Ultimate Adventure 2008, unfolded

I decided! You get it all at once. Brace yourself, it's a little long. More pictures are on my previous entry.

MAGICAL KINGDOM LEG - I won't say much about our flights out to Asia, except that Princess and I were stranded in LA for 36 hours. We went to Disneyland and saw Kung Fu Panda. (Fitting, yes?)

CITY LEG – Bangkok. We got the cheapest massage ever (and continued to do so about every other day) and explored one of the most popular night markets, Kao San Road. We spontaneously decided to get weaves in our hair from one of the street vendors. They said it'd take 2-3 hours. It took 6. I had blond and purple hair. Princess had brownish blond and pink. Aw yeah. That was our one night in Bangkok.

We only ended up getting about an hour and a half the next day to see the Grand Palace (a golden and sparkly assault on the eyes) and the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world. It is seriously big.

BEACH LEG – Phuket (Poo-ket). We filled our time with SCUBA diving (not even certified!), snorkeling and a hike on Phi Phi Island, and plenty of chilling out. We also had a very non-American zoo experience, with pictures with tigers and pythons, and a dude putting his head in a croc's mouth.

BOHEMIAN LEG – Chiang Mai. I'm a big fan. We spent the first two days on a crazy trek adventure outside of the city that included hiking about 18K over some mountains and through some rice paddies and under a waterfall, sleeping in a bamboo hut under mosquito nets, taking a ride on an elephant, and going down a river on a bamboo raft.

We found a local massage therapist who gave us a crash course in arm and back massage. Princess also found a Buddhist university and we got to help the monks practice their English. It was fascinating. 

HISTORICAL LEG – Cambodia. We saw Angkor Wat and WOW!! I usually get bored pretty fast with historical landmarks, but we were having a great time exploring! Is it Hindu? Is it Buddhist? Yes! We spent two days there – one on foot, another on bikes.

We also visited a monastery that had been built where the killing fields had been from the days of Pol Pot. Princess and I realized that most of the people we saw had probably been here for it all - even our tuk tuk driver friend. So we asked him. He was there, and he told us all about it. It was very sobering.

BOATING LEG – Vietnam. My strongest memory of Hanoi is of the scooters. I've been to a few countries and seen some pretty insane driving. But Hanoi is in a league all of its own. It is the most organized chaos on the road I have ever seen.

We took a day trip to see Ha Long Bay, which is in the standing to become one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. There are about 1900 small rock-cliff islands in this bay. It really is breathtaking. We were with a tour group, but we did get a chance to jump into a kayak and explore on our own around a few caves.

Princess and I had an unintentional extra day in Hanoi. (I won't go into the details of “why.” Suffice it to say, Delta left us high and dry, for the second time. Bad Delta!) BUT it gave us a chance to enjoy the lakes. Hanoi is full of them, and each one is surrounded by a beautiful park. We spent a few hours just coasting in a paddleboat on one of the lakes. It was the picture of contentment.

Some random tidbits I noticed:
*People drive on the left side of the road in Thailand, but not in Cambodia or Vietnam. Also, cars don't have heating - only air conditioning. 

*American music is prevalent, but they're a little behind. I heard The Cranberries' "Zombie" five times.

*It's offensive in Thailand to let the soles of your feet show.

*It took six men to get my Cambodian visa - one for each step of the process. There's efficiency for you.

*More often than not in Cambodia the price is listed in dollars instead riel (Cambodian $), which is weird.
*I really love Cambodian curry, even more than Thai, which I did not expect.
*Crossing the street took us at least five minutes everywhere we went in Vietnam, regardless of the size of the street.

After all is said and done, I couldn’t have made that trip at this point in life with anyone but Princess. She handled all the stress and unexpected changes like a champ, and she made the most of every moment. Everyone says that now we should apply for Amazing Race. We think they’re right, and we're already working on it.

Southeast Asia in a Prehensile

I am back from my Ultimate Adventure, 2008 edition. The stories will come later. I may do them in installments. I haven't decided yet. The pictures tell it all better, anyway. Hope you enjoy!

Hi. I'm in Delaware.

