Sunday, July 8, 2007
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Farewell Cambodia
It's 7:30 p.m. and we're sitting in the modern, brand spanking new airport in Siem Reap awaiting our flight to Hanoi this evening. It's 40 minutes late so I thought I'd hop on the computer.
Mercifully, the Raffles Hotel gracefully blessed us with a very late check out at no-extra charge. We left the hotel at 6 p.m., almost with tears in our eyes as we said good bye to our new friends there. We cannot recommend this hotel more highly. They have been wonderful and I have been spoiled by the ambience of French colonial times in Indochina.
Max said "Don't worry, Momma. We're coming back here after Vietnam with Gopala, right?" Both Tom and I left feeling like we barely scratched the surface of this beautiful country with such a rotten history. Today, we wandered by the Foreign Correspondent's Club and popped into a photography exhibit. Outside were about 10 larger than life metal sculptures - a huge bug, a multi-armed Hindu deity, a Momma elephant with baby etc. Upon closer inspection, these "cute" sculptures were made of broken AK-47s and other arms. Chills ran up and down our spines. Seemed like something Penny McCall would have collected in a heartbeat.
Tom and I agree we would like to return to Cambodia, especially to do volunteer work for an organization called Caring for Cambodia whose mission is to establish schools throughout the country, among other things. Not sure when that will happen but it's nice to have it on the horizon.
After going to the exhibit, we happened by a very busy Buddhist temple (or Wat) near our hotel. Music was booming, sweet incense burning and people were streaming in and out of the open temple. Max asked me what was going on and I told him people were praying. He said he wanted to go in and pray too. So, Max and I fumbled awkwardly through the ritual of prayer and offerings for about ten minutes. We bought stunning bouquets of lotuses (my favorite flower)for about 25 cents each, slipped off our shoes at the temple entrance like those who had gone before us and then we headed straight up to the altar and lit a bunch of incense, just like the Cambodians around us.
Once lit, we kneeled down in front of the Buddha, held the incense above our heads and bowed three times. How I wish I had a camera of Max praying - he was a natural as if he'd done this zillions of times before, patiently waiting for his mom as she earnestly stumbled through the ritual. No photo, digital or otherwise, but the image will forever be etched in my heart. This was all his doing - his insistence and how could I possibly say no?
It was all going too well. He told me he prayed for Gopala and I told him I did too and then when we went to put our incense in the container of ash, he burned his hand and emotionally melted into a puddle. That old shapeshifting trick of going back to a four year old catches me every time.
Just in case anyone is curious, I am so happy. I am on the way to pick up my daughter, I'm traveling with my husband and toddler son in the Far East and it's working! I haven't felt this exhilerated and stimulated in such a long time. It's that Sagittarian spirit, I'm convinced, that was practically falling asleep in Talbot County. Life is good, we are blessed and I am grateful. Now the big adventure begins. I suppose it's entirely possible that we might meet Gopala tomorrow and then we will be united with her on Monday. After talking about it for so long, I can't believe it's about to happen. Can you? I suppose we better really narrow down a name now as time is running out.
It's an auspicious day here in the East. The Asians believe 7-7-07 is a lucky day so I hope all your day is blessed with good fortune. They're about to call our flight to boarding so I must run. Next stop: Vietnam.
Mercifully, the Raffles Hotel gracefully blessed us with a very late check out at no-extra charge. We left the hotel at 6 p.m., almost with tears in our eyes as we said good bye to our new friends there. We cannot recommend this hotel more highly. They have been wonderful and I have been spoiled by the ambience of French colonial times in Indochina.
Max said "Don't worry, Momma. We're coming back here after Vietnam with Gopala, right?" Both Tom and I left feeling like we barely scratched the surface of this beautiful country with such a rotten history. Today, we wandered by the Foreign Correspondent's Club and popped into a photography exhibit. Outside were about 10 larger than life metal sculptures - a huge bug, a multi-armed Hindu deity, a Momma elephant with baby etc. Upon closer inspection, these "cute" sculptures were made of broken AK-47s and other arms. Chills ran up and down our spines. Seemed like something Penny McCall would have collected in a heartbeat.
Tom and I agree we would like to return to Cambodia, especially to do volunteer work for an organization called Caring for Cambodia whose mission is to establish schools throughout the country, among other things. Not sure when that will happen but it's nice to have it on the horizon.
After going to the exhibit, we happened by a very busy Buddhist temple (or Wat) near our hotel. Music was booming, sweet incense burning and people were streaming in and out of the open temple. Max asked me what was going on and I told him people were praying. He said he wanted to go in and pray too. So, Max and I fumbled awkwardly through the ritual of prayer and offerings for about ten minutes. We bought stunning bouquets of lotuses (my favorite flower)for about 25 cents each, slipped off our shoes at the temple entrance like those who had gone before us and then we headed straight up to the altar and lit a bunch of incense, just like the Cambodians around us.
Once lit, we kneeled down in front of the Buddha, held the incense above our heads and bowed three times. How I wish I had a camera of Max praying - he was a natural as if he'd done this zillions of times before, patiently waiting for his mom as she earnestly stumbled through the ritual. No photo, digital or otherwise, but the image will forever be etched in my heart. This was all his doing - his insistence and how could I possibly say no?
It was all going too well. He told me he prayed for Gopala and I told him I did too and then when we went to put our incense in the container of ash, he burned his hand and emotionally melted into a puddle. That old shapeshifting trick of going back to a four year old catches me every time.
Just in case anyone is curious, I am so happy. I am on the way to pick up my daughter, I'm traveling with my husband and toddler son in the Far East and it's working! I haven't felt this exhilerated and stimulated in such a long time. It's that Sagittarian spirit, I'm convinced, that was practically falling asleep in Talbot County. Life is good, we are blessed and I am grateful. Now the big adventure begins. I suppose it's entirely possible that we might meet Gopala tomorrow and then we will be united with her on Monday. After talking about it for so long, I can't believe it's about to happen. Can you? I suppose we better really narrow down a name now as time is running out.
