Angkor Wat and friends.

2:50 pm Cambodia time

Holy cow. It's only early afternoon and I already have a ton to talk about.

Today was Angkor Wat day. Ya know...one of the 7 wonders of the world? The big kahuna of Cambodia?

Well it's supposed to look like this:

Apparently they're doing construction on the front so my full view pictures weren't exactly spectacular.

At least I got a few good looking pictures:

Some history: Angkor Wat is a HINDU temple build from 1113-1150. It was build as a Hindu temple for Vishnu, the god of protection. Most people in Cambodia today are Buddhist, however, so they convince themselves that the temple is Buddhist.

**This is a statue of Vishnu, the Hindu god, decorated like Buddhist decorate statues of Buddha. You'd think they'd see the difference.**

The Cambodian government has put Buddhas all over the inside of the temple and has even tried to carve in sketches of Buddha. There is writings and carvings alllll over the temple that prove otherwise.

**Some female Hindu carvings that people constantly touch for luck. You can tell where they're most worn.**

**Some crazy stairs we walked up to get to the top of the 5th tower**

Our guide's name was Yut and was so incredible. Each outing we go on we have a driver and English speaking tour guide for every two people. Pretty nice set up.

Yut was a monk for 11 years, from when he was 13 to 24. We saw another monk walking around Angkor Wat so Yut talked to him and we got to see him and take pictures with him (without touching, of course.)

**Yut and Elizabeth talking to our monk friend in Angkor Wat.**

Some more history: In the 1980's was the Khmer Rouge where anyone with any kind of skill was targeted and killed. All four of Yut's grandparents were killed but his parents escaped. Later they went to see a memorial in Siem Reap that has the skulls of people killed and his parents claim to have found his grandfathers's skull by recognizing the teeth.

**Yut. Behind him is a wall describing the Khmer Rouge with pictures of the leaders during that time.**

**Here is the memorial for the dead. Let's look closer...**

**Intense.**

Day 1. Going strong

This morning we woke up, had a remarkable breakfast thanks to the B&B, and hit the town.

First we saw a squatter village.

**Squatting. Get it? Ha.**

Ever seen one? Ok. Maybe you have. Ever walked through one and talked to the people?

It was really intense. Suddenly a few hours outside of AC each day didn't seem so bad. The houses were made of any material they could find at the time of construction: siding, branches, logs, cardboard.

One woman, Yuem, who we talked with for quite a while, built a really decent structure that she spent $1500 on. I couldn't imagine how ridiculous we looked as well dressed Americans with cameras worth more than her house.

**Yuem standing in her doorway.**

Yuem had three kids. The oldest was 17 and then she had two in the house that looked about 5 and 1. She told us that people in the village feed their kids sweetened condensed milk because it won't go bad and it's much cheaper than regular milk. I can feel my mother cringing.

Rice is 60 cents a day per person so after buying that and rights to the land there isn't much money left for more food. The kids also have parasites so they get first dibs on the little bit of nutrients the kids get. Hence the skinny ribs and puffy bellies.

Yuem also proudly said that her 17 year old works in a garment shop, to us a "sweatshop." Except there was a whole nother tone to it. Brandon told us a story that someone had referred to it as a sweatshop as if it was a terrible, oppressing job and the Cambodian responded, "Try being a farmer. Once you're bent over a field 10 hours a day in the heat and humidity then sitting at a machine in a room with fans and a fixed salary doesn't sound so bad." I think that's what I'm going to write my first story about. Americans get it so wrong sometimes.

Then we learned about Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) which is the non-profit that Andrea and Brandon (owners of the B&B) run. They've dug wells in the squatter village so they can have clean water year round instead of drinking collected rain water out of holes in the ground. They also have scholarships to send people to college in turn for "volunteer" work. Most of the program is about educating people, including teaching english.

Once we were done with our tour we headed to the market to get lunch. Everything is so cheap. I guess I knew that coming into the country but you really just don't believe it until you see it. I have a strong inkling that I won't be able to resist the incredible prices. Or the food.

I've decided to pull off a fedora. Mostly because I know I can't pull it off in America because I am neither Britney Spears or a starving artist. Hopefully it'll be worth my $3 investment to wear it for the next 5 weeks. If you can't pull it off in America, try it abroad.

Exhibit A: If you haven't heard of it before, witness the "navajo skirt."

** A rare gem I came across at Goodwill that I decided to pull off in Morocco. Not sure it succeeded but damned if I didn't try.**

Tomorrow we're headed to Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the world.

An interesting mix

6:22am Cambodia time

I thought I was completely adjusted to Cambodia time but at about 5:45am I was wide awake. Which might have to do with jet lag or might be due to the fact I went to bed at 8pm last night.

