Then/Now

The before picture was taken in the ambulance in Dalat, Vietnam at the end of March when I crashed on my motorcycle. The second picture is now, taken just a week or two ago. 

The scarring is ugly I think, but it tells a story that is part of me. I've been able to run some, I walk a lot and do what I can. Sometimes it still hurts or throbs, I can't kneel or crouch very well but I am grateful for the healing that has taken place thus far and continues to happen. 

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

I decided to donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths and I let my boyfriend cut it himself! Here's my video. If you are interested in donating your hair it must be at least 8 inches, you can find the rest of the info HERE on their website. Who knows, short hair could be your best look! It was rather refreshing for me :)

Niagara Falls, Canada

     Niagara Falls is an incredible natural waterfall that more than 6 million cubic ft. of water flows over the edge every minute. When we arrived at night all we could see of the falls was a rainbow of colored lights shining on them and lighting the rapid pace of the descending water. It was fabulous to see. Even from a distance aways, walking down the street we could feel the spray of the falls. It's torrent of power is just outstanding. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on the 51st floor out of 52. The view was remarkable. We could perfectly see the falls at any time of day, the sunrise with brilliant hews of orange and blue..

In the middle of the day..

And lit up at night..

The falls never ceased to take our breath away regardless of the time of day. The complimentary breakfast served at the Keg offers beautiful views as well so you can marvel at the waterfall while you eat a nutritious breakfast!

      On our second day, we took a ride on the Hornblower and got up close and personal with the falls. The poncho they give you at the beginning is a sad excuse for water cover, you're gonna get drenched! But that's half the fun! When the boat goes right up in the downpour and you can hardly see because water is coming down all around you, it's a wonderfully wet experience! 

American side of the falls (the smaller)

     Besides the falls there are a few other cool things to check out. The Daredevil Museum is really cool to check out! It tells tales with good and bad outcomes of the men and women who braved the falls and it what such contraption they chose to do so. The first to go over was a 60 some year old female teacher who went over in a barrel, allegedly with a black cat. She's my new hero! That's very impressive to me, a lover of adrenaline! But I think she did it more in an attempt for fame and fortune.

    Clifton Hill is a very popular street boasting Ripleys Believe it or not, Guiness World Records, Mini golf, Wax museums, a few haunted houses and of course some souvenir shops. The exhibits on this street could keep one entertained for hours if you have the time.

Wizard mini golf

                          

Clifton Hill at night

     The main draw is definitely the natural beauty of the glorious waterfall, but you can only spend so much time looking at it and when you're done, there are plenty of other things to do around town and all within walking distance! We had a blast!

Summer in Oregon

      The majority of my life I have spent in Oregon, but as I'm now almost fully recovered, I've been able to use this summer to discover places close to home that are entirely new to me.

First look at the crater

Crater Lake is said to be one of the top seven most incredible sites in Oregon and I cannot disagree. Just  a couple weeks ago I took my first trip there with my family. It's original name was something like "very blue lake" and rightfully so, when you drive up to the rim and peer over the edge your eyes fall upon a deep, calming blue lake with a small island inside of it.

 The water looks calm and preserved except for an occasional little tour boat floating along. We did a hike called The Watchman which was a nearly 2 mile hike round trip that went uphill over pretty easy terrain to a lookout tower that you couldn't enter but gave a clear birds eye view of the water below. Tyler even spotted a couple deer laying in the shade of some trees down near the waters edge.

little stop on our hike

The food in the cafe is pretty pricey but I guess that's to be expected, the souvenirs are immense, also not a surprise. Besides the crater itself, there are many other sights to see and trails that can be taken. We went along the rim by car and stopped at the pinnacles, some tall jagged spike like rocks where he rest of the cliff has fallen down around them. There are multiple different layers of color visible in the rock as well. For a moment the wind picked up and blew swiftly in our faces and a moment later we could see falling rock and mass amounts of dust all around. We stopped at the pumice sandcastle, if you use your imagination you can see a beautiful sandcastle in an yellowy brown hue resting on the side of the contrastingly dark gray cliff.

made it to the top!

That weekend we stayed in a little cabin on Diamond Lake. Our spot was right next to the lake and we spent the days swimming in the nearly freezing water, going on walks around the lake, my family went horseback-riding, lounging in the hammocks we brought, and laughing at all the cute little prairie dog sort of things that are constantly running around the place. The boys fished multiple times because we'd heard about how good the fishing was meant to be and yet we caught nothing. I think it must be a family curse.

One of our little friends

 The scenery was gorgeous with the distant mountains reflecting on the clear shining gem-like surface.