It's an auspicious day here in the East. The Asians believe 7-7-07 is a lucky day so I hope all your day is blessed with good fortune. They're about to call our flight to boarding so I must run. Next stop: Vietnam.
Friday, July 6, 2007
P.S.
Just noticed on the blog that my entry said Friday. Guess what? It's Saturday morning here? Still have yet to wrap my brain around this time change thing. I think it's 12 hours difference. Completely upside down.
Temples, temples and more temples
Okay, so it looks like the daily blog isn't going to work as I originally thought. In part because the computer connection in our room is weak at best, though I'm sure Melissa could figure it out, and I have to go ALL THE WAY down to the business center to hop on one of their computers COUPLED with the fact that we're having a great time and writing on the computer seems insignificant to, say, touring Angkor Wat.
The other very minor bummer is I haven't been able to post some of the wonderful photos we've taken to date but as soon as we get that hooked up, there will be lots of photos. Maybe even another blog just for photos from our trip??
But we complain not. As in nil. Cambodia is unbelievable and a must see for anyone remotely interested. We wish we had more time to explore and breathe in the atmosphere and leave knowing we are not doing this fine country justice.
I think it's fair to say Cambodia is my favorite country in South East Asia. It's a wonderful amalgamation of Thai, Chinese,Khmer and French influences. They don't spit everywhere and eat like animals like the Chinese, they don't smile and lie at the same time like the Thais. Indeed, unlike surrounding countries (i.e. Thailand and Indonesia) there's a sense of innoncence and honesty.
Even when the tuk tuk driver tries to overcharge us a $1 for the ride, he does so with one eyebrow raised - like he's only half asking and willing to accept the going rate without any fuss. Grateful for the work. Grateful especially to have a job in the rainy season when there aren't as many tourists infiltrating this former sleepy backwater. (FYI, if you are interested in visiting Angkor, do consider coming during the rainy season despite the dengue fever warnings. If the crowds yesterday were pesky and annoying - I would loathe to come during the dry season when they are reportedly much worse.)
Anyway, back to bargaining. Even though bargaining for everything is de riguer, Tom and I often find ourselves letting them have the extra dollar. It's hardly worth fighting over and they definitely need it. We use dollars for everything. Hardly any Cambodian riels exchanged b/c they have so little value. Prices wherever we go are in U.S. dollars. $20 admission to Angkor, $10 for an elephant ride etc. This is a very poor country. One that suffered a cultural genocide almost as worse, if not moreso, than the Jewish Holocaust. And this happened within the past 20 to 30 years - in most of our lifetimes and the world sat by in silence. As the general manager of the hotel pointed out to us, many of the Cambodians we see lost an entire generation. No role models and the educated were definitely the ones targeted the most. I could go on for days about this and need to refocus my ramblings, dear reader, on our blog and why we are really here. I'll try to stay on task but there's just so much to say!
The people are absolutely beautiful - brown skin, round faces, round eyes and sweet, sweet dispositions despite the incredible adversity they have had to live with/through. Pol Pot only died about 10 years ago and evidence of the ugliness of his horrendous regime can still be seen in the faces of the poor and the appendage-less victims of landmines.
(Yesterday, while we were at Angkor Wat, Max and I saw a man begging for money who had no legs. Clearly, having lost them in a landmine explosion. Try explaining that one to a 4 year old! I did my best to keep it age appropriate and encouraged Max to say hello the man and smile. What else could I do? It's so easy to feel paralyzed in the not knowing of how to help those around us who are suffering or who have suffered. Tom and I think so often these past few days of his father and step-mother, David and Penny McCall, who were here numerous times doing good things in Cambodia over ten years ago on behalf of Refugees International. Back when no one was here. I remember the story of Penny donating money for pumps so the villages could have access to clean water and they named them "Penny's Pumps." A little bit goes a long way. There are countless NGO's set up in the community trying to help the Cambodians help themselves. It's a beautiful system and seems contagious. I met a woman the other day by the pool who is American but lives in Singapore. She's on the board of an organization called Caring for Cambodia (caringforcambodia.com) which is helping to set up schools all through the area as education is one of the top needs. To make a long wandering story short, folks who are reading this stateside, complain not. We have it so easy in America. So embarrassingly easy we don't know how lucky we are. Fresh, clean water, a roof over our heads, healthy meals to eat, family etc. We've got it good, folks. Real good.
I'm running out of computer time and so will make this short though it's by no means to give less importance to what lies ahead. We leave tonight for Hanoi on a 7:30 flight from Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines. (Here's to hoping it's better than the one that brought us here on Bangkok Air.) Quite possibly, we might meet our daughter tomorrow. The real reason for our journey is fast becoming apparent as we've had this mini-break from reality hiding out at the Raffles Hotel. Yesterday at breakfast, Max spontaneously broke into a prayer for Gopala, telling her we will be with her soon and that we are closer to her than we have been. "We're almost there to get you Gopala."
That kid, I tell you, never ceases to boggle my mind. Yesterday, while we were doing the temple tours around Angkor (turns out Angkor Wat is just one of many in a huge, complicated, magnificent complex), we observed some Buddhists offering incense and praying to a Buddha statue at the temple. Max asked our guide Keo what they were doing and he said they were praying. Max announced that he wanted to do it too so we watched him as a woman handed him three burning incense and taught him how to bow in front of the Buddha three times. He did it like a pro (very been there, done that) and told us that he said a prayer for Goapala. How could you not love that as a parent? He's been a fabulous ambassador and is without the social reservations we parents have. He talks to everbody and is rather a pain in the butt to have on the temple tour. Whenever we were approached by the hoardes of touts selling t-shirts, Angkor guide books, bracelets or cheap fans, Tom and I always just walk away saying no thank you. Max, on the other hand, says "I want one! I want that!" which the touts just love. After buying one bracelet he insisted on having, he was approached by another kid selling him more bracelets and he told them he already had them and waved them off. Then someone came up to him and said "you don't already have these!" I should have just given him five dollars and let him go to it. He's quite the bossy one and is unfazed by the crowds that surround him.
