Posts Tagged south east asia travel

Success!

Dec 28

Posted by Liza in Cambodia, Orphanage, Phnom Penh | No Comments

Just wanted to let you all know we’ve reached our goal of raising $1200 to provide a full-time English teacher at the orphanage for a year!

Thank you to everyone who donated. It is amazing to me to see even families who are struggling financially reach into their pockets to help those less fortunate.

I will email everyone who contributed a copy of the wire transfer receipt (your portion may be tax deductible-ask your accountant) and keep you updated on the progress of the project.

My heart is full of gratitude!

Quote for the day:

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. ~Mother Theresa

Tags: Cambodia, cambodian orpahnage, fundraising, south east asia travel, volunteer abroad

Sisters unite

Dec 19

Posted by Liza in Bangkok, Cher, Chiang Mai, Thailand | 1 Comment

What a great sight to see my sister in BKK airport. I was very impressed at how light she packed. Nice work sister.

Mindnumbing shopping in BKK

Koh Phi-Phi was absolutely beautiful, hence double the price (and sometimes triple) of the rest of Thailand. On our second day there we went on a full day snorkeling trip around the islands. The coral and the fish were impressive and the landscape unreal. Our first excitement of the day was on monkey island when two monkeys ‘attacked’ Cher. I saved her life (hee-hee) by swatting them with my snorkel fins. Then as she swam from the beach to the boat she was nibbled on by a couple fish. At our next snorkel spot, she was stung on her lip by a jellyfish. We got back on the boat and the pain kept getting worse and worse, so we ended up leaving early to get to the Pharmacist. Long story short, the pain was increasing and after 6 hours we decided to go to the hospital for some pain meds so she could sleep. 30 minutes and $30 later we were in bed, and the next day she felt a lot better, and 100% the day after that. Cher is a tasty little morsel…

We were the Goldilocks of Phi-Phi as we moved hotels each night and finally found one that was “just right” our last night there. Our cute little bungalo at the Viking Resort had an outside shower and a lovely spacious patio with sun chair and hammock overlooking the ocean. We

B.J. = Before Jellyfish

didn’t want to leave.

Chiang Mai has been awesome- meeting lots of friendly locals, cute little restaurants and bars, sparkly wats (temples) and a shopping extravaganza (in BKK too…). And massage every day. Love-it!

Heading to Pai again tomorrow to rent scooters and tool around the mountains. Wish us luck.

P1030917

Our snorkel boat

Temple bells

Tags: Koh Phi-Phi, south east asia travel, Thailand

I heart Cambodia

Nov 30

Posted by Liza in Cambodia, Orphanage, Phnom Penh | 2 Comments

Another amazing week

My afternoon kids

with the kids! One day we talked about colors and the verb “to want”. I had a bag of balloons and we took turns asking “Do you want a yellow balloon?” They would reply with “Yes, I want a yellow balloon” or “No, I want a blue balloon”. I love to see how excited they get about small things like that and just the enthusiasm and

My morning group

silliness of kids in general. It’s unfortunate to realize that there isn’t a whole lot of consistency to their English studies- when a new teacher comes in, there is no guidelines to what needs to be done next, what the kids know already- no sort of organization. I wish I could’ve been there longer to help come up P1030196 with some sort of system. Maybe next time…

On my last day we played games- “What time is it Mr. Fox”, limbo, duck-duck-goose and sang songs. They love to sing! I went to the gas station and bought popsicles for everyone which was exciting.

The kids love seeing pictures and videos of themselves. We spend many hours taking photos and videos on my camera, looking at the pictures. Often they would take off with my camera to take pictures and would come back with all sorts of funny pictures. I keep trying to upload a vidoe of them, but it doesn’t seem to be working…

A new volunteer came in that week and she has initiated getting some of the kids medical attention. She was actually able to get a doctor to come into the center and check P1030230 out the kids who were having some issues and get treatment for different things as well as HIV tests. I gave her $100 because she was paying for everything out of her pocket. I also gave the center $80 to finish the 2 new bathrooms they just built- to make doors and add plumbing to run water to the

New bathroom!

bathrooms. They were very appreciative. My mom, sister and my friends Margaret and Lynne have offered donations and I will be arranging supplies like tooth brush/paste, detergent, rice, etc… for the center. Thank you for your support!

