the name of those. Remind me, Amber!!

•The Booze Cruise

•Yoga Poses and our silly pictures on Bondi Beach

• Ferg Berger in NZ at 2:30am

• Playing scrabble with the cook and deck hand on the Milford Sound cruise.

• The mood setting channels at the Hotel So in Christchurch – where the heck were channels 2, 3, 7, 8. We want our money back!

• Running on E in New Zealand and finding gas in Amberly. What a sign!

• The awful road signs in NZ.

• Slap happy singing everything we wanted to say to each other since there was absolutely no music for 10 days straight.

• Singing “Row, row, row, your boat”. We are pretty good!!

• The NZ car we thought was going to fall apart the whole time. Can’t believe it made it back to Christchurch.

• Telling off the cop when I got a ticket. Mind you this was after I asked him how he managed to clock me while I was a mile away and he was in his car with someone else pulled over. His cocky response, “Like most men, I can multi-task.” That’s pretty much all he had to say to set me off. So then we asked him what happens if I don’t want to pay. He responded, “You can go to court. I’ve been to court twice and you can guess who won both times?” At that point Amber and I pretty much laughed in his face. And guess who still hasn’t paid their ticket… Let me explain that in NZ, their speed limits are ridiculous. A sign will be posted for a speed limit of 100 and no joke within 200 feet it changes to 35. That’s all I have to say about that.

• “What do you think a police offer does if the driver doesn’t speak English?”

• First week in NZ [with enthusiasm] “Sheep!!!!” By day 9 [no excitement] “Woo, sheep…”

• What do you think the difference is between a sheep and a lamb?

• Why don’t kiwis fly?

• Puzzle World. We obviously aren’t bright enough to figure out how to take those pictures. I mean… Duh!

• Staying in a Tepee, making shadow puppets and listening to forest ambiance to fall asleep.

• Making silly dolphin noises to get them to play with us.

• While driving in NZ we pulled over at this small little bar/restaurant for a restroom break. We had no clue what town it was. As we were walking in, Amber says, “This is the type of place you walk into and come out wasted.” And I replied, “Or get shot for asking if we can use their bathroom!” Ironically, the bar was called Puke for the town of Pukekura. It had a population of 2 (the owner and his wife). We used their restroom and had a beer. They were so nice. Had the cutest dog and the coziest little pub. Unfortunately, we couldn’t’ stay long b/c we had to get on the road for our next destination. Boo!

• Buying the stupid balloon pants on Khao San Road. My only excuse is that we were a little tipsy when we bought them. They were horrendous. What is even funnier is Amber hung on to them for a few days thinking she could find something to use them for...Hahaha!

• My obsession with Bananas.

• Trying to come up with every possible dish you can make with bananas. Banana cream pie, bananas foster, chocolate covered bananas, banana bread. There are tons!! Yummy!

• Our honeymoon suite with twin beds in Railay Beach.

• Our couples massage in Chiang Mai and the ridiculous “steam room”. We thought we were going to die in there.

• Amber’s ridiculous mosquito bites.

• Our cab tour of Bangkok the first night upon arrival.

• Almost going to Bali.

• Amber sticking her head out the window and cheering on the Red Shirts in Bangkok.

• Same Same (but different)

• Peta

• The creek that asked Amber to take his picture at the Grand Palace. I mean… WTF???

• All of Amber’s second thought every time she bought or ordered something.

• Our friendship bracelets. Yes, I have about 5 going up my arm right now. Awesome!

• My bright pink glittery nail polish. When else am I ever going to be able to wear it?? And the fact that my real nails are actually long, I had to celebrate somehow! Party on my nails!

• Ambers compulsive shopping for Beer Chiang T-shirts. My compulsive shopping for cheap sun dresses.

• Amber trying to set me up everywhere we went. Thanks, babers!!! ;)

• Feeling sooo safe while skydiving.

• Bob Marley

• The tire swing and teeter totter. Aghh to be kids again…

• Amber saying thanks 10 times b/c she wanted to be sure everyone knew they were appreciated.

• Trying to speak Thai. Chok Dee! Kaph Koon Kaaaaa! Sawadeeka!