We're surprised that nearly all the Cambodians instantly recognize him as Korean. They have a hard time understanding "adopt" and don't quite get why his parents are American and he's Korean. When it's just me and Max together, they ask if my husband is Korean.
I've got to sign off. I'm almost out of computer time and Tom is getting anxious about me being down here for so long in the business center.
As I said earlier, we are getting ready for chapter two of our big adventure which starts tonight. It's possible we could meet Gopala tomorrow - don't know for sure though (I don't know anything for sure) and then Monday is the famous Giving and Receiving Ceremony when Goapal becomes ours in the eyes of the Vietnamese government. Holy cow. Such a momentous, huge life changing event and we're being awfully casual about it right now. Tom said this is our last day as just the three of us - very poignant and not a bad thing.
We are so glad we left a few days early and had a chance to break into the culture shock and new time zone gently and with ease. Our body clocks are far from adjusted - but we're getting closer. Siem Reap was definitely worth a stop. The temples were unbelievably amazing and I note that I didn't even cover that experience in the blog though I must say, Derek, if you are reading this, I did try to climb up the top of the tower in the rain on those narrow, narrow ledges in flip flops (the Asian national shoe). I made it halfway up and then chickened out but Tom McCall, stil remembered for his bungee jumping prowess in New Zealand, went all the way up. D, I didn't get your message til after going to the temples.
Thanks dear ones for reading this and I promise to write back with more news as it unfolds. My apologies for the long-windedness. We love you all and thank everyone for the support and friendship that has brought us to this very moment in our lives.
As my Mom always said in her letters to me, "more later."
The other very minor bummer is I haven't been able to post some of the wonderful photos we've taken to date but as soon as we get that hooked up, there will be lots of photos. Maybe even another blog just for photos from our trip??
But we complain not. As in nil. Cambodia is unbelievable and a must see for anyone remotely interested. We wish we had more time to explore and breathe in the atmosphere and leave knowing we are not doing this fine country justice.
I think it's fair to say Cambodia is my favorite country in South East Asia. It's a wonderful amalgamation of Thai, Chinese,Khmer and French influences. They don't spit everywhere and eat like animals like the Chinese, they don't smile and lie at the same time like the Thais. Indeed, unlike surrounding countries (i.e. Thailand and Indonesia) there's a sense of innoncence and honesty.
Even when the tuk tuk driver tries to overcharge us a $1 for the ride, he does so with one eyebrow raised - like he's only half asking and willing to accept the going rate without any fuss. Grateful for the work. Grateful especially to have a job in the rainy season when there aren't as many tourists infiltrating this former sleepy backwater. (FYI, if you are interested in visiting Angkor, do consider coming during the rainy season despite the dengue fever warnings. If the crowds yesterday were pesky and annoying - I would loathe to come during the dry season when they are reportedly much worse.)
Anyway, back to bargaining. Even though bargaining for everything is de riguer, Tom and I often find ourselves letting them have the extra dollar. It's hardly worth fighting over and they definitely need it. We use dollars for everything. Hardly any Cambodian riels exchanged b/c they have so little value. Prices wherever we go are in U.S. dollars. $20 admission to Angkor, $10 for an elephant ride etc. This is a very poor country. One that suffered a cultural genocide almost as worse, if not moreso, than the Jewish Holocaust. And this happened within the past 20 to 30 years - in most of our lifetimes and the world sat by in silence. As the general manager of the hotel pointed out to us, many of the Cambodians we see lost an entire generation. No role models and the educated were definitely the ones targeted the most. I could go on for days about this and need to refocus my ramblings, dear reader, on our blog and why we are really here. I'll try to stay on task but there's just so much to say!
The people are absolutely beautiful - brown skin, round faces, round eyes and sweet, sweet dispositions despite the incredible adversity they have had to live with/through. Pol Pot only died about 10 years ago and evidence of the ugliness of his horrendous regime can still be seen in the faces of the poor and the appendage-less victims of landmines.
(Yesterday, while we were at Angkor Wat, Max and I saw a man begging for money who had no legs. Clearly, having lost them in a landmine explosion. Try explaining that one to a 4 year old! I did my best to keep it age appropriate and encouraged Max to say hello the man and smile. What else could I do? It's so easy to feel paralyzed in the not knowing of how to help those around us who are suffering or who have suffered. Tom and I think so often these past few days of his father and step-mother, David and Penny McCall, who were here numerous times doing good things in Cambodia over ten years ago on behalf of Refugees International. Back when no one was here. I remember the story of Penny donating money for pumps so the villages could have access to clean water and they named them "Penny's Pumps." A little bit goes a long way. There are countless NGO's set up in the community trying to help the Cambodians help themselves. It's a beautiful system and seems contagious. I met a woman the other day by the pool who is American but lives in Singapore. She's on the board of an organization called Caring for Cambodia (caringforcambodia.com) which is helping to set up schools all through the area as education is one of the top needs. To make a long wandering story short, folks who are reading this stateside, complain not. We have it so easy in America. So embarrassingly easy we don't know how lucky we are. Fresh, clean water, a roof over our heads, healthy meals to eat, family etc. We've got it good, folks. Real good.
