// adventures in cambodia: phnom penh//

Day 6: After our epic motorbike adventure, it was a welcome chance to sleep in a bit and relax the morning before we left for Phnom Penh, the capital city in Cambodia. We grabbed some snacks and hopped on a bus around noon to make the 6 hour trek. YUCK - that long on a bus with strange smells and strange people is just too long. We finally got into the city and into our guesthouse by 7pm and decided to check out the weekend market for dinner that night.

One of the first things we noticed about the city was how many more Westerners were there - and how many more restaurants and shops were there to cater to this Western crowd. The road bordering the river was lined with tourist shops and restaurants of every sort offering happy hours beginning at 4pm (don’t worry, we made a mental note of that.)

The weekend market was very much like the night markets that I’ve been to in Taipei. Jewelry, clothes and shoes sold beside food stalls offering local dishes cooked on an open flame. We tested out some spring rolls and a pad thai and then called it an early night. 

Day 7: The night before, I had asked the hostess about renting bikes from the guesthouse and when I mentioned that we were interested in biking to the Killing Fields, I was met with the following response: “Ooooooh, no! You cannot do that - it is too far and too hot and too dangerous.” Then a Frenchman who was standing nearby chimed in with, “I’m a sportsman and even I wouldn’t dream of doing that!” 

If you know me at all, you can just about imagine my reaction. A struggle to hold back an eye roll to the heavens and an immediate determination to do exactly what they thought I couldn’t do. Challenge accepted. 

Katy & I were on our bikes by 8:30am and first went to the S-21 Prison to see where Pol Pot took prisoners to be held and tortured before being sent to the Killing Fields. It was incredibly sad to see a high school converted into torture chambers and equally as angering to read about the main perpetrators who have still not been charged for their crimes. Around noon we plotted our 9km (5.6 miles) journey out to the Killing Fields. To be fair, it was incredibly hot - probably above 90 degrees - but the road out to the center was well marked and we only got a few honks from the passing trucks to get out of the way. Not much of a sportsman in my eyes, Frenchie.

Again, this place was incredibly sad to visit but also very informative. With the price of admission, we were given an audio guide with 19 tracks that corresponded to a location around the center. Some tracks were a description of what used to be there, some were stories of survivors, some were updated information as to what measures have been taken to bring the Khmer Rogue to justice. Terribly sad and interesting. Another long, hot journey back and we were showered and ready to test out one of those 4pm happy hours. Fast forward to a bottle of wine, a pizza and a few mojitos later and we were ready for bed around 9pm. Rebel rousers, I know!

Day 8: We spent our last morning walking around the central market, picking up a few last souvenirs for friends and family. Our flight was scheduled to leave that evening from Siem Reap at 10:30pm and our bus left Phnom Penh at 12:30pm so we figured that 4 hour window of time would be more than enough to arrive in Siem Reap and take care of Katy’s fear of flying at another happy hour. Oh, how naive it seems now! 

Our bus took off about 12:50pm and was trucking along until 2:30pm when we hit stand-still traffic. We were enjoying a “This American Life” podcast so I didn’t really notice at first, but then after 10 minutes without moving and then another 10 before the driver turned off the bus, I took notice. Katy had already begun a minor freakout and was on her phone, seeing if it was possible to reschedule our flights. No go - it was too late. And we also found out that the airline we flew, Cebu Pacific, only flies from Siem Reap on Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday so if we missed our flight that evening, we would have to wait 2 more days to get back! I told myself I couldn’t freak out until after 4pm but was already calculating the cost of a back-up plan in my head - it wasn’t going to be cheap. Thankfully, after a full hour and a half of moving about a foot every 10 minutes, we finally were on our way again. And it was just shy of 4pm, hurray! Apparently our delay was caused by a bridge that was out and only one car could pass over it at a time. Oh the joys of having one road to travel! Oh yes - did I mention that there’s only 1 road to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap? So that anyone who wants to get between the two has to travel on this road only? Yeppers, fuuuuuun traffic.

But as it always seems to happen, we weren’t out of the woods just yet. Soon, a torrential downpour began and a tree fell across the road. This stopped us again for another hour and by now its 6pm and I’m at about 80% of thinking all hope is lost. By the time our bus got to its designated break stop it was 7:30pm, we were about 2 hours away from Siem Reap and we needed to check in by 9:30pm to make our flight. We realized that we would never make it in time if we stayed on the bus - we would still have to take a tuk tuk from the station to the airport so a frantic search began to find a cab that was willing to take us to the airport. Thankfully, a fellow bus passenger was kind enough to translate our needs to a local hotel concierge and they found us a taxi willing to take us for $60 USD. This price was actually really steep because in the research I had done, most sites said that you could hire a taxi for this price for the entire journey between Phnom Penh & Siem Reap, but at the time $30 each sounded a helluvah lot better than rescheduling our flights and potentially having to spend additional days in Cambodia (which we were both kinda hating by this point). We hopped in the cab and asked to make sure that the main point that was translated was speed - we need to get there before 9:30pm!

