Seattle Love

Hey Seattle, I love you! I realized that I never wrote about my former-home city. When this lil blog was born three and a half years ago, I was focusing on TRAVEL and my transition to Myanmar. Seattle did get an honorary mention as my road trip and travels began, but I think she deserves her own post; don't you?

As part of my USA visit, I booked two weeks in Seattle (note to self, and friends, please remind me, next visit should be 3+) at the beginning of December. No, that's not the most beautiful weather time to visit, but my friends look just as good in the gray. ;) When the clouds finally parted, as we descended, this was my first glimpse.

Seattle, impressive rain or shine

The first week I stayed at R's lovely home, visited a lot with Y and hit up some favorite spots. Araya's is an old favorite vegan Thai restaurant. My first meal in Seattle was at their Madison valley location; they had one restaurant when I first moved to Seattle (U-District), now they have three!

At Araya's with J, yes, I visited more than once. ;)

One of my favorite things about Seattle is the live music scene. It's also one of my most-missed aspects of living abroad. Seattle has small, medium and giant-sized music venues and there is something interesting happening every single night of the week. While living in Seattle I saw plenty of shows at the Paramount and I was amazed to see that another old favorite, the Pixies, had decided to visit Seattle on their tour at the same time as me. I managed to get a ticket to the sold-out show and they rocked as much as always. La la, love them!

A familiar landmark

As amazing as ever

Plum Bistro is an all-vegan restaurant on Capitol Hill. It's a cute, but tiny spot and they don't take reservations. Their mac n yease recipe is an experience (to die for!) and everything on the menu is delicious, whether you have dietary restrictions or not.

R and I visit Plum

It's an interesting experience to be in the states without a car. I spent a lot of money on taxis, Lyfts, Ubers, walked and got back into the bus system. I enjoy not having to own a vehicle, but that's something that is a lot harder to manage if you live in the US.

Waiting for my bus

In my first week, I also visited my beloved Eastside Prep. It has expanded and the physical layout and campus have changed a lot! Still, after visiting with former students, administrators and teachers, I would say that the soul of the place hasn't changed. Teachers: if you want to work in Seattle, apply here! Parents: if you want your kids to learn and grow in a supportive yet encouraged-to-stretch environment, apply here!

Another very vegetarian, vegan and gluten free friendly restaurant is Cafe Flora in Madison Valley. I love their tofu scrambles and coffee in the morning. Gosh, it's easy to have dietary restrictions and live in Seattle.

R, Y and I caffeinate and prepare for the day at Flora

After a week in the city I was whisked a little farther north for a couple of days to reunite with A and A (elementary school friends!). We chatted, chatted, joked and chatted one morning at the Skagit Valley Co-op in Mt. Vernon. They have a great natural market and lots of deli dishes too. My favorite was the turmeric almond milk latte.

Two old friends and one very new one.

My second week began back in Seattle, but West Seattle this time. Have I mentioned all the sunny days that Seattle shined on me? Maybe she was trying to woo me back... Too bad, during my stay here I signed a contract with would pull me south. 

Seattle skyline from West Seattle

I had my very own room at J and M's, J graciously let me use her car to attend Yoga training in Redmond at Sattva Yoga (I'm very close to finishing my 500-hour cert!), M made the best popcorn, J made the best vegan chilli, Bowie is the cuddliest kitty-company and J and I even had time to do a little touristing, too.

I was in town just in time for a show at the Skylark, featuring many friends and former colleagues playing their music.

One Sunday morning there was a reunion at A and V's new place in West Seattle. Everyone was moving too quickly for me to get any great photos (including the twins!), but here they are!

V oversees the prep

A in position barista!

J and I decided that our favorite spot for breakfast/brunch is Chaco Canyon Cafe. They have kombucha on tap and lots of delicious organic options!

Pike's Place Market, downtown is a not-to-miss spot on any Seattle tour and this trip was no exception.

Required photo shoot!

The last day was a walk along West Seattle with this one and lunch at my new favorite Thai spot outside of Thailand - Buddha Ruksa - before my airport drop. Time went super-fast and I hope I'll have time to see everyone next trip.

Thanks to all my friends for hosting me, treating me and driving (or letting me drive!) around! I've got such great memories of our time together. See you next time! Or, maybe... in Mexico???

Cambodia: Phnom Penh

My time in Phnom Pehn was short and it was cut even shorter by a transport snafu leaving Kampot (a broken van, a new van filled with boxes of seafood as well as people and finally a van stuffed full of people that did eventually get us to the capital). Unfortunately, I had to cancel my Girl Moto Tour, which is on the top of my list for my next trip. My hotel was adorable and excellent value and I rested up for my one big full day of sightseeing there.