I'm running out of computer time and so will make this short though it's by no means to give less importance to what lies ahead. We leave tonight for Hanoi on a 7:30 flight from Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines. (Here's to hoping it's better than the one that brought us here on Bangkok Air.) Quite possibly, we might meet our daughter tomorrow. The real reason for our journey is fast becoming apparent as we've had this mini-break from reality hiding out at the Raffles Hotel. Yesterday at breakfast, Max spontaneously broke into a prayer for Gopala, telling her we will be with her soon and that we are closer to her than we have been. "We're almost there to get you Gopala."
That kid, I tell you, never ceases to boggle my mind. Yesterday, while we were doing the temple tours around Angkor (turns out Angkor Wat is just one of many in a huge, complicated, magnificent complex), we observed some Buddhists offering incense and praying to a Buddha statue at the temple. Max asked our guide Keo what they were doing and he said they were praying. Max announced that he wanted to do it too so we watched him as a woman handed him three burning incense and taught him how to bow in front of the Buddha three times. He did it like a pro (very been there, done that) and told us that he said a prayer for Goapala. How could you not love that as a parent? He's been a fabulous ambassador and is without the social reservations we parents have. He talks to everbody and is rather a pain in the butt to have on the temple tour. Whenever we were approached by the hoardes of touts selling t-shirts, Angkor guide books, bracelets or cheap fans, Tom and I always just walk away saying no thank you. Max, on the other hand, says "I want one! I want that!" which the touts just love. After buying one bracelet he insisted on having, he was approached by another kid selling him more bracelets and he told them he already had them and waved them off. Then someone came up to him and said "you don't already have these!" I should have just given him five dollars and let him go to it. He's quite the bossy one and is unfazed by the crowds that surround him.
We're surprised that nearly all the Cambodians instantly recognize him as Korean. They have a hard time understanding "adopt" and don't quite get why his parents are American and he's Korean. When it's just me and Max together, they ask if my husband is Korean.
I've got to sign off. I'm almost out of computer time and Tom is getting anxious about me being down here for so long in the business center.
As I said earlier, we are getting ready for chapter two of our big adventure which starts tonight. It's possible we could meet Gopala tomorrow - don't know for sure though (I don't know anything for sure) and then Monday is the famous Giving and Receiving Ceremony when Goapal becomes ours in the eyes of the Vietnamese government. Holy cow. Such a momentous, huge life changing event and we're being awfully casual about it right now. Tom said this is our last day as just the three of us - very poignant and not a bad thing.
We are so glad we left a few days early and had a chance to break into the culture shock and new time zone gently and with ease. Our body clocks are far from adjusted - but we're getting closer. Siem Reap was definitely worth a stop. The temples were unbelievably amazing and I note that I didn't even cover that experience in the blog though I must say, Derek, if you are reading this, I did try to climb up the top of the tower in the rain on those narrow, narrow ledges in flip flops (the Asian national shoe). I made it halfway up and then chickened out but Tom McCall, stil remembered for his bungee jumping prowess in New Zealand, went all the way up. D, I didn't get your message til after going to the temples.
Thanks dear ones for reading this and I promise to write back with more news as it unfolds. My apologies for the long-windedness. We love you all and thank everyone for the support and friendship that has brought us to this very moment in our lives.
As my Mom always said in her letters to me, "more later."
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Hello Cambodia
Sour sdei! (Or, hello in Khmer.)
Alas, I've found a computer I can get onto my blog with a signal. Our laptop is upstairs but not receiving the wireless signal very well so just pretend I'm sending you photos with this messages. It's 8:37 pm and both Tom and Max are passed out in bed. Sound asleep. I was too but the doorbell of housekeeping staff woke me up and I decided to make an entry on our blog.
Just to recap where we've been since my last entry and where we are now, our trip leaving Dulles was absolutely uneventful, mercifully. The 4 a.m. wake up call was a tough one though, having had two hours sleep the night before. We put Max in the car that picked us up at 4:30 a.m. and he woke up in the brightest of moods. He loved watching the sun come up and was just full of monkey chatter. Sweet monkey chatter. "Mama, I just love your garden. The flowers are so beautiful." Or, "I am just so excited to go meet Gopala. We'll have her soon Mom."
At JFK, we were somewhat naughty (but very smart) and made a last minute upgrade to Royal Silk Class from premium economy on Thai Airways. No first class on this 17-hour flight from JFK to Bangkok but the business class was a welcomed relief. Especially after walking around the airplane several times and seeing the other passengers crammed in snug like sardines. Lots of gratitude going on here.
Despite the fact that we were on the plane for 17 hours, the flight went remarkably well. It was just barely tolerable. The clock moves much slower at that altitude but the service was wonderful and I would say for about the first 7 hours Max was full of Maxness. He was just the chatterbug. Fortunately we all had a computer screen in front of our seats and he liked watching "Lady and the Tramp" and "Happy Feet" - in English with Japanese subtitles.
As a brief aside, the entertainment choices on a 17-hour flight are nearly enough to convince my husband to take a trip like this just so he can have his own personal film festival. There were about 30 good films to choose from, excellent documentaries (on photography, Wimbledon etc.)and great musical selections. Not only that, they whet my international tastebuds b/c there were offerings in Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese, Thai, English, Korean etc. A mini-UN via entertainment. When I first boarded, I remember thinking I'd watch about three films and ended up not watching one. I'm not even sure what I really did to pass the time - read magazines, minded Max, stayed glued to the flight's progress across the world, slept and ate.
For the pilots out there, the flight plane included heading north to Albany, Montreal, Hudson Bay, THE NORTH POLE!!!!!!!!!(no sign of Santa), and then down through Siberia, Mongolia, China, Irkutsk (names from the Risk game, and then to Thailand. Speaking of the North Pole, I looked out the window so hard absorbing all that I saw. Soaking up my porthole perspective just as I did when I flew over Mt. Everest.
