angkor wat in photos

i have finally finished editing my photos. {actually, i finished a few days ago, but there was an unexpected lingering traveler’s, um, gift that required medical attention. i’m fine now, but let’s say that sometimes the cure can be as bad as the disease!}. and i wanted to share them with you. {i’m *dying* to share my medical story with you, too, but the hubby says it’s just. too. gross. so i’m sparing you. you probably have a good imagination anyway.} these images, plus many more, are up on my flickr page.

trying to capture all the sweeping grandeur of each temple seemed futile. for that i bought a lovely postcard. besides, you know i’m a detail-oriented gal. i stuck to photographing the smaller–but equally compelling–details of each place.

every temple had lions. so i have lots of photos of lions.

the lotus blossoms in the pools in front of angkor wat were pretty, even when shot in the heat of the day. they were wilting just like us.

i told you i wanted to ride an elephant. and i did. i also spent time petting them. they are such cool creatures.

the “driver” steers with his feet against the elephants ears, and the elephants just plod along.

and the buddhas. so many super cool buddhas.

these are the best of what’s up on flickr so far. i’ll work on getting our second day up there soon.

faces of cambodia

i’ve been simultaneously recovering from jet lag and furiously editing photos. i think i’m at the point where i can actually share some from my fabulous trip. {have i told you that i’m already scheming about going back? it was that good.}

yesterday someone asked me what the most beautiful thing was that i saw…and the answer came so quickly: it wasn’t the temples or the sweeping expanse of jungle, it was the people of cambodia. a quick trip down history lane will tell you that cambodians have not had the easiest time recently. a visit to the country will show you that most people live in meager conditions, often without what we would consider the basics like clean running water. yet they are some of the most generous and kind people i have met on my travels. {and hard-working? even in the heat of the day they are pushing their wares with a fervor that would put any american worker to shame.}

it makes ya think about how much we have and how little we appreciate it. it’s the same kind of sensation that i get after camping. {oooh! warm water showers! soft, comfy beds! electricity!}

every day when i wake up, i think about how i live in the lap of luxury. i wake up every morning on the other side of windows and screens from bugs that won’t make me or my family sick. i get out of bed and don’t have to roll it up so my family can use the floor space for a kitchen and living room. i wash my face {and flush my toilet} with clean water that i don’t have to pull up from a well. i have a well stocked pantry that i pull my choice of breakfast foods from. and that’s just the start of my day…

if i get to go back to cambodia, i’ll be focusing my camera more on the people and less on the other sights. if you want to see more faces, check out my flickr page {i only put my favorites here}. each photo has a short story to go with it, too, and i’ve included that on flickr. and i promise, more photos to follow.

it’s tomorrow!

hey….how did that happen? the first half of february flew by and tomorrow is valentine’s day. if you’re like me, you’ve had just oodles of time to put into finding the perfect gift, wrapping it up, and sealing it with a kiss. if, however, you’ve had family in your house, an out of town trip, and tomorrow has snuck up on you, then join me in last minute preparations.

sweets for your sweet? how bout these chocolate covered pretzels from love from the oven? grab a bag of gluten free ones for your gluten-free sweetie, or just make the samoa inspired ones for yourself. i know i will!

got a little extra time and supplies? {maybe a boss who isn’t looking that closely?} how about this nerdy embroidered fabulousness from prudent baby? there’s a great tutorial, so even if you’ve never crossed a stitch in your life, you’re going to be okay. i’m thinking about it.

not a lot of time? how about some easy printables? grab a pack of matches, fire up the printer, and stack these bad boys in the bathroom. these lovelies are from camille styles. found via spoonful of sugar on pinterest.

and don’t forget about my printables, which you can easily re-size for cards, tags, or whatever crazy creativeness you come up with. find the high-res images on my flickr page and more ideas for v-day on my pinterest page.

or maybe you want to redefine v-day for yourself. go for it. it’s all good.

apple image here {available for purchase from photography by karina on etsy. seriously, how cute is that?!}

photos from the journey…

i should be out taking in the sights. i should be at a museum or a temple or a market. *but*…it’s raining and i’m feeling a little mentally overwhelmed from all i’ve seen and eaten in the past five days. so instead i’m kicking back in my hotel room, watching the rain fall softly outside, and enjoying my pretty new pedicure. {and writing this blog post.}

the past few days have been a whirlwind of ethnic neighborhoods, houses of worship, and food {omigosh the food. sometimes it’s just too much umami for one stomach}. of course i’ve had a fabulous time but it’s so much sensory overload, so i’m using the rain as my excuse for a little down time. later i plan on hitting the market for fresh fruit and–if it stops raining–returning to the botanical gardens.

monday night’s safari was nothing short of amazing. lions, tigers, and bears, of course, but also hyenas, leopards, hippos, elephants, flying foxes, tapirs, civets, and fruit bats. the hubby and i must’ve spent half an hour in the fruit bat enclosure, watching them feed up close. those things are huge! we could’ve reached out and touched ’em except for our desire to keep our body parts. {i have such a love hate relationship with zoos, but the animals here seemed pretty well cared for.}

tuesday we were treated to a lion dance here in our hotel. it’s a pretty elaborate dance in which the lion “gives” oranges {or tangerines} to symbolize luck, wealth, and happiness and “eats” lettuce, which symbolizes wealth. it also means loud drums and sweaty men stuck under a giant furry lion puppet. it. was. awesome.

then it was off to lunch with a friend and shopping on arab street and in little india. oh, the fabrics! beautiful silks {got some}, sari fabrics, batiks, and the most fabulous lace i’ve ever seen. 100% cotton and at $200 a meter, it was also the most expensive lace i’ve ever seen. still. it was lovely. then it started to rain and we popped into a turkish cafe for coffee.

after the rain let up, we strolled by the mosque and into little india. we saw stalls full of amazing vegetables, men making flower garlands by twisting glowers and rafia together, and so many plastic ganeshes. after much hemming and hawing, i decided on yet another textile {really, it’s all i’m taking back!}. i don’t know what i’ll use it for, but it was sooo pretty. despite being exhausted, we stayed for dinner and ate channa masala and palak paneer served directly onto banana leaves {no plates!}. yum.

yesterday i got my pedicure and did a little shopping. tomorrow we’re off to cambodia. today? i’m just tired!