tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82226427869015184862024-02-20T14:12:14.328-08:00The Great Adventures of Cheryl the ExplorerCupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-43927070044753300222009-06-15T22:09:00.000-07:002009-06-15T22:18:19.782-07:00A few of the missing pictures...Here's a taste of what's to come on my picasa album...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mc6msigPs-p9zHj_TLcy9CBK0Jk4GcAlPfc-whg-_8SJh-ULfrowExkZkMNOda7F5c7GBDxLeSl5NG3G1uHC1B6XJyhGwObrweZMiPQ9KikoTRPACisduhl7WQM61-nFH-O_gJs6TQA/s1600-h/4587_1143749523618_1523905995_30337239_4000829_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Mc6msigPs-p9zHj_TLcy9CBK0Jk4GcAlPfc-whg-_8SJh-ULfrowExkZkMNOda7F5c7GBDxLeSl5NG3G1uHC1B6XJyhGwObrweZMiPQ9KikoTRPACisduhl7WQM61-nFH-O_gJs6TQA/s200/4587_1143749523618_1523905995_30337239_4000829_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347788617069323458" border="0" /></a><br />Chillin with Shaina!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn6lkibtZUh-tGG4H5iwPoJM2iqmyZ7cmqish12DlwbWGWUQXXcuxX7pORNoKZWg51E4rIQPZHIn0Zf4TXq9AWKPnHc5___NFXJNe1b1sFoy9sAZMTgWVjGqrbkJIVtP5LXl9K5kJR7A/s1600-h/P5110028.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDn6lkibtZUh-tGG4H5iwPoJM2iqmyZ7cmqish12DlwbWGWUQXXcuxX7pORNoKZWg51E4rIQPZHIn0Zf4TXq9AWKPnHc5___NFXJNe1b1sFoy9sAZMTgWVjGqrbkJIVtP5LXl9K5kJR7A/s200/P5110028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347788985292677202" border="0" /></a><br />Bummin around Oahu with Shantel!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74ZQ5vJSY9u6sXu9Kmn6aIDx6Z3rW6WK_2LnirD8OK6OD51antHT27Dvkdva2YgphLuUqOlUzRoR5B5vFe7hQUsnZXrDhriIgJN5GTprilWImnLUCaPs74EuldC0CsV0C7BMne1L0lqI/s1600-h/P5110023.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74ZQ5vJSY9u6sXu9Kmn6aIDx6Z3rW6WK_2LnirD8OK6OD51antHT27Dvkdva2YgphLuUqOlUzRoR5B5vFe7hQUsnZXrDhriIgJN5GTprilWImnLUCaPs74EuldC0CsV0C7BMne1L0lqI/s200/P5110023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347789227598800738" border="0" /></a><br />Road trippin & General bad-assness with Jamie<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2muhxU6IBFNK2eLfGD43zMfRiFqrDCnPWgBTnI0u6Dm-lMkr0IzSW4KnY5wxQMY6K0QAqwis9uuhF-hcd6k7l3ydbyLn6ePFla_Vvih8BQ0k-zdtBYxiaLXtkw_xrkSk3_nmtlPQmEbM/s1600-h/P5160019.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2muhxU6IBFNK2eLfGD43zMfRiFqrDCnPWgBTnI0u6Dm-lMkr0IzSW4KnY5wxQMY6K0QAqwis9uuhF-hcd6k7l3ydbyLn6ePFla_Vvih8BQ0k-zdtBYxiaLXtkw_xrkSk3_nmtlPQmEbM/s200/P5160019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347789619316412130" border="0" /></a><br />Being a tourist with Michael ;)<br /><br />Check the picasa album for other pics - more to come when peeps upload photos!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/CKKorneluk/Hawaii">http://picasaweb.google.com/CKKorneluk/Hawaii</a>Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-13771589988534649022009-06-08T16:51:00.000-07:002009-06-10T00:57:35.205-07:00Let the vacation begin!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-U1hXLCz2R87wh_PMURs4H6w-F4Kpej07DZZjHg-ssCk3sSQd3ZZgcMJ8LQXvWE-rCAc_VaQJfU-Ap-ZPdVp4QdGRPTiHxG7Zkjl0QQN0YvuZn8FCeA9cnZw67qjIVbs09kfTFeVdjs/s1600-h/sunsetbeach.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-U1hXLCz2R87wh_PMURs4H6w-F4Kpej07DZZjHg-ssCk3sSQd3ZZgcMJ8LQXvWE-rCAc_VaQJfU-Ap-ZPdVp4QdGRPTiHxG7Zkjl0QQN0YvuZn8FCeA9cnZw67qjIVbs09kfTFeVdjs/s200/sunsetbeach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345604987263603234" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Aloha,<div><br /><div> </div><div>What an eventful weekend! Although the fun might have kicked off with my bus breaking down mid-trip to pick Jamie up from the airport and a super-human sprint to make the airport transfer bus, it was overall very quintessentially Hawaiian vacation. We rented a car upon Jamie's arrival - a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Seabring</span> that we named <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Peepeopi</span> (thank you, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) - and drove it up to the North Shore. Most tourists stick to Waikiki, which pretty much has everything one might need to be happy from Cheesecake Factory to Cold Stones to, oh yes, Subways! But the 30-45 minute drive to the North Shore is well worth the views and the sunsets! </div><div><br /></div><div>We began on Saturday with a mound of infamous shaved ice with so many flavors to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">choos</span></div><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomcv1Tcqa32otKNyqWCOuvbQyAJy7cZYv_HHWjF66ilDnE7Uxx6BJrw1wj9iZDgbM-Iz5hxiS6kdRUc03rpUdeE6PU0sdGbdoLfy01gdGzyqGhntMVYC4iFb7SbHPnGeU-p0lK63nMYM/s200/icy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345114192803097730" border="0" />e from - I personally went with guava, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lychee</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">lilikoi</span> (kinda like a cotton candy passion fruit). The line actually wrapped around the building for it, and it took us a good 25 minutes to order. But it was well worth it! By the time we finished slurping it, it was a race to beat the sun from setting. We parked at the picturesque Sunset Beach with rolling sand and crashing waves. Part of the beach is for surfing and part is for swimming, but we were just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">chillin</span>. As the sun set, we saw a little cluster of dolphins in the distance! It was almost enough to send me tearing into the water, fully clothed in my plaid shorts to go play! It was EXTREMELY cool and very Hawaiian.<div><br /></div><div> </div><div>The weekend continued, early (in the single digits!) on Sunday with pancakes and guava juice at a local restaurant. Then we took the meandering coastal road up the east coast to the North Shore where we had an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">anticlimactic</span> visit to Turtle Bay (the setting for Forgetting Sarah Marshall), which is proof of Hollywood's ability to create paradise... because the hotel was not as cool. Then, we saw the plane from Lost (Nikki!!) and the beach they film it on - it was all closed off, but still so cool to see a little piece of Hollywood in paradise. We continued to see the dock where they filmed part of 50 First Dates with Adam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sandler</span> and Drew Barrymore, as well as more interesting geological structures formed from lava flow, such as this little mountainous island called "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Chinaman's</span> Hat"... <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ok</span>, so I was the only one excited by that! But we forged on to spend the morning at Sunset Beach, then adjourning to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Waimea</span> Bay for the afternoon until sunset. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Waimea</span> Bay has gorgeous aqua waters where you can see straight to the bottom and the snorkeling is decent (a few Doris but no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Nemos</span>!) Me and my friend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Shantel</span> swam across the whole bay, which is impressive and exhausting - who needs a gym when you're in Hawaii, right Kristie?!</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Alas, it was time to return the rental car, so we popped into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Zippy's</span> (a local chili place - with AMAZING food) and proceeded to get lost finding the hotel and Thrifty! It's not really a road trip if you don't make at least one illegal U-Turn, right?! </div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>I'll post more pictures soon!! Surfs up ;)</div></div>Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-59126798839755464372009-06-01T14:00:00.000-07:002009-06-15T21:56:49.442-07:00Wiki Wiki Weekend!