Bless his heart, that cab driver put his foot on the gas and got us there in time. There were a few times I had to close my eyes rather than watch his driving skills (I was wearing my seatbelt, Mom) but we made it to the gate at 9:27pm. VICTORY! 

The flight home was another uneventful one in my opinion - Katy only had to ask the flight attendant if everything was alright twice - and we stumbled into Katy & Scot’s apartment at 2am. My flight wasn’t until later that evening at 10:40pm so Katy and I spent the day relaxing with a Mexican lunch, pedicures and catching up on Game of Thrones. 

Overall it was an amazing adventure in Cambodia - a couple of moments where I wasn’t certain what I’d gotten myself into - but a trip with a great new friend and a week full of memories. Now off to planning the next adventure! 

xo jess

// adventures in cambodia: siem reap//

Because I seem to be getting old and my memories, although vivid, tend to melt together like the milk in my coffee, I keep a travel journal for the big journeys that I take. It started with my trip to Europe last year and although I wish I would have started the tradition sooner, I’m glad that I’ve got a record for my adventures thus far. So, here is the recounting of my & Katy’s wild adventure in Cambodia! Its a long one but you know the drill. A 2 part series for the 2 cities we visited: Siem Reap & Phnom Penh. 

The key players: 

1. me… I think we’re acquainted. 

2. Katy - a new friend that I met the week before in Boracay while we were there for a frisbee tournament. Katy lived in Manila with her bf (and our friend) Scot but as I type this, they are in the process of moving to Taipei! Hurray!!

3. Sunscreen - holy goodness, it was a thrice hourly lube up. Cambodia is HOT and full of sun. 

4. Water - I think I drank twice my weight in water every day and was still thirsty. 

Now, on to the adventure recounting!

Day 1: Technically, its not even Day 1 in Cambodia yet. Katy was flying out of Manila and the only option on Cebu Pacific from Taipei to Manila is the 1:30am red-eye so I got in around 3:30am on Tuesday morning to then fly out at 7:45pm that evening. I had never been to Manila before, so it was actually fun to get a whirl-wind tour of the area that Katy & Scot frequent.  Katy has a healthy distaste/fear of flying which means a good buzz was needed before we took off. Beers and a bottle of wine? Don’t mind if I join in! The flight to Siem Reap was uneventful in my opinion (Katy had a different one) and we were greeted at the airport by a tuk tuk driver from our hotel, braving the rain to come pick us up. 

Day 2: Presumably, anyone who ventures to Siem Reap is there to visit Angkor Wat. We decided the 3 day pass would suffice and rented bikes from our guesthouse and headed out for the temples. We had done a bit of research about the sites we wanted to visit and our guesthouse also had a suggested itinerary, so with a combination of the two we hatched a plan. Our first destination was Angkor Thom and the ruins of Bayon. Even though it was our first temple, it still remains one my favorite that we saw. The ruins were well intact and the carvings in the stone depicted events of battle and everyday life together. Many of the ruins show artifacts from both Hindu & Buddhist influence - depending on who was in power at the time, the king adapted and constructed new temples to the particular god(s) they worshiped. 

[Bayon panoramic view courtesy of Katy]

My first reaction of being able to go in, around and on these ancient relics is “Seriously?! People could deface them and cause more damage!” Can you imagine this happening at a cultural site in Europe? I think not. 

Anywho, next up was Prah Ngok & the Royal Palace -  you could see each of them over the trees from the other. We didn’t hire a guide to take us around but there were enough tourists with guides that if you followed closely enough behind the English-speaking groups, you could hear all the factual information. The guides encouraged everyone to go to the top of these temples and we soon found out why - at the top, there was a small shrine where someone would give you incense and a blessing for a small contribution. We gave a dollar at the first shrine and they blessed us while putting a bracelet around our wrists. However, when we didn’t continue to donate at the following temples, I swear they were whispering curses rather than blessings at us. 

Apparently the map we had wasn’t exactly to scale because we biked right past the Elephant & Leper King Terraces completely. The stone carvings on each were intricate and impressive - hundreds of elephants and depictions of the Leper King. 

Using that same map, we also thought we would reach our next destination by a quick bike ride around the perimeter. Turns out that our maps didn’t differentiate between actual roads and virtual perimeters and we ended up about 5k north at Prah Khan. That was on the docket for Day 2, but we decided to throw caution to the wind and visit it anyways. It had been a monastery and was flatter than the previous ruins, with small prayer rooms the monks had used to pray individually. It also had the perfect roaring lion photo op.