One of the babies had an abcess on his bottom that had to be lanced and the doctor had to clean it out the next day because of course it had gotten infected. Later he was in the babies room just crying by himself (as he often is) and I was able to pick him up and calm him down. I cuddled him for about an hour, him leaning forward on my chest so as not to have to sit on his tender bottom and even got him laughing at one point. It is so tragic to me that a little one like that who is in pain doesn’t have a mama to baby him when he’s sick. I wish I could’ve stayed another week just to take care of the little guy.

It was tough to say goodbye to everyone, but I am so thankful for the experience. I hope to be able to do it again for a longer period of time someday. I hope to do some similar work in the States as there is a huge need there as well for community development and support for the poor.

Until next time,

Love, Liza

Love the nose crinkle

Tags: Cambodia, cambodian orpahnage, south east asia travel, volunteer abroad

The Children and Poor Communities Development Organization

Nov 23

Posted by Liza in Cambodia, Orphanage, Phnom Penh | 1 Comment

Wow. Ok. Where do I start?

CPCDO

I made it to Phnom Penh safely and have just started my second week at the orphanage. Let me just say these kids are AMAZING. The first day I walked in the gate 3 little ones ran up with hellos and hugs which was so cute made me feel so welcomed.

The baby room

There are 71 kids at CPCDO ranging from about 4 months to 17 years old. Typically I teach English to a young group for an hour, then an hour to an older group in the morning, play for an hour, then a 2 hour lunch break, and then I repeat the same in the afternoon with a

Lunch time

different group of kids. It’s funny as I didn’t get any guidance really- on my first day they said, “here you go, now teach some English!” But it’s great cuz you could do just about anything and the kids are happy- they’re very eager to learn English and just love the interaction. We

New toys!

talked about body parts one day and we ended class by doing the hokey-pokie. They had never done it before and thought it was hilarious- “…you put your nose in and you shake it all about…”

Their living conditions are hard to see. They only have 2 toilets for all of them (although they’re in the process of building 2 more); the kids sleep on wooden bunk beds with no mattress or padding; the building isn’t fully enclosed, so when it rains hard the whole place floods; many of the kids wear the same dirty clothes days on end; there is no soap for them to wash their hands; no diapers so the babies run/crawl around without bottoms and wee/poo wherever they are; and on and on… It was a bit disturbing at first, but I’m starting to realize that these are living conditions for many of the population here in Cambodia anyways, not just the orphans.

I have 2 especially special little boys there who I really want to take home

My boys

with me. One is probably about 1 and the other about 3 or 4 years old. They follow me around everywhere and want me to hold them all the time. When I have to put one of them down to go to the bathroom, they will usually stand there and cry at the door till I come back out. It is one of the most incredible feelings to walk in in the morning and watch their faces light up and raise their arms to me to pick them up. It brings tears to my eyes to think about having to leave them at the end of the week.

I’ve taught them duck-duck-goose, some “Sound of Music” songs (Do, a deer a female dear… and, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…) and they really seem to love playing hangman. The stickers, books (thanks Margaret & Anita!), balloons, crayons, coloring books and bouncy-balls have been a big hit! I also bought some new school books with the money some of you donated already!

I feel very lucky to be here and definitely feel this has been the most intense, challenging experience so far, but of course the most eye-opening and fulfilling. I had my first wave of homesickness after my first day, but am feeling better now. I have to say though, as much as I’m enjoying my travels, I will be happy to come home! Although my tune might change when I’m bumming around the Vietnam beaches!

>See all my pictures from CPCDO on snapfish
>See some videos of the kids at CPCDO on youtube

More to come!

PS- If anyone is interested in donating to the orphanage, please contact me. I can arrange to get the money to them or arrange to buy supplies with the money (bikes, extra food, school supplies, etc…).

Love, Liza

P1030124

Tags: Cambodia, cambodian orpahnage, south east asia travel, volunteer abroad

I love it.