Max was a great traveler. He ended up sleeping for about 5 to 6 hours and Tom and I drifted in and out as well. Tom also got food poisoning from eating salmon on the flight. Luckily he made it to the loo before having to pull out his barf bag. Aside from that, it was an excellent flight. Very calm, no turbulence and a great landing. FYI, it was bright white outside for the entire flight b/c in the summertime, it never gets dark on the north pole.
We landed in Bangkok and hung out in the transit zone for a couple of hours - much to Max's delight where he could watch the flights coming in and out. Then it was on to a very smooshed in Bangkok Airways flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We flew through a nasty dark storm, hit some turbulence and had a very rough landing. But believe it or not, I only took a HALF a xanax for the entire flight (including coming from Dulles) which I thought was amazing.
So here we are in Siem Reap. Our minds have yet to catch up with our bodies and frankly, it all just seems very surreal. Cambodia, as seen through the perspective of the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. It's a lovely hotel, though undergoing restoration, and a busy little town. Lots of motorbikes zipping around and tuk tuks (half motorcycle, half rickshaw) farting and sputtering around behind them.
Max had his first tuk tuk ride today and was in heaven. It's so much fun to see the world through a child's eyes. No doubt that $2 ride to the very uneventful butterfly gardens (a visit in honor of the butterfly-loving Guinness family) will be among the most memorable moments of his trip. He just laughed and laughed, big full, jolly belly laughs. "Look at that Momma"! "A bridge - just like the Bay Bridge." (Hardly, I say, as it was smaller than the Tunis Mills bridge and spanned a coffee au lait Siem Reap river.
We wandered around town, mostly in the area of the Old Market just absorbing the world around us. It's stinky, tropical heat hot and humid. We actually had sun today which was nice and then heavy rains this afternoon. It seems just about everywhere we go we're greeted with cold, menthol-infused washcloths. So refreshing!
We had a yummy little snack at a funky restaurant called the Blue Pumpkin. French bakery downstairs and upstairs we went to the Cool Lounge. White beds and pillows all over where we drank fresh fruit smoothies and Max dined on his favorite, french fries. I also indulged in the very best fresh spring rolls I've ever tasted.
Back to the hotel it was for a swim for me and Max and a long nap for Tom.
We met a fascinating family - American expats living in Singapore. They were traveling with their daughter (one of three biological ones) and also had their three and a half year old adopted daughter with them. The adoption has not become official yet in the eyes of the Cambodian government but they've been coming up every weekend from Singapore to spend time with her. She lives in the orphanage when she's not staying with them at the Raffles. What a contrast. The mother is on the board of a great organization called Caring For Cambodia - a fabulous non-profit devoted to helping the Cambodians build schools etc. for the children in the community.
(This is, of course, in response to Pol Pot extinguishing the educated during his holocaust a decade or so ago.)
My wrists hurt from typing so I'm going to sign off. We are happy, we are well and just loving the friendliness of the Cambodian people we've met. They are a beautiful people and I only wish we had more time to stay here. This country is hardly developed as a full-fledged tourist destination though signs of it are seen everywhere.
Max has been excellent - if not a little too chatty. Telling people he's 16 or 22. Ordering hot chocolate for breakfast without asking us and telling the tuk tuk driver how to put the stroller on the tuk tuk etc. A bold young man.
The only scary thing is that there's been a bad outbreak of dengue fever. The hotel guest relations manager informed told us this morning. About 400 to 500 are getting it a day and the hospitals are so full that they've ahd to close!! Someone told me if we had an emergency he would help us get in. But it's scary - nothing we can take prophylactically except preventative measures. So lots of Deet it will be tomorrow before we head to Angkor Wat and the other temples tomororw at 8 a.m. Sometimes I just want to keep Max at the hotel as Dengue Fever wasn't part of the picture we ordered.
Life is good. We are truly blessed and so glad we made the trip a little early to acclimate to the time change. Jetlag and Siem Reap combined make quite a hazy cocktail. I see fellow travelers (I used to be one in some of my previous lives) and pine for those backpack-laden budget traveling days. And I'm also tremendously grateful to be right where we are right now.
I can't believe we're going to meet Gopala in a few days. Indeed, in a few days she will be ours. The time is right and we are ready. Monday is our G&R date, when she officially becomes ours in the eyes of the Vietnamese government. And Monday is only a few days away.....
Will report from the jungle tomorrow. I'm about to pass out. I love you all and thanks for reading this and writing coments.
Alas, I've found a computer I can get onto my blog with a signal. Our laptop is upstairs but not receiving the wireless signal very well so just pretend I'm sending you photos with this messages. It's 8:37 pm and both Tom and Max are passed out in bed. Sound asleep. I was too but the doorbell of housekeeping staff woke me up and I decided to make an entry on our blog.
Just to recap where we've been since my last entry and where we are now, our trip leaving Dulles was absolutely uneventful, mercifully. The 4 a.m. wake up call was a tough one though, having had two hours sleep the night before. We put Max in the car that picked us up at 4:30 a.m. and he woke up in the brightest of moods. He loved watching the sun come up and was just full of monkey chatter. Sweet monkey chatter. "Mama, I just love your garden. The flowers are so beautiful." Or, "I am just so excited to go meet Gopala. We'll have her soon Mom."
At JFK, we were somewhat naughty (but very smart) and made a last minute upgrade to Royal Silk Class from premium economy on Thai Airways. No first class on this 17-hour flight from JFK to Bangkok but the business class was a welcomed relief. Especially after walking around the airplane several times and seeing the other passengers crammed in snug like sardines. Lots of gratitude going on here.
Despite the fact that we were on the plane for 17 hours, the flight went remarkably well. It was just barely tolerable. The clock moves much slower at that altitude but the service was wonderful and I would say for about the first 7 hours Max was full of Maxness. He was just the chatterbug. Fortunately we all had a computer screen in front of our seats and he liked watching "Lady and the Tramp" and "Happy Feet" - in English with Japanese subtitles.