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_7caoycFF-ZJGjqOjdd_wunWQAntRK2vYS08__LdbhCS0Q0eCxVRzAsMYKJ2Pn4nO0wisRNvWkfZtVSNLAIfuCMEaCXyWmxvHJLzNO3Xz-TItAqu6J78aTA1BBjC_nnYtxSE-ADoH4g/s1600-h/pali1"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_7caoycFF-ZJGjqOjdd_wunWQAntRK2vYS08__LdbhCS0Q0eCxVRzAsMYKJ2Pn4nO0wisRNvWkfZtVSNLAIfuCMEaCXyWmxvHJLzNO3Xz-TItAqu6J78aTA1BBjC_nnYtxSE-ADoH4g/s200/pali1" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342479642589515538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Aloha!<br /><br />I write you now on my lunch break, sipping my new favorite drink called Hawaiian Sun - there are at least half a dozen flavors from lychee to iced tea, and I plan on trying them all! Despite the stagnant internet situation (of not having wireless in my room), my stay in Hawaii is starting to look up. I know, I know, I'm in Hawaii, how could it ever be down?? Well, I'm not exactly staying at the Marriott... or even a motel 6 for that matter!<br /><br />On Thursday, I met two sisters who live in the nicer part of Ewa Beach, up the street from me. The older sister, is actually attending USC in the spring for Physics, and she plans to later pursue her Ph.D at MIT. The younger sister just graduated from high school last weekend and is taking my Environmental Science class this summer. They are absolutely the nicest people I have met so far! On my first day of knowing them, they offered to not only drive me home but to also take me to the grocery store and my nutritional haven, Subway. Though, in the end we wound up sharing pizza, garlic bread, and cheese bread from Little Ceasars at a beach near my house - YUM! I feel so lucky to have met such awesome friends.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Svs_-r-T19fhO5LWGeQGkcOsmq-yTOlt3TR8uCNgZwuCJyuzdeYRYvGxPprAoR5cDuvPLJq-EaqHQ9oKTH_6SDB-hKbh_PZ94hdUQjvEpyLzYFwAQSKyDACn4P2xYmWxWeSn_8CSW_s/s1600-h/pali3"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Svs_-r-T19fhO5LWGeQGkcOsmq-yTOlt3TR8uCNgZwuCJyuzdeYRYvGxPprAoR5cDuvPLJq-EaqHQ9oKTH_6SDB-hKbh_PZ94hdUQjvEpyLzYFwAQSKyDACn4P2xYmWxWeSn_8CSW_s/s200/pali3" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342479994870406258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Friday, the day of our field trip to Pali, the extinct volcano, brought a whole new outlook of the island. We journeyed to the wetter, more lush side of Oahu where a massive ridge baracades one side and lava flows are etched into the side of the mountainous structures. For the first time in my life, I saw a volcano and identified the lava flows (both pahoehoe and a'a types). It was extremely cool. The view was break-taking, and my camera phone hardly does it justice. Apparently, it was on this very spot that natives battled the monarch conqueror who would ultimately rule the islands. The natives failed, according to my new friend, and the s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEygECllSuZH7FfWUoKDcDh2v1uBkEC49fl7Y8HdI6HNpe_oc2jJxkArn_QAFr9N1ObSPAlviEUFTsiYCWE62rzhMOC6BvTZW3imdBDVRHqQDy66SLBPMLgpAps9wGYtJP7Huc-Vm0CXQ/s1600-h/pali4"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEygECllSuZH7FfWUoKDcDh2v1uBkEC49fl7Y8HdI6HNpe_oc2jJxkArn_QAFr9N1ObSPAlviEUFTsiYCWE62rzhMOC6BvTZW3imdBDVRHqQDy66SLBPMLgpAps9wGYtJP7Huc-Vm0CXQ/s200/pali4" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342480200281958594" border="0" /></a>pirits of the night archers still roam the area because they cannot find peace, since their home was lost.<br /><br />After our field trip, me and the younger sister, Shaina, came back to school where she showed me the wonder that is our proximity to Walmart and a food court! We dined on orange chicken, cho mein, and dairy queen - sooo goooood. Afterwards, we walked around the various shops in the plaza, talking. Shaina was appalled to discover that I did not own plaid shorts... so she marched us over to Ross where, in true Tricia form (!) I bought hot pink and black ones as well as a really cool blue and purple broken glass-looking jar that will forever remind me of the Hawaiian ocean!<br /><br />Saturday brought my first adventure - Shaina took us to the Ala Moana Beach Park where we enjoyed the serene water at the beach there. Large rocks that protrude from the ocean about a half mile off of the shore - that means waves break farther out and the water is so calm that people actually swim laps across it (ode to Kristie!) Despite gobs of sunscreen, I still managed to escape with an abstract art-looking burn riddled with random finger marks haha We ended the day with some Tony Roma ribs and french fries and Haagen Daz ice cream, of course! Oh! Then on the bus ride home, Shaina taught me how to make a lay out of yarn - apparently, I'm a pro now. It was a great, Hawaiian day!<br /><br />Sunday was more chill - I read for class and looked for shells on the beach outside of my house to decorate the lays I made. Ewa Beach faces South and the shells are scarce because there is a lot of coral and rocks that cover the ocean floor in that area. Although I only came back with a couple of shells, they are some of the coolest ones that I've seen. That day ended with Hawaiian BBQ complete with ribs, rice, and fish that was caught that day - yes, I ate fish in seaweed sauce and it was AMAZING!!<br /><br />Overall, things are looking up - I have met some cool people and Jamie comes to visit this weekend, then Mike next week! Life seems more managable now. As for the education, it's been great - I'm learning so much and actually am able to apply it which is cool! I wish I could write more, but I have to help set up for a lab now :-( I'll try to check in again this week to tell you a little more about the local culture that I think the average tourists misses. Aloha for now!!Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-69036707616360306102009-05-27T13:21:00.000-07:002009-06-15T22:09:22.335-07:00Aloha!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUFEDBotbjoNJhqqG6z5qkx8aGRjv7eeA4FYA-mlaGf6f_eZvaX5Ls3lkmupQm2dDBlwmftWqfhNmRlOSOcAbgfoSZwBqELSn49sGtr5hhF35CizaT8ZFO73MHGxdH5Yy-RTZnBHB1yM/s1600-h/08311183324663_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUFEDBotbjoNJhqqG6z5qkx8aGRjv7eeA4FYA-mlaGf6f_eZvaX5Ls3lkmupQm2dDBlwmftWqfhNmRlOSOcAbgfoSZwBqELSn49sGtr5hhF35CizaT8ZFO73MHGxdH5Yy-RTZnBHB1yM/s200/08311183324663_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340602576068788098" border="0" /></a><br />Aloha!<br /><br />You may have been wondering where I disappeared to... was I off surfing on the backs of turtles? or perhaps stuck in a palm tree trying to pick a coconut? Alas! I am actually without internet in my house here, which makes me wanna feed someone to the sharks!! Thanks to my trusty blackberry, I'm not totally disconnected.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzpucp2TdHXW1pofV2UAG4TVMNkk1boRtsGgvz6p1hEFXWO5sIzFD5qpFdFFRKV2z1SEFl5vfJDfWzolif2SQ3tB72CNVGU3G72_mbPgy27uDFnjGCFsXsAHRVfBtBEUuJgU9aepQ7P8/s1600-h/noname"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzpucp2TdHXW1pofV2UAG4TVMNkk1boRtsGgvz6p1hEFXWO5sIzFD5qpFdFFRKV2z1SEFl5vfJDfWzolif2SQ3tB72CNVGU3G72_mbPgy27uDFnjGCFsXsAHRVfBtBEUuJgU9aepQ7P8/s200/noname" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340615865436787618" border="0" /></a><br />The view from my house is really beautiful. In fact the picture to the right is from the balcony on the top floor (and the one on top is an image of the house from the beach). It's a two story home, built by a couple and their kids, and the upstairs is very nice though not air-conditioned. My room, downstairs does have AC and a TV, but overall, the house is definitely not what I expected... I'm sharing the rooms downstairs with a girl who has some mysterious night-time employment in one room, a mom and her two teenage boys in another two rooms, along with a guy who works on the property and acts as the property security dude upstairs (he's really nice) - not exactly the what I expected. Especially the part about sharing a bathroom with two teenage boys. The kitchen is definitely not a place I see myself cooking in - so my diet has consisted of alternating turkey sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches - halla back to college! Hopefully this weekend, I'll get to have a well-balanced meal - though subway would excite me...