I’m sure there are way more, but that is all I had written in the journal. I’m sure Amber could probably add. We had sooo much fun. Was a little crazy, but to think about how much we saw in so little time…What an amazing experience. Chok Dee to you, Amber! Thank you so much for joining me on my amazing adventure. You will always be a part of my story. I will never ever forget. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Love you and miss you tons already. See you when I’m home in July!! XOXO

The Solstice of Sarah

Sun, sun, and more sun. That is all I was looking for. After Chiang Mai, we headed south to the beaches. It was hard to choose where we wanted to go and originally were going to try both coasts, but after traveling nonstop for 3 weeks, never sleeping in the same bed more than 2 nights in a row, we were ready to stay put and enjoy some sunshine and R&R. Afton & Mark (friends we met on our trek in Chiang Mai) were headed to Kho Phi Phi, so we figured we might as well go there first since we would have friends to hang with. Kho Phi Phi is where the 2004 Tsunami hit. While there, I read a book that one of the locals wrote, including details of the day of and following. It also told his friends and families accounts of the events that took place. Such a beautiful place destroyed, so many lives lost. It’s amazing how far the town has come since. It’s a relatively small island, and no motor vehicles are allowed, so we could walk everywhere. There were a lot of little winding roads with shops, restaurants, food stalls, and massage parlors. It was high 80s every day, the sun shining; the water was beautiful (although a bit too warm for my liking). Amber and I just enjoyed sitting on the beach in our lounge chairs and soaked it up. The tide is out during the day, so we could walk out pretty far and just hang out on the sand bars in the middle of the water. By night time Kho Phi Phi was insane. Definitely a big party island with a much younger crowd. We hung out on the beach and watched the flame throwers, the fire jump rope and limbo contests, and everybody dancing and having a good time. The first night Afton and Mark brought over some buckets of alcohol to start, so when we got to the beach, it didn’t take long for us to join in on the crazy festivities. The 4 of us had a blast. Kho Phi Phi was great, but I do have one regret in that I didn’t take the trip over to the other beach where you can see where Leonardo DiCaprio’s film “The Beach” was shot. I was being so lazy, I just didn’t care. I picked up the book the film was based on instead, which I’m currently reading, and hope to someday be back and make the effort. It’s supposed to be really beautiful…Any takers on going back with me???
After a few days in Kho Phi Phi, we moved to Railay beach, which is much more laid back. Getting to Railay was a bit of an adventure. We took a fairy to a longtail boat to the island. Because the tide was out when we arrived to Railay, we all had to jump out of the boat in knee deep water and walk to shore. Now imagine having a 50lb suitcase, plus 2 other bags. Yea! I wasn’t having that. Lol! Thankfully the boat driver carried my suitcase for me. It was quite comical. Our hotel was so nice and somehow we ended up in a private suite. It did have twin beds, but if felt like a honeymoon suite, so Amber and I kept joking the whole time about how we were honeymooners. Heehee. Amber and I thought our side of the beach was the only side with any action. Again, we chose to lie on the beach and get massages, lay by the pool and read, and not do much of anything else; therefore, we never made it to the other side of the beach where there is supposed to be a beautiful lagoon. Oops again. All I can say is that I was in major beach/sunshine/relax mode and was not in the mood to read my travel book and/or make sure we were hitting all the hot spots. Plus, I desperately needed a few days to work on my tan. Our last night in Railay was Amber’s last night because she ended up having to get an earlier flight home than originally planned. We met a guy from England and he showed us another part of the island where all the action was. We hung out a bar on the beach relaxing and listening to Bob Marley music with the locals. Good times.

The following morning Amber and I laid by the pool one last time to soak in the rays and see how bronzed we could possibly get (Amber was not about to go back to Chicago without a nice brown glow). We took a longtail boat to Krabi where she was heading to the airport and I was going to stay in the beach town of Ao Nang for 2 days before I had to head back to Bangkok for a night before my flight to Cambodia. It was so sad to see Amber go. It stinks that her trip got cut short. But we have soooooooo many stories and memories that will last a lifetime and I’m so grateful she was able to join me.

Ao Nang was completely chill for me. It was nice again not to have any plans. I went for a nice long jog on the beach, got another message, found some souvenirs, laid by the pool at my hotel, and caught up on some personal things (yes, I do still have outstanding things at home that need to be dealt with once in awhile, it’s not 100% fun and games). :-p

My last day in Bangkok was good. My hotel, the Villa Cha Cha, was adorable. I ended up seeing one more Wat that I was interested in seeing and then heading to the main shopping area. All I have to say is that I have never seen more shopping in my whole entire life. There were 5 huge buildings of malls. One bigger than the next. Everything is glowing with lights, over exaggerated, and completely over the top. As you can imagine, my head was spinning. Unfortunately, I do not have the room in my suitcase or the budget to buy anything besides $10 sundresses from the markets, so I chose to window shop (secretly crying inside) and just picked up a few odds and ends that I needed before heading to Cambodia.

I got really sad leaving Thailand. It’s such a great place with so much to do and so many options for everyone. I still feel like I have so much left to see, so I will definitely be going back someday soon!