Tara Travels

Thicker Than Water

2009-06-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

So, I've been pretty quiet since my France trip. My travel every 3 months plan took a bit of a hiatus after the holidays and during snowboarding season and then all of a sudden it was June. I don't know how that happened. I guess my workaholic ways seeped back in when I wasn't looking. Ugh. I blame my father. If only I was the begotten daughter of Rick Steves instead of a kind, successful business man. Then I wouldn't be in this "run your own business" mess. Next time.

Before my year slipped away from me, my plan was to spend more time with my family. I wanted to use my travel time to get back east and somehow bridge the 3000 mile gap between myself and everyone that looks like me. This was partially sparked by my trip home over Christmas where I attended my cousin Craig's wedding. Even though I had to break my "no panty hose" policy set 9 years ago as well as pair my halter dress with boots and a snowboarding jacket, it was a beautiful wedding and well worth the trip. Most importantly, I spent some time with family that I hadn't seen in years. I realized then that blood is thicker than water, genes are stronger then distance and Jameson trumps all.

It was at this wedding that I also learned about the Coleman Family Reunion. Actually, it may have been at this wedding that the Coleman Family Reunion was conceptualized. I don't know, I was talking to Jameson. Regardless, it was to take place during the summer of '09. Details to follow.

And they did.

The next couple of blog posts will detail my general confusion leading up to the reunion and then the reunion itself this weekend. It will all be written in good fun and with love for everyone organizing and attending. I hope that it is taken that way. If it is not, I hope it is read after I am back in California.

A Thousand Words

2008-10-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it back safe and sound. I can't thank my dad enough for planning such an amazing trip and helping me live out my life plan...or I should probably say helping to bring me to life. If you have any desire to travel and need a partner I highly recommend my dad as a companion. He will also make you a Celtic/Yankee savant at no extra charge. As for me, I'm not sure where my next trip will be (Costa Rica maybe? Any takers?) but you can rest assured that Rick Steves will be there.

For those of you that need proof I have uploaded my pictures and you can see them all HERE. For those of you that need proof but are short on time I posted a few below. For those of you who have read my blog, looked at the pictures, and are still trying to waste some time on a Friday afternoon...I'll see you on Facebook.

Eiffel Tower

Rodin Museum

Arc de Triomphe

Versailles

Sainte-Chapelle

Versailles Petit Trianon

Orsay

D-Day Memorial

Mont Saint-Michel

Erin Go Bragh

2008-10-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

One only needs to spend a couple days with my dad to be completely educated as to how the Irish have played key roles in all great things...ever. From the submarine (not the one with screen windows) to color photography, the Irish have had their hands in everything. He didn't mention it specifically but I bet there is a story somewhere of Paddy O'Shea being the first to fashion thin slices from a large loaf of bread. In fact, the only thing greater than being of Irish decent is being of Irish decent AND a New Yorker. Interestingly enough my father is both - the luck of the Irish!

So it made perfect sense that we would end our French vacation in Dinan. Dinan is located in Northeast Brittany. Brittany, and specifically Dinan, is part of the Celtic Nations so the residents identify themselves more with Celtic culture then French. Unfortunately I waited until this last stop to do my present shopping. This will explain the celtic trinity knots that some of you receive as gifts. The funny thing is, the alternatives were scarves and jewelery that were from Thailand. Small world.

Dinan is referenced as a small town but in comparison to where we have been it is a booming metropolis disguised with cobble stone streets. My favorite part was the majority of the buildings had overhanging second floors. Almost like Nags Head beach houses with the barely there lower level mushrooming into a giant house above. Except for the stilts...ok, actually nothing like Nags Head houses...I don't know why I thought of that...whatever, you get it, small first floor, giant second floor. Here's my point - historically they were taxed on the square feet of the ground floor so they built conservatively there and then expanded above. Genius! Clearly the work of great Irish minds. And clearly, based on they lyrical poetry of this past paragraph, the strong Irish mind diminishes with each generation away from the homeland. I need to go back and kiss that Blarney.

I Heart Rick Steves

2008-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to guide books, I've always been a Lonely Planet girl. So I was a bit alarmed when my dad starting talking about this Rick Steves fellow prior to our trip. He spoke of him in such high regard that I started to feel as though I was going to be the third wheel. However, after using his guidebook I take it all back. Rick is thoughtful and realistic. His directions are spot on and he offers practical and economical advice. With Rick's help, my father was able to plan the perfect French adventure. And I have to admit that it was nice leaving everything up to the men for a change!

I'd like to fill you in on a few of the other places that we stayed in France. After leaving Paris we went to a small port town called Honfleur. Honfleur is picturesque to say the least. We were lucky (and by lucky I mean thanks Rick!) enough to land there during the weekend where they have a street market that overtakes the town. I was excited to shop until I realized that cheap French flea market stuff is very similar to cheap American flea market stuff. But I did pick up a few scarves that became a staple of my wardrobe for the remainder of the tip.

Next we headed west and stayed in a working farm house. This was hands down my favorite spot of the trip. Our hosts were warm and welcoming and although we couldn't speak the same language we got along just fine with smiles and giggles. The other guests of the house included a Canadian family and a retired couple from Iowa. We all shared the bond of Rick Steves.