A few weeks prior, we had a massive family reunion in Sunriver, Oregon. The whole area is tons of nice rental homes surrounded by trees and activities like golf, tennis, shopping, a water park, playgrounds etc. There was never an opportunity or reason to be bored. One afternoon we went white water rafting. At the beginning our guide got Tyler to stand on the front of our boat and we paddled and spun it in circles to see how long he could stay on, after meeting the raft record of 8 second he did a graceful backflip right into the water. A few rapids later, when we got to the big one, the guide said someone could sit in the front and lean out during the rapid. Of course I volunteered and got the best seat for all the action. 

The next day we rented some tubes and went down to the river. We strung them all together with rope and floated down for the next few hours in something of a jumbled mess. For some reason whenever I go float a river, the weather is never ideal. It turned cold and cloudy and we were shivering sitting there and tried paddling to make us arrive quicker.

Ready to begin the float

The little jumble we became

I'm always amazed at how many incredible and fun things I can do close to home that I never knew about or hadn't had the opportunity to see. I think no matter where you are, adventure and new experiences can be found not far from home.

An Early End

After a long bus ride and border crossing into Vietnam, I made it to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). I met up with a friend I had been previously traveling with and agreed on getting motorbikes and riding them all the way up Vietnam. I searched all day to find a bike and at last met a guy giving his bike away for free because he just wanted it to keep going. Wanted me to take the bike and then give it away, while blogging about it and keeping the story going from one owner to the next. I accepted and after a rocky start of getting my first manual motorbike to work, I said good bye and took off into the overly crowded streets of the city.

     The next morning Tim and I set off as early as we could manage. Trying to navigate the insanity on the narrow city streets was enough to get my heart rate going and my fingers melted into the handle bars. We were trying to pay attention to the road and everyone around of us, some motorbikes carrying long metal poles or even a saw, while using an Iphone as a GPS. It was hectic to say the least! I can feel my stress levels start to rise just thinking about it. I even killed the bike once in the middle of an overly crowded roundabout. 

     Eventually we made it onto some less populated streets and went in search if the Chu Chi Tunnels. After a few stops and impossible conversations with local villagers, we made it to the tunnels. With our guide he showed us traps set up by the Vietnamese people, and hills that looked like termite hills but were in fact entrances to hiding places below. After crawling through some tiny underground tunnels, Tim got to shoot an AK47. We saw shoes that they'd made out of tires, and photos of bombs that they deconstructed and made into other weapons or useable items. It was a learning experience and my first taste of the war between the USA and Vietnam. 

Ground Trap

Fake Termite Mound

    

Going through a tunnel

 Back on the road, we drove and got lost and turned around and drove some more. Hours went by, and Tim got a flat tire. Luckily there are little mechanic shops everywhere and in a few hundred yards we'd found someone who could help. I played follow the leader with the daughters of the mechanic for nearly an hour until we were able to leave. With the guide book out, we stopped to eat and I tried to tell the woman through hand gestures and simple words what we wanted. After a good 10 minutes of her and I going back and forth between talking and laughing, we got some rice and vegetables.

     After that, everything just became perpetual motion, riding riding riding. It got dark, we didn't want to ride at night but there were no places to stay. So we kept going. On awful, gravely, winding roads. We knew better but we'd just been going for so long we didn't think much of it. We'd have to play chicken with semi-trucks and buses to get around other semi-trucks and buses. All of us on motorbikes would have to come to a near stop abruptly when construction was being done on the road. 

     Tim made it around a slow moving vehicle so I started to follow, went to the left side and started speeding up to get around it. I didn't see the huge lip that turned the road into gravel and before I knew it I was off it and skidding on the ground. My first thought was that I was going to get hit, there was a man on a scooter just behind me. Thankfully he was able to stop and not get hurt himself. My knee hurt. I was only laying there a second before I was being helped up and set in a chair by 10 or 15 Vietnamese people. They began tearing at the leg of my hiking pants which were already torn anyway. They had flashlights shined on my knee, all speaking but I couldn't understand a thing. Tim talked to one man who spoke some english and they put our bikes in their home. I wondered what had really happened and when I looked down at my knee I was shocked to find a massive hole. I turned to Tim and choking on tears told him there was a hole in my leg and he tried to comfort me until a minute later when miraculously there was an ambulance driving by. They put me inside and that's when I met Alex. He came up to the ambulance speaking english as perfect as can be and said he'd follow us to the hospital. On the long bumpy ride there, I was hysterical just trying to talk and not think about the pain I was feeling. 

     Besides my knee, my entire arm from armpit to wrist was covered in scrapes with my elbow having a little deeper wound. Upon arrival, I was a little freaked out by how ancient the hospital looked. The beds were old and rickety, the ceiling had mold, the floor was missing tiles. But that wasn't my main concern. After I was cleaned and had an x-ray, I was shown a rock on the x-ray that was lodged in my knee, which then prompted surgery. They gave me an epidural and went to work on my leg. I think I slept. I don't really know. I had shots and an IV and by the time the surgery was over it was around 2am. I am so grateful to Alex who translated everything the doctors said to me the entire night. This was my first time in a hospital and doing it in a foreign land makes it even sketchier.  Tim left to find someplace to sleep and Alex stayed with me all night. 