<br /><br />School is actually really great. The classes are very interesting, and the teacher is enthusiastic about what he is teaching. I take a 45 minute bus ride to get here, but the bus drops me off close to school. The school, Leeward College, is directly above Pearl Harbor - in fact, you can see the old navy ship graveyard from the second story. Pretty much anywhere in Hawaii has a great view! This Friday we're taking a class field trip to Pali, just north of Honolulu where we can see lava flow marks from an old volcano. Don't worry mom, the volcano is dead!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRCtvFmZoAQc3RgAwhAD_nk1NytIAaztGXrr6pnP2Al07GmyvEXzzvhOayaSg15ab7Vd1C7gkLO4onpOY0j3032EJEyl6YiTgh6-ewDCf9e1ykyeIi5zR5wUEwibjfL8H8KRsNPzZN6o/s1600-h/noname-1"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRCtvFmZoAQc3RgAwhAD_nk1NytIAaztGXrr6pnP2Al07GmyvEXzzvhOayaSg15ab7Vd1C7gkLO4onpOY0j3032EJEyl6YiTgh6-ewDCf9e1ykyeIi5zR5wUEwibjfL8H8KRsNPzZN6o/s200/noname-1" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340619130313449618" border="0" /></a><br />Oh another fun fact - I remembered to bring wash clothes and lysol wipes but FORGOT to bring my camera! DUH! The pictures you see here are from my 2 megapixel phone camera. Hopefully my camera will arrive next week, and I'll be able to post some pics of my school and my room. Sadly, any awesome adventures this weekend can only be captured by little phone! Though it's pretty decent - check out the sunset from my house in Ewa Beach, which faces South (to the left).<br /><br />I'll let you know how it goes... if you're sensing my apprehension, it's just that this is so different than studying abroad because I'm not associated with an organization, and Hawaii is definitely an entity onto itself than to the US... much like Hong Kong is a separate entity to China. The area I'm living in is largely local, which is cool in its own way - not touristy. Everyone has been friendly overall, though without a car, I don't really see myself going out after sundown. I'm looking forward to Jamie's visit not this weekend, but next weekend and Mike's visit the weekend after. I know we're gonna have a great time!<br /><br />Hope everything is chill on the Mainland 8-) Surfs up!!Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-26800833216849723362008-07-15T09:50:00.000-07:002009-05-15T22:27:57.464-07:00Australia, mates!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DL4DoE_Wi2AfHgRNScxWF_kZrGQ_jynIdcftSljeuKovc7OJXn7TBFoIFI_IxiJAVzxvkGQfi4MjmVn90ux_zpADBJn8ZjbVDAySfH28a5TMg1e6749g12lz1zFFj7N4-r5pj64lKW4/s1600-h/aussiebridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DL4DoE_Wi2AfHgRNScxWF_kZrGQ_jynIdcftSljeuKovc7OJXn7TBFoIFI_IxiJAVzxvkGQfi4MjmVn90ux_zpADBJn8ZjbVDAySfH28a5TMg1e6749g12lz1zFFj7N4-r5pj64lKW4/s200/aussiebridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336183191462608450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />For a three week stint in the summer, we backpacked down the east coast of Australia, and it was awesome! We started in Sydney, where I attended the 85 Broad Advantage conference for women in leadership as the scholarship recipient. It was really interesting to interact with Australian students in a classroom setting - everyone was very nice, helpful, and <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo7r9Zj2pw6srR6L0riK56Pbnkm2lPQdoU8vWO6hONo_A2yHIFWMGqUTPH0zccDIK4KzvC9Uovk9eMG23_EHdHLGId4kLZg_xtDXulFAcpPZBie62ZV8_McxzkmlrgLryUjxg7PhJpLs/s1600-h/aussiecold.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTo7r9Zj2pw6srR6L0riK56Pbnkm2lPQdoU8vWO6hONo_A2yHIFWMGqUTPH0zccDIK4KzvC9Uovk9eMG23_EHdHLGId4kLZg_xtDXulFAcpPZBie62ZV8_McxzkmlrgLryUjxg7PhJpLs/s200/aussiecold.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336184968143522418" border="0" /></a>inquisitive. Did you know that you can decide to be a doctor in high school, apply for college, and graduate about four years later with a medical degree?? Pretty cool! At least that was my understanding from what the girls told me. After the conference ended, me and my boyz palled around Sydney, walking, seeing the sites, hangin with Michael's cousin. We had a blast at the Absolut Ice <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnvVLyF1d8xqkxIvSM6PXrxxlP3GiJjAktq-4B6apkf35L8WhKGQ8ZSUlqEDSE2G9porDsbTeqtKPZex7Rw9yC-nZmRIRDervD_Xdwq4ssgqmstt0eaS9Ha7R9FNJxDM2BrEDyH3QR8k/s1600-h/aussieopera.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnvVLyF1d8xqkxIvSM6PXrxxlP3GiJjAktq-4B6apkf35L8WhKGQ8ZSUlqEDSE2G9porDsbTeqtKPZex7Rw9yC-nZmRIRDervD_Xdwq4ssgqmstt0eaS9Ha7R9FNJxDM2BrEDyH3QR8k/s200/aussieopera.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336186388062691378" border="0" /></a>Bar near the opera house where you can only stay in the frozen bar room for 25 minutes and the drinks are served in cups made of ice. As you can see, parkas are mandatory.<br /><br />From there, we took a plane up to Cannes, the main hub for the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed at this kinda adorable hostel that looked like a children's camp tree house - it creeped Jamie out. In Cannes we had amazing Indian food... three nights in a row! Finally, it was time to get out on the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnO0zn7Sc5CWTYbP2UKyyvv3ph2-t4f17WOiWpujd2mCW9rf9g-0gfQ_Lr9j4USQhVcZ9dMC3K-wzz4iOibbBf2yhrGZrDJBzRu_BYyb8RDaQRPJZLHYpq5JZygGsbfpjs32JfE4ElHI/s1600-h/IMG_1808.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnO0zn7Sc5CWTYbP2UKyyvv3ph2-t4f17WOiWpujd2mCW9rf9g-0gfQ_Lr9j4USQhVcZ9dMC3K-wzz4iOibbBf2yhrGZrDJBzRu_BYyb8RDaQRPJZLHYpq5JZygGsbfpjs32JfE4ElHI/s200/IMG_1808.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336282401751661170" border="0" /></a>water - and I'm a puker, so that was lovely. Though, nothing will cure sea sickness like freezing cold water! It was really choppy - pretty big swells for being surrounded by reef, but the fish were gorgeous. I saw fish that I had only ever seen in Nemo or a picture book. And the color - rainbow colors!! Did y<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tm5c_h-Gs8S_6CPD2ani-4O_dM5rSmwCQtbRbZJEm8xsw7muuvqTsFXIA-hrzt_GFEQwEl6kcDjX2JN4hhFNEpGbepX3B_pcmaEXv41zZQddMpHA34sofxpPK8WSiRjyqDt_8KqT07c/s1600-h/P1000252.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tm5c_h-Gs8S_6CPD2ani-4O_dM5rSmwCQtbRbZJEm8xsw7muuvqTsFXIA-hrzt_GFEQwEl6kcDjX2JN4hhFNEpGbepX3B_pcmaEXv41zZQddMpHA34sofxpPK8WSiRjyqDt_8KqT07c/s200/P1000252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336288412546363778" border="0" /></a>ou know that those giant clams actually exist? Michael picked one up when he went on a mini-dive. It was pretty cool.<br /><br />Probably the highlight of our Australia trip was our trip up to Cape Tribulation on the north east tip of Australia. It's a quiet little region that is made up mostly of rainforests. We were supposed to stay in another mediocre hostel, but they overbooked, so they upgraded us for free to a four star resort where we lived like kings for two nights! Mini shampoos and all! We spent our days lounging on the beach, reading, and sharing a six pack. It was absolutely the epitome of a relaxing vacation. Although, if we had not had the maps of the area, we probably would have walked right into this estuary infested with alligators - so make sure you grab one at your local hotel.<br /><br />We continued down through Brisbane, Surfer's Paradise, and wine country. Aside from the rolling countryside, we encountered wild kangaroos and enjoyed a decadent stay at a Marriott in Brisbane with hot chocolate that jamie and I dubbed "crack chocolate." In Brisbane, I held a koala bear at he Koala Sanctuary, and we frolicked in a field of kangaroos.