BEST OF SE ASIA: CAMBODIA

Below are my favorite moments in Cambodia in November & December 2010.  This is a synopsis of each leg of my journey so below each picture (or set of pics) is a link to the blog page that gives more details of a particular place and time... I hope you'll click on the links and enjoy these unforgettable moments of the last three months.

Teaching at Orphans Disabled Arts (ODA)... Here is a fun, short video of me produced by Travel to Teach, a wonderful organization that helped me to find the best placements for teaching in SE Asia.  I am very happy that I used their services!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K4RMNN3-gg

Taking the kids at ODA to the ancient temples in their neighborhood for the first time in their lives...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/to-temples-with-kids-of-oda.html

Being blessed and cleansed at a Khmer pagoda...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/12/being-blessed-and-washed-at-pagoda.html

Soaking in the details of the ancient stonework "masks" at Ta Prohm Temple...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-khmer-masks.html

My last day of teaching at ODA. A very emotional goodbye... 

...and bicyclking to the home of one girl in the local neighborhood to meet her mom.  A family of six lives in this 9 foot by 8 foot hut.  

The most important moment of my time in Asia: meeting a little boy, Peav, who needs someone to remember him.  I believe that the greastest privilege of being human is to have at least one other person on the earth who thinks of you and remembers you.  Peav arrived to the orphanage one week before I did.  I spent a month tutoring him and got to know an incredible young soul.

The afternoon that I had to depart, Peav sobbed.  That night Leng (the founder of ODA) sent me a text message to tell me Peav was still crying.  I told him to tell Peav I will be his friend forever and I will write to him.  I miss him terribly...  I hope he gets my letters. 

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-last-day-of-teaching-at-oda-art.html

BEST OF SE ASIA: LAOS

Below are my favorite moments in Laos in October & November 2010.  This is a synopsis of each leg of my journey so below each picture (or set of pics) is a link to the blog page that gives more details of a particular place and time... I hope you'll click on the links and enjoy these unforgettable moments of the last three months.

Meeting Kenny on my first day in Luang Prabang. Kenny was a monk for 5 years who works hard to transform his small village through literacy education: http://communityreadingroom.weebly.com/

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-first-day-in-enchanting-town-of.html

The most enchanting town on earth: Luang Prabang...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/lovely-day-in-and-around-luang-prabang.html

A simple meal of sliced apple and coconut bread that was loving offered to me after my first week of teaching in Luang Prabang...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/blessings-at-end-of-my-first-week-in.html

The most beautiful and fun waterfalls I have even experienced...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/tad-se-waterfalls-unbelievable.html

The Luang Prabang annual boat festival...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/annual-boat-festival-whirlwind-of.html

Teaching at Santiphab Public High School...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/three-sections-of-english-at-santiphab.html

Meeting Kam, a wise monk at the age of 19 who shared his writings with me...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-favorite-luang-prabang-moment.html

Going to Kenny's village and staying at his parents house where I was offered an apptizer of cured rat... 

And frolicking by the river on a perfect Laos afternoon...

Kenny and his parents prepared me a dinner under the second of their two light bulbs in their single room home...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/visiting-remote-laos-village-day-one.html

Waking from a night of sleeping on the dirt floor and being enchanted by the smell of the smoke from the fire, the roosters crowing and the dogs barking.

Teaching a workshop to Kenny's students in his village where we had a blast learning Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!

And having life slow down enough to spend inordinate amounts of time just photographing butterflies...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/remote-laos-village-workshop-day-2.html

My last day of teaching class a class that I will remember fondly forever...

And two letters from a full stack that the students presented me with on my last day... I was moved deeply by these kind words:

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-classes-at-santiphab-high-school.html

 

BEST OF SE ASIA: THAILAND

Below are my favorite moments in Thailand in October, 2010.  This is a synopsis of each leg of my journey so below each picture (or set of pics) is a link to the blog page that gives more details of a particular place and time... I hope you'll click on the links and enjoy these unforgettable moments of the last three months.

Two nights in Bangkok without days (due to jetlag), and then seeing the fire-orange robes of monks out of the corner of my eye my first morning in Bangkok...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/greetings-from-bangkok.html

Exploring the bays and islands in and around Ko Phi Phi with three of the funnest women ever!  Thanks, Sri, Karina and Katrina!

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/ko-phi-phi-nearby-islands.html

The apex of the Andaman rock formations and rock climbing in laid-back Railey Beach...

The hosts at the Chill Out bar...

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/rocks-rastas-in-railay.html

Food that made me obsessed with what to eat next and a secluded beach front place that was heaven on earth...

Where I also saw my first wild elephant...

...and then hung out at yet another amazing Thai tiki bar to take in the sounds of a local band...

The "Why Not Bar?" Slogan:

Most people see the world as it is and ask Why?

We see the world as it isn't and ask Why Not?

http://asiateachchi.blogspot.com/2010/10/baan-phu-lae-bungalows-on-ko-lanta.html

Exploring Singapore...

The Singaporeans are a diverse group of people mostly from somewhere else at least three generations ago...  Everyone speaks what Singaporeans refer to as "Singlish" - a mish-mash of English with some Chinese and a bunch of original phrases.  "Can!" means, "Does that sound good?" or "Can you?" And older people like taxi drivers are referred to as Uncle and Auntie...

Then I headed over to the majestic Marina Bay Sands Hotel which is designed to look like three dominoes with a playing card on top...

And into the impressive lobby...

I gracefully talked the staff into allowing me to me go up to the exclusive rooftop...

With a pool that cannot be rivaled in the entire world...

Downtown Singapore from the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands...

This was my very first impression of Singapore.  While I don't smoke and my trip was wonderful, it was really eye-opening to see the extremity of the laws in Singapore.  No one ever crosses the street without the proper signal even if there is no traffic to be seen as it is a $100 fine that is always enforced.  And I did not see even a cigarette butt anywhere on the street. Sanitary would be an understatement for this immaculate urban oasis... 

Pollution is also very low here because the goverment charges citizens about US$30,000 just to get a license plate... so there is an excellent public transit system and no traffic jams.  Green Bliss!  Off by foot through the city to meet Sri's friends at her office...

It's tough to decide what to eat in Singapore, especially with walls and walls of fake food samples of every dish on the menu...

 Celebrating the holidays in downtown Singapore...

Sri's office building...

The view from her office... one of the best in Singapore.

And then up to the rooftop office club complete with gym, steam rooms, four jacuzzis, three wading fountains and an enormous pool - all with stunning views of the cityscape.

This is a city I could definitely live in...  Cosmopolitan, clean, gorgeous... and hungry for the arts!