Before Surgery

      It all worked out so perfectly because he lives right next to where I crashed, but also spent most of his life living in the states. The next day I wanted to get out of there! So Alex took us back to his family run hotel with lots of meds and for the next few days till my parents got me a flight out, him and his family took care of me. With a brace on my leg and crutches I could still hardly move. Getting on a plane was not very fun but actually went smoother than I expected, except a layover that had me hobbling as quickly as you can imagine for someone on crutches.

     I'm still recovering now even though it's been a month since my accident. An MRI last week told me that all the bones around my knee are badly bruised (contusions) and the tissue under my knee cap is torn. My doctor was a little surprised that I didn't have any torn ligaments as my other injuries would usually go with that.

     Sometimes it hurts, and it's hard for me to be somewhat immobile, but all in all, I am so lucky. It could have been so much worse. I can't imagine having not met Alex and not being able to understand a word from the doctors. I have no torn ligaments which would make the healing process even longer. I had my friend Tim there who helped in every way he could. I can start planning my next travels hopefully to South America.

And I don't know why, but this happened for a reason.

Sihanoukville and Koh Rong

     Sihanoukville and Koh Rong are the beachy town and island that draw backpackers for a usually longer than expected number of days spent in the salty sea and warm sandy beach. I didn't enjoy Sihanoukville that much, it was a bit too busy and crowded for my liking. I stayed one night. At a hostel called Utopia which is great for cheap food and a cheap bed but beware of bed bugs!!! The next day I got onto a slow boat to Koh Rong and upon arrival my friend Claudia was waiting for me on the dock. She preceded to tell and show me about the island. The "main strip" is just the beachfront lined with little beachy hostels and restaurants, which is mostly the only accommodation on the island. After being reunited with her and a couple other girls I'd traveled with for awhile in Laos, Claudia and I decided we wanted to go and get a tattoo! So after some contemplation and running around asking local Khmer(Cambodian) people what we wanted we decided. The word we got was described to us like this, "You are from America and I am from Cambodia but still we can come together and be friends and share peace." Best explanation I can think of :)

     The next day was spent out on the beach playing with my waterproof camera, enjoying the beautiful view and lounging on the sand.

In the afternoon Darcy and I hiked across the island to Long Beach where we planned to stay the night. We walked down along the beach, passing sunbathers and campers alike till we reached a strange setup that we found out was part of the set of Bulgarian Survivor and we made it into a hut to sleep in. We were giddy! The sun was setting and we rushed around through their discarded planks and wooden crates making something sufficient to sleep inside. A couple came and asked what we were doing and they ended up helping us make a wonderful fire! That we didn't use that much that night because we went to a bonfire down on the beach and made some new friends.

Survivor course

Our finished home!

   Our hut made a perfect shelter. In the morning we walked with our new friends all the way to the other end of the beach for some breakfast, after which we all passed out in some really comfy chairs listening to the sounds of the ocean.

On the walk back we walked past another set where they were filming the show. We collected our few belongings and hiked back over to the other side and then walked further down, reaching "4k beach" just at dusk. We set up our hammocks in the trees and made a big fire. There were probably 6 or 7 hammocks all strung out in the trees right on the beach. Was some of the best sleep I had gotten in ages! But before sleep we decided to make some spaghetti, thinking a little salty flavor would be a good idea, we used salt water. Oh it was awful!! It looked amazing and tempted us but the salt water created the most disgustingly salty food I have ever tasted. We passed it around and the light from the fire perfectly illuminated the repulsed look on each persons face!
     The next morning we headed back to the main beach to get the boat back to Sihanoukville. I had heard good things about Kampot so I got a bus there and Darcy said she'd meet me there the next day. That evening I found out she went to the doctors and was told she had dengue fever! So as early as possible the next morning, I got back on a bus and went to the hospital. The next few days Darcy, Claudia, Lisse and I stayed at the hospital (nicest accommodation we had stayed in :p) watching movies, sunbathing, and just chilling. Luckily the symptoms that she had weren't too bad. Each day Claudia, Lisse and I would make a run into town with a motorbike taxi, and we would fit all 3 of us on one scooter plus the driver! We felt truly immersed in the culture at that point as you see that constantly all over the place. I would sit on the back and barely even be on the bike but it was fun! We also met a girl at the hospital who had randomly gone blind for a few days, nobody had any idea what happened to her. Scary! But we all became friends and it was actually quite a good time. The last night they took her IV out and she was so happy she could move that we had a good dance sesh in the hallway!