In this first, short trip to Cambodia, I only gave myself one full day in Phnom Penh. This is an ambitious amount of time to explore any major city and Phnom Penh is no exception. I woke up early, enjoyed the tea at my hotel’s breakfast and negotiated a tuk-tuk driver to take me to the three sites I had selected: The Royal Palace, The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeng Ek Genocidal Center. As the soft morning breeze moved over my skin on the ride to my first stop, I smiled at the city world around me. The Royal Palace was breathtaking and appropriately regal, as any palace should be. There are abundant gardens, stupas, statues, rooms and tourists taking pictures. 

Roof detail

The main draw for visitors is the Silver Pagoda within the compound, which houses many precious relics, including an Emerald Buddha. Giant sterling silver blocks make up the floor of this small pagoda. As I wiggled my toes on one of the cool silver tiles and gazed up at the luminescent green Buddha, I could feel the peace and reverence of the place. I wandered through the rest of the grounds and gathered courage for my next two stops, which would have a very different feel.

Royal Palace complex

Tuol Svay Prey High School was converted into a prison known as S-21 under the command of Pol Pot during the Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime lasting from 1975 to 1978. In this short time approximately one quarter of Cambodia’s population was murdered. More than 17,000 men, women and children were held and tortured at this one site (one of 200) before being taken to extermination camps. I have never visited the Nazi concentration camps, but the Khmer Rouge’s bloody years in power parallel much of what happened in Nazi Germany. As I walked through the prison cells, viewing the photos of victims and actual torture devices and listening to the stories, I got constant chills. Many visitors stepped out to “take a break” from the audio tour guide, tears rolling down their cheeks. The stairwells radiated a visceral sensation of pure evil.

S-21 Prison

Courtyard at S-21

Map of S-21

Monument of remembrance to S-21's victims

The last stop was the the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, more commonly known as the Killing Fields. It is essentially a mass grave about 15 kilometers outside of town. It is estimated that about 20,000 men, women, children and babies were killed here during the Khmer Rouge Regime. Like the previous stop, it is an extremely well-organized and both sides are educational opportunities with audio guides and stops explaining what happened. 

Map of the Killing Fields

Seeing the mounds of earth with bones sticking out and the Killing Tree is a heavy experience, but what calls the most attention is the glass pagoda filled with skulls and bones that have surfaced, and where visitors now pay respects to the victims with flowers, incense and prayers.

Memorial Pagoda for the victims

It was a heavy day, but after reading about this time period in Loung Ung’s memoir and traveling the country for almost two weeks, it is an imperative time in history to learn about. I recommend that you include these stops in your tour of Cambodia. 

Instead of checking out Phnom Penh's pub street and night life, I opted for a quiet evening in my hotel, working on my yoga homework.

Where I stayed: The Teahouse Hotel is absolutely adorable and it would be an awesome spot to hang out if you wanted to take a rest day.

My darling room

Of course tea is their theme!

Restaurant leading out to the pool

What I ate: There are also many great options in this city, but I wasn't here long enough to sample all of them! One favorite was Dosa Corner, extremely affordable and delicious South Indian food.

Dosa and condiments

Cambodia, this is your last post (from 2017), but you blew me away and I can't wait to come back!

Cambodia: Kampot

After a few days at the beach, it was time to continue my Cambodian adventure. I took a tuk-tuk to a "bus" stop and then caught a van to Kampot. A couple of travelers in Siem Reap had recommended this town to me. The best recommendations always come from fellow travellers.  

Kampot as a town has some great spots to just hang out and enjoy a relaxed pace. However, the real charm to this place is that it is a great jumping off point for other activities. Once again, I felt crunched for time and I could easy wile away more days here.

Wandering along the river.

Activities that I didn’t do, but will get to next time: visiting the nearby mountain and beach, biking through farms and seeing the salt and pepper cultivation process and floating on the river!

So what did I do? I took yoga classes (Banteay Srey and Simple Things), got a traditional Cambodian massage, wandered the town, spent a day rock-climbing, hiking and rappelling with Climbodia (highly recommend them).

Here I go!

View from the top

Hiking

Inside the caves

Reclining Buddha in the caves

Pretending like I know what I am doing...

Yoga space above Simple Things.

Riverside lounging at Banteay Srey.

Where I stayed: The first room I booked was much different than advertised and had a broken lock and shower. I stayed the first night, but ended up changing to the very lovely La Java Bleue for the rest of my stay. Traveling in off-season lets you get good value and I loved my room, its view and the hotel's location.

