Diana's Playlist

I put together the following playlist, entitled BANG, in Bangkok, but I didn't listen to it until our bike ride to Angkor Wat. It was quite an experience listening to sounds from home while riding through the town, the temples and with school kids to my right and left. Later, BANG served as our beach playlist in Koh Samed, which blared from our portable speakers and blended with the ocean waves as we chilled on the sand and enjoyed the sun. And now, I share the sounds with you...enjoy.

BANG

1. Campina -- Afro-Cuban Jazz Project
2. Ahora No Pare -- Rene Grand Y Su Combo New York
3. Tu Amor Me Hace Bien-- Marc Anthony
4. Corazon Partido -- Mickey Taveras
5. Tu Recuerdo -- Ricky Martin
6. Laura No Esta -- Nek
7. Cachete A Cachete -- Los Amigos Invisibles
8. Coconut Rock -- Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada
9. Maria Moita -- Rosalia De Souza
10. Linda Canção -- Barrio Jazz Gang
11. Algo Contigo -- Rosario
12. Eres -- Café Tacvba
13. Vampires -- Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada
14. Nuestros Sueños -- Gondwana
15. One Day -- Quinto Sol
16. Waiting in Vain -- Bob Marley
17. No One -- Alicia Keys
18. Crash -- Dave Mathews
19. Until the End of Time -- Justin Timberlake
20. Take me Away -- John Legend
21. Underneath it All -- Gwen Stefani
22. You'll Loose a Good Thing -- Aretha Franklin
23. Never Too Much -- Luther Vandros
24. Let's Stay Together -- Al Green
25. More than A Woman -- Bee Gees
26. Sweet Caroline -- Neil Diamond
27. Mr. Jones -- Counting Crows
28. Californication -- Red Hot Chili Pepers
29. With or Without You -- U2
30. Money -- Pink Floyd
31. Baby -- Bebel Gilberto

P.S. Can you spot me in the picture? Where's Diana?

Island Getaway

Last Friday Lisa, Carla and I left to Koh Samed for a girls weekend. Koh Samed is an island in the Gulf of Thailand and it is absolutely beautiful. A beach weekend was exactly what we needed and it was lots of fun. Carla and I had just returned from Cambodia the night before, and although it was a vacation, it was exhausting. Lisa was also in need of some R&R and so relax we did! We mostly ate and sunbathed. The weekend started with a bit of rain, but cleared up by the time we were in our swimming gear. We enjoyed each meal beach side. You can't beat fresh fruit shakes for breakfast or mango sticky rice for lunch. But dinner was the most exciting time. We feasted on fresh seafood under the stars and watched a thrilling fire show (the best I have ever seen) to reggaeton music.

I recorded two videos, one of our arrival and one of our departure. You will be able to clearly see the tired and disheveled look I am sporting in the first shot, and the very relaxed and very tanned look I am sporting the last shot. Enjoy friends, wish you were here!

Hello Koh Samed! I am so ready to relax!


Adiós Koh Samed! Thank you for the sun, the food and the memories!

Cambodia: Reflections and Angkor Wat

Cambodia: Reflections

Experiencing Cambodia was amazing. Traveling through the country challenged me in ways I did not expect. Mostly, I struggled with the poverty we saw on the coast and the aggressiveness of the vendors, particularly the children. At first it was disturbing because I could not get passed thinking about what I saw through a western lens. Once I began to read about the country and her history, I realized that the Khmer people are working to rebuild Cambodia in their own way. The country suffered through inconceivable horror during the regime of the Khmer Rouge. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge wiped out nearly 40% of the country's population. About half of those that lost their lives were tortured and executed in cruel, unimaginable ways. The policies of the regime caused widespread famine and disease that resulted in millions of deaths. The wounds from the genocide that took place in Cambodia are still fresh, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Khmer people are working to restore their country.

I left Cambodia looking through a lens of survival, reconstruction, strength and beauty. Although the country's recent history is dark and horrifying, her ancient history holds the strength and beauty of the Khmer people. Angkor Wat and all the temples are a testament to that strength.