Ambulance took us to town to get food!

      After they released her, we all took evening buses to different locations. Me to Ho Chi Minh, Lisse and Claudia to Siem Reap and Darcy to Bangkok. Great end to my adventures in Cambodia :)

Pnom Penh- the brutal past

     The city of Pnom Penh is not a favorite in my book. The city is quite large and dirty and much too hectic for my liking. But nonetheless, Pnom Penh is not a city that I would skip and I’ll tell you why. The main draw for the city is the S-21 Prison and the killing fields. Both of which are heavy and hard to hear about but also very informative and moving. Some of what I have written or photos I’ve taken are quite graphic so some people may not wish to continue reading this post.

     The S-21 Prison used to be a school and when Pol Pot took over, he made it into one of the most brutal prisons around. Over 20,000 prisoners went in, and you could count the number of survivors on your fingers. They used the facility for brutal torture and forced prisoners to admit to crimes they hadn’t committed. Many of them were the people Pol Pot feared most; the intellectual people. Doctors, teachers, scientists, and their families, along with anyone else suspected of being in the movement against him. Each and every prisoner who entered had their photo taken and those photos can be seen in rows in some of the rooms. They’re faces stare hauntingly back at me and I was brought to tears just thinking of the cruelty they would soon encounter. There were also photographs of some of the inmates after they had been killed, and different forms of the torture they had to endure. I walked through rows of “cells” that were just miniature spaces made of wood or brick where men, women and children spent their days. It’s incredibly haunting and you can’t help but feel a connection to these people. I left there with their faces burned into my mind. I knew I needed to do the killing fields the same day. It was intense and hard to do but I thought it would be easier to do them together and not spread them out into multiple days.

     I couldn’t eat when we left the prison. I felt sick. My friends got some food and then we got a tuk tuk ride out over the bumpy road to the now-serene killing fields. Upon arrival I was surprised by how calm and beautiful the area looked despite the disgusting massacre that had taken place. They give you a headset and you follow the numbers at your own pace and look at each spot and listen. It’s very informative and heart wrenching at the same time. The area is covered in mass graves where hundreds of bodies have been found; some groups headless and other areas just bones. There are clothes and teeth and small things that keep coming up from the earth when it rains, constantly more being uncovered. I learned that they brought prisoners there blindfolded with no idea where they were, and killed them; more than 300 innocent human beings a day who had families and loved ones who would never see or hear from them again. The most shocking and powerful image to me was the killing tree. The killing tree is where soldiers would brutally murder women and children, bashing their heads on the tree and throwing them into a pile. When it was found, there were traces of hair, brain, and other parts of the body that did not belong there. The tree is now covered in bracelets left by anyone who felt a need to reach out, and try to bring comfort and a bit of peace to this awful site. At the end of the walk, you hear an eerie song come through your head phones and you can get a slight feeling of what it must have been like. It was a humbling experience that makes me appreciate even more all I've been given in this life!

     One thing that really gets me is that this wasn't happening that long ago. Some 40 or so years. These awful crusades can happen at any time.. Something to think about.

I appreciate and am thankful for every one of you :)

Battambang

A nice stop over between the big cities of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is a little town called Battambang. Although there isn't that much to do in the little town, the food is amazing and there are alot of great things surrounding the city.
    When we arrived we went to the night market for food and it's just a bunch of stalls along the river serving noodle and rice dishes. We chose to eat at one that had a chef no older than 14. He was adorable and so hard working and the finished fried rice with veg was one of the best I have eaten. We were so impressed we came back the following night! After a very long day..!
     In the morning we were picked up by our tuk tuk driver for the day named Tony. He was born and raised of Battambang and was able to give us the full tour! He first took us to the bamboo train, quite sketchy but very fun! There is only one track so if two trains are going towards each other, one has to be taken apart and put off the track!

     Back in our tuk tuk he took us to a garden where he told us about the food they were growing and let us try peanuts, lemongrass, cucumbers, etc.

   
















      He took us to a few temples that we had to climb up to.

We stopped at a little stand where my friend bought a jungle rat that had been grilling on a barbeque. I had to try a bite! And I was very pleasantly surprised. It was one of the best meats I've eaten and my friend is a chef and he agreed. The flavor was delicious and it was quite tender.

A winery, where the French had taught the Cambodians how to make wine.

 Stopped at a killing cave, climbing down into the cave was a little frightening, and rightfully so considering how many people were killed there. Many taken to the top and just pushed over the side.. There is a tribute set up full of bones and the cave definitely has a negative energy, but we paid our respects and moved along to the next bit of our adventure.

    The last stop was a cave that we sat and waited outside of for nearly an hour but it was worth it when 7 million bats came flying out! You could see the way they shifted with the wind as they flew. It was an incredible sight!