Hoi Ann with Tav and Jenny

After months of trip anticipation, our Hoi Ann trip with Tav and Jenny finally arrived!   The journey exceeded all expectations and everyone had a great time strolling through the lantern lit streets, savoring the amazing food, exploring temples, and having custom clothes made at the tailor.   In the evenings the streets are closed to motorbikes making the downtown area really pleasant and relaxing to wander around in.

A few friends highly recommended we take advantage of the tailor shops in Hoi Ann and get some clothes made.  

Lookin good at the tailor

We had quite a few amazingly delicious meals during our stay, including a banh mi that was so good it cracked Jeff tooth.  It made for endless hilarious jokes throughout the trip.  Luckily we already had a dentist appointment scheduled for 3 days later and he was able to get it fixed up quickly. 

Lookin really good after the banh mi!

We made our way to My Son temple, a partially ruined Hindu temple complex made from red bricks.

My Son Temple 

Searching the jungle for a missing temple

The trip finale was cooking class where we learned to make pho bo, fresh spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes, and chicken with lemongrass.  Our favorite was the pho of course and we’ve already replicated it at home several times.  Unfortunately our 3 days in Hoi Ann flew by way to quickly, but it was an amazing trip and awesome to experience with friends. 

Making Vietnamese pancakes

Very serious students

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Angkor Wat

Whew it seems like it’s been so long since I’ve updated the blog.  After a year and a half in Jakarta our lives have settled into a routine and we've become mostly accustomed the sights and smells of the big durian.  Cheap massages are a weekly occurrence and we hardly blink an eye when we see 5 people jammed on a motorbike.   A few weeks ago we met up with Tav and Jenny in Hoi Ann, Vietnam.  On our way there we stopped for a visit in Cambodia to see the largest religious complex in the world - Angkor Wat.  Its been very high on our travel list since we moved to Asia, so we were unbelievably excited to finally make it happen.  We were only there for a quick 2 days, but we managed to tour most of the big temple complexes in the area.  

Our first morning we woke up at 4 AM to get a good spot for the sunrise over Angkor Wat temple.  We fought through the Chinese tourist groups and were awestruck as the temple slowly lit up with a beautiful orange and pink sunrise.

Next we walked through the temple and viewed the stunning and intricate carvings and even climbed to the top of the main structure.

It's hard to fathom how much work went into these carvings

Angkor Wat from the outside

This area was completely collapsed when the temple was rediscovered.

After Angkor Wat and a quick breakfast, we walked through a few small temples on the way to the Bayon Temple.  Jeff climbed up this one while I cheered him on safely from the bottom.  Just looking at the picture he took at the top give me vertigo so I’m glad I stayed firmly on the ground.

Bayon is also nicknames the “faces temple” since it has over 200 faces carved throughout.  

Next we walked to Baphuon Temple as the heat started the really ramp up.  At the back of the temple is large reclining buddha.  Can you spot it?

After a lunch nearby we threw in the towel for the first day of temple viewing and opted to cool off at the pool.   Jakarta is pretty warm, but Angkor Wat was scorching and we definitely started feeling woozy from the heat and humidity.  

The next morning we made our way to the Ta Prom or the "jungle temple" where part of Tomb Raider was shot.  Before being rediscovered, all of the temples around Angkor Wat were taken over by the jungle.  Instead of completely restoring the temple, the trees were left to grow through Ta Prom giving you a good idea of how the other temples looked when they were discovered.

Our final temple stop for the day was Banteay Srei or the "pink temple".  This was the smallest temple we saw, but it was extremely intricate and my favorite of the trip.  Instead of sandstone like most of the temples in this area, Banteay Srei was made out of red brick giving it a beautiful pink color.  

Our stay in Cambodia was short and sweet, but exceeded all expectations.  Next on our list is to visit the temples in Myanmar, hopefully someday soon!

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Holidays in America

After 18 months of living in Jakarta, we were long overdue for a visit back to beautiful America.   Nervous about the weather, we dug out our hoodies, slippers, and boots and packed our jumbo suitcases.  We booked the cheapest tickets we could find which included long layovers in Seoul, Korea.  Instead of hanging around the airport we bundled up and headed to Seoul for some sightseeing.

Temple in Seoul

Inside the temple, full of worshippers

Palace in Seoul

Palace guards, yes we were freezing!

After 38 hours of travel, we arrived in Carson City full of Christmas excitement.  We spent a wonderful week catching up with family, meeting our nephew Madden, trying to keep up with Morgan's energy, enjoying Dad's cooking, and reveling in how well stocked all the grocery stores were.  Jeff even made this video!

Take 2 on the slide

Cookie decorating - a family tradition

Our handsome nephew Madden in his Christmas outfit

So fantastic to have grandma there for the holidays

After a week in Carson City, we headed up to Portland to catch up with our besties.  On our first night, we decided to head out to dinner.  We had no clue, but we were in for a huge shock when all of our closest friends were there waiting to surprise us!

Cheers! 

While we were in PDX, we went a little crazy at New Season's, Powell's, Target, Trader Joes, and the Woodburn Outlets.  Jeff ran up the credit card with beer purchases and I considered hiding my Sephora receipt to conceal the evidence.  Our suitcases were bursting by the end of the week and we barely stayed below the 50 lb weight limit!

Jeff and I finally broke our streak of falling asleep before midnight on New Years Eve.  Tav and Jenny hosted a dinner and dance party that included oysters, fondue, cured meats, along with plenty of champagne, wine, beer, and whiskey.  The night ended with a moving group performance of "Wrecking Ball" at 4AM.  Luckily it was caught on camera since I was fast asleep during the live show.

Shuckin' oysters

Fondue dinner party

Our last night in PDX, so much fun! 

See you in July Portland!

More sightseeing in Korea

So much kimchi

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Malabar Tea Estate

Last weekend Jeff and I needed to clear out our lungs with some fresh air so we hit the road for Malabar Tea Estate.  We got an early start to the weekend, leaving Jakarta just after lunch on Friday. Our drive out to Bandung was smooth; it amazes me that we now consider 115 miles in 5 hours to be "making good time".   We arrived before dark, just in time to take in some of the gorgeous scenery and cool crisp air that reminded me of fall back in Oregon.  Our driver got out of the car and instantly bundled up and started shivering from the cold mountain air.  Jeff and I weren't far behind as we realized that 65 F is pretty dang cold when you're used to the mid 90's every day.

Jeff with Pak Karyadi who's trying to stay warm

Our cabin for the weekend

View from our back porch 

Testing out my new lens (thanks Jeff)

Every time we leave Jakarta we're reminded of how beautiful and lush Indonesia is.   The next morning we had leisurely breakfast of nasi goreng (fried rice) and eggs to fuel up for some trekking through the tea fields.  Along the way we passed several schools full of smiling children.  Indonesian children are adorable and always excited to practice their english with a "hello mister" and pose for pictures.

Very enthusiastic!

What a view!

Go America!

Our final stop for the day was the tea factory where we saw the cleaning, drying, grinding, bagging, sampled a few varieties of tea.  

It was a great weekend escape and much needed break from the city.  We've both been feeling a bit homesick so next up we'll be heading home for Christmas to catch up with family and friends.  Here we come America!

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