Cambodia: Angkor Wat

It has been nearly one week since Carla and I began our Angkor Wat adventure. The views were breathtaking. Imagine temples built in the early 12th century, with details engraved on doorways, walls, columns, and ceilings that remain nearly intact.

On day one, our adventures began with a beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat. After taking a few pictures and admiring the early sun, we set off to Angkor Thom. We stopped for breakfast at the stalls just outside of the Angkor Thom complex and made some friends with the kid vendors. The video below is a shot of one of our friends, Kogna. She was selling bracelets, "tres for un dollar," and speaking to us in English and Spanish. The kid vendors are very smart. They learn the same phrases in different languages to get tourists to buy their trinkets. When they first approach you, they try to guess what country you are from, but they could never place Carla or me because we spoke English and Spanish. We seemed like an anomaly to them. To most of the vendors, and apparently to most of Cambodia and Thailand, we look Indian. Most of the time, we explain that we are from the U.S. or from Chicago, but that never seems to satisfy their curiosity. At one point we simply decided to say we were from "other" home countries, Ecuador and Guatemala. The vendors had never heard of Ecuador or Guatemala, and we had fun drawing maps for the kids and explaining that we were from the other side of the world. See Kogna's video below. We enjoyed talking with her and returned to see her the next day.

Just outside of the vendor stalls was the Bayon Temple in the Angkor Thom complex. The temple has massive stone faces carved into the many towers of Bayon. We were the first arrive and I spent about 20 minutes exploring on my own without distractions or interruptions. It was amazing. Bayon is a maze. We spent two hours at Bayon, and about 30 minutes trying to find our way out. That was quite amusing.

On our second day, we rode our bikes to the temples. It was a great ride. On our way to Angkor Wat, we took a brief detour into town, which gave us a passing, yet engaging view of life outside of the touristy dwellings. The "wrong turn" was quite treat for us. We were able to see how people live when tourists are not around and are not the focus. It was vibrant, colorful and very alive. Once we were back on the main road, we rode alongside about hundred uniformed students that were either going to or leaving school. That was also a treat. Everyone was very friendly. I felt light and free riding next to the kids, waving hello and smiling. I was also singing along to my ipod playlist, so they may have also been laughing at me. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Of all the temples, Angkor Wat is the best preserved. My favorite temple, however, was the women's temple, or Banteay Srey, the Citadel of Women built in 967 A.D. On our last day in Cambodia, Carla and I made the trek to the women's temple by tuk tuk, stopping to watch the sunrise near Bayon. Banteay Srey is about 40 minutes from Angkor Wat. We were the first visitors that morning and had the entire temple to ourselves to explore, roam and take in the wondrous sights.

Some friends have expressed that Angkor is spiritual experience. I agree, except that my experience was more enveloped in awe than spirit. I felt very lucky to be able to see and touch something that was created thousands of years ago. There is no question that the Khmer people had vision and extraordinary talent. The temples are magnificent. It would have been wonderful to see the temples when they were first built.

During the evenings, Carla and I enjoyed delicious meals, sometimes visiting three restaurants in one night, simply to try the different menus. But my absolute favorite meal was at one of the outdoor vendors at the Angkor Thom complex. After riding around for nearly four hours on our rented bikes, at times in the rain, all we wanted to do was eat and find shelter. The temples close at 5:30 pm and everyone begins to pack up around 4pm. That's when we arrived for lunch. We found our friend, Kogna, from the day before and she took us to her family's food stand. We were the last to eat in the entire complex and they basically whipped up whatever they had left over for the day. OMG. IT WAS THE BEST FOOD EVER. I had the cashew nut chicken. Sounds simple, but the Khmer spice is like nothing I have ever tried before. I am back in Thailand and have not felt as satisfied with food as I felt in Cambodia. Thinking of my cashew nut chicken still makes my mouth water. The best part was that we ate and enjoyed every bite while staring at the Bayon Temple (my second favorite temple experience).