We spent a lot of time talking to the couple from Iowa. At one point we were talking about how great our hosts were and how trusting and wonderful it was for them to open their home to us. I made some comment about how that would never happen in America. The husband corrected me and said that if they came to his town everyone would be very accommodating and would love to host them. I believed him. It's funny how easy it is to give small town America a hard time. Especially during election years where they are painted as ignorant, gun-toting, right-wing conservatives. The fact of the matter is these stereotypical, small town, Marine Corp vet, farmers spend their free time traveling the world and showing gratitude and kindness to everyone they come across. We may not share the same political values but we certianly share the same human values. And chances are they execute them more consistently than I. It hurt a bit to fall off my high horse but it was a necessary reminder. I'm not sure if I can attribute this lesson to Rick as well...but I will anyways - thanks Rick!

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

2008-09-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II memorial and cemetery honoring the American soldiers that died in Europe during the war. It is located in Normandy right on Omaha beach, the site of D-Day. Having grown up in D.C., I have been to countless war memorials and cemeteries. They are all beautiful, sad, and touching. So, although I was looking forward to visiting this memorial I wasn't expecting to be especially taken back. I was wrong.

Although the memorial is dedicated to the etire European fight during WWII the main focus is D-Day. When you first walk into the memorial there is a museum portion that is essentially a history lesson about the planning, execution, and results of D-Day. They have individual stories about soldiers that lost their lives during the invasion complete with letters home and interviews with their wives and children. I was really impressed with how thorough this portion was. They litterally took you through day-by-day, hour-by-hour. All the while there is a woman's voice reading off the names of the soldiers who lost their lives. It leaves a knot in your stomach and a lump in your throat.

After you leave the museum portion you walk out onto Omaha beach. The beach is peaceful and it's beauty rivals any other I have seen. Although you close your eyes and try, it's hard to imagine the battle that took place there June 6, 1944. After you walk across the beach you enter the cemetary portion. This section is reminiscent of Arlington National Cemetary in that it contains bright white tombstones against lush green grass. In this case, however, each tomb is either a cross or a star of david.

As I said before, I have been to memorials before. Even of this size and beauty. However, it was always easy to just be sad. To say, these people shouldn't have died. Whether it's the Holocaust Museum or the Vietnam Memorial, the emotions are pretty cut and dry. But this was different. It was confusing and pulled me in all directions. Am I a fan of war? No. Am I sad these 19 year old boys died? Yes. Did this day play a key role in bringing down Hitler? Yes. Would we have been able to any other way? I don't know. Did the death of these soldiers make the world a better place? I think so. So is it all worth it? Ah, I don't know! It's enough to drive you insane. Or at least me insane.

If you ever find yourself in Normandy set aside a few hours and spend some time here. If you don't find yourself in Normandy, set aside a few minutes to read about D-Day. You'll be glad you did...even if it drives you just a teentsy bit insane.

es mi cumpleaños catorce de noviembre

2008-09-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

If you were to have asked me a week ago if I could speak spanish, I would have said no. I mean, I took it in high school but only seem to have retained the ability to tell people my birthday or ask them where I can find the library. So yes, just the important stuff. However, now every time I open my mouth to attempt French perfectly conjugated Spanish spills out. My dad, on the other hand, practiced level 1 French prior to our trip. He is now anxiously awaiting the opportunity to tell someone that he saw the girl/boy/man/woman running.

Despite our sloppy French and cluelessness everyone has been very accommodating and quite kind. Except for one angry shop owner who wouldn't let us eat our ice cream at his tables (ice cream is French for steamed vegetables). Other than him the general flow goes like this: We attempt French - We Fail at French - We ask if they speak English - They say "a little" - They continue in a use of the language that would make my AP English teacher Mr. Harris proud. Perhaps they have the same insecurity as I do with Spanish. Tomorrow I will ask someone when their birthday is.

Really, the most difficult part of our trip has been locating a US/Europe electricity adaptor. Remember when I said I had 3 jobs? Well, I misspoke. My 4th job was to bring the electricity adapter. I obviously forgot. So the past few days have been spent trying to find one on the French countryside. At first it wasn't that urgent because I only needed to charge my phantom blackberry, but then my camera died followed by my fathers. Now, the race was on.

You have no idea how difficult it is to ask for a US/Europe electricity adapter in broken Fren-Span-Glish. Especially when the "Fren" is limited to "hello," "thank you," and "I saw the girl running." So you are left to hand gestures. I'd like you to turn to your neighbor and ask them, using only hand signals, for a plug...yup, that's what I came up with as well. Awkward. So after offending countless French store owners I resigned myself to the fact that the second half of our trip would be captured only in memories.

That is until I met Eric. Eric is an employee at a Hechinger type store. Hechinger's? What? Do they still exist? Welcome to 2008, Tara. I mean Lowe's or Home Depot. We stopped in there for one last ditch effort. That's where I found the adapter. We had been looking for so long that neither my dad or I believed that it would really work. So I turned to Eric for verification. He poulled out his sword (x-acto knife), opened the package and tested it with my US plug. It worked! I was so excited I grabbed a very alarmed Eric, hugged him, and gave him a big ol US/Europe kiss. No tongue.