A comfy home for a few days.

What I ate: There were a lot of vegetarian, healthy and gluten free options in Kampot. 

Veggie Curry

My favorite restaurant, hands-down, was Simple Things and the following pictures are from there. 

cute, cute, cute

Barbecue tempeh salad

GF vegan raw cheesecake

Stay tuned! There is one more stop before I leave Cambodia!!!

Cambodia: Siem Reap

Cambodia. I already want to return! While I say this about most places that I visit, Cambodia surprised me. Cambodia had been on my Southeast Asia bucket list ever since I moved to Myanmar and I knew that I needed to make a visit happen before my journey took me off the continent.

I spent 12 days in Cambodia and visited four towns/cities. Cambodia is a small country, but even so, this is a fast trip! It was the time I had and I’m so glad I did it. I was amazed everyday by this beautiful country and met with smiles and help from its friendly people. The downsides of this pace are: I wanted to stay longer everywhere I went, I didn’t have flexibility to explore other spots and I had to spend a little more money to make transit happen faster.

Night Market

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Some folks visit Cambodia and only see Siem Reap. It’s a happening little town, but the real draw here is Angkor Wat, the ancient remains of the Khmer civilization with numerous temples of Hindu and Buddhist origin. One traveler told me that in her book of one hundred places to see before you die that Angkor was number one. I’ve visited a lot of ruins and temples in the Americas and Asia and Angkor absolutely blew me away. I’ll share a few pictures here, but the cliché phrase “they don’t do it justice” has never been truer.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat.

The stone engravings' details are incredible.

Faces in the stone at Angkor Thom

One thing to keep in mind is that the entry to this historical zone is expensive and you will probably want to arrange transit as well. It’s hot and you will be walking and climbing at all the sites, so I recommend a tuk-tuk to whisk you around. A big decision that I wasn’t prepared for at five in the morning was whether to buy a one-day, three-day or seven-day pass. I settled on the three-day and was happy that I did as my second day revealed even more marvels than the first. As I said above, I definitely could have spent more time here!

I love the way the lichen and stone colors blend together.

Mother nature takes over.

Trying to capture the expanse of it all in a photo...

My days visiting Angkor involved a four in the morning alarm clock with a departure a half hour later in order to see the sunrise. Then I explored, wandered and wondered at the marvel of it all! I would arrive back to my hotel about eleven, just as the heat was really picking up, swim, nap and eat before heading back out to take in more. Check out the videos of my transport below!

Where I ate:

Great gluten free and vegan options are available in Cambodia! I was delighted to discover that this was a pretty easy country to find food that worked for me. I did stick to more foreigner-friendly eating establishments, but there are lots of healthy options, some local dishes do work and there was a lot of great international cuisines as well.

There are a plethora of options for all tastes and budgets. One highlight was gluten free Italian at La Pasta. This restaurant is READY for customers with dietary limitations, they offer gluten free pasta and vegan cheeses and the servers are knowledgeable of ingredients and cross-contamination.

It's not often that I get to eat Italian food at a real Italian restaurant.

I tasted a Khmer Coconut Curry at Navutu Dreams. Navutu is a swanky resort, but a friend who used to live in Siem Reap gave me the tip that if you go for yoga class, then you can stay and enjoy the THREE pools and gardens all day. After a few days of exploring temples and hiking around, this was a relaxing and revitalizing pause. 

Yoga space at Navutu

Khmer coconut curry... served in a coconut!

Perfect for a dip after yoga.

Not pictured (proabably because I gobbled up my food so quickly): Tasty dosas and South Indian cuisine at The Indian and coffee with homemade nut milks at ARTillery Cafe.

Phare, the Cambodian Circus:

In my opinion, it would be an absolute shame to visit Siem Reap and miss Phare. This circus provides opportunities for Cambodian Youth and the performers put on a sensational show with circus arts, live visual art, dance, music and a look at Cambodian history. A must do.

Where I stayed: 

One of the benefits of visiting Cambodia is that it is less touristy than some other SE Asia destinations. It's not exactly off the beaten track, but I did find great value. Remember, June is "green season" (monsoon), so visiting at an off time also helps the budget.

I had a lovely room at Frangipani Villa Hotel. It's about a 10 minute walk from the busy center so it's a quiet spot. The pool and patios are gorgeous and the buffet breakfast has lots of options! 

Relaxing between Angkor visits.

Feeling like a princess in my room.

I know it's been a minute between blog posts... Stay tuned for more Cambodia stories and then follow me into Europe...