As a brief aside, the entertainment choices on a 17-hour flight are nearly enough to convince my husband to take a trip like this just so he can have his own personal film festival. There were about 30 good films to choose from, excellent documentaries (on photography, Wimbledon etc.)and great musical selections. Not only that, they whet my international tastebuds b/c there were offerings in Japanese, French, Italian, Chinese, Thai, English, Korean etc. A mini-UN via entertainment. When I first boarded, I remember thinking I'd watch about three films and ended up not watching one. I'm not even sure what I really did to pass the time - read magazines, minded Max, stayed glued to the flight's progress across the world, slept and ate.
For the pilots out there, the flight plane included heading north to Albany, Montreal, Hudson Bay, THE NORTH POLE!!!!!!!!!(no sign of Santa), and then down through Siberia, Mongolia, China, Irkutsk (names from the Risk game, and then to Thailand. Speaking of the North Pole, I looked out the window so hard absorbing all that I saw. Soaking up my porthole perspective just as I did when I flew over Mt. Everest.
Max was a great traveler. He ended up sleeping for about 5 to 6 hours and Tom and I drifted in and out as well. Tom also got food poisoning from eating salmon on the flight. Luckily he made it to the loo before having to pull out his barf bag. Aside from that, it was an excellent flight. Very calm, no turbulence and a great landing. FYI, it was bright white outside for the entire flight b/c in the summertime, it never gets dark on the north pole.
We landed in Bangkok and hung out in the transit zone for a couple of hours - much to Max's delight where he could watch the flights coming in and out. Then it was on to a very smooshed in Bangkok Airways flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We flew through a nasty dark storm, hit some turbulence and had a very rough landing. But believe it or not, I only took a HALF a xanax for the entire flight (including coming from Dulles) which I thought was amazing.
So here we are in Siem Reap. Our minds have yet to catch up with our bodies and frankly, it all just seems very surreal. Cambodia, as seen through the perspective of the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor. It's a lovely hotel, though undergoing restoration, and a busy little town. Lots of motorbikes zipping around and tuk tuks (half motorcycle, half rickshaw) farting and sputtering around behind them.
Max had his first tuk tuk ride today and was in heaven. It's so much fun to see the world through a child's eyes. No doubt that $2 ride to the very uneventful butterfly gardens (a visit in honor of the butterfly-loving Guinness family) will be among the most memorable moments of his trip. He just laughed and laughed, big full, jolly belly laughs. "Look at that Momma"! "A bridge - just like the Bay Bridge." (Hardly, I say, as it was smaller than the Tunis Mills bridge and spanned a coffee au lait Siem Reap river.
We wandered around town, mostly in the area of the Old Market just absorbing the world around us. It's stinky, tropical heat hot and humid. We actually had sun today which was nice and then heavy rains this afternoon. It seems just about everywhere we go we're greeted with cold, menthol-infused washcloths. So refreshing!
We had a yummy little snack at a funky restaurant called the Blue Pumpkin. French bakery downstairs and upstairs we went to the Cool Lounge. White beds and pillows all over where we drank fresh fruit smoothies and Max dined on his favorite, french fries. I also indulged in the very best fresh spring rolls I've ever tasted.
Back to the hotel it was for a swim for me and Max and a long nap for Tom.
We met a fascinating family - American expats living in Singapore. They were traveling with their daughter (one of three biological ones) and also had their three and a half year old adopted daughter with them. The adoption has not become official yet in the eyes of the Cambodian government but they've been coming up every weekend from Singapore to spend time with her. She lives in the orphanage when she's not staying with them at the Raffles. What a contrast. The mother is on the board of a great organization called Caring For Cambodia - a fabulous non-profit devoted to helping the Cambodians build schools etc. for the children in the community.
(This is, of course, in response to Pol Pot extinguishing the educated during his holocaust a decade or so ago.)
My wrists hurt from typing so I'm going to sign off. We are happy, we are well and just loving the friendliness of the Cambodian people we've met. They are a beautiful people and I only wish we had more time to stay here. This country is hardly developed as a full-fledged tourist destination though signs of it are seen everywhere.
Max has been excellent - if not a little too chatty. Telling people he's 16 or 22. Ordering hot chocolate for breakfast without asking us and telling the tuk tuk driver how to put the stroller on the tuk tuk etc. A bold young man.
The only scary thing is that there's been a bad outbreak of dengue fever. The hotel guest relations manager informed told us this morning. About 400 to 500 are getting it a day and the hospitals are so full that they've ahd to close!! Someone told me if we had an emergency he would help us get in. But it's scary - nothing we can take prophylactically except preventative measures. So lots of Deet it will be tomorrow before we head to Angkor Wat and the other temples tomororw at 8 a.m. Sometimes I just want to keep Max at the hotel as Dengue Fever wasn't part of the picture we ordered.
Life is good. We are truly blessed and so glad we made the trip a little early to acclimate to the time change. Jetlag and Siem Reap combined make quite a hazy cocktail. I see fellow travelers (I used to be one in some of my previous lives) and pine for those backpack-laden budget traveling days. And I'm also tremendously grateful to be right where we are right now.
I can't believe we're going to meet Gopala in a few days. Indeed, in a few days she will be ours. The time is right and we are ready. Monday is our G&R date, when she officially becomes ours in the eyes of the Vietnamese government. And Monday is only a few days away.....
Will report from the jungle tomorrow. I'm about to pass out. I love you all and thanks for reading this and writing coments.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The countdown is on!
Gopala, here we come!
This time next week, if all goes as planned and intended, we shall have our baby girl in our arms on July 9th. I am so EXCITED!
No time to write a proper entry. Just a quickie. We leave in about three hours to go to Dulles Airport (4:30 a.m. departure from Tunis Mills) and then the journey to our daughter really begins.