King of France vs. King of Pop

2008-09-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so let me bring you up to speed as to where I am. Our time in Paris was a whirlwind. We went to a ton of beautiful churches, the Orsay Museum, the Rodin Museum, Versailles, the Arc de Triumphe, the Eiffel Tower, and Monet's gardens. Here are some highlights:

I'm not sure if I have ever seen a Van Gough in real life. If i have, I wasn't paying attention. His heavy and bold use of paint reaches out from the canvas and grabs you. Amazing.

Versailles is beautiful and ridiculous. It is 7,600 acres of what happens when you have too much time, $, and power. The most shocking part of the trip was that in each 18th century decorated room there was a giant metallic balloon animal. Except for one room that contained a ceramic statue of Michael Jackson and his monkey. I'm serious. Google Jeff Koontz Versailles. I can't imagine that any of the Loui's would be happy about that. Who's bad?

Water lilies are stunning.

Dictators get stuff done. Not to make light of the pain they cause, but between Versailles and the Arc de Triumphe you really can't argue the fact that they are doers. If we could get a temporary moderate green thumbed dictator with a dislike for greedy investment bankers, I really think things would bet cleaned up quickly. Maybe we could even get that Sept. 11th memorial started.

My dad is a fantastic tour guide, but he keeps trying to get me to wear his sweaters. Vests and full sleeved. I don't know if we should pick up some new glasses or if I should lay off the crepes.

Cry Me A River Hunch Back

2008-09-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

The Catholic churches in Paris are no joke. Prior to my day today, St. Patrick's Cathedral was the largest church I had been to. Not even close to what I've seen here.

I'll start with Sainte-Chapelle. This was originally bult to house the crown of thorns and the remains of the holy cross. Unfortunately these were melted down during the French Revolution. Now it is mainly known for it's intricate stained glass. The stained glass windows tell the story of mankind from Genesis through resurrection. So 3000 years in colorful glass. I have to be honest, I didn't read the entire thing but I'm going to assume they got it right.

Next there is Montmartre. The story is that a 4th century bishop (St. Denis) was beheaded by the Romans at Notre Dame. He then picked up his head, put it under his arm, and headed north. He finally collapsed at Montmartre so they built a church. Now to put this in perspective (as if walking with your head is not impressive enough) I traveled a similar distance my first day here. In order to do so I had to put my 30-year-old-yoga-doing-marathon-running-veggie-eating self into a cab. And as far as I know my head was securely fastened the entire way. Whoa Denis!

Finally there is Notre Dame. It is stunning an enormous. You could easily spend days there taking it all in. It makes you want to tell the Hunch Back to quit his whining. He could have been ringing that bell at St. John Neumann's in Herndon, VA and had a whole lot more to complain about than unrequited love. Glass half full buddy.

An American Ninja in Paris

2008-09-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

24 hours later, and still chucking about my threesome, I arrived in Paris. Unfortunately my bag was not with me. Truth be told, I took such a round about trip from San Diego to Paris I would have been shocked if my bag was able to keep up. Plus this was a great opportunity for me to get yet another Delta toiletry kit in lieu of luggage. If anyone wants to borrow one of my Delta Sky Team t-shirts I now have two. Both in a perfect size muumuu.

The other amazing thing was that my dad found me a day late on a completely different flight, with no way of getting in touch. Who said you needed a plan?

So here I am, finally in Paris and it is cold. We're talking coat-scarf-sweater cold. Notice I didn't say flowy-wrapped-thailand-pants cold. Well, unfortunately that's what I was wearing. So my first stop was the pants store.

For such a fashion mecca, there are really no decent clothing stores by our hotel. I came across one that looked promising but upon further investigation they specialized in mom jeans. I'd rather freeze. Ultimately i ended up with charcoal cargo pants. Those, in combination with my black shirt, black jacket, and black chacos leave me appropriately dressed should Jason Bourne need help finding his identity.

Cin City

2008-09-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Bonjour - or "hello," as they say in Cincinnati which is where I spent the first day of my European vacation.

My day started off rather uneventful. I made it to the airport in time, didn't hop onto any random red buses, boarded my plane and was off. Really the only unusual thing was that I was still wearing purple eyeliner from the 80s prom the night before. This was not due to a lack of trying but you would be suprised how hard it is to get that particular shade off. This is the only explanation as to why such an obviously poor fashion trend lasted for so long.

My layover was in Cincinnati and this is where I found out that they had canceled the second half of my flight. What followed was a few hours of confusion and negotiation resulting in a discount voucher for the cheapest hotel they could find (my request), my very own Delta toiletry kit, and me wondering how I was going to spend the next 24 hours in Cincinnati.

Well, the first hour was taken care of because that is how long it took my hotel shuttle (a.k.a. child molester van) to show up. The driver jumped out in a stained white undershirt and told me that he would by happy to take me to the hotel but they had no electricity. Seriously? You want me to jump into your sketchy white van to take me to your molestation den? No. I chose rather to grab the next shuttle that came along.

Unfortunately this shuttle dropped me off at Cincinnati's most expensive hotel. Crap, Crap, Crap...I had such wonderful French plans for that money. Oh well, at this point I just wanted a room and a glass of wine. They couldn't get me in the former right away because their computers were down but they did point me to the bar. I do have to say that there was only a short period of time that I lost my sense of humor about this whole situation. A special thanks to BT and Brittanie for fielding my cranky texts and making me feel better!