I went to a wedding last weekend with Justin in the small town of Seaford, Delaware. It was a nice, quaint town, and much more diverse than either of us expected. The most fun we had was definitely browsing around Wal-Mart and playing in the toy section...or maybe it was walking to Dairy Queen in the middle of a rainstorm...or climbing all over this strange lopsided picnic table-hiking boots-basketball hoop structure that we could only assume was meant to be art...?

In any case, it was a fun little road trip, and the couple was surely a happy one.There was only one picture captured of us on their big day:
Yep, we were so enthralled with the party favors (bubbles!) that we didn't bother to look at the camera.

Sure, we'll grow up some day. But not today.

Q: How many kids with ADD does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: Hey, let's go ride bikes!For Princess' birthday (her March 2007 birthday, that is), I took her on a 70-ish mile bike ride to and from Harpers Ferry. It started and ended at Whites Ferry, MD, and we got lost so many times on our way to the starting point that we almost turned around and went home. Okay, not really. But we really did get lost a lot, until out of sheer desperation we checked my GPS (AKA my mother). From then on, it was a straight shot. When we did get there, we were rewarded with a ferry ride across the river! Here is a visual tour from the camera of Princess.




The greenness behind us is moss on the surface of the water.











I don't know if this is the Potomac or Shenandoah river...they both meet at Harpers Ferry, which is located just across that bridge up ahead. We got there just before sunset, and had to call someone from our hostel to come pick us up in town because it was too dark to proceed on our own. (How I love the hostel environment. Har har. But seriously, I do.) I guess that's what happens when you get a late start. But that's another story entirely, and I'm not just talking about our adventures of getting lost.



Day 2: After having a bagel for breakfast (which, coincidentally, was exactly what we had for dinner the night before) we set off again. We were fascinated by all the sunbeams bouncing off the mist in the air and couldn't stop capturing inspirational images of them.







Same thing with climbing on walls...




...and setting the self timer. Some people actually came by when we were taking this one, but we were having so much fun we didn't bother asking them to take it for us. We actually took a better one after this, but I like this one better.

Now, if you haven't yet had enough of the beauty that is the West Virginia/Maryland/Virginia corner, here is a visual tour from the camera of me.

Air Guitarists, UNITE!

That's right. There really is such a thing as an air guitar championship, and last night I got to see some crazy "air-rocking out" by DC's finest...and some that weren't so great, too. They all had clever names like "Jack the Riffer" and "The Shredder." The winner from last year even had some groupies in the crowd. One major source of entertainment was the costumes - one guy was dressed up as an 80's punk rocker (spandex, blond wig, and all) and did an impressive Journey number. Another was dressed up in military garb, and one (I think his name was Fret Boy) had put together a Mr. Incredible-esque superhero outfit with a big F on the front and a ginormous afro wig to boot. Also there was lots of black leather, muscle shirts, and cutoff jean shorts. It was a classic rock show. Fortunately, I had my celly so everyone can experience the magic that is Air Guitar. It was pretty surprising - some of these guys were actually very good! (There were two girl contestants. Let's just say, not great representation for the ladies.) This guy below was the winner who will go on to Nationals in San Francisco, and possibly to the INTERNATIONAL competition in Norway. Yes. International. Let me tell you, dude earned it. Aside from just rocking out, he was climbing on the speakers and jumping off of them - an act which the next guy tried and probably broke his ankle. He even (tastefully) kicked a water bottle out of a front row spectator's hands. All the while, he never lost a beat. Some people were just born to rock, with or without guitars.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

DC United vs. Toronto.

Final score: 3-2, DC.  It was intense, and the crowd was excited.  No comparison to some international games I've seen, but actually pretty good for an American crowd.  I'm sure they were all just really jazzed about no longer having to share their stadium with the Nats.

We were sitting right behind the superfans who would wave flags around and block our view half the time.  (It became a new game to guess what was happening in the moments when the game was concealed by the flags.)  They were also beating a drum 99% of the game, and every time DC scored, they lit smoke bombs.  Because really, what better way to celebrate?!?

My favorite is those poor Toronto players you see stretching out right in front of the field there, who were prepped and ready to go the whole game...but never actually went in.

Before this game, I was kayaking in Maryland.  What a great day!  But alas, I have no photographical proof.  Only the pictures in my head remain.  Next time I'll go on the Potomac in Georgetown and bring my camera.

After that, as I was running to meet up with my friends in front of RFK stadium, I stopped to help some dude jump start his car.  One point for Idaho