Cambodia was amazing. I would recommend the trip to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat to anyone that travels to this side of the world. I am definitely anxious to return. If you are interested in seeing pictures...click below! Hugs to my friends and family...and if you wished you were with me while reading this entry and viewing the pictures, know that you were with me every step of the way.

Siem Reap Day One: Angkor Thom

Angkor Wat Day Two

Banteay Srey - Women's Temple

Angkor Thom: Unscripted Inspiration

This video was unplanned and unscripted, but inspired by my desire to share the Angkor experience with you. I shot the video from the highest, most accesible, and safest point on the Phimeanakas temple (The Royal Palace), which is at the center of the the royal compound and served as the king's temple. The Royal Palace is part of the Angkor Thom complex, which was the the last capital of the Angkorian empire. The pools that I mention in the video are the Preah Palilay. Enjoy the view and please excuse my "ums," shaky shots and clearly visible thirst and perspiration.

Swimming in the Rain

Today, for the first time since I graduated in July, I felt completely relaxed. For lunch, we feasted on fresh fruit, BBQ squid on a stick and BBQ pork sandwiches that were sold on the beach. We found a semi-isolated spot and enjoyed listening to the ocean waves while we napped happily on the beach. Before the sun came out, and before our nap, there was a brief rain storm. While Carla took cover and found a puppy to play with, I decided to play in the rain and swim in the ocean. It was liberating. It was fun. It was just what I needed. It took three months to get used to relaxing and sitting peacefully with myself. The day has arrived and I am happy. Carla took the photo I have attached as I ran out of the cabana and into the rain. I was glad that she captured that moment.

No Appointment Necessary

Today we are in Sihanoukville at "Serendipity" beach on the southern coast of Cambodia. It is...OK. There is nothing serendipitous about the beach. The beach front is swarmed by people selling all sorts of items, including food, trinkets, massages, and manicure & pedicures. Women and girls hover until you buy what they have. Their persistence, aggressiveness and excellent English language skills are impressive, but I feel like I am in a tourist trap. Needless to say, our first beach day was not relaxing. But we are here and are making the best of it.

Our day in Phnom Penh was much more eventful and memorable. Friday was an extremely packed day, with emotions ranging from high to low. We began our day with a trip to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields where the Khmer Rouge regime executed about 20,000 people between 1975 and 1979. The genocide was kept a secret to the rest of the world and most of Cambodia until 1980 when bodies began to surface from the mass graves. The experience was quite somber and weighed heavily on both Carla and me. We were able to see the pits where entire families were buried after being beaten to death with axes and garden hoes. It was difficult walking throughout the fields and seeing bones, teeth, and clothes pushing through the ground. We kept asking "why?" particularly because genocide has occurred in so many other countries in the world and is happening today. A memorial and a Buddhist stupa was built by the government to acknowledge the genocide and honor those that lost their lives. The memorial includes a glass case that holds nearly 7,000 skulls that were exhumed in 1980.

After the killing fields, we needed something to lift our spirits. Instead of the genocide museum, which was next on our itinerary, we decided to make a stop at the local orphanage. We bought some rice to donate to the orphanage. This is when we learned that no appointments are necessary. In my western way of thinking, I almost said to Carla, "Do you think we can just show up? Don't we need to make an appointment?" During the entire trip, we have made no appointments, but I guess the trip to the orphanage seemed more important and special to me. When we arrived, the boys were playing volleyball and the girls were in English class. They were learning their ABC's. Meeting the kids and learning about where and how they live was just what we needed to remind us of the good that exists in this world. The orphanage houses 99 children from ages 3 to 18 and all children attend school and learn English and French. Many of the kids have lost their parents due to complications related to AIDS.

Happy, hungry and sleepy, Carla and I rode back into town in our tuk tuk which we rented for the day. After a nap and a yummy chicken coconut curry meal, we attended a concert of traditional Khmer music at a local community center. We topped off the evening with a beer on the Riverfront.