[photo courtesy of Katy]

Read More

// back in taiwan//

Hello my friends! I’m back from my adventure to Cambodia and goodness me, quite the adventure it was! I’ll get to posting stories and images soon but we currently have one of Paul’s good friends visiting from Austin, TX, so I will be playing tour guide for the next couple days. 

I’ll catch up on the week’s events soon after. 

xo jess

// travel checklist: cambodia//

 So I’m heading off for Cambodia today. What’s that you say? When did I plan a trip to Cambodia? About a week ago, when I was in Boracay - that’s when. 

I’m going with Katy, our friend Scot’s girlfriend, who recently joined him in Manila and is also currently flush with free time. While in Boracay, she mentioned that she was going and asked if I wanted to come.

My inner monologue said, “Ladyfriend - you don’t have a job, therefore you don’t really have any money to be traveling. But on the other hand - when will you ever have the time and opportunity to travel to Cambodia ever again? Possibly never, that’s when!” And so the travel bug won out and I’ve packed my bags to head to Manila to meet her this evening to fly out to Siem Reap tomorrow. HURRAY FOR UNEXPECTED TRAVEL!!

Our plan is to purchase a 3-day pass to Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Siem Reap and one of the most important archeological sites in Southeast Asia. The site is actually many temples that are grouped together (and usually referred to as Angkor Wat) and we will be traversing by bike to see all that we can. All the travel guides I’ve read have listed a sunrise at the temples as a must-see so we’ll be up early one morning for sure. Other than that, I’m sure it’ll be lots of ruins and remains. 

After the temples, Katy & I decided to play it by ear and figure out plans for the remaining days as they come. Flying by the seats of our pants, we are. So we could end up in Phnom Penh or at the killing fields or on a beach somewhere or in a remote village. I can just feel my mother freaking out right now - promise we’ll be okay, mom! I’ll send email updates!

That’s the plan for now - expect a recap post when I return!

xo jess

// Gravity’s Rainbow takes 11th place!//

We’re back from the beautiful beaches of Boracay and have lots to share. Some of it is internet-appropriate, some of it isn’t. I guess I’ll let you be the judge. 

The whole reason to travel to Boracay this past weekend was to enjoy the sun and the sand. Oh yes, and play in an ultimate frisbee tournament. This was my first “official” international tournament and I now believe I am spoiled for all other tournament experiences. I mean, look at the view below. Seriously! 

Okay, back to reality. HA - joke’s on you - that IS the reality in Boracay and it was flipping amazing. 

Our team was called Gravity’s Rainbow and was a combination of friends from Taiwan, Manila, Japan & one random kid that James met in Hong Kong while at the Rugby 7s. We had never played together as a team, some of us had never met before, and we had 3 days and 7 games to get acquainted in paradise. Game on. The team rundown:

James: Taiwan and captain!

KuoHsun: Taiwan

Laura: Taiwan

Paul and me: Taiwan

Suzanne: Taiwan

George: Taiwan

Scot: Manila

Ellie: Japan

Andre: Japan

Rena: Japan

Sam: Beijing

Bats: Manila

The games were to 13 or 40 minutes - whichever came first and were a 3-1 format, meaning 3 boys/1 girl on the sand. The inbounds were much smaller than the regular frisbee fields we play on and that it is because IT IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO PLAY IN SAND. We rotated people on after any point scored because a) its 90+ degrees outside 2) running 10 meters in sand is akin to strapping 10 pound weights on my feet and asking me to run as fast as I can c) we need to hydrate, people! The kicker also was that we lost Rena & Andre on Saturday afternoon and George & Ellie on Sunday afternoon because they had to head home. The average team at the tournament had at least 15 people and we only had 13 for the first 3 games - then down to 11, then 9. You might call us badasses.

So - first game of the day is against a Singapore team called the Weagles. Their name is short for a Water Eagle, not a Warm Beagle - as Mainland thought, “Ya know, like a hot dog. A warm beagle.” Surprisingly, all of our random frisbee styles came together and we easily pulled off a win. I even DOVE to try to catch the frisbee! (That never happens, be impressed.) 

The second game of the day was against a Hong Kong team called Currier Island. From what I remember, we played pretty well and I made a defensive play and we won, so that’s about all the info you need on that game, don’t you agree?

Read More

// jln + hk 4ever//

This post could be done and finished with telling you that I LOVED (capital letters, exclamation points, virtual hugs) Hong Kong, but I know you must be bursting at the seams in anticipation of hearing about my trip and I would never deny you such enjoyment. I’m considerate like that. 

Originally, this trip came about because our friend Mike Dixon (from Minneapolis) was going to be in Hong Kong for business (sourcing for Target). The last time he was on our side of the world, he gave us 2 days notice and we were unable to come hang out, so realizing that I like advanced notice, he let us know his travel schedule about 2 months in advance this time. Nicely done, Dixon. It also was a trip to see our friend from last year’s CNY trip to Malaysia, Stefan, who lives in Hong Kong with his gf Jessie. Then when I was laid off at the end of March, the trip conveniently extended itself into a visa run. A versatile little trip, wasn’t it?