Nov 11

Posted by Liza in Chiang Mai, Thailand | 1 Comment

My newly famous Tom Kha Kai soup

I know you want a bite

Oh what a lovely few days it has been! On our last day in Chiang Mai Lalainia and I took a cooking class (highly recommended). Our teacher had a great sense of humor. First she took us to a local outdoor market to talk to us about the traditional ingredients they use in Thailand. Such a beautiful sight of colors and a variety of “interesting” smells- I think fish sauce may be my new kitchen staple even though it smells quite rank! After that we went to her lovely outdoor kitchen under a 200 year old Bodhi tree. There was a Dutch couple with us as well that were a lot of fun. We learned how to cook Tom Kha Kai (my new favorite), green curry, pad thai and some stir fried veggies. I’ve fallen in love with lemon grass and lime leaves. I’ll have to show off my new skills when get home.

A peek at a Lisu Hill Tribe Village

The next day Lalainia headed off to Laos and I jumped on a bus up to Pai. On the bus I met an American man who pointed out he and his Lisu wife’s listing in Lonely Planet for a home stay in Soppong within a traditional Lisu hill tribe village. The hour bus ride from Pai up to Soppong from Pai was insanely beautiful. Imagine lush, dense forested mountains with fields of rice paddies as the sun sets. Amazing. We arrived in time for dinner which (like most my meals there) consisted of some liver and intestines maybe, cooked up with some veggies, rice and a veggie dish. Pretty tasty actually… We (the couple, the wife’s son, his wife and baby) ate together in their outdoor kitchen on a table low to the floor sitting on little stools. Baby was sleeping on mom’s back with a baby carrier of a long piece of fabric. It’s great to see the moms and grandmas strap the little ones on and go about their daily business! I didn’t sleep well that night as the roosters began crowing at 1am. I also got bit by a bug in my bed and when I got out of bed (and out of my mosquito net) I saw a spider the size of my palm hanging out in the corner. Long story short, after a few minutes of biting my nails trying to figure out what to do, I killed it, after, of course, I let out a ‘lil scream. Anyhow, the next day we went for a walk through the village and had some fruit and tea for breakfast. Did some yoga, meditation, then had lunch. After that we walked up to the fields where they were harvesting kidney beans- I got to see the rice fields, corn, ginger, beans… They work very hard. It was a lovely experience till the American guy made a pass at me and I decided it was time to go! So even though the experience was great, I would not recommend this particular one…

Pai hot springs

Scooterin' around Pai. Harvesting

So I went back to Pai, found a place to stay and made friends with a lovely group of single travels from across the globe. We rented scooters and rode up to the hot springs. The ride was sooo much fun- I’ve never driven a scooter before and the landscape was again, breath taking. On the way back down we stopped at a Wat to watch the sun set. We had a family style dinner at our “Family House” guest house that has the most amazing food- green curry, massaman, panang curry and tom kha kai soup- yum! The next day as everyone was hung over, I rode by myself up to a waterfall and hiked around there and took a dip in the water. Then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring on my scooter. Seriously one of the highlights of my trip so far!

Now I’m in Cambodia and will be exploring Angkor Wat this week. Stay posted…

Scootering around Pai. What kind of cow is this anyhow?

Tags: Cooking class, Lisu Hill Tribe, Pai, Soppong, south east asia travel, Thailand

Hello Chiang Mai!

Nov 3

Posted by Liza in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Sorry about the sideways photos- before I upload them they’re correct and I can’t figure out how to flop it around on wordpress. I also don’t have the time to make the lay out look all pretty…

As difficult as it was to say goodbye to our island and all my lovely yoginis, I have to say I was excited to move on to a

Haad Tien

new place. It just so happens that our arrival to Chiang Mai coincided with Loy Krathong. Last night was the full moon, therefore the biggest night of celebration and we were absolutely amazed by the festivities.

Imagine hundreds in the sky!

Floating flowers down the river

People release hundreds of lanterns into the sky- it is an awe-inspiring sight. It reminded me of a mix between a bright sky full of stars and looking up through a school of jelly fish. Both Lalainia and I sent on up to the sky- I sent one up to my dad. They also send little flower floats with incense and candles down the river. And light fireworks off like crazy- there were a few times Lalainia and I were walking down the street and had to duck and cover as people were lighting them off from the sidewalks.