Our Cambodia adventures continue and I am definitely looking forward to Angkor Wat. But for now, we will feast on fresh seafood and will try to make the beach experience a better one. Adios!

Pictures of Choeung Ek Killing Field

Choeung Ek Killing Fields

Cambodia baby!

We made it to Phnom Pehn, or as it's known to Khmers, Psar Toul Tompoung. The Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia. We've only seen the market and our hotel thus far, but we decided to make a cyber stop before dinner. We have been practicing the Khmer language with help from taxi drivers and having fun trying to sound like the locals. Carla and I keep wanting to speak Thai by default, but of course, English is easier. An interesting, but not surprising fact, dollars are used here just as much as the local currency, the Cambodian Riel.

After Phenom Pehn, we will travel to the beach and then visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. I will also try to convince Carla that we take a trip to an orphange and engage in some positive tourism. Carla has been giddy since we booked our flight, but it really didn't hit me until we landed. From what we have seen so far, it is a beautiful country. Very warm, and I don't just mean the weather. We are very excited about Cambodia and traveling together. The last time Carla and I traveled together was in 1999 to Miami. This trip has been long overdue. I am quite happy and grateful that we are enjoying each other's company so much and getting along really well. I guess it is a testiment to our friendship (and possibly our tolerence level. I kid.)

More Cambodia stories to come...stay tuned. Hugs from half way around the world.

Sundays in Bangkok

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. There is something warm, cozy and hopeful about a Sunday. For me, it has always been a day full of possibilities. My perfect Sunday includes sleeping in late or summoning up the motivation for an early work out as I sometimes managed with my friend Laura in DC, catching up with friends over brunch, finding neighborhood stoop sales or visiting the farmer’s market, going for a walk or maybe catching a movie, and settling in with some good music towards the end of the day as I prepare for the upcoming week.

Sundays in Bangkok are wonderful. This last Sunday, Carla and I made our way to her local market to pick up breakfast. The menu included fried and grilled chicken, papaya salad, pork salad, sticky rice, grapefruit, grapes and fresh, homemade passion fruit juice. This may not sound like breakfast, but at 11 am, it was the perfect meal - a Thai market brunch, if you will. After the market we made our way to Carla’s condo and enjoyed our meal poolside with Carli’s friend, Shirley, whom I had met the night before. With music playing in the background, including Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin, and with the perfect amount of shade above, we ate and enjoyed insightful yet light-hearted conversations about life and our dreams. After applying the right amount of sunscreen, we floated the afternoon away on our swimming pool rafts until our bodies told us it was time for a nap.

My first Sunday was very similar, except we spent the day poolside at Lisa’s condo and ended the day with Thai massages. My second Sunday ended with a Flamenco concert at the Thailand Cultural Center. It was a wonderful experience and a last minute decision - the kind of decision one makes on a Sunday that is full of possibilities.

The concert was extraordinary. The dancers were fierce, untouchable, sharp, passionate and strong. They emanated a feeling and energy that let you know they were living their dream, that their exceptional performance was a result of their hard work and love for their craft. Their presentation of each act was like a gift to the audience. And we were grateful. Watching the dancers and feeling the music took both Carla and me back to the time when we danced Flamenco. The performance filled our hearts with wonderful memories and renewed the dormant dreams and possibilities that still exist for us both. It was a thrilling experience and I was grateful to have shared it with my friend in Thailand.

Sundays in Bangkok may be slightly different, but they are just as wonderful, hopeful and full of possibilities.

Ladies night

Thursday nights at Coyote is Ladies Night. Coyote is a chain Mexican restaurant that has venues throughout southern Thailand. Ladies Night at Coyote means bottomless margaritas from 6pm to 8pm. Carla, Lisa and I arrived at 7:00 pm ready for the lime flavored tequila inspiration to begin.