I am exhausted. It's nearly 1 a.m. and I have about 20 mins. more of packing.
We've pretty much nailed it down to one bag a person but they're heavy!!!!!!!!
Clothes packed for a week, a huge bag of baby gear/stuff, diapers, gifts for the Vietnamese officials, reading material, and blah blah blah. And the nursery is pretty much ready.
We had a wonderful little farewell dinner with Mom. Thanks for bringing the steamed shrimp down and mostly, for giving your grandson a much needed bath.
I can't believe we are finally at this point. After years of being in discernment to really starting again in earnest in January to now - July 3rd on our way to Asia. Holy cow! Are our lives about to change. See you later Tunis Mills! Back in a few weeks. Grow mightily and well beautiful garden!
I love you all - a huge, big, immense thank you to those wonderful people near and dear to our hearts who in the past two weeks have gone overboard offering friendship and kindness in the sweetest and most unexpected of ways. It's all very much appreciated. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful community. Ciao for now!
This time next week, if all goes as planned and intended, we shall have our baby girl in our arms on July 9th. I am so EXCITED!
No time to write a proper entry. Just a quickie. We leave in about three hours to go to Dulles Airport (4:30 a.m. departure from Tunis Mills) and then the journey to our daughter really begins.
I am exhausted. It's nearly 1 a.m. and I have about 20 mins. more of packing.
We've pretty much nailed it down to one bag a person but they're heavy!!!!!!!!
Clothes packed for a week, a huge bag of baby gear/stuff, diapers, gifts for the Vietnamese officials, reading material, and blah blah blah. And the nursery is pretty much ready.
We had a wonderful little farewell dinner with Mom. Thanks for bringing the steamed shrimp down and mostly, for giving your grandson a much needed bath.
I can't believe we are finally at this point. After years of being in discernment to really starting again in earnest in January to now - July 3rd on our way to Asia. Holy cow! Are our lives about to change. See you later Tunis Mills! Back in a few weeks. Grow mightily and well beautiful garden!
I love you all - a huge, big, immense thank you to those wonderful people near and dear to our hearts who in the past two weeks have gone overboard offering friendship and kindness in the sweetest and most unexpected of ways. It's all very much appreciated. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful community. Ciao for now!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Anyone want to join us?
Hallelujah! Praise God and all those other wonderful beings out there that have helped our trip to the East come together.
Since last week, Tom and I have been spinning around like Whirling Dervishes though instead of trance-induced states of bliss we often end up just feeling anxious and spent.
I am proud to say that the big pieces of the puzzle have finally come together and we are almost there. After much fretting for days, our visas to Vietnam arrived yesterday afternoon. (I'm still not sure what the actual visa fee is but that's another story). Nevermind the fact that no one answers the phone at the consulate in san francisco or returns emails. We finally got through by faxing a desperate plea to the office. Our plane tix arrived by FedEx on Wed. and our extremely patient and helpful travel agent, Todd Gallinek delivered them as promised. (Note to adoptive parents: if you are looking for a travel agent, he's your man!) Our shoulders still ache where we got last minutes shots for the trip (Hep A, Hep B and tetanus boosters) and our house is being overtaken by piles, piles and more piles. Mail and newspaper held, transport to the airport booked AND I've even written a letter to the health insurance company requesting they add our daughter to our policy.
I keep walking around in circles but manage to get things accomplished in my multi-tasking haphazard way of doing. For instance, it occurred to me today as I was waiting for the phone to ring for our pretravel conference with the adoption agency coordinator, that the slipcovers on several chairs needed to be cleaned. So, three loads of laundry later, we have clean chairs and our daughter will come home to a deceptively clean house. I've also been doing a lot of ironing lately. Not because I have to - more because I think these mindless tasks are somewhat relaxing and calming to my otherwise active mind. It gives me something to do, something measurable, while I wait.
After reviewing about 12 possible itineraries (thank you Todd) with all sorts of connections, we decided to go with Thai Airways (one of the world's best - they still do that service thing that the airlines in America have deep sixed for greater profits). We fly THIS Tues. a.m. from Dulles to JFK for a non-stop 17-hour flight to Bangkok. Then we're going to hop on a Bangkok Airways plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We are going to stay there (the Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor to be precise) for three nights and four days while we explore this unbelievable 1,000 year old Hindu monument.
We got a great rate at the hotel because it's off season but then there's always a reason why it's off season. Like the summer rainy season. I just checked the weather forecast in Cambodia - highs in the 80s all next week with showers and thunderstorms. Come rain or high water though, we still want to go to the temples. No expectations because we will have Max McCall by our side and we may spend more time in the hotel swimming pool than actually sightseeing but that's ok. I'm grateful for the vinyl ponchos I picked up at LL Bean the other day. If we're stuck in the hotel all day b/c of weather, do we still need to take our malaria medicines? We just decided this week to take them b/c according to the CDC website, Siem Reap is one of the areas in Southeast Asia where malaria-carrying mosquitos reportedly exist in great abundance. We'll be fine once we get to Hanoi but until then, Tom and I are both taking an anti-biotic for prevention.
After touring Angkor Wat, we fly to Hanoi late on July 7th. It's a 2 hour flight and we hope to stay at a hotel called the Melia. I say hope because apparently our adoption agency cannot give us a confirmation of where we will be staying. At first, this made me really mad - perhaps just a convenient excuse to vent the stress build up - but I've finally resolved to just let it go. My friend Brenda keeps reminding me to look at the forest, not the trees and when she says that, I'm reminded that we are on a mission to pick up our daughter. If we get her, the rest is merely details and a very small timeframe in our lives. (Like I'm hoping the flight will be????)