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkGAz20yqq-6_LXHX3KE90la8zZnTXbKlnH6u7J1g5o30g4ym977VWmNQmMNEdwWXMrRZ6V4VjyivWr-VEt2lZa7irkXRxmXm-GcM3U7_FWkx4i9vGzBYcp3xySFXA93qxybFrEaPJik/s1600-h/P1000241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkGAz20yqq-6_LXHX3KE90la8zZnTXbKlnH6u7J1g5o30g4ym977VWmNQmMNEdwWXMrRZ6V4VjyivWr-VEt2lZa7irkXRxmXm-GcM3U7_FWkx4i9vGzBYcp3xySFXA93qxybFrEaPJik/s200/P1000241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336288866290291970" border="0" /></a>Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-35447576284726769872007-05-14T22:40:00.000-07:002009-05-18T11:19:59.936-07:00Taste of Tokyo and a Bite of Beijing!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsc6-iWLEj1NBcVteBNzPU09auFXGbWgpoKBnBcNKQ-ZcodFo7tWGrChgwIFVYHfbMwB9Cn9k6-MVUzF3A9rBXA0FYsbk6jY2DKb5rU6RS01DU756q3JIwUlMwHUki1Oq4QQeia3NfKY/s1600-h/P3270002.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsc6-iWLEj1NBcVteBNzPU09auFXGbWgpoKBnBcNKQ-ZcodFo7tWGrChgwIFVYHfbMwB9Cn9k6-MVUzF3A9rBXA0FYsbk6jY2DKb5rU6RS01DU756q3JIwUlMwHUki1Oq4QQeia3NfKY/s320/P3270002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335923219196539026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Konichiwa, friends!<br /><br />It's been a long time since I've written about my adventures, and, if it is possible, they have gotten even better! Just a few days ago, I returned from my week and a half stint in Beijing and Tokyo with my Uncle Dave. What a blast!!<br /><br />So, Beijing... China's capital and the future home of the 2008 Olympics (and they're not afraid to remind y<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5v8QolKKl0yO357eJA9-vfaiPEHtlIaXDL5BgAq7-DVkpWxX4ZZvBihyBDjDDhy3eeBqy4KIPE6TimsAeVWf4OpVMiIV4ts3vgH1j0KMQ73YmawKtfhyphenhyphena2InN0-HcirYSAQvMyFRl5Q/s1600-h/MeWall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5v8QolKKl0yO357eJA9-vfaiPEHtlIaXDL5BgAq7-DVkpWxX4ZZvBihyBDjDDhy3eeBqy4KIPE6TimsAeVWf4OpVMiIV4ts3vgH1j0KMQ73YmawKtfhyphenhyphena2InN0-HcirYSAQvMyFRl5Q/s200/MeWall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335922276557796850" border="0" /></a>ou!). Aside from the pollution generated by construction of new buildings and the large pollen clusters that often looked like snow hanging in the air, Beijing was a fascinating city to see. What was most interesting to me is how from all of my travels in China, Beijing seemed to be the most tourist contrived. The main attractions included The Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, and, of course, the Great Wall. Out of all of those destinations, the Great Wall was my favorite. This is thanks to my quick-thinking USC roommate, Jooree, who guided us by bus and sketchy mini-bus in a 4 hour journey to a remote section of the Wall - completely authentic and definitely non-touristy. Authenticity is the most important factor to me, I've realized, because it makes me feel connected to the culture on a deeper level of history. As you can see from the pics, the views were beautiful!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hRGPK4J5O02fbpKPjYWXP-W08omwfc9uodRn4BKXBzrW6Xgz0WEuc-bvgNN2-vocUs2s35yUNi7KzRlQHOUkfyhazFfOgbqzPBfuYdXY0aWOnxJ8Ea8bc4cFbp6D7y7gDd53oNt-IIs/s1600-h/P3280072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hRGPK4J5O02fbpKPjYWXP-W08omwfc9uodRn4BKXBzrW6Xgz0WEuc-bvgNN2-vocUs2s35yUNi7KzRlQHOUkfyhazFfOgbqzPBfuYdXY0aWOnxJ8Ea8bc4cFbp6D7y7gDd53oNt-IIs/s200/P3280072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335926350564126930" border="0" /></a>On to Tokyo... my favorite city in Asia! I was absolutely blown away by the cleanliness, efficient public transport, high tech sensory overload, kindness of the locals, and of course the Disneylands. As many of you might know, I feel about Disneylands the way most people feel about God. So, seeing 4 out of the 5 Disneylands in the world was a spiritual experience for me. haha I know, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyBPnzakNtedIXJi923c1P87_UFO_px7h_siCMngsoUzoDIvVEVd6j8cwj8Z0ZI2rPnvbCnPw0EHJmST6K1yDmKwe0BnD8uZgkEz6KKaCgxXOmQEPbBMOTL8uXF0s6mKv98qOo2kAhR4/s1600-h/P3270024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyBPnzakNtedIXJi923c1P87_UFO_px7h_siCMngsoUzoDIvVEVd6j8cwj8Z0ZI2rPnvbCnPw0EHJmST6K1yDmKwe0BnD8uZgkEz6KKaCgxXOmQEPbBMOTL8uXF0s6mKv98qOo2kAhR4/s200/P3270024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335926807296825666" border="0" /></a>I should start a cult... who's with me?? The most impressive theme park that I have officially ever been to in the ENTIRE world was DisneySea. The park, as you will see from my obnoxious amount of pictures, centers around a beautiful lake with a life-size erupting volcano in the background. As each ride is sponsored by individual Japanese companies, each ride is perfection in itself - a core part of the Japanese culture. Interestingly, rides such as Pirates and Haunted Mansion were SCARIER in Tokyo, reflecting an integral part of the culture (as evident by the movies produced there like the original Ring). I loved that every ride was narrated in Japanese! It made it feel so authentic... and we all know how much I love authenticity ;-) The culmination of my day that brought the whole experience full circle was eating Japanese curry and watching the Disneyland Parade. What a cultural experience! Oh, and the parade was, well... magical. sigh. I definitely plan to revisit the park in a detailed 2 day excursion next time!<br /><br />More on Tokyo... If it is possible, the Tokyo locals are even more friendly and helpful than those in Hong Kong - and that's saying a lot because Hong Kong people are so sweet! People<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpvv8AcPgBIq6g_VlUl-QqsnkpsLNfEJ70RFj44OlONmarQkQ0AcsCXUtJ0XOu8-lD8bWz4dTU6jaOqLOhg81nCXRGNNwicD1ThaeiLIARPlbd01_AGst016PGU10Lw5H4vh2GpzHSgg/s1600-h/P3290190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpvv8AcPgBIq6g_VlUl-QqsnkpsLNfEJ70RFj44OlONmarQkQ0AcsCXUtJ0XOu8-lD8bWz4dTU6jaOqLOhg81nCXRGNNwicD1ThaeiLIARPlbd01_AGst016PGU10Lw5H4vh2GpzHSgg/s200/P3290190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335924134901076914" border="0" /></a> would literally see me glancing at my map and offer to help me buy my ticket and guide me to my destination themselves. Although, imagine my surprise to discover that within this friendly culture is a blossoming porn industry that surpasses the developments in North America. As you will see from my pics, you can buy little anime stripper dolls from machines and buy anime porn. Talk about creative! OH! And, you don't need to worry about gambling with me, Mom, because despite the presence of slot machines in ElectricTown (the up and coming tech district of Tokyo), I managed to burn US$20 on those claw machines where you can win stuffed animals. Oh yes, I was a natural. hehe Visiting Tokyo has inspired me to consider a fellowship there for 6 months, post grad. I can now understand how people become obsessed with the culture! I LOVED IT!! Color me obsessed ;-)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78UoP9jvDqQsxeT60NWwY7_OKoAbekPzqSayUkPDR_bjQa30_csqu55pWY92i2D1RokBz9PHxnJ5cVlVPq2yKeteI2b2StDNdXNEBXBcfgnibsl6inZFHM3WIJzTGLuDXLWrG_5P6e1c/s1600-h/P3300235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 104px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78UoP9jvDqQsxeT60NWwY7_OKoAbekPzqSayUkPDR_bjQa30_csqu55pWY92i2D1RokBz9PHxnJ5cVlVPq2yKeteI2b2StDNdXNEBXBcfgnibsl6inZFHM3WIJzTGLuDXLWrG_5P6e1c/s200/P3300235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335925714038329522" border="0" /></a><br />Well, kids, I've got to finish packing for my last excursion of 10 days touring Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. This will be the trip to test my comfort zone and travel abilities in every way, and I couldn't be more excited to start! Although it makes me (and my mother) a little nervous, I am confident that I can put that worrying energy to good use and find the fun in whatever experiences come my way! Until next time...Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-56818740621731192602007-04-17T22:19:00.000-07:002009-05-14T23:03:23.530-07:00Thailand is for lovers... Guangzhou is for adventurers!