To my surprise, the food was decent. We ordered empanadas, taquitos and fajitas. The empanada filling was delish and tasted like ropa vieja (La Cuchara should visit Coyote). The taquitos were tasty and the fajitas had just the right amount of spice and zest. The best part of the fajitas was the corn tortillas. Yummy corn tortillas on Bangkok, oh my!

After Coyote’s, Lisa went home and Carla and I decided to keep the night going. Cheap Charlie’s was the next stop. At Cheap Charlie’s, all drinks are 70 baht. That’s about $2 a drink, hence the name. It’s a popular place for tourists and expats. An expat, or expatriate, is anyone living in a country where they are not a citizen. On Thursday night, Cheap Charlie’s looked like an expat convention. Carla ran into a couple friends, Carmen from Spain and Lana from Canada. Lana’s Filipino boyfriend plays in a band at The Australian Bar, so from Cheap Charlie’s we headed down the street to the Aussie inspired bar & grill.

As we walked in, the band was playing “Corazon Espinado” by Maná. We couldn’t believe it and took over the dance floor. After Maná, they played Santana, Shakira, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Simon and Garfunkel and many more artists. We ended the night signing and dancing to “Sweat” (A la la la long song). Click here to hear the fun tunes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0M4J849dmA.

The evening was full of good food, great company, cheap drinks and fun music. Other than the wait staff at each venue, and the fact that we were in Bangkok, nothing about the evening was Thai. Since I have arrived, the trend has been to visit expat venues, and although I am not complaining, Carla has promised to take me out to party with the locals. So here’s to future Thai adventures…

Bogotá en Bangkok

Last night's adventure began with dinner at a Colombian/Thai fusion restaurant and ended with the most breathtaking view of Bangkok.

Carla and I had dinner and drinks with a friend at La Cuchara, a cozy Colombian restaurant in the heart of downtown Bangkok. It was a bit surreal sitting in the brightly decorated restaurant with Botero replica paintings hanging on the wall, a drink menu that included mojitos, caipirinhas and pisco sour and salsa playing in the background. We ordered mojitos to start off the evening, which were delicious (I think any Cuban would be proud), and shirmp ceviche and empanadas as appetizers. The ceviche was O.K. and the empanadas were dry and hard. But dinner had yet to arrive so I held out hope that my ropa vieja would be better than the empanadas.

The music was very nostalgic. They played old school cumbia and salsa. I don'tknow who set-up their playlist, but I really felt like I was in a chic Latino restaurant in Chicago or New York. Overall, the atmosphere at La Cuchara was warm, festive and very Latino.

Carla's dinner arrived first...she ordered pork chops in a tomato stew. Her dish was very good, but I couldn't tell if it was Colombian or Thai. The spices they used must have been a fusion of both cuisines. I enjoyed her dish (we split both orders), but every time I took a bite, it took my brain and taste buds a few seconds to decide if I liked it because I couldn't place the flavors.

My ropa vieja was a whole 'nother story. It was not ropa vieja...it was a spicy mixture of onion, whole garlic cloves, red and green peppers and very sparse pieces of shredded beef. I would describe the presentation of the dish as a"fajita gone wrong" (minus the tortillas), but it was still yummy. It has been the spiciest dish I have eaten in Bangkok so far. My lips were still throbbing after dinner from the chile. Both dishes came with white rice and something that resembled yuca and plantanos, except the yuca was sweet and the platanos were bitter. It was still appetizing, but not Colombian and not Thai, which made it an interesting eating experience.

After La Cuchara, we made our way to The Dome at State Tower for drinks on the 63rd floor for a view of the city. I do not have the words to describe how beautiful and breathtaking that experience was. Sixty-three floors above the hustle and bustle that is Bangkok, the view from above is exciting and calming all at once. You feel magical, or at least I did. I have seen beautiful skylines from rooftops in Chicago, DC, New York and Madrid, but nothing beats the 63rd floor rooftop experience in Bangkok. The Dome includes two outdoor bars and an outdoor Mediterranean restaurant. The scene was very European, very chic and hip. I kept telling Carla, "Oh god we're so bright, so Latina!" But we loved it. The Dome experience and the La Cuchara experience were on opposite ends of the spectrum, but they fit perfectly well together on our very Latino and very magical evening in Bangkok.