I am thankful for so many things right now (we're getting a baby girl!!!!!!!!! a dream come true for me) and one of those things is the experiences I've had traveling in my life. Two trips around the world with a backpack on a traveler's budget coupled with having lived overseas several times eases the majority of my anxieties. So if we arrive at the airport in Hanoi in the middle of the night and there's no room at the inn, well, we'll just pop on over to the Sofitel Metropole - the grande dame of hotels in Hanoi. Right out of the French colonial days which, despite all the bad things that happened, I tend to glorify and dream about.
Anyway, back to our itinerary. We are supposed to have our Giving and Receiving ceremony on July 9th which means, in the eyes of the Vietnamese government, our daughter is officially ours. Then it's weeks (two? three? four?) of jumping through hoops mostly for the U.S. Embassy. So, this means that I will become the mother of a 4 month old baby girl in 10 days. Yes, 10 days. Oh my god. It's getting so close!!!!! Ten days away from a dream coming true. Pretty freaky and very cool at the same time. I hope she likes Tunis Mills and gardens.
My intention is to try to write every day on our trip though I can't guarantee that will happen. We're taking our laptop and plan to stay in email contact. So please keep checking the blog if you want to know our progress. I'll try not to be so verbose.
Anyone have any tips for traveling with a four-year-old on a 17 hour flight?
Since last week, Tom and I have been spinning around like Whirling Dervishes though instead of trance-induced states of bliss we often end up just feeling anxious and spent.
I am proud to say that the big pieces of the puzzle have finally come together and we are almost there. After much fretting for days, our visas to Vietnam arrived yesterday afternoon. (I'm still not sure what the actual visa fee is but that's another story). Nevermind the fact that no one answers the phone at the consulate in san francisco or returns emails. We finally got through by faxing a desperate plea to the office. Our plane tix arrived by FedEx on Wed. and our extremely patient and helpful travel agent, Todd Gallinek delivered them as promised. (Note to adoptive parents: if you are looking for a travel agent, he's your man!) Our shoulders still ache where we got last minutes shots for the trip (Hep A, Hep B and tetanus boosters) and our house is being overtaken by piles, piles and more piles. Mail and newspaper held, transport to the airport booked AND I've even written a letter to the health insurance company requesting they add our daughter to our policy.
I keep walking around in circles but manage to get things accomplished in my multi-tasking haphazard way of doing. For instance, it occurred to me today as I was waiting for the phone to ring for our pretravel conference with the adoption agency coordinator, that the slipcovers on several chairs needed to be cleaned. So, three loads of laundry later, we have clean chairs and our daughter will come home to a deceptively clean house. I've also been doing a lot of ironing lately. Not because I have to - more because I think these mindless tasks are somewhat relaxing and calming to my otherwise active mind. It gives me something to do, something measurable, while I wait.
After reviewing about 12 possible itineraries (thank you Todd) with all sorts of connections, we decided to go with Thai Airways (one of the world's best - they still do that service thing that the airlines in America have deep sixed for greater profits). We fly THIS Tues. a.m. from Dulles to JFK for a non-stop 17-hour flight to Bangkok. Then we're going to hop on a Bangkok Airways plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We are going to stay there (the Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor to be precise) for three nights and four days while we explore this unbelievable 1,000 year old Hindu monument.
We got a great rate at the hotel because it's off season but then there's always a reason why it's off season. Like the summer rainy season. I just checked the weather forecast in Cambodia - highs in the 80s all next week with showers and thunderstorms. Come rain or high water though, we still want to go to the temples. No expectations because we will have Max McCall by our side and we may spend more time in the hotel swimming pool than actually sightseeing but that's ok. I'm grateful for the vinyl ponchos I picked up at LL Bean the other day. If we're stuck in the hotel all day b/c of weather, do we still need to take our malaria medicines? We just decided this week to take them b/c according to the CDC website, Siem Reap is one of the areas in Southeast Asia where malaria-carrying mosquitos reportedly exist in great abundance. We'll be fine once we get to Hanoi but until then, Tom and I are both taking an anti-biotic for prevention.
After touring Angkor Wat, we fly to Hanoi late on July 7th. It's a 2 hour flight and we hope to stay at a hotel called the Melia. I say hope because apparently our adoption agency cannot give us a confirmation of where we will be staying. At first, this made me really mad - perhaps just a convenient excuse to vent the stress build up - but I've finally resolved to just let it go. My friend Brenda keeps reminding me to look at the forest, not the trees and when she says that, I'm reminded that we are on a mission to pick up our daughter. If we get her, the rest is merely details and a very small timeframe in our lives. (Like I'm hoping the flight will be????)
I am thankful for so many things right now (we're getting a baby girl!!!!!!!!! a dream come true for me) and one of those things is the experiences I've had traveling in my life. Two trips around the world with a backpack on a traveler's budget coupled with having lived overseas several times eases the majority of my anxieties. So if we arrive at the airport in Hanoi in the middle of the night and there's no room at the inn, well, we'll just pop on over to the Sofitel Metropole - the grande dame of hotels in Hanoi. Right out of the French colonial days which, despite all the bad things that happened, I tend to glorify and dream about.
Anyway, back to our itinerary. We are supposed to have our Giving and Receiving ceremony on July 9th which means, in the eyes of the Vietnamese government, our daughter is officially ours. Then it's weeks (two? three? four?) of jumping through hoops mostly for the U.S. Embassy. So, this means that I will become the mother of a 4 month old baby girl in 10 days. Yes, 10 days. Oh my god. It's getting so close!!!!! Ten days away from a dream coming true. Pretty freaky and very cool at the same time. I hope she likes Tunis Mills and gardens.
My intention is to try to write every day on our trip though I can't guarantee that will happen. We're taking our laptop and plan to stay in email contact. So please keep checking the blog if you want to know our progress. I'll try not to be so verbose.
Anyone have any tips for traveling with a four-year-old on a 17 hour flight?
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