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4mm7KmTXLKmcYTj73tuX8lsTWuJfdodcwwVXchG56TB9H64QDVWTMaLdp2wfbTZ4197nDaR8Pc1o_lw9LIw7L0EnaIKwkwudOykE9ZTPYWMqTq0BFw4yHpRg1Y6pTmRaOHFItxVd1hk/s1600-h/P3040357.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4mm7KmTXLKmcYTj73tuX8lsTWuJfdodcwwVXchG56TB9H64QDVWTMaLdp2wfbTZ4197nDaR8Pc1o_lw9LIw7L0EnaIKwkwudOykE9ZTPYWMqTq0BFw4yHpRg1Y6pTmRaOHFItxVd1hk/s320/P3040357.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335919082182949426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />How is life on your side of the world? Mine is busy with school ending in 2 weeks and squeezing as much travel as I can into the short time that I have left. Since I last wrote, I have taken a wonderful vacation to Pattaya in Thailand (just 1 1/2 hours outside of Bangkok) and a short weekend excursion to Guangzhou (a city 1 hour outside of Hong Kong in Mainland). Life is good, besides this pesky thing called school :-)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim152wRzPFnypHOOSpxrvpm58OJEx9L8yyBxpTTeeU3vIbO72oJB8yI10WqBVgJcaFmhq7rk_lpPx1s4FpJGAF5w-pU_fTUJM7zAO6RWS7EFe7gTGT7HDx8GLOP4oJey0Dixq__OxrKR0/s1600-h/P3010218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim152wRzPFnypHOOSpxrvpm58OJEx9L8yyBxpTTeeU3vIbO72oJB8yI10WqBVgJcaFmhq7rk_lpPx1s4FpJGAF5w-pU_fTUJM7zAO6RWS7EFe7gTGT7HDx8GLOP4oJey0Dixq__OxrKR0/s200/P3010218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335919811750049618" border="0" /></a><br />So Thailand... Although Mike and I hardly "roughed it - backpacker style" in our resort hotel with 12 restaurants, we did manage to see a future Wonder of the World called The Sanctuary of Truth (made completely of hand-carved wood from all over Asia) and pet baby tigers. That's right, if you couldn't believe that I kissed a pink dolphin, I think you're going to have an even harder time imagining me feeding a baby tiger out of a bottle in my lap. It was so hot and sticky in Thailand that we spent a whole day at the beautiful Coral Island where we shared a boat with a wealthy Western business man and his teenage Thai escort. That rather disturbing detail about the sex industry in Pattaya followed us on every outing, as Pattaya we later learned is the Red Light district of Thailand. It seemed strange how the girls laughed at all the foreigner's bad jokes and held their hands. It made me wonder how a young girl comes int<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwVA0MWJMHo16DA6t_Ms8kVXHuoRH6eZ18w6_suB_a0urLsymBJvJLq-aEuPzr8hd-xqaRpyP6L24uHJTakloTWQHPR5W2NUygdME4lvvLXmyQuwxk-vTdWSGKtHfYGtrvwRQSSwM9LM/s1600-h/P2280094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwVA0MWJMHo16DA6t_Ms8kVXHuoRH6eZ18w6_suB_a0urLsymBJvJLq-aEuPzr8hd-xqaRpyP6L24uHJTakloTWQHPR5W2NUygdME4lvvLXmyQuwxk-vTdWSGKtHfYGtrvwRQSSwM9LM/s200/P2280094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335920497792951026" border="0" /></a>o such a job. Sometimes, the Thai girls even brought their daughters along on the tours too. I'm sure on any other of my adventures, I would have sat down for a chat with one to ask about it, but our organized tour in the open air taxi seemed hardly appropriate.<br /><br />The food in Thailand was some of the best that I've had in Asia. Pineapple fried rice is a famous dish that I'm determined to cook regularly when I return to USC. In fact, officially Thailand has the best oreo milkshake that I have ever had. Amazing! Something that would surely make my little brother proud ;) Overall, it was difficult to experience the truly authentic Thai culture that you might find traveling to villages out of tourist areas. But, nonetheless, the company (Mike, that's you!) more than made up for it!<br /><br />On to Guangzhou... I literally just unpacked from this two day excursion to Mainland China. Guangzhou, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqvE5rL4OZWti_EZ4nF5O-vD7rpnFaskqHvppLn2yTfkRhKW7fZqVYmKZjcGGMQLtMNj_-oIT2sv-3DJ2TurXsDPvQjs0DV_e_1NIXWjugVSe-Gfcw2haUDHqOW2HFj5nmIELnlA3P44/s1600-h/P3090022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqvE5rL4OZWti_EZ4nF5O-vD7rpnFaskqHvppLn2yTfkRhKW7fZqVYmKZjcGGMQLtMNj_-oIT2sv-3DJ2TurXsDPvQjs0DV_e_1NIXWjugVSe-Gfcw2haUDHqOW2HFj5nmIELnlA3P44/s200/P3090022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335921179725380466" border="0" /></a>on the surface, seems like any ordinary city - a little dirty, grey, and concrete. But, it was because of my school mate's and my determination to have a cultural experience, that it was surprisingly fun. Aside from the notoriously cheap shopping that yielded a $4 pair of suede turquoise boots, the gardens and parks were amazing. Milena and I climbed a nine story pagoda that was one of the most beautifully artistic that I have seen. (Naturally, we have pictures of the whole climbing process). We took a day trip to the neighboring city of Foshan where we got hopelessly lost because well-meaning locals kept pointing us in the wrong direction, and we wound up in beautiful zen-like park (also thoroughly documented). It really was one of those times where you realize that the right attitude and the good company can make any city fun!<br /><br />Well, kids, sorry to be a bit abrupt, but I really must get back to work. All of my classes have 10+ page papers due now :-( Quite sad, really. The next time I write I will tell you of my adventures with my favorite Uncle Dave to Beijing and Tokyo! WOOHOO to cool family members who visit me :-DCupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-34382010117508152272007-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:002009-05-15T09:21:16.584-07:00Singapore Slingin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGNBRVq1AiAma4kSz8dkpnpsIBJbwiMX9Bh5VTaw1Xg7M_QdketR1MGavC1qYxYYFyA4GbC9PfWgDT4BY6_Mwvriqy8usUrHhoJ3D9q95v5w_TCOd2CXJW_Oeguqzes9mAai46jYOtAo/s1600-h/classsy.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGNBRVq1AiAma4kSz8dkpnpsIBJbwiMX9Bh5VTaw1Xg7M_QdketR1MGavC1qYxYYFyA4GbC9PfWgDT4BY6_Mwvriqy8usUrHhoJ3D9q95v5w_TCOd2CXJW_Oeguqzes9mAai46jYOtAo/s200/classsy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335769536712583106" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello friends,<br /><br />I have just returned from my first solo adventure to the beautiful country of Singapore, and it was unforgettable! I continue to stretch my comfort zone while, at the same time, learn how to be happy when I'm alone with myown thoughts and my camera with a self-timer!!<br /><br />When I first arrived in the country of the orchid, I was quickly reminded<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ndqcE2Cpd2u7ddcSFTNd921uDuCbsEfgDgINh3Xa-2Bu8gZ97EwwluEdMn490N6wHeaG35UNmhUasg1-z4TLLJAIyOrADsbM4ZgLDtebEhLCF-KJ0Qc61dskhGGsJSs9XAvcmS_H-Q0/s1600-h/posing.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ndqcE2Cpd2u7ddcSFTNd921uDuCbsEfgDgINh3Xa-2Bu8gZ97EwwluEdMn490N6wHeaG35UNmhUasg1-z4TLLJAIyOrADsbM4ZgLDtebEhLCF-KJ0Qc61dskhGGsJSs9XAvcmS_H-Q0/s200/posing.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335764553071671058" border="0" /></a>what 95 degrees and humid feels like - so the jeans and dress-casual shirts<br />that I brought were not going to cut it, especially in the no AC hostel from<br />HELL that I was staying in. So what did the product of many years in a<br />Marriott do??... Well, I went to a tourist alley about bought one sun dress<br />and one skirt to mix and match my shirts with for about US$25 dollars<br />(pricey coming from HK)! I really thought that I could "rough it" for 3<br />nights in a dorm-style hostel with a smelly, snoring man in the bunk below<br />me... but I drew the line when, in the morning, I found a cockroach in my backpack!! No better way to keep you out and about than living in a gross hole that you want to spend as little time sleeping in as possible!