Little monk sending a sky lantern up

Today we went on a little adventure visiting an orchid farm, 2 waterfalls, white water rafting, elephant riding, visiting a

Hello beautiful

hill tribe and on a little bamboo boat ride where I got a nice hickey from a leach. Yummy. It was a lovely day although it felt like a watered down tourist attraction, but it was nice to check out the jungle. The elephants were the highlight for sure. They are so elegant and graceful. I wish I could buy a jungle and let them retire. Its hard to see them man handled and chained up. I hope to visit the Elephant Conservatory when Cher is here- they are a rescue operation, rather than a tourist show and I know that’s where my dollars should be going instead.

Sweet ele

Things here are much cheaper than they were on the island. Massages are $7 dollars- my goal is to get one a day, so I’d better get on it cuz I haven’t gotton one yet today and it’s 7:30pm…

Love love love,

Tags: loi kathong, south east asia travel, Thailand

Yoga mama

Oct 25

Posted by Liza in Koh Phagnan, Thailand, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

We started our week with a 5-elements asana class on the beach Sunday

Yoga at sunrise

morning just as the sun was coming up. I had never heard of 5-elements asana before- it has a Tai Chi feel to it and you focus more on the energetic body than the physical and play with the different qualities of the elements (earth, water…). It was just beautiful and an amazing way to start the day.

We also learned about candle gazing this week- meditation using a candle flame. Making sure the

My lovely flower candles

candle flame is very still, you gaze into the candle as long as you can, then when you feel you need to blink, you close the eyes and meditate on the images that might appear- repeating for about 10 minutes. A very calming yet powerful technique.

It was great to have this weekend off. Friday night we went over to the other beach to get a room so that we

Yes please

could get some sleep because at the Sanctuary there is a bar that bumps techno music till 9am. We did get woken up in the middle of the night by the loudest (and closest) thunder I’ve ever heard. Sounded like a bomb going off- pretty crazy. The next morning we were on the beach by 8:30 soaking up the sun, eating and playing beach volleyball. Really nice to have some time off and really enjoy our surroundings. On the way to lunch we had to walk over this rickety bridge- definitely a lesson in trust and surrender. The planks are loose and wide apart in some places- I went to hold on to one of the hand rails and it just crumpled below into the water. Yikes.

Questionable safety standards

This morning we slept in till 7:30 (yee-ha!) and then went to a pilates class. I thought it was supposed to be yoga, so it was a bit unexpected, but made me think of my sis and Jen. Hi-ya ladies!

I just booked my ticket to Chiang Mai. I’ve decided not to do the Thai

Mr. Snake

massage course because it cuts into my free travel time and it would be a lot to go from the teacher training, to massage training to the orphanage. I plan to do some cooking classes, get lots of massages, go on a trek and see some elephants!

Love,
Liza

Tags: south east asia travel, Thailand, Yoga Teacher Training

Finished our first week of training

Oct 9

Posted by Liza in Koh Phagnan, Thailand | 3 Comments

Woo-wee, uploading and posting pictures takes FOREVER! Internet is a little overpriced here at the Sanctuary as well. But, I will do it for the love of my people! (that’s you)

Our yoga shala

We just finished 18 hours of anatomy (sitting on the floor the whole way through- I think my back is the strongest it has ever been), so it was nice to get into asanas to be able to move around during class. Corrections and adjustments were fun to practice on each other. I’m doing the most meditation I’ve ever done and its wonderful but also makes me realize how much work there is to do! How the mind likes to wander…

I feel like Snow White around here- frogs in the kitchen, a bat hanging over my bed (one again, so happy about my mosquito net), spider skeletons, roosters, lizards in our house that hang in the rafters and drop the seeds of the fruit they’re eating onto our floors. One of the local dogs (we named her Bella) like to hang with us in class. Oh and kitties, kitties everywhere.