I can't tell much about Cambodia yet considering my 12 hours of experience so far but if there is one thing I'm sure of it's that Cambodia is HOT. This place makes Georgia in July look like a meat locker. "Impossible!" you say. But I speak the truth. Luckily our bungalows are air conditioned so it wasn't too hard to sleep. My guess is it's only like 85 with the air conditioning on.

The B&B served us dinner last night (they'll be providing most of our meals) and it was wonderful. I think I'm really going to like Asian food. They go to the market everyday and make everything fresh.

So far Cambodia seems to be a nice mix of Costa Rica and Morocco.

*As hot as Morocco and as humid as Costa Rica.

*Strange critters in your room like Costa Rica but outside the B&B the streets look like Morocco.

*The food is fresh from market/the ground like Costa Rica but cooked with incredible flavor like Morocco.

I'm sure I'll draw more comparisons later but hey, I just got here. There's a lot to learn.

Touched down in Cambodia

After arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson 35 hours ago, we have traveled 10,748 miles and have finally arrived at our bed and breakfast. I'm sure I'll post pictures later but it is INCREDIBLE. There's a pool and a garden and a swing and little children running around.

Luggage: still lost. There is hope for it's return in the morning.

Chitty chitty Bangkok

So here I am in the Bangkok Airways lounge in Bangkok.

27 hours since I left Atlanta and I'm only one more flight away from Siem Reap. The last three have been incredibly long but not too shabby in general.

I realized I haven't been so outnumbered by Asian people since high school and it's nice and humbling. We had a 2 year old on the 14 hour flight but it only cried for like 5 minutes the whole time. Thata boy.

The plane from LAX to Taipei was on a double decker plane. So fancy. And it was packed. Made for not much chair reclining and lots of breaks to stand up and stretch. Luckily out last flight from Taipei to Bangkok had about 20 people on it so we spread out and reclined like crazy.

So far (all in ATL time):

9:30pm-2:30am ATL-> LAX

4:40am- 6:15pm LAX-> Taipei

8:00pm-> 11:30pm Taipei-> Bangkok

A Thai Airways lady was kind enough to inform us, while giggling, that our luggage was still in LAX. So we'll see how that turns out. The airline workers are trying really hard to speak English with us and it is not going unnoticed.

Hopefully we'll have decent wireless at the bed and breakfast where we're living so I can blog more when I get there. For now I'm alive and well in Bangkok with one more flight to go. As for my luggage, only time will tell.

Cambodia bound!

Today is the day, dear friends. In 4 hours my first of 4 planes will take off from Hartsfield-Jackson.

One of the girls on the trip found out three days ago that her flight had been canceled. Hopefully that's all the bad luck this trip has in store for us.

Stay tuned for more Asian adventures!

Dear Apple Fritters,

You are quite possibly the ugliest dessert offered at Krispy Kreme. If I have an ugly kid, I'm naming it Apple Fritter.

Love, Cindy

Bad to the bone

Blog correction: The skinny arm is NOT only for college girls. Some of us were born with it.

My life is awesome.

There are a few things that are awesome about my life right now.

1. Cadbury Creme Eggs are 19 cents at Walgreens.

2. I have ONE final left in a week.

3. I'm going to an "Equality Prom" tonight in a Goodwill-tastic '80s dress.

4. I'm leaving for the greatest adventure of my life so far in 8 days. EIGHT!

Here are the final plans, tickets bought and everything:

May 8- take off from ATL

May 10- four flights later, land in Siem Reap, Cambodia

May 10-June 2- spend three weeks travel writing, having classes in the morning, researching, learning the culture, and writing during the day, and a final class poolside at night. We'll be staying at a Bed and Breakfast and having free weekends to travel as our hearts desire. Hopefully we'll make it to Phnom Phen to see the killing fields and Vietnam at some point.

June 2- fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

June 2-6- Who knows. Hang around Kuala Lumpur, take in whatever Malaysia has to offer.

June 6- Fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Gap Adventures people pick us up at the airport to begin our trek through the northern hilltribes of Thailand.

June 6-10- This is the trip we'll be on in Thailand. Pretty bangin for $269, huh?

June 10- Make our way back to Bangkok somehow. Hopefully by train?

June 11- Hang out in Bangkok. Tour around and see what the city has to offer.

June 12- Return home! I'll basically be living the same day twice so the 28 hour trip will all be in one day for me.

So now that you know the plan, get ready to follow me through my Southeast Asia adventures! They begin in T-minus 8 days. Bring it on.

I eat icecream twice a day and STILL have skinny arms.

There are a few valuable things that the brothel has taught me. Well, many valuable things. But aside from avoiding the dining room on hot chicken salad day and not turning up the music in the bathroom too early in the morning, sorority life has taught me how to carry myself.

Literally.