<br /><br />The first day was spent going camera-happy with my newly discovered timer. The locals would<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4uEYk8a-6peGShAo0G5WkjyjPgY3qOYZGMbg0bjT5Q9YLfAtZsGyDxh_554zO5xy8-z38f5nQLvL_m3aXZ77pcjPKtwkRQQGUho8n0-RDMTDOPvYSP_cUJTFyTN7ZkKgeMAn_C2CYNA/s1600-h/flower1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 61px; height: 58px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4uEYk8a-6peGShAo0G5WkjyjPgY3qOYZGMbg0bjT5Q9YLfAtZsGyDxh_554zO5xy8-z38f5nQLvL_m3aXZ77pcjPKtwkRQQGUho8n0-RDMTDOPvYSP_cUJTFyTN7ZkKgeMAn_C2CYNA/s200/flower1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335768229421297890" border="0" /></a> offer to take my picture when they saw me setting the camera up, but where would be the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QL44epF-A7-_362FAJVPCoAyJc9iHDJcDwqQv2K_nioVc9DMMqxFCHyp8vRdQPsoLAciQdng1YarXQeDTzMScRk_JZcKGWWJfqLsyXXMQ4I5CBRUZKM7gJWFdzbOcvRBODJbZC3z7Sc/s1600-h/flower2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 66px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QL44epF-A7-_362FAJVPCoAyJc9iHDJcDwqQv2K_nioVc9DMMqxFCHyp8vRdQPsoLAciQdng1YarXQeDTzMScRk_JZcKGWWJfqLsyXXMQ4I5CBRUZKM7gJWFdzbOcvRBODJbZC3z7Sc/s200/flower2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335768444774920450" border="0" /></a> fun if I let them?? After all, some of the pictures and the attempted pictures left me laughing so hard at myself, that I swear people thought I was crazy. It was great! This behavior continued, especially when I spent the next morning in the National Orchid and Botanical Gardens. How incredibly beautiful and ultimately humorous, as you will see from some of the pics. Apparently, after my many adventures in Asia, I have learned to find humor in everything to keep my journeys light-hearted. That's when I always have the most fun, anyway!<br /><br />Let's fast-forward to my posh evening at the Raffles Hotel, the home of the famous Singapore <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBs7QHM3LHqxXiCDoRz1_h5-ICpK79DyJGAPzUf73BThHF93i58wbbMI3FcGEy580bDV05Qy_gqlzJNz-lVfZp7yzCP4A9J3jZB9pgCdLxzWAkTSgY37_XMNOS2Y4g9-oktX68dwx-Rs/s1600-h/sling.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBs7QHM3LHqxXiCDoRz1_h5-ICpK79DyJGAPzUf73BThHF93i58wbbMI3FcGEy580bDV05Qy_gqlzJNz-lVfZp7yzCP4A9J3jZB9pgCdLxzWAkTSgY37_XMNOS2Y4g9-oktX68dwx-Rs/s200/sling.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336086337466279090" border="0" /></a>Sling with the US$2,000 per night rooms, and the classy old men with adorably cheesy pick-up lines. No joke, I had one Australian man (who told me that he had a daughter who was MY age) give me flowers. Thenthere was the bartender who made me a rose out of a strawberry. HA! What an ego boost!! To think, in LA these would have been derogatory cat calls! I love Singapore!<br /><br />However, it was on the third day that the best part of my trip, definitely in my Top 5 Asia Experiences, occurred on a small island called Sentosa just off the coast of Singapore. I took the "first ever" glass bottom cable car ride across a stretch of ocean to the island where I then proceeded to take a heart-racing ski lift across the island to Dolphin Lagoon - let's just say that the fear of heights is conquered! There, I was determined to stretch out my comfort zone and swim with the dolphins. So imagine my disappointment when I approached th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSy9iWiQDdjDOiJfbWaBH3xU60TDN7bF6HD83VYk8CbmS2vf5CBtBrT0PzEBmF2TVdj2ygbnUUASF78MM1JbBsUCPpAn1c0YzmGPa8T4gN5bGw_B6xe-iX_8IPQXUagAsUxUT0__qeDk/s1600-h/dolphin.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSy9iWiQDdjDOiJfbWaBH3xU60TDN7bF6HD83VYk8CbmS2vf5CBtBrT0PzEBmF2TVdj2ygbnUUASF78MM1JbBsUCPpAn1c0YzmGPa8T4gN5bGw_B6xe-iX_8IPQXUagAsUxUT0__qeDk/s200/dolphin.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335768956180646114" border="0" /></a>e ticket office and they told me that it was not possible. Impossible?! Not in a Korneluk's vocabulary!! So I bought a ticket to watch the dolphin show and a bag of kettle corn to drown my sorrows in and took a seat close to the front. Toward the end of the show, the announcer called for two volunteers to "get almost completely wet." Before I could stop myself, my hand shot in the air and began lightly flailing. HE PICKED ME! First he had me make an idiot of myself by trying to holla-hoop. Just when I began to think that I signed up for the wrong event, he ushered me over to the water where one of the pink endangered Indo-Pacific dolphins was playing. OH MY GOD, IT WAS SOOO COOL!! I got to pet it, and then it splashed water at me and then to make nice, it kissed me on the cheek! So FRIGGIN AMAZING! I really wish you could have been there.<br /><br />As it turns out... I, Cheryl Korneluk, actually like animals (now family, don't disown me!). I think it's unbelievable that I had the opportunity to interact with a creature from Southeast Asia that could be extinct by the time that I have grandchildren (hopefully not!). What a life experience!<br />You know what's next, right? I want to ride and elephant when I visit Thailand next weekend, and after that I will go on a quest to hug a panda! Seriously, as I type, I am still smiling about the dolphin awesomeness that happened 3 days ago. Sigh...Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-4694081056633171362007-02-27T11:47:00.000-08:002009-05-18T10:54:54.870-07:00Spring Break, China-style!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2g6NN6rQfQjVgEBgWcou11ZiFzBvaRveaaja8qHQSEVERfURJpVsw1J6J-CmO5cQzkmJmTe5C9D18-9hJB6TAXpHA2_bg2tMl11KYe5UG9-yuIw5oVxtZVmyGGsoJCSH-dCDQNHBrGw/s1600-h/GuilinRiver6.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2g6NN6rQfQjVgEBgWcou11ZiFzBvaRveaaja8qHQSEVERfURJpVsw1J6J-CmO5cQzkmJmTe5C9D18-9hJB6TAXpHA2_bg2tMl11KYe5UG9-yuIw5oVxtZVmyGGsoJCSH-dCDQNHBrGw/s320/GuilinRiver6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335757277671258914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello friends,<br /><br />Do I have stories to tell you! I just returned from 10 days in Mainland China. An adventure that began in Shanghai for Chinese New Year and ended in some smaller but incredibly beautiful towns in the south. I'm sorry for the delay in any email responses - but trust me, the novel that you are about to read will more than make up for it!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfJNxh4sGgWbcYj-HHBxOJXM-bjAjeq-iN97PbWVMDMEVOL7fjI9TK9FEafJAdw-qFk3uB1fHMTfNcVlySu7UR49apCFJLYGE3Qhxvsgbx-jWK7l2B59p3mTXqLvcxbiBDD9I2cnW8-Q/s1600-h/Bund3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfJNxh4sGgWbcYj-HHBxOJXM-bjAjeq-iN97PbWVMDMEVOL7fjI9TK9FEafJAdw-qFk3uB1fHMTfNcVlySu7UR49apCFJLYGE3Qhxvsgbx-jWK7l2B59p3mTXqLvcxbiBDD9I2cnW8-Q/s200/Bund3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337223499374043346" border="0" /></a><br />Let's begin with the mayhem that was Chinese New Year in Shanghai... did you know that there are absolutely no restrictions on fireworks there?! Literally, at dusk on New Year's Eve, the loud crack the firework noise makers and sparks resonated throughout the streets of Shanghai, being set off in front of every store for good luck. I was traveling with two girls and three boys, so you can imagine the display that we were adding to the excitement. The fireworks in Shanghai were nothing like anything that I have seen for the Fourth of July in the US. Sadly, the pictures can't do them justice. I guess you'll just have to go China next year and see for yourself :-) i highly recommend it.<br /><br />The day after the festivities, we took a day trip to Hangzhou, which is famous for its huge lake that local families vacation to for hiking and sailing. Probably the best part was riding on the train and trying to have a conversation with people with just our Mandarin phrase book. Small children laughed at us. But I actually enjoy being laughed at here... because I'd laugh at me too (especially if you look at my hair in ponytails!) Obviously, Shanghai was a full trip filled with walks down the infamous Nanjing Road (there was a sephora there!), exploration of city center at the Bund, and our very insightful visit to the Chinese Sex Culture Museum. But I'll try to just give you the highlights because the true adventure began in Guilin.