Down dog over dog

Learning assists & corrections

We’re excited to have some time off this weekend to check out the neighboring island of Koh Tao. We hear the snorkeling is great and I hope to get a massage and study for our anatomy test on the beach…

One of the women doing the training brought her 8 month old, Jack. It’s interesting to see that the local men love babies and waiters will just come up to you at dinner and scoop him up and cuddle and coo at him.

Sending love,

Mr. Jack

Errands in Had Rin w/ Marisa & Jenna

: Our transportation

Tags: south east asia travel, Thailand, Yoga Teacher Training

I made it!

Oct 4

Posted by Liza in Bangkok, Thailand | No Comments

Saying goodbye

The flights over were quite nice- I had the entire row to myself from Seattle to Tokyo so that I could lay down. Food, drinks, movies and reading- it’s like a little vacation in itself. The uninturruped Ambien sleep was a treat as well…

I intended to meet up with a woman from my teacher training at the Bangkok airport but we couldn’t find eachother so I took a cab to our hostel to meet there. My non-English speaking cab driver wanted to drop me on the street when he couldn’t find exactly where the hostel was so we had to work through that being it was 1:30 in the morning and all. Our hostel was super cute and clean.

The next morning we walked around the city for a little shopping and eating snacks from the street vendors. A little afternoon nap was in order as well. In the evening we met up with Beau, a Thai woman who lived in Colorado for a while who knew my friend Lorell, for a wonderful authentic family style Thai dinner. She was so sweet and happy to tell us all we needed to know about Bangkok. I hope to meet up with her again when my sister arrives.

On the beach just before sunrise

The next morning we caught a flight to Koh Samui, then a ferry to Koh Phagnan (Had Rin beach), then a little boat over to Had Tien beach where the Sanctuary is. It is so unbelieveably beautiful here, I almost can’t believe I’m really here.

So far the yoga training has been great. The 29 women doing the training are all lovely; we practice in a studio overlooking the forrest; amazing vegetarian food, smoothies and fresh juices at the main resturant; teal ocean water the

Shopping in Bangkok

temperature of bath water with the softest, whitest sand- just incredible.

Im on a lunch break right now and there is so much more I want to add- sorry for the hurried post, but I’ve got to go!

PS- I just had a fresh blueberry, strawberry, peanutbutter and flaxseed shake for lunch.

Welcome to The Sancutary

Tags: south east asia travel, Thailand, Yoga Teacher Training

Intention

Sep 25

Posted by Liza in General Travel | 3 Comments

My beautiful friend Caroline had the good advice of taking some time to think about the intentions for my travels. I think sometimes we believe that just getting away from our normal life will be all it takes to get a new perspective. The distractions, although different and perhaps much more colorful, are still there and I don’t want to find myself at the end of a whirlwind trip wondering what I learned.

As many of you know I like to stay busy, wether its working at one of my 7 jobs (yes, this summer at one point I had 7 jobs) or spending time with friends and family. While I used to get a bit overwhelmed by it, I’ve realized I do it to myself, so I must like it that way.

I hope this trip can be a time for me to really slow things down- find out how I really want my life to be. I want to be more aware of my surroundings, more present in my mind and body and just more mindful and gracious of everything around me.

I would also love it if I could create a more clear vision of what I want in my life so I can start making it happen. And yes, I’m sure I’m the first late-twenty-something to go to Thailand with that hope in mind (ha).

There’s a lot more to this post than this, but I just deleted it because I think the rest is probably best kept safely in my journal. After all, we just met.

Check out this Isle of View insight card I pulled a few weeks ago that brought a smile:

LUCID
Listen Until Clarity Illuminates Destiny

“When we have clarity, we can see clearly. It pays big dividends to slow down and gather ourselves. When we are quiet, we become centered and in balance. With silence, clarity will arrise and shed light on our situation, as well as, the big picture. If you let it flower, it will give your vision power. Let it flow until you know. When you let it be, you start to see.”

Yes. That’s it.

Tags: south east asia travel

Come away with me…

Liza's Travel Blog – Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam

Posts Tagged south east asia travel

Success!

Sisters unite

I heart Cambodia

The Children and Poor Communities Development Organization

I love it.

Hello Chiang Mai!

Yoga mama

Finished our first week of training

I made it!

Intention

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