RHLI Party ~ July 24, 2009

As the project comes to an end so does the QC contractor RHLI who have been doing a great job for Michael. They are from Manila and stay at a Staff house during the week. Since they don't have much of space we offered our place due to the fact we needed to get rid of our alcohol before we head home. Most of the food was catered so not much work for me to which I am grateful! Check out the Lechon Baboy (Roasted pig)! It was a nice gathering (rocking to retro music)...they were a little shy @ first but with alcohol comes courage hehehe. At least they put good use of the pool. Party didn't stop til 1am...sign that they had a good time...some survived the shots (moi included) and one didn't;-)
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Feeny Ladies Farewell Lunch

Departure day for the Feenys is just around the corner so Thuyen & I took the Feeny ladies to lunch on Thursday @ C's Italian Restaurant. I am sad and feeling left behind...first the Subic crew (Tamra, Amberly & Julie) and now the Feenys...wonder if I will survive 2 mths on my own (Thuyen doesn't count because she is from the 2nd Batch but still love you Thuyen hehehe). Food was delicious..my usual (Insalata Catherina & Chicken Parm). Great food great company..what more could you ask for? As always the case when Cynthia, Thuyen & I are together there will be plenty of laughters. We have had quite an adventure...from getting locked out of the van (my personal fav), Flat Stanley, forgetting to put the gear on PARK (Capiz Lantern trip), tagalog class, Pampang market trips just to name a few. Going thru our many personal experiences w/ maids & trips in & around Angeles City has made us tougher and appreciate some of the things that we left behind & taken for granted. The experience I take with me from this friendship is learning how to bake (and yes they are edible) & that it is ok to have different viewpoints & still respect each other. One thing is for sure, we have built a great friendship and I hope we can continue when we all get back to Dallas. Once there were three musketeers now there are/will be two. See you guys in a couple of months! I will miss you ladies :-(

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Cambodia~ July 7 - 10, 2009

The highlight was definitely the last leg of our trip....Cambodia. We flew out of Vientiane, stopped @ Savannakhet Airport & then to Siem Reap (Thai Defeat). We got there about midday, checked into our room, had a late lunch & then started planning for the next two days. There are lots of ruins & temples to see so we decided to tour 3 major temples the first day. In all the temple ruins that we explored were Angkor Thom, Bayon (2nd fav temple), Baphuon, Royal Palace (Phimeanakas), Terrace of the Leper King along with the Terrace of the Elephants, Ta Prohm, & last but not least my favorite Angkor Wat. I was in awe the whole tour viewing the ruins, carvings, & history of the people who once occupied these temples. Alot of walking & climbing in the heat but it was worth the experience. And just like I always do, fall on my face a couple of times due to my 2 left feet. Something to remember Cambodia by hehehe. The last day we just relaxed by the pool, then doing a little drinking downtown watching locals & foreigners alike passing by, & ending up strolling through the night market. I love the idea of night markets...after a tiring day in the sun it is always relaxing to just meander through the market and shop for souvenirs @ our own leisure. My 'artsy-fartsy' side appreciated the great artwork by the local Cambodian people;-) Another item we can also scratch off our list of things to try...fish spa ($3/person for 30 min)! Little garra rufas nibbling away your dead skin, at first it was ticklish but then it was kinda fun. Could be a lil painful if you are the first person (fresh meat hahaha). We travelled by tuk-tuks almost everywhere due to the fact that is was easy to get around. Just make sure you have your hotel call one for you so it's a lil safer and if anything was to happen at least the hotel knows the tuk-tuk driver. Good thing about Laos & Cambodia is that US dollars is the preferred currency. This Asia trip has enriched me in so many ways; I am blessed to have this great experience & thankful to my husband Michael who made this all possible.

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Laos II ~ June 29 - July 7, 2009

The 2nd leg of our trip was to Laos. From Bangkok we took a puddle jumper to Luang Prabang the former capital in northern Laos. We got there around midday and checked in to our nice hotel cottage. We got settled then explored the town a little bit. The next day was a full day for us despite misty weather. We toured Wat Visounnarath along with That Makmo referred to as "Watermelon Stupa". Next was the infamous Wat Xieng Thong (Golden Tree), one of the city's oldest & most important temples which is closest to the intersection of where the rivers Nam Khan & Mekhong meet. Our last temple was Wat Phousi to which we had to climb 400 steps or more...more climbing then I really care for hehehe. Then it was a 2 hr boat ride up the Mekhong River to see Pak Ou caves. Tham Ting (lower cave) & Tham Theung (upper cave) is where there's an impressive collection of Lao style Buddha statues assembled for centuries totaling approximately 4000. Each night we headed out to downtown to explore the night market where the locals would bring their silk fabrics, handicrafts, etc... This was my first experience in the night market and I truly loved it! The trick is to smile when you bargain but it also helps if you look & speak like the locals except for having a tall white guy around hehehe. The next morning we headed to Kuoang Si waterfalls. At the park entrance I almost took a spill near the bathroom wet tile but was able to compose my balance even though I had to sacrifice my upper leg muscle which stayed sore for almost 2 days. It would have been a nicer day if it hadn't rained most of the hike up to the falls, but it did stop raining just in time for our lunch/picnic that the hotel prepared for us. Our last day in Luang Prabang was special to me as an American raised by buddhist parents and native of Laos. We woke up @ 4am that morning so that we could go and see the monks collecting alms around 5:30am downtown. The weather finally cooperated for us so we could enjoy the early morning offerings to the local buddhist monks of about 200 or so. Later that morning we were on our way to Vientiane to surprise my relatives from my mom's side. Since we last visited over a year ago there were some new additions to the growing Inthavong clan. The rain plagued us once again throughout our stay there but we managed to make a day trip up to Vang Vieng to visit a limestone cave called Tham Jang (more climbing in the rain). It wasn't about the cave but more about spending time with my family whom I rarely ever get to visit. They want us to come visit every year so that we can explore Laos together since they usaully always just stay in their own village and work on the rice farms. It was however too short of a visit but Cambodia was calling us for our next adventure....

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Bangkok ~ June 27 - 29, 2009

The first leg of our Asia trip was in Bangkok. Arrving later in the day we were able to squeeze in a dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River. I was a lil disappointed at first because we were seated inside but thank goodness because it started pouring down rain just as we sat down. The next day we took an hour drive outside of Bangkok to see the floating market. It is quite an experience; the food was tempting but somehow I wasn't up to being adventurous (last thing I want is getting sick)...afterall I do have Laos & Cambodia to think about. On our way back to the city we stopped by the teakwood factory & saw how most carvings are done...such great work. They have orders from all over the world and this one table piece that was going to Turkey cost $41k! Yikes! Our last stop was the Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple. Spectacular & so much history I could hardly keep up since my brain can only absorb so much;-)

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