<br /><br />Leaving our four star hotel complete with KitKats on our pillow, we took an hour plane ride from Hong Kong to Guilin, where we student hostel hopped. My friends and I were looking for the local experience, and we definitely found it. Did I mention that the toilets in Mainland China are in the ground? Let's just say I conquered my fear of squatting and am now an expert - it actually makes much more sense than regular toilets! But I digress...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic00aL8kNwfL1wXXUHpTI_YBDmiLn8yT9IGhtNB3RTdfvNeVUvmWBGHsBLwovqhGT5FIKDxyBxoN878zk-QlICDEvlfLL43vdcCdydl46Px_9tgpqtcF6uhaj83fcKdx-sPyF-n9mPgpQ/s1600-h/River6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic00aL8kNwfL1wXXUHpTI_YBDmiLn8yT9IGhtNB3RTdfvNeVUvmWBGHsBLwovqhGT5FIKDxyBxoN878zk-QlICDEvlfLL43vdcCdydl46Px_9tgpqtcF6uhaj83fcKdx-sPyF-n9mPgpQ/s200/River6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337223696433508962" border="0" /></a>So Guilin was a bit of a tourist trap. They charged us for EVERYTHING - they even charge admission to walk around a local park. Luckily of tour guide who went to school for English Business, knew were to take us. Our day began with a forty cent meal of rice noodles at a little hole in the wall downtown. We then spent our afternoon touring a famous local cave with a light show inside and took a ski lift up a huge mountain to see the hazy view of the countryside. The highlight of our guided adventure was taking a little bamboo raft in the Li River where we got to paddle. The guide had us pull over to shore to walk around (and I learned how to skip stones for the first time!) and converse with a local fishing family. It was here that the most wonderful and fantastic thing happened... I got to hold a BABY! He could not have been more than 2 months old and was ADORABLE. I'm starting up a collection when I get back called Buy Cheryl a Baby Fund. We accept cash, credit card or illegal kidnapping services ;-)<br /><br />Moving down the river... we took a 3 hour boat ride to Yangshou. It is a cute little town with a busy <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRykopd7_XiQvOvZhGZpeKy2GS9RjnGgDayVQ5v7E8GEnro6uNKyZxQUWvi-18s3TcSP2GT8EIk46nNSGP7FNe97aXpIdh9PTTkDevYY5sfIwAV8CtAqGC8C-dQyNV9VcQMFRNFI62XY/s1600-h/Yangshou7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRykopd7_XiQvOvZhGZpeKy2GS9RjnGgDayVQ5v7E8GEnro6uNKyZxQUWvi-18s3TcSP2GT8EIk46nNSGP7FNe97aXpIdh9PTTkDevYY5sfIwAV8CtAqGC8C-dQyNV9VcQMFRNFI62XY/s200/Yangshou7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335757485067994258" border="0" /></a>mainstreet and lots of vendors trying to sell you things that you don't need. During the two full days that we were there, we saw a lot of the countryside by bike. And let me just say that biking for 4 hours made me realize that I have a limit to my threshold for nature. haha The first day, we stopped to shoot hoops with a couple kids in this random little rundown town. Most of the towns that we visited (we later learned) are 1000 years old! The babies are sooooo <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW90vVB_-cHZgBNv7ZXkf6S4huYlTQTQqCbtdqKzINYWeJ8Dh3WHlBL9JS54bga0nn9FluxxxeePUd9shRTy_PU9yXXgCm6RGvn2_kAMDNG89EXSWKVPby3dJYW8GYfBgZI06s2DDx-qo/s1600-h/YangshouCave3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW90vVB_-cHZgBNv7ZXkf6S4huYlTQTQqCbtdqKzINYWeJ8Dh3WHlBL9JS54bga0nn9FluxxxeePUd9shRTy_PU9yXXgCm6RGvn2_kAMDNG89EXSWKVPby3dJYW8GYfBgZI06s2DDx-qo/s200/YangshouCave3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335758241889137106" border="0" /></a>cute!! The second day, we had this local girl (our age) who took us to her village by bike (2 hours away) and we had lunch at her house where every part of the meal was either grown/caught in her village - even the delicious flower tea. In the afternoon, she took us to a famous cave where we took a bath in this dark and rather disgusting natural mud pool and then rinsed up in the cave waterfall (it had a ceiling over 90 meters high!) It was sooooo cold in the water!!<br /><br />Finally, on the last day, we took a two hour excursion to the Ping an village that is at the top of a mountain and was completely isolated from the rest of the world until just a few years ago. It is famous for the women who only cut their hair once in their lives (when they marry at a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMI9y_2T4asHzEcZbMTkYlvGUzumEEnKdiWRqnGguU75TgIO5pLEtXOnxncYZqnJyLQmS4d_2N5n4GhVSY7_N8Y2BJpM3DaefPmO4TWnlifC-87QTemmvpsYpBvJNmaw6NV2Lb0HZtPg/s1600-h/Zp4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMI9y_2T4asHzEcZbMTkYlvGUzumEEnKdiWRqnGguU75TgIO5pLEtXOnxncYZqnJyLQmS4d_2N5n4GhVSY7_N8Y2BJpM3DaefPmO4TWnlifC-87QTemmvpsYpBvJNmaw6NV2Lb0HZtPg/s200/Zp4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335757785962291954" border="0" /></a>ge 18). The average income per family is about US$40 per year. They seem happy though, living off of the rice terraces and drinking pure mountain water. We totally got suckered in to paying to have our picture taken with their long hair. Before we could stop them, they started dressing us in their clothes haha imagine our shock! The hair, that they insisted that we hold, was heavy and touched the ground. The old women never get grey hair, and this is attributed to the fact that they only use rice water to wash it. And I was freaking out not having my Panteen Pro-V! The hike around the rice terraces was beautiful. They only harvest the rice once a year in June. The village is so small, I don't know how they do it.<br /><br />Well, that was my adventure in a serious nut shell. It was probably the most amazing thing that I have done so far. It really tested the boundaries of my comfort zone. And, I'm proud to say, I passed. Don't believe me? <a href="http://www.picasaweb.google.com/CKKorneluk" target="_blank"></a><br /><br />Until next time! I LOVE hearing from everybody so please keep in touch :-)Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-33982458539893905472007-01-08T11:02:00.000-08:002009-05-18T11:19:04.474-07:00Lei Ho, Hong Kong!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJRjnoLCgPmPHSSZGJb3ezSO_5zg2JVyg6slZZgHy6PMzT-zzxEvNlh2BwlLMjVOg1nbcacie8tYUV3sLooErF3ZtWNx9c1Dbq5Iz245499pUedS6Hec0M_xhhuuh4sFzM9FeTdXF1Yc/s1600-h/buddhas1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJRjnoLCgPmPHSSZGJb3ezSO_5zg2JVyg6slZZgHy6PMzT-zzxEvNlh2BwlLMjVOg1nbcacie8tYUV3sLooErF3ZtWNx9c1Dbq5Iz245499pUedS6Hec0M_xhhuuh4sFzM9FeTdXF1Yc/s320/buddhas1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335751291569728210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Lei Ho friends,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR7uSOhMgdcUZgdcHBOmX6kHC3s-48mtr5fPLjierUSlqQQc81utyAXk7oOgnTT5f-Djk2QgyjguCYXDm6aFd8FuqnUn63R6l8Z4hiRGo9g0bC36A6Tt0iSFdPJ56rnjPM9MCzz_lbfc/s1600-h/X7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR7uSOhMgdcUZgdcHBOmX6kHC3s-48mtr5fPLjierUSlqQQc81utyAXk7oOgnTT5f-Djk2QgyjguCYXDm6aFd8FuqnUn63R6l8Z4hiRGo9g0bC36A6Tt0iSFdPJ56rnjPM9MCzz_lbfc/s200/X7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337230053395929938" border="0" /></a>Hong Kong is AMAZING!! I write to you now nibbling on a piece of "dragon fruit," a purple and green-tipped pineapple looking fruit native to Asia. The fact that I can say this is incredible to me - not because I have recently discovered that I am the pickiest eater on my floor of native Hong Kong students who eat their pork with the heads and teeth still attached but because I actually made it to Asia.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfucfcCwkqa_Lhb9b-NaNr-ve-eZDTqCRg38WQUtjVgeP6ku7q87QCqSJPCGNXmQZKY915510UN7FCrQENqQeLjQn3RpAUPHGQe8ofykkZfzgkt_1kwDd1SGKeJ98yAs-nZfZtK5meaGI/s1600-h/keith.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 93px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfucfcCwkqa_Lhb9b-NaNr-ve-eZDTqCRg38WQUtjVgeP6ku7q87QCqSJPCGNXmQZKY915510UN7FCrQENqQeLjQn3RpAUPHGQe8ofykkZfzgkt_1kwDd1SGKeJ98yAs-nZfZtK5meaGI/s320/keith.