Our flight was delayed by rain getting into Hong Kong, but torrential downpours would not deter our plans! We had a late dinner at Stefan & Jessie’s favorite Thai place (WELL worth the wait and elbow knocking close quarters) and then proceeded to bar hop around the area of town called SoHo, trying to stay dry under storefront awnings. 

[the view from Stefan & Jessie’s rooftop patio! GASP, I know}

Read More

// dear hong kong//

Dear Hong Kong:

Hi, I’m Jess and I’m excited to meet you for the first time. I’ve been told you’re swell and despite the rainy forecast, you will still have a lot to offer this first-timer wanting to stuff her face with delicious food, dance the night away (perhaps) and maybe pick up a new frock (that’s actually in my size). Please also be aware that I’ll be spending a few extra days in town to apply for a new visitors visa, so dust off your best artwork and I’d love to see it!

Do you have booze vending machines on the streets like your neighbor Japan? That broad took all my money but her saving grace was the enjoyment of an afternoon stroll with sake. But no worries if you don’t - I think we’ll still get along famously. Word is that you’ve got an excellent beer selection. 

Best, 

Jess

p.s. If you want to impress me, there better be some IPAs on tap. Thanks. 

// ultimate frisbee noob finishes her first tournament//

Its Monday morning and we’re back from Tainan and playing my first ultimate frisbee tournament ever. I’m glad I have nothing to do today because the majority of my limbs are sore and there is a helluvah lot of laundry to do. Sadly, my team didn’t come home with the first place trophy - but our friends did! And we came home with the third place. (Out of five teams, but I’m still impressed.)

Let’s discuss, shall we?

Our Friday night bus journey to Tainan was lengthened to about 5.5 hrs by a massive downpour which didn’t bode well for an entire weekend of playing on a grass field but miraculously it stopped raining when we pulled into out hotel and we woke up to sun (and humidity) on Saturday morning but no rain! The tournament was held at a junior high school in a town about 30 minutes outside of Tainan and school was in session when we arrived - on a Saturday. Bummer for those kids. However, with Britt, Paul & myself being the only non-Asians there, the school kids did have quite a lot of entertainment in yelling hello at us and then bursting into fits of giggles a second later with their friends. 

An aside - growing up in Nebraska, we were not privy to such sports as ultimate frisbee and when I talked to my parents this morning, I had to explain to them what exactly ultimate frisbee was, so here’s a brief description about it and here’s a video that gives a visual for you in case you’re not familiar. Okay, so we’re all on the same page, yes? Super. Let’s begin. 

Read More

// recovered limbs & a tainan frisbee weekend//

Okay, my appendages have recovered enough that I am able to type. Handwriting something is a different story, but we’re taking it slow. 

Now that I am fully functioning - lets talk about rock climbing.  It was a blast! I went with my new friend Guilia and her friend Chris, both of whom are in ICLP, the intensive Chinese language course at Shida. Guilia had been once before and Chris was a pro. We’re talking, the ability to hang upside down from only the strength of his fingers, kinda pro. It was amazing to watch. 

After elementary school was over and I was no longer required to do the flexed arm hang for 30 seconds to pass PE class, I seem to have lost any sort of upper body strength. So imagine my dismay when I realized that having long limbs wasn’t the only requirement to make me good at rock climbing. It also required an amazing amount of arm muscles. Boo. Hiss. 

In Guilia’s first time experience, she tried to follow the routes that were planned out along the wall but decided this time that she would just shimmy up that wall any way she could and I thought that sounded like a great plan as well. The only problem was that you still have to plan out a route in your head beforehand so you’re not just stuck on the wall with your arms shaking in agony.

So I gave it a go and tried to find a way up the wall and was quickly put in my place. Again - the need for upper body strength just killed me! However, I was instructed on a better way to climb (keep your arms straight until you’re ready to move up to the next peg and then with a burst, bend and pull) and that helped a little. I still didn’t make it up past 3 vertical moves, but it was a great workout and I think I’ll be trying it again soon. I’ll do finger workouts in the meantime. 

In other news, Paul & I (along with Katherine & Britt) leave this afternoon for a frisbee tournament in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. We’re playing on a team with some Taiwanese kids we know but the majority of them don’t speak English so I have a feeling I’m going to be yelled at in Mandarin quite a bit. But its my first tournament so hopefully its fun and I don’t play too poorly. Or if I do, I guess it won’t be so bad because I wouldn’t be able to understand my teammates’ complaints anyways!

Have a great weekend and I’ll have an update on the tournament (and hopefully a trophy!) next week.

xo jess