Some reads on La Cuchara and The Dome

La Cuchara: http://mag.ttoasia.net/la-cuchara-restaurant/

The Dome: http://www.lebua.com/bangkok/dining/

Wanna ride the moto?

Have you received those pictures by email of families of five riding motorbikes? Well, Lisa and I rode three to a bike this past Saturday in the heaviest traffic I have EVER seen in my life. Lisa is Carla's cousin, who has been living in Bangkok for nearly one year. The plan was to meet Carla for dinner, but once I caught sight of the traffic, I was sure we would be late. Then Lisa says, "Wanna ride the moto?"

Cars, buses and trucks were not moving. It was a stand still for miles. Lisa and I decided to jump on a motorbike, and since there was only one available, we jumped on together. There are motorbikes everywhere in Bangkok. They function just like Taxi's and are super cheap. One ride is about 50 cents. The beauty of motorbike drivers is that they weave into and around traffic like nothing I've ever seen before. On a motorbike, you can get around town faster and traffic isn't really a problem. Our driver sped into small openings between cars and buses sometimes calculating whether or not we would fit after we had zoomed into the small crevice. I had nothing to hold on to except for Lisa's knees and I am sure she felt every squeeze as we whirled between traffic. It wasn't so much of a terrifying experience, but a "I can't believe what this crazy driver is doing" experience.

This was my second motorbike adventure. The first was a solo run where I swear the driver exceeded any logical speeding limits for motorbikes. It was fun. I figured, if I could jump off a plane, I can ride on the highway with a crazy little motorbike man.

The locals seemed to enjoy watching Lisa and me, laughing as we rode astride instead of side saddle, which is the way women ride in Bangkok. I had four motorbike adventures this weekend and funny enough, all four drivers seemed conveniently slam on the breaks in such a way that I would slam into them. For the locals and drivers, it seemed like riding astride wasn't the only novelty.

¿Quieres flan con cebolla o ajo?

I made it safely to Bangkok and yes, you read correctly. Carla and I cannot figure out if the Thai flan she purchased for yours truly has onion or garlic mixed in. It looks like bread pudding, has a sweet dark top layer and the middle has specs of either onion or garlic...kinda looks like coconut, but it's not. Last time I came to Thailand I learned that they love their deserts salty/sweet, but this takes the cake. ¿Quieres flan con cebolla o ajo?

Actually, I had a wonderful cebolla experience in Korea. I devoured a delicious scallion and seafood chilli fritta with soy sauce and rice milk almost immediately. SO DELISH!!! The surroundings also made the experience a memorable one. At the center of the outdoor food court was a large woven mat under a tent with small tin tables where people sat and ate their yummy Korean goodies. With my shoes off, I comfortably sat on the mat and enjoyed nearly the entire Korean frittata. And the best part were the locals who seemed amused by this Latina who was eating just like them.

Let the food adventures begin!

Free showers in Seoul!

Hello friends! Yes, that's right, I found a free shower in Seoul. Well, actually, it was at the Incheon airport, but a shower, and a free one at that, is a wonderful discovery. Particularly after a 15 hour flight. I also found a whole floor for travelers with beds, free internet, a spa and all kinds of edible goodies.

The 15 hour flight from Chicago wasn't so bad. The first five hours were uncomfortable, but I think the last ten hours were more bearable once my behind made the proper groove on the seat. After my rest in the wonderful travelers lounge, the free shower and a Dunkin' Donuts coffee, I made my way into Seoul for a self guided tour of downtown and the Gyeongbokgung Palace. It's a holiday today-their version of Thanksgiving- and families are out in full force, which has been really nice to see. I have enjoyed walking around and I have found Seoul to be beautiful, clean and friendly. I have taken pictures which I will post later.

I'm off to Insadong for some shopping and to savor some traditional Korean cuisine. See you in Bangkok!