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335751549028764706" border="0" /></a><br />In the six days that I have spent in this unbelievable city, I have seen 8 of<br />the 23 Must See sections from my Hong Kong guidebook. Much of this was thanks to my adventurous elder brother who accompanied me on my journey. I've bartered, bought a fake rolex, seen a monkey out of captivity, climbed the thousands of stairs to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and learned three phrases in Cantonese.<br /><br />Anyway, this is my quick email to kick off my adventure... and please keep me posted on your adventures as well! I miss you terribly, and I look forward to seeing you in 6 months!Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222642786901518486.post-36276654017382971282006-05-14T23:05:00.000-07:002009-05-18T10:50:15.677-07:00Journey to the Developing Nations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzRBh6va419HWL-4R_gPhk5rmLzR2g_CIbOTjfZ1HVFA8rxpLmh_Mf0s9vz-vrfZCE4pKZWVzznbmAYARS3NUTgiVIVXbTA_-3DYkwyKCXOx1AIrTvYQBARn0ide-6PgPB2sEmwHn2-M/s1600-h/faceangkorJPG.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzRBh6va419HWL-4R_gPhk5rmLzR2g_CIbOTjfZ1HVFA8rxpLmh_Mf0s9vz-vrfZCE4pKZWVzznbmAYARS3NUTgiVIVXbTA_-3DYkwyKCXOx1AIrTvYQBARn0ide-6PgPB2sEmwHn2-M/s320/faceangkorJPG.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336180176775574194" border="0" /></a><br />Hello again,<br /><br />In my final Asia excursion, I went my favorite travel buddies to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia - it was, by far, the most eye-opening trip I have been on yet. We started in Thailand where we took a bus to the border of Laos to go through customs - customs in Laos involves a wooden shack in th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjU0nipqWpnZyxyvRZmqtiRTrKCAMXHMIpTo8r8X5OvQ7wjFNCWrRYp69VcjgniiXLOyn1Aj9wbQhaqxAP0mHuYf8ft5VFOUj8AOdHhg92hNBzrq2LSFG_tWvdQz_9qLuMZejppRUJxU/s1600-h/toilet.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjU0nipqWpnZyxyvRZmqtiRTrKCAMXHMIpTo8r8X5OvQ7wjFNCWrRYp69VcjgniiXLOyn1Aj9wbQhaqxAP0mHuYf8ft5VFOUj8AOdHhg92hNBzrq2LSFG_tWvdQz_9qLuMZejppRUJxU/s200/toilet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336178581659816898" border="0" /></a>e middle of a muddy field. From there we took a 3+ hour ride in the back of a pick-up truck, which was the main transport in Laos to a little town near the gorgeous waterfalls. This town had no hot water, the ancient dial-up internet that was spotty, and electricity turns off for the entire town at 8pm every night. For 80 cents per night, we stayed in a bunga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWUd3q4YM8PH-Iw-2Zcr_kZcRvnNGbSYXC83Cn4hDbrIZmF6OrZUhfoirVLgHeFdvxnMZ02Uzxj_1v5OKCiTCBmODLjFkjsdHjaQM9Ot-9i4kOCVxnTQsaHDdmMah34OTtf5ArWQMF3M/s1600-h/bungalow.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWUd3q4YM8PH-Iw-2Zcr_kZcRvnNGbSYXC83Cn4hDbrIZmF6OrZUhfoirVLgHeFdvxnMZ02Uzxj_1v5OKCiTCBmODLjFkjsdHjaQM9Ot-9i4kOCVxnTQsaHDdmMah34OTtf5ArWQMF3M/s200/bungalow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336178816416353410" border="0" /></a>low next to the river. The bungalow was just one room with a king sized bed and the bathrooms were outside (as you can see in the picture). In the middle of the night we heard rustling outside our window. Convinced it was a thief, we looked out side - only to find cows grazing in our lawn... Weird.<br /><br />We moved on to Cambodia - but not without serious issues. The transportation between Laos and Cambodia is spotty at best and HIGHLY sketchy. Essentially one bus runs between the two countries and they stuffed 12 people into an 8 person van... stopping only in the middle to load up the limited leg room with wood from a village. My friend got her shoes stolen from her bag, and when she got sick in the car, they refused to pull over and made her simply open the window. It was an absolute nightmare. The ride that they told us would take 4 hours took 10 HOURS. The road is not paved - it's mostly mud and dirt. AVOID traveling between these two countries if you can. It's simply not well-traveled enough yet. Try in 10 years. Fly directly into Angkor Wat if that's the ultimate destination. Phenom Phen was an even bigger disaster - there is nothing worth going there for. It's dirty with a ton of thieves looking to rip off tourists. There were more than one occasions where authority figures solicited bribes from us - once at the border, once with a police officer (wtf?!). Also, beware of false advertising - the "luxury cruise ship" that was advertised to us at our hotel to take us to Angkor Wat was more like a canoe, and when it began to rain in the middle of the ride, the boat started to flood with the brown water from the lake. We had to help get it out. Awful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGizF3RMagibJQwGdslVxIOrX-nh-CPALSMQzHFNonrPPh_FP2yOTnlhjZQCstMCHFMkB1DuHztF9FD7qYK1uVoMawF-H-4SlIAQ8_Sqczcd7OaUz8o5Gm1MrAUx6la-G_LDEO2KBcRtw/s1600-h/P4120187.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGizF3RMagibJQwGdslVxIOrX-nh-CPALSMQzHFNonrPPh_FP2yOTnlhjZQCstMCHFMkB1DuHztF9FD7qYK1uVoMawF-H-4SlIAQ8_Sqczcd7OaUz8o5Gm1MrAUx6la-G_LDEO2KBcRtw/s200/P4120187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335930961555132210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRcTYUMh-MwCe2w42wFRTbbnFCW-SePMCb40AwJDtD91jwPvrKTP4uXAohIPYPXHlHfjy5lvWkEijiDoOlvS7eL-tlNnIhNxXHb6xOzjU3-HKmnH8ji1Bze-Bzsn1qlHhyphenhyphen8oH2J-z06g/s1600-h/P4120121.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIRcTYUMh-MwCe2w42wFRTbbnFCW-SePMCb40AwJDtD91jwPvrKTP4uXAohIPYPXHlHfjy5lvWkEijiDoOlvS7eL-tlNnIhNxXHb6xOzjU3-HKmnH8ji1Bze-Bzsn1qlHhyphenhyphen8oH2J-z06g/s200/P4120121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335930126097480290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zDqepCW4uO4HApgNASqkUQIC4N9rfARs7tKmKVSLAr9l6fN61IZR5NzfMBEle2MLm-9ebbdw24gfR74mLziJ9kM9JPGk9DQ0FephGswI_vXi5APOc3gEP0yD4YHf493Hipxa485YEho/s1600-h/P4120161.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zDqepCW4uO4HApgNASqkUQIC4N9rfARs7tKmKVSLAr9l6fN61IZR5NzfMBEle2MLm-9ebbdw24gfR74mLziJ9kM9JPGk9DQ0FephGswI_vXi5APOc3gEP0yD4YHf493Hipxa485YEho/s200/P4120161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335930653821867810" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You really can fly directly from Thailand to Angkor Wat, and that's what I would recommend. The surrounding town of Angkor Wat was built by tourists for tourists, and it's not nearly as scary as the capital. Major chain hotels exist here. We never felt in danger. It was amazing to see such history. Trees growing out of monuments - it's the ultimate childhood tree house experience. Massages were $3 for an hour, and we got one every night. Food was good with lots of international cuisine. You should get a tour guide for Angkor Wat -- essentially, this just means hiring a tuck tuck driver for the day. I think we paid less than $20 for the whole day, including the night. It really was incredible.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxm_7SL0pwshM1wcZ_jW_U1cvD8JjK4T5VavRo8fNQReeizjY1A2kXiT6Ffzjn7xd0uSOGQaHYlkGk7jSeiCxivsKdQDOHCEDFhjW4ieLQHmo-cpPL2K8XqMs4A7O9yFTdin7Vyx2FcU/s1600-h/tigerwalking.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxm_7SL0pwshM1wcZ_jW_U1cvD8JjK4T5VavRo8fNQReeizjY1A2kXiT6Ffzjn7xd0uSOGQaHYlkGk7jSeiCxivsKdQDOHCEDFhjW4ieLQHmo-cpPL2K8XqMs4A7O9yFTdin7Vyx2FcU/s200/tigerwalking.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336181463916938594" border="0" /></a>Finally back in Thailand, we went to the Tiger temple, where monks and Bengal tigers live side-by-side. In the picture to the left, I'm just - you know - walking my pet tiger. It was pretty freakin cool.<br /><br />**Please note, this trip was taken in <span style="font-style: italic;">May </span>2007 - I posted it in 2006, so that it would not appear at the top of the page, as I do not want it to overshadow my other amazing experiences in Asia. Additionally, this entry was written in 2009, as I never emailed my story to any of my friends/family.Cupcakin' It Uphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16569916766138975567noreply@blogger.com0