This renewed sense of humor came in handy as I finally walked into my hotel room and found an alarmed couple sleeping in my bed. I thought this was absolutely hilarious and was kinda hoping they wanted to call it a day and split the price of the room. They said no, in the same tone I gave the molester van driver (karma - I shouldn't have judged) and asked me to leave in a volume that was entirely unnecessary. I really hope they are now able to see the humor, because from a cheered up, wine filled, purple eyelined perspective it was glorious!

Travel 2: The Electric Boogaloo

2008-09-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time for my next chapter in my 3-month-on-2-week-off life plan. For those of you doing the math it has been a bit less than 3-months-on but in today's internet instant gratification world it's to be expected. This time around my father and I are headed to France!

Originally, the plan was to attend a wedding of a distant 2nd-3rd-cousin-once-removed-by-marriage or whatever the correct Family Tree terminology is. Unfortunately, there was some confusion with the RSVP (or lack there of) so the excuse for my dad and I to take a trip together has changed to simply an excuse to spend some time together. No excuse needed.

As luck would have it my father read my Thailand blog and realized that planning isn't my strong point (or perhaps he has picked up on a thing or two over the past 30 years) and has taken the reigns. So the result is that I have little idea as to where we are going and what we are doing. This time, however, it is not because a plan doesn't exist but rather I have not been involved. Thank goodness.

My only jobs have been to learn French (which I will try to fit in tomorrow), pack (which I will certianly do after I write this blog), and show up for my flight on Sunday (the only obstacle being an 80's prom party on Saturday). I am confident that I will accomplish 2 out of the 3. Assuming that making the flight is one of the two I should be A-OK!

My final goal is one on a personal level. As with most people (I think) my behavior when around my dad stopped developing between the ages of 14 and 18. Unfortunately this was not a high point in my evolution and often results in me acting in ways that I would never deem appropriate towards anyone else in the entire world. Luckily, almost 2 decades later, I can now recognize that it is happening and always apologize immediately (or almost immediately) after the fact. Unfortunately I have not yet mastered how to prevent the ridiculous teenage behavior from happening. So, perhaps I should replace the "So My Dad Knows I'm Still Alive" tag line with "So You Know My Dad Hasn't Killed Me" for this trip!

Along the same lines I have a special note for my dad:

"Thank You For Everything Always"
"I Love You" and
"Gosh, Dad, I can't believe you said that!"

I'm Getting Married!

2008-07-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

To this guy...as soon as he asks:

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

You are all invited! Please bring your passport and dancing shoes.

For those of you that are interested you can find the translation to the song right HERE.

The Long and the Short of It

2008-07-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

So, thanks to Ray, I was able to get my pictures from his camera onto my computer, then onto the internet, and finally out to you. After my last post about the miracle of radio, you can imagine how amazed I was to get the memories from the photograph machine onto the world wide web. Mind blowing.

So, for those of you who want the long version, you can check out all of the pics HERE. I do need to warn you that prior to Brittanie and I taking pictures of ourselves listening to our iPods (kinda makes you want to check out the long version now, eh?) some hooligan kids came by and littered our porch with empty potato chip bags and giant beers. They were obviously not ours. Don't worry, they were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law Brokedown Palace style. The other thing is there really are no pictures of me, we'll have to wait until Brittanie downloads her photograph machine....but if you have seen me after the age of 2 I pretty much look the same.

For those of you that don't want to look at them all, here are some highlights:

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Bo Put, Koh Samui

Angthon National Park

Koh Tao

I Can't Remember Temple, Chiang Mai

Jungle Trek, Chiang Mai

Thai Cooking Class, Chiang Mai

It's a good thing that we didn't meet this guy until the last day or else Brittanie and I would have surely damaged our friendship and each other's faces fighting over him...

Break Dance Not Hearts

2008-07-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, a lot of people have asked me about the favorite part of my trip. The surface answer is obvious: the location and the company. However, when I look deeper and have had a week or so to process it, the real answer is that it validated the direction in which I'm going. I have spent the past 3 years terrified about what I was doing. I quit my career, had absolutely no security, no idea what I was doing, and spent the majority of my nights awake and sweating. Now, here in California, people pay good money to be wrapped up in sheets and made to sweat. I, however, am not one of them...well, that's not entirely true. I do love the spa and have spent some dollars on wraps in my day. But I am losing my focus in an analogy...

The point is, I was (am) scared because the direction I am going does not match anyone else's around me. In fact, when I tell people what I do (teach people how to eat) and how I want live (bi-costal and as free as possible) I get, at best "aww, wouldn't that be nice" and at worst "maybe you should get a real job." I get it, most people get 2 weeks off a year and don't even take it. I sure didn't. Now, I want to do that at least 3 times a year? And on top of that, I don't get a consistent (and by consistent I mean any) paycheck and am solely responsible for the business I bring in and maintain? And wait, isn't there some sort of recession? That's crazy talk!

Well, the fact of the matter my first installment of this life plan was a success. I am re-energized, and in love with my work and my life once again. The world did not fall apart while I was gone (truth be told, a little upsetting). In fact, the only negative thing that did occur was gas prices skyrocketed. I would like to take this time to apologize for that, however I did drive pass the pump today and it seem to be going down. It must have gotten around that I was back in town...or it may have had something to do with the holiday weekend. Believe what you need to.

