A Diver's Pilgrimage

Bali
Why is it that simply saying the word makes me tingle? B a l i. Whew* -> there it goes again.
I left for Bali on a Wednesday, and planned to fly solo until late Thursday night. As a single woman I made sure certain things were in order: a room my first night and a plan for the next day. The plan consisted of beach, and The Torrents of Spring by Hemingway. Interesting choice for Bali, I know, but that was my plan. Did I follow it? No way. I met another traveler on the plane to Bali. I was really happy to have a hotel the first night as the plane was late getting in on an already late night, but realized it was unnecessary. I split a cab to Kuta with a Brit, and two Swedish backpackers. I was happy I had planned ahead in the end. I had a great night's sleep and there was candy in the room. Who can complain when they put candy in the room?The next day I woke up late, and headed for the beach. Oh my way I ran into the Brit I'd met the night before. We went to the beach together and swam for a while. The waves were fun, but what was not fun was coming up from underneath a wave and having a Dorito's bag stuck in your hair. The beach was consumed with trash. I wasn't expecting that. After frolicking in the waves it was time for food. My new found mate and I went local and had a great meal of rice, egg quiche-style casserole, mystery white fish, and curry chicken. All in the same bowl, fabulous. Both meals including drinks cost around 4 USD.
I said goodbye to my friend after dinner, then went to the airport in search of my scuba-diving friends whom I met in Malaysia but are originally from Australia. We hired a van to take us across the island, and good thing we did! Customs took forever and we didn't make it across the island until 2 in the morning. My friends booked a really nice hotel called Tauch-Terminal Resort. I stayed at the hostel down the road for 20 USD a night. It was great. The dive operation at Tauch-Terminal is superior to many I've encountered. Usually shore diving is a hassle, but not here. The USS Liberty Wreck is about 40 yards off the coast from the resort so not only did we have to barely walk there, we had first dibs on the wreck in the morning! The other local operations would pile on the wreck in the afternoons but we had already been in and out before they arrived. The first day we were there we dove in other locations, then dove the wreck at night. I am not ashamed to admit I was spooked. The wreck is unlike any I have ever been to before. To start, it's huge! It looms over you in places, and is so scattered across the coast you never know when you will be face to face with a 1940s rudder or rusty old engine room. It screams haunted, especially at night, but of course it is not. The USS liberty was towed to this beach in the 1940s after it had been torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. It lay on the beach, stripped of all it's insides, until 1969 when the volcano close by erupted and shook it into its current watery resting place.The next day my friends and I dove it four more times. We couldn't get enough. Each time was different and incredible. To make a long ID list short; here are a few examples of the fish and creatures we saw:
peacock mantis shrimp

banded pipefish
black tip reef sharks
leaf-fish (yellow)
scorpion fish

eels

lion fish

baracudas
pygmy sea horses
wild looking sea cucumbers
a colorful assortment of flatworms (my favorite!)
and of course all of the tropical pacific fish which I'll have no chance at IDing any time soon.

On the drive back to Denpasir on our last day in Bali, we stopped at the Monkey Forest in Ubud. At this unique Monkey sanctuary, it is very common for tourists to feed the monkeys. You buy bananas out of curiosity, naively thinking it will be fun to feed the 'seemingly harmless' monkeys. Little do you know, you're in for a surprise. The monkeys climb all over you trying to get first dibs on the bananas. You are barely able to hold out for a more than a few seconds before the largest of the monkeys gets wind of the opportunity. The dominant male starts towards you, and in a flash you've thrown all your bananas every which way in the hopes it will throw him off course. Luckily it works, and once you are empty handed the little thieves leave you alone. Phew. The whole experience can be a bit frazzling. At the end you feel relieved, but also used, and I've got the paw prints all over my clothes to prove it.
Sunset Dinner on Seminyak Beach topped off the perfect trip to Bali. Thank you to Kate and Michael for letting me tag along on their romantic getaway. You two are the best! And thank you for all the photos!
To all those third wheels out there- take on the role with pride. Enjoy your drink and flirt with the waiters.

A trip with the Parents Part II

Angkor Wat

I'll admit it; I should have done more research on Angkor Wat before going. I was completely surprised by the scale of the complex. The Angkor Wat Temples Area is quite a bit bigger than the photos of Angkor Wat imply. There are over a hundred different temples! Way more than one could fathom visiting in a three day trip. To say the least; my flip flops were not cut out for the job.
Buddhist? Hindu? back to Buddhist? It's difficult to grasp how many times the complex changed hands. If I wasn't already lost in the colonnades and Nada balustrades I was certainly lost in the time line. The temples were built over the course of 4 centuries, and by many different artisans. Luckily my parents and I hired an incredibly patient and knowledgeable guide. My advice for those traveling to Angkor Wat - hire a guide, and a tuk tuk driver. As incredible as the main Angkor Wat Temple is, the surrounding areas and temples are just at spell binding.

Cambodian food
Khmer Dishes are less spicy than what you might find in Singapore and Bangkok, but no less flavorsome. With influences from China and France, one can only salivate at the possibilities. Think Le Bec Fin meets Iron Chef; then throw that combo in a wok at a reasonably priced family restaurant. Yum.
I thought going to Honduras with my mother two years ago was a wild ride, but this topped it. Traveling with parents as an adult is wonderful. It sure beats those long road trips to visit the grandparents as a child with two older and terrorizing siblings on either side. 'Squish the lemon?' Try 'make lemonade.'