Follow me along as we discover the ways of the sorostitute stance.

Now, OF COURSE, there is the sorority squat.

The squat takes place when you have too many people to all stand in one line. Or, in this case, to show how my high school has continued it's presence at the brothel. Up top: the seniors. Next: the juniors. Etc., ending with the new freshman baby on bid day.

But that isn't what we're discussing today.

Today, we are discussing the skinny arm.

Like this?

Nope.

The skinny arm is what happens when you put your hand up on your hip. That's right, like the song (You put yo hand up on yo hip, when I dip, you dip, we dip.).

Once the hand is on the hip, you accentuate your waist and your arm appears skinnier.

"How does this miracle occur!?" you might ask. "Teach me your ways, Sensei!"

When the arm is flat against the body it appears 2 dimensional. AKA fat. 3 dimensional= skinny.

A proper sorostitute does the skinny arm at all times.

Observe.

Skinny arm with one other person:

Skinny arm with a small group of friends (think...sexy looking bookends):

Skinny arm with a large group of friends:

Skinny arm when you're dressed like a fool:

Skinny arm with boys:

Skinny arm when you're dressed like a fool with boys:

The skinny arm also helps you avoid looking awkward.

Ya know why this picture is awkward?

Because there is no skinny arm present.

Or this one:

Do you see a skinny arm? Nope.

No skinny arm=awkward, 2D, fatty mcfat pictures.

Now my eldest sister, Ashley, thinks the skinny arm is ridiculous. Over Easter she made fun of all new age sorostitutes by waving her arms over her head, Circle of Life style, before placing them on her hips in a gigantic gesture. The rest of us just lift our arm and put our hand on our hip.

Check out how skinny we all look though (yes, even you Hunter):

Egg dying isn't the expected environment for the skinny arm, but I like where your head's at, Ash.

The problem in today's society is that we put too much pressure on young women to be skinny. Oh, I'm not talking about myself. I am 21 and very well aged and matured. I'm talking about high school girls.

Because prom pictures have gone up on Facebook. And, you guessed it, they have learned the skinny arm.

Let me point out that the skinny arm is a right of passage.

Now, as a disclaimer to all you anti-greek people that think sororities are a university's way of forming middle school cliques and excluding all the non-Greekers, I am not saying that you must be Greek to do the skinny arm. I am simply saying that young girls should not be worried about their arm fat. They should leave that up to old hags like me and enjoy their punch and cookies.

Hole in three.

I love change.

And I want a tattoo.

In an effort to avoid getting a tattoo and feed my need for change at the same time, I have pierced my ears once again.

What better/safer/more sterile place to get your ears pierced than Wal-Mart?

My kitchen, you might say. While making dinner? Of course. But that's where my mom and I pierced my second holes. And variety is the spice of life.

So Wal-Mart it was. I got my cartilage pierced here and figured that since I eventually took that one out that Wally needed a second chance.

Off we went.

Aside from being 80 years old, the Wal-Mart ear-piercer had an early case of Parkinson's. Or so it seemed.

Did I go through with it? Of course. And the piercings are actually quite level. Except for the left one. But hey, it just adds a little character.

The point of all this? Getting your ears pierced for $10 at Wal-Mart is awesome. And I am not above it. And if I were to pierce anything but my ears, I would go somewhere more professional and pay 5 times as much. But I like to keep it classy. So I'll go back to the kitchen.

Back in the day

Since I uploaded that picture from my dog years, I thought I'd share a few more memories of my awesome childhood. Come along with me through yester-year...

**When I was two, my dad found a frog on a windowsill and put it in a box, thinking I would love it. He was wrong.**

**I like to tell people about this picture because to me it is proof that I was always meant to be the dud child and my parents wanted to protect my sisters and not me. But apparently I was a stubborn kid.

This is how dinner went every night of my childhood:

Mom: Cindy, you have to eat 6 bites of your broccoli before you can have icecream.

Me: *silently staring*

Mom: Ok, you have to have FOUR bites of your broccoli.

Me: *unwavering, staring silently*

Mom: Cindy, if you don't eat two bites of your broccoli, you don't get any dessert all week.

Me: *thinking "silly mother, we've been over this a million times. Give it up." All the while- staring silently.*

Mom: One bite of broccoli. Please. Eat something.

Me, after shoving a teeny piece of broccoli in my mouth: ICECREAMMM!!!!!

So my mother says that I refused to wear a helmet and so she just gave in. Ya know what? I think I believe her.**

**Following the theme of my childhood stubbornness, I refused to let my mother brush my hair. So she cut it all off. Then one day when we were in the grocery store another kid said I looked like a boy. I'm scarred for life.**

**Apparently my sisters weren't as stubborn.**

**Before I had my hair chopped. Come on, we're adorable.**