All kidding aside (don't worry, just for a sec), I hope that this may inspire some of you to sit down and think about what you want and what is important to you - even if it's crazy talk. Just think about the telephone. Nuts! At least those originally had wires. Don't even get me started on the radio - ugh, it makes me want to swat at the waves around my head just thinking about it...how does that work anyways? Point being, you don't really need to know how you are going to get there. Actually, don't even think about it. Just think about what you need to make your life the best it can be. Once that is clear, everything else will fall into place. I promise. For me, it's time. Time to enjoy where I am, time to visit places I've never been, and time to spend with each one of you.

Ok, I'll stop getting all weird and "Secret" on your ass. Back to my favorite part of my trip - it made me realize that the direction that I'm going in is the exact right direction for me right now. I still have no idea where it will lead (how boring would that be) but I am confident that it will be exactly where I need to be.

The other lesson I learned was best articulated on the shirt of an Aussie in Koh Tao:

Break Dance Not Hearts

Truer, words have never been spoken.

Word em up!

All Babies Want to Get Born

2008-06-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

So, I know that I said that I would write from Bangkok. I lied. Well, not so much a lie as a misjudgment of time. Our flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok was delayed so we were able to spend some quality time in the airport. Luckily, it gave us time to figure some important things out. Brittanie had been having stomach problems almost from the get-go in Thailand. We spent the majority of the time brainstorming and blaming it on some weird Thai bacteria strain. Well the truth is that she is lactose intolerant so during a moment of enlightenment (thanks monks) it occurred to Brittanie that maybe having yogurt and cheese on a daily basis wasn't the best idea. If only we had a Nutritionist and/or a Nutrition and Eating Behavior grad student with us to figure this out earlier. We'll make sure to bring them along next time.

It turns out that my flight back was only 14 hours which is dramatically different from 17! I sat next to a nice woman that teaches 5th grade in Bangkok. She said her favorite Bangkok restaurant is Sizzler. I told her that we neglected trying that one out but will be sure to swing by next time. Our conversation was pleasant but I'm pretty sure by the end of the trip she thought I was bipolar. I chose Juno as my first movie and ended up sobbing uncontrollably about half way through. I'm not 100% sure where that came from but I have a sinking suspicion that it had nothing to do with all babies wanting to get born. I kept catching tentative looks from Heather (the teach) wondering what was wrong with the convulsing American. Next I switched it up and watched Step Up 2: The Streets. This is a phenomenal movie about a street smart dancer torn between her electric boogaloo roots and her new Juliard type school. I don't want to ruin it, but her crew wins the dance off and everyone learns a lesson that the love of dancing breaks all socioeconomic boundaries. I got so into it I was literally dancing in my seat (my version of the street). At that point Heather took a sleeping pill and didn't talk to me anymore.

After landing in LA I collected my bag (yay it was there this time!) and headed to pick up my rental car. I saw the Budget shuttle pull up just as I was coming out of the airport so I sprinted after it to catch it. Derrik (the driver) pulled back over so I could jump in. After I caught my breath and had a good look around I realized that I had rented from Hertz. Ugh, stupid confusing American airport transit systems got me again - although this time I could have avoided an awkward situation by reading the side of the bus, the signs inside, Derrik's hat, or his embroidered polo. Luckily he was nice enough to drop me off down the street at Hertz. During our extra time together he said that he was sure he had seen me somewhere before. I went on and on about how this was logistically impossible before I realized this was his version of a pick up line. This is funny because last time I was at LAX on my way to pick up my rental I received a note with a number saying "If you're down with the brown, I'm a fella that likes Vanilla." The two must have been brotha's.

Conjugation Is Overrated

2008-06-27T20:25:00.001-07:00

So I wanted to give you a quick update as to what I've been up to since we last spoke. I'll fill in the details later but here goes:

* Went for a run. I don't know who was more horrified, the Thai people or my atrophied muscles.
* Met some monks.
* Rode an elephant.
* Rode a hand made river raft.
* Finally met some Americans (realized where the 'loud American' comment comes from and yes, we are quite subdued in comparison)
* Had a massage.
* Ate more Italian (seriously, each place is better and better)
* Ate fantastic Indian (twice).
* Don't worry, also ate Thai.
* Got in a fight with a Tuk Tuk driver.
* Went on a night safari.
* Visited some hill tribes and learned about their lives.
* Shot a bow and arrow - I should say rocked that bow and arrow. Who knew I was such a hunter? This is going to conflict with my new vegetarian lifestyle and I will not tell the monks should we chat again.
* Drank about 8 gallons of water.
* Made some friends (names unknown but we were quite close).
* Figured out how I'm going to get from LA to SD (sort of).
* Started to speak using only pronouns and verbs and have become much freer with my conjugation (it is incredibly hard for me to type in these full sentences, I hope it's coming across ok).

That's all I can think of right now. This is my last day here in Chiang Mai so I'm off to do some more exploring and get out of this Internet cafe. I'll write more from Bangkok!

Quiet Americans

2008-06-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

We spent one last day in Boh Put at an adorable guest house called the Red Room. I highly recommend staying here if you ever have the chance. We spent the day laying on the deck, drinking Singha, and talking about how great our lives were. Unfortunately we were brought back to reality by an evening hangover from the Singha and Brittanie had a bout with hives from the sheets. The first step in the Boh Put addiction program is admitting you have a problem. The second step is getting out of there. So we did just that.

