Cambodia, I heart you! Hanoi...I'm a little overwhelemed...

After 30+ hours of traveling, we finally got to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We had delays in Hong Kong, which then led us to several missed connections, not to mention the ground staff strike. We got re routed to Bangkok, where of course we missed the last flight to Siem Reap. We had to sleep in the airport. It wasn't that bad, as they put us up in a nicer lounge/hotel, but we were so tired and sick of the trip.

Anyway, Cambodia is RAD. Although we only had 2 days (amended from our travels), I really enjoyed it. We made BFFs with our tuk-tuk driver immediately, Mr. Jeat, and we hired him to take us around for the time we were there. Babel Siem Reap was our hotel of choice, and it had two great beds, and modest bathroom (with no shower curtain). Everyone spoke English in Siem Reap, and the currency of choice was USD, as opposed to Riels (the Cambodian currency). I could not utter the few phrases I learned on the plane, as almost no one spoke to us in Khmer. I am sure it is different outside of the town.

We spent the two days touring the several temples at and around Angkor wat. Can I say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. So rad. Ok, now to the food...I had a baked pumpkin dish (with veggies) at Khmer Kitchen Restaurant. YUMMY. We also had a go a Khmer BBQ, which was fun (a great dining experiance), similar to a hot pot, but with a raised middle to grill. The broth was fanatastic. The single best thing that we had today was one dumpling, filled with chives and greens, served with a sweet chili sauce. This was from a road side vendor, who grilled it in front of us on an open pan heated by wood. This single dumpling made my day.

Just landed in Hanoi not to long ago, and quite a difference from Cambodia. It is quite busy and crazy....talk about crazy Asian drivers!! I'm a little overwhelmed, but have only been here a few hours. We are staying at Loyalty Hotel, right in the Old Town Quarter, super close to the lake.
More later....as I'm getting tired.....

Headed to Cambodia

Leaving for Cambodia (Siem Reap) in a few hours via Hong Kong & Saigon. Hope I brought everything! Dengue Fever (band) will be on the iPod for sure, and inspire the Cambodian vibe. Check out the band if you haven't yet!

Malaria pills are in effect, yay, and hopefully the plane ride won't be too bad. The time difference is 15 hours ahead (wowsa!). Can't wait to check out the temples at Angkor Wat. I'll be staying at a place called Babel Siem Reap...ex Frenchies who put up a small hotel in Cambodia.

Anyway...hope y'all had a great Christmas!
Stay tuned for more updates...

Christmas Eve Dinner

Yum! For dinner of about 20 people or so (filipinos have big families!), I cooked:
Bacon & Cheddar Palmeirs
Asparagus Twists
Crab, Spinach, Artichoke and Brie dip
Salad with Pears and Turkey
Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach, Ricotta, and Bacon with a Rosted Red Pepper Sauce
Braised Short Ribs (braised for 3 hours with red wine and porcini mushrooms)
Fidua with Chorizo Scallops, Shrimp and Mussels (w/ aioli sauce...makes a difference!)
Creamy Polenta
Wild Rice
Egg Nog Flan
Magic Bars (coconut, butterscotch, chocolate chips, graham gracker crust)

Whew! Lots of work, but it was fun and turned out good.
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Farewell Deckers...it's been fun!

Tomorrow is my last day at work at Deckers Outdoor Corporation. I've worked there for the past 4 years in a few different capacities on both the UGG Australia and Simple brands. I'd have to say I'm quite sad to leave! But, I've decided to travel for a little bit (I'm headed to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand) and start go to culinary school. It was a really hard decision to make because I LOVE my job and the people I work with, but I've gotten this urge that it's time to do something different in my life before it gets harder and harder to do so. I love to cook, and I have contemplated going to culinary school for a while. I'm interested in becoming a personal chef or catering. I know I'm not going to make as much money, and it's going to be hard work..but I'm up for the challenge. It's time to be out of my comfort zone and and a new adventure.

Thanks to all my friends at Deckers...I've had an amazing time!