Stuff

I meant to go back and post some final thought on my trip, but I have been too busy! This past weekend I finally had an opportunity to play catch up, and I devoted it to cultivating my lovely garden (photos to follow, I am sure). Anyway, a few final thoughts on my Asian Adventure.

1. In the women's restroom at the National Art Museum of Vietnam, there is a collection box with a sign reading "for more clean." Obviously the tourists have not contributed enough, because I actually cried when my arm brushed against the sink!

2. Uncle Ho looked a lot better that Moa! Was it simply the soft pink lighting, or is he actually holding up better? Hard to tell, but he was definitely less green than than the Chinese version.

3. Old women are beautiful! We saw several with shaved heads. Our driver explained that this was probably because they were in mourning or experiencing a loss in their family. I could not resist the opportunity to snap this photo of an elderly woman enjoying a smoke break while in the public market.

4. If you have a 80 pound dog in a box and a lot of small bills for tips, you can bypass a lot of lines at U.S. customs. Initially, the agent did not believe me that I did not have any food. "Just give me the dog food now, and I will still let you into the country," he barked... Once I assured him I would tip the porter, no problem! Have a nice day.

National MS Awareness Week: March 5-11

In case you had not heard, this is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week. Did you know that one person will be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) every hour?

As you may or may not know, I have MS. It is a disease with no cure, but I am fighting. I have MS, but MS will never have me. I fight in partnership with the National MS Society, and that is why I have decided to participate in the MS Challenge Walk. I will walk 50 miles from Carlsbad to San Diego on September 7-9, 2007.

You can help me in this meaningful challenge by making a tax-deductible donation towards my fundraising goal of $2,500. Please visit www.mymschallenge.com/sara for information on how to donate online or via U.S. mail. I sincerely thank you in advance for your contribution!

Another way you can support my efforts and the foundation's research is to join me on April 21, 2007 as I kick-off my training at the MS walk here in Las Vegas. I promise that you won't have to walk 50 miles!

Hard Knock Life

This young man was our guide at the Landmine Museum in Seim Reap. As an infant, he was seriously injured by one of the countless landmines that remain quite common in rural Cambodia. His father carried him several miles to a hospital where the doctors either could not or would not help him. The father then amputated his son's leg with a wood saw. Now 18, he told us that landmines also killed his brother and his sister. I was amazed at how gracefully he moved on his crutch and how nimbly he leaned on it so that his hands were free to gesture and work.

The "museum" offers a glimpse of the different varieties of landmine (he holds one in the photo), and raises funds to help train and pay the salaries of those who are brave enough to help find and remove the mines. The museum also doubles as a school for children orphaned or disabled by land mine detonations.

While on a cruise to visit a floating village, we encountered this talented mother, simultaneously nursing her baby, steering the boat and selling bananas to tourists. I could not believe she was able to keep so many balls in the air without either child ending up in the water. Later she put the baby in the blue hammock (photo right) and rocked her to sleep while the little boy bowed and smiled to tourists who gave him a can of coke and some candy. We snapped the photo from the deck of a floating market where tourists could buy refreshments and trinkets as they watched the sunset. The market also housed a fish farm and a crocodile ranch.

Angkor

The shopping aside, this is why I wanted to visit Cambodia/Khmer!

We wanted to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, so we left our hotel at 5:15 AM and took a torch (flashlight). The walk was dark, the path was uneven and the visibility was minimal. We were not alone. We started out with a handful of people--voices and flashes of torch light that we followed. I could tell there was water nearby, but we had never seen the gateway into the wat by daylight and we could not imagine the land of the land. Soon we encountered a few Khmer who wanted to sell us coffee. We promised to buy something (not coffee) and they promised to show us the best path to the best views of this 900 year old beauty.

By the time we got to the scene of this photo, there were hundreds of people assembled, all waiting to snap the perfect memory shot. Our Khmer friends brought us chairs to sit on and reminded us of our promises to buy breakfast. Even with the crowds, it was peaceful and breathtaking! After we had our fill of pretty sunrise, we bought that breakfast. I had coconut water from a can, complete with chunks of coconut meat. I thought I was a pulp in the juice kind of girl, but it was a bit much.

Inside the wat, I faced these daunting stairs. I knew I was in trouble when I saw tiny Asian women with half of each foot hanging over the available ledge on each step. Still, stairs are meant to be climbed... It turned out, BS was right about a skirt being inadvisable... I kept stepping on it and had to tuck the front bottom hem into my waistband to avoid slipping to my certain death. There was very little to hold onto, but I found finger holes on about every third step.

After we took in the rest of the area, we walked out and were amazed to see the reality of what we had previously only really envisioned in our imaginations. In the light of day we realized that we had followed the path across a gigantic, unseen moat!

For four days we heard talk of the wat where Laura Croft raided a tomb, and here she is (the wat, not Angelina)! Though they are breaking foundations, knocking down ancient walls and returning stone to earth, the banyan trees at Ta Prohm were incredible.

BS thought this outfit was ridiculous, but I think it is kinda cute. I bought the silk hat at the old market in Seim Reap. Every Asian get away deserves a new floppy hat!

BS loved the faces of Bayon best of all the wat architecture (look closely and you will see at least 3 here). No one has counted them all, and many have been destroyed. I was saddened to learn that most of the looting that has desecrated Khmer artifacts did not take place until the 1990s. There is much talk of conservation now, but things are fading fast. Even friendly visitors leave their mark, and you can see how millions of hands have worn away intricate bas-reliefs. Book your trip now!