Next we flew up to Chiang Mai, which is now my new favorite place. There is a chance that I am transferring my Boh Put addiction but I'm going to go with it. Thailand's motto is "Land of the Smiles" and until this point I thought it was a bit off. In the same vein as "The Garden State." Yes, there are some stunning parts of Jersey and I'm sure there are some very established horticulturists but it always struck me as a bit weird (no disrespect to my friends on the turnpike). It has been the same with Thailand. I have seen smiles, and teeth, and for the most part everyone is pleasant - but it wasn't until Chiang Mai that I truly got behind the whole Smileland thing. Everyone is genuine and kind. And everything is about half as expensive as Koh Samui, which makes me smile.

Last night we went to a Thai cooking class, which was amazing. I am happy to announce that I am now an established Thai chef and I would like to invite you all over for dinner when I return ($12 each). Honestly, the food we cooked was some of the best Thai food that I have ever had and the whole experience was perfect.

We shared our time with a group of Tasmanians, who were hilarious. As with everyone that we have met they were surprised to find out that we are Americans. We get a lot of Canadian and Australian (even from other Aussie's which is weird) guesses and I got an Irish guess at one point. No idea where that came from. When we tell them that we are American they all respond with "You are the quietest Americans that we have ever met!" I take this as a compliment but am also alarmed because I think 'quiet' would be near the end of the adjectives used to describe this duo so I am horrified to imagine who they have come across in the past. Yikes.

Oh, and while I'm talking about American reactions - everyone is so incredibly excited about Obama. They actually don't really bash Bush (at least not as much as Americans) but say that they are excited to stop the "crazy war." Me too. They also love the Eagles and Sean Kingston.

Boh Put Addict

2008-06-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

After what seemed like a month and a half in Boh Put, Brittanie and I decided that it might be nice to see another part of Thailand. So we packed up our things and jumped on a catamaran bound for Koh Tao. Koh Tao is a smaller island about 2 hours north (?) of Koh Samui. It is known for it's diving so I was excited about potentially getting out in the water. However, once we landed, or docked i guess, I was overwhelmed with the amount of people running around trying to get certified. It was reminiscent of a high school parking lot full of kids armed with driver's permits and poor decision making skills. Not to mention about 65% of the people on the island were bandaged up in one way or another. I'm assuming that it was from the coral but I spent the rest of my time there on guard for the ankle, knee, and shoulder eating monster of Koh Tao.

We found a cute little bungalow by the water to stay for the night. It was essentially a tree house but it was clean and had it's own bathroom. Of course I need to emphasize the ROOM portion of bathroom as they lack any sort of partition. It is perfect for multi-tasking and I anticipate with the rise of IBS, this concept catching on soon back home. If you find that your McBreakfast is not agreeing with you during your shower you really just need to sit down. It's Win-Win.

We then ventured down to the beach where we realized that we had landed smack in the middle of a British High School field trip. Hilarious! The drama was very real - full of tears, trips to the doctor (Koh Tao monster), and finding out that "Travis has a brand new Thai boyfriend - that explains so much!"

After an exhausting day of sitting on the beach, warding off monsters, and worrying about Travis' coming out, we did what has become a bit of a habit when looking for comfort - ate Italian. Again, this Italian food was amazing. Although my spinach ravioli will always rank at the top of my list, this was a close second. What made the experience even better was the owner of the restaurant. If she was to go head to head with our Gucci owner my money would be on her. She was single handedly getting people into the restaurant, chilling our wine, optimizing the seating, and keeping her two person weight staff from blowing a gasket because of the amount of people in the restaurant. I attribute it to her magical jean jumper that gave her super hosting powers. Amazing.

The next day we jumped on the first boat back to Boh Put as we could only stand being away for a single day. I am currently looking for a Boh Put twelve step program.

Human Wrangler

2008-06-22T22:43:00.001-07:00

There are two basic reasons that the Thai are geniuses. The first is that they live in Thailand paradise and we live in the suburbs. The second is that they have mastered the art of herding hundreds of people from all around the world so that they arrive at their destination in tact and without hassle.

The system that they have developed involves brightly colored stickers. You talk to one person and tell them where you would like to go. They then do something with the stamping of tickets and the exchange of money (at times yelling is involved) and it results in a sticker that you put on your shirt. Although the sticker is nothing fancy (I had much more impressive ones in my elementary school collection) it holds an extraordinary amount of power. From that point on you will be put on boats and herded into taxi's all based on the colorful sticker.

It's truly genius and if I am ever in a situation where I need to organize and transport hundreds of people I am going to call on this experience. I am also going to have to figure out where my life went wrong because 'human wrangler' sounds like one of the most miserable jobs ever.

Bizzaro Thailand

2008-06-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for not keeping up on my blog. My only excuse is that I feel that my first few days here were spent in a parallel universe. We were running on an average of 3 hours sleep due mainly to early morning flights and late night phone calls with Bank of America begging them to release our hard earned cash money. I was at an Internet cafe after an especially long time without sleep called the Mario cafe. There is a big picture of Mario (as in Super) on the front of the cafe, only he has crazy strung out Charlie Brown eyes (think a period and two parenthesis for each eye). It seemed odd at the time but now I think that it was a good representation of my mental state. Not so much Mario, as I'm pretty sure I have not transformed into an Italian plumber, but the sleepless look. The good news is I am now well rested and have had the most amazing couple of days. I'll summarize below:

After two days in Bangkok, Brittanie and I were set to get the hell out of dodge. We were looking for a little R&R so we booked a flight down to Koh Samui. The only flight available was at 6am but we were anxious to leave. That evening was spent in our hotel room on hold with B of A so by the time everything was wrapped up we were looking at 2 hrs of sleep. Still, we pulled through and made it to the flight. It also happened to be the morning before the Full Moon party, which is a rave in an island (Koh Phangan) neighboring Koh Samui hosting more than 30,000 people. So, needless to say, everyone on our flight was about 21 and wasted. It was reminiscent of the flight from San Diego to Vegas or perhaps the drunk bus in Ocean City depending on your perspective. We landed in Koh Samui and I felt for the first time I was able to exhale. I didn't realize what a toll Bangkok had taken on me and for the first time I felt like I was on vacation.

We made our way to our hotel, which is in a small town called Bo Phut. Bo Phut is absolutely adorable and a bit quieter than other areas of Koh Samui. I was relieved to be in the garden setting and our hotel room was breathtaking. That evening we made our way to a much more happening part of town called Chawang Beach - think the French Quarter meets Key West meets Tijuana. So, yes...a mecca for a younger Tara but a bit overwhelming for an older Mario Tara. We had dinner at a little restaurant called La Taverna and it was perhaps the best Italian I've ever had. I'm still on the look out for a "I went to Thailand and all I got was spinach ravioli" t-shirt. Although everyone told us that the party didn't actually get started until around midnight - and the former Gucci president/restaurant owner (whole other story) did his best to keep us out by pumping us full of lemon cello - we were beat and barely made it to 9pm. Old ladies.

That next day (yesterday I believe) we woke from a good night sleep and it was like we returned from our parallel universe and were whole again. We treated ourselves to a spa day and were determined to act our age that evening. I'm not sure where the time went (it definitely wasn't spent dancing around our hotel to our iPods with one bud each...that would be so weird) but by the time we went out everything was closed. Please refer to my earlier post about Brittanie and Tara time. Oh well, tomorrow we'll master this whole time thing.

Ok, so the last paragraph wasn't actually yesterday it was the day before. Yesterday we finally made it to the beach, which is as breathtaking as any pictures you have seen. I can't wait to share the one's I've taken.

Today, was our best day by far. We scheduled a day tour of Angthong National Park. It is the area of Thailand that inspired the movie The Beach. It was amazing! We kayaked, sailed, and scrambled up a mountain. The scramble was a bit touch-and-go at times (defiantly class 5 at parts, meaning you should have a harness and climbing ropes...which I neglected to tell Brittanie as she was heroically overcoming her fear of heights) but the view from the top was amazing and well worth it.

Tomorrow we head to Koh Tao for a few nights and then up to Chiang Mai. I know...it almost sounds like a plan! From what I understand Koh Tao doesn't have consistent electricity in the part where we are staying so I'm not sure if I will have Internet access. But I will do my best to update you more often and keep it a bit shorter than this last novel.

I love and miss you all!

t.

New Profession: Bangkok Map Maker

2008-06-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

My feelings about Bangkok is it is essentially like any other big city. It has evidence of man's greatest accomplishments as well as his greatest failures - all within one city, on one block, and sometimes within one person. The most obvious difference is that the taxi drivers appear to have never been to Bangkok and therefore have no idea where to go.

After paying our respects to the Emerald Buddha we set out on an adventure to find the top rated vegetarian restaurant in Bangkok. On a side note, Thailand is very anti-veg in general. This is unfortunate because Brittanie is a vegetarian and I am a bit afraid of Thai meat. Thai lady-boys - not a problem, 80 mph tuk tuk rides - a-ok, but for some reason I can't bring myself to order the pad thai with chicken. So yes, I am currently a coffee drinking vegetarian. Who knew?

Ok, back to the taxi issue at hand. We left the temple and were promptly rejected from two taxi's. Soon we found one that would take us but after a short ride he apologetically booted us from his cab. Next we spoke to a tuk tuk driver who said no but passed us along to his friend. This man was glorious. Although he also had no idea where to take us at least he tried and got us in the general vicinity of the restaurant (and when I say restaurant I mean sketchy place on the street with unidentifiable food that tasted delicious after a little coaching on both our parts).

I'm being a little hard on the public transport guys as the main problem is not the drivers, but rather that each map we have is completely different and in no way correlates to the actual signage on the road. So, my plan is to leave the nutrition biz and create my map-making millions in Bangkok. Unfortunately these millions are probably in bhat which means a couple hundred US dollars....back to the drawing board.

Eyelids 1 - Body 0

2008-06-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that as I write this I am no longer in my pj's! My bag was returned to me safe and sound and today I have been basking in such luxuries as clean underwear and deodorant. However, in my opinion that was not the most impressive part of the day.

For those of you that have ever experienced Brittanie and I together you will know that time is not our strength. When apart we seem to be fully functioning members of society and able to be on time and in some cases early. However, when together we lose this basic ability and get very little accomplished. This has been demonstrated by not being able to make it to the San Diego zoo before 5:30pm (closed) or trying to eat lunch at restaurants everyday at 3pm (also closed). Today, however, we miraculously made it to the Emerald Buddha before it was shut down for the day!

I wish I could share the pictures that I have taken so far but I can't figure out how to get them off of my camera. Don't worry, I'll send a link when I'm back because who doesn't love looking at 1000 pictures of someone else's vacation? In the meantime please take my word that the entire grounds were stunning - both grandiose and intricate.

I also have many more details to share about Bangkok, taxi's, and a soggy quest for vegetarian food. Unfortunately my eyelids have waged a war against the rest of my body. Although they were originally supportive of running on caffeine and adrenaline this is no longer the case (on a related note I now drink coffee). So I'm off to curl up by the pool of our hotel... and to the eyelids go the spoils.

Oh, and in case you were wondering we made it out of the Grand Palace around 3:30 pm...just in time for lunch!

Don't Have A Cow Man

2008-06-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Bangkok safe and sound...but not without many a hiccup....

It started out with me going to the wrong terminal in San Diego. They told me to just jump on the red bus and it will take me to the correct terminal. So I went outside and there was a red bus ready and waiting. Unfortunately there is a difference between THE red bus and A red bus. A red bus takes you to downtown San Diego and THE red bus takes you to the next terminal. Luckily I didn't get too far before I realized the mistake or else I would have inadvertently traded my Thailand vacation for the Gaslamp. I had no idea that San Diego was such a single color town.

Next my flight was delayed so I almost missed my connecting flight in LA. But a very nice young man escorted me to the front of the line so I was right on time for my flight. Thanks guy! This, however, will prove to be a bit of an issue later on...

After an uneventful 18 hours of sitting I arrived in Bangkok. Even though I didn't sleep much (I also didn't pretend to be an 80's rocker or read my Thailand book...I have no idea what I actually did accomplish during that day) I was excited and energized to finally be in Bangkok! However, I soon found out that they didn't show my luggage the same special treatment in LA and my bag was nowhere to be found.

The luggage lady (I'm sure she has a much more official title) kept me there for a while because there was a "contender" that may be my bag. I took that to mean that there was a fighting chance that my luggage was here with me all along! Unfortunately she actually was saying "container" and it turns out what that really means is they have no idea what is going on and they would like me to leave while they figure it out. So I told the luggage lady where I was staying and she said that they would send the bag to me when it gets here. Suprisingly I was not stressed at all that everything I packed was missing. I know that it will get here at some point and until then I will be sporting my pj's around the city.

So off to my hotel. I spent the majority of the bus ride in a daze but luckily looked up just as we were passing my hotel! There is no way that I would have found it otherwise. Lindy gave me a great recommendation and the hotel is simple, clean, and safe. I've spent the majority of the morning exploring the local area, eating delicious food with unknown ingredients, and assuring the tuk tuk drivers that I in fact do not want to take a tour to the Great Buddha.

I've also done quite a bit of window shopping just in case I do have to replenish my wardrobe. I'm in the very touristy part of town so there are a ton of options out there that essentially look like my clothes but are a fraction of the price. I had no idea I was so internationally trendy - or perhaps stereotypical:) I also saw a Bart Simpson "Don't Have a Cow Man" shirt that I almost bought. Both because it's Bart Simpson and because I think that is an excellent theme for the past 30 hours of my life. If I hadn't taken that philosophy I would surely have a whole herd by now.

So to recap - got lost in my home town, lost 18 hours of my life, then lost everything I brought with me, am sweating through my pj's, oh...and I just walked through new fresh paint and tracked it all over Bangkok! But I am still having so much fun and can't imagine it any other way!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Where I Am

2008-06-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so saying this is a blog about who I am, where I've been, and where I am going is a bit ambitious and entirely inaccurate.

Who I am (still figuring that out)
Where I've been (who cares)
Where I am going (no idea - if you have an inkling please let me know)

Instead this has more to do with where I am. Currently I am heading to Thailand. I am piggybacking on a good friend's summer adventure. It is the first installment of my new life plan where I work like crazy for 3 months and travel carefree for 2 weeks. Perhaps someday I will figure out how to do the inverse. Baby steps. As for the next installment, that falls into the where I'm going category so I'll have to keep you updated.

Ok, back to Thailand. Currently my plan is to fly into Bangkok, meet up with Brittanie, play for two weeks, fly out of Bangkok. I have a book and printed out e-mails with tips from wonderful friends. I plan on actually reading these things on my flight - unless, of course, I spend the time listening to my iPod and imagining that I am part of some 80's glam rock band. Hopefully I can do both.

So that's it. All I got for now. But I plan on taking advantage of the world portion of the wide web and keeping you updated as to where I am.

Right now I am in my bed, I am ridiculously excited, and I am going to have a blast.

love to you all,
t.

Thank You Ms. Seat 24C

2008-06-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

So, a number of years ago I found myself on a plane talking to a fascinating woman about who she was, where she had been, and where she was going. She shared some details of her life and then handed me a piece of paper with the address to her blog. I had no idea what that meant. This is not surprising because I was well into college before I realized that the internet was capable of much more than just e-mailing gossip to my friend sitting next to me. Needless to say I found the blog interaction creepy and threw away the piece of paper the first chance I got.

Apparently the whole internet thing took off and here I am today starting my own blog about who I am, where I've been, and where I'm going. So I'd like to take this chance to say thank you to Ms. Seat 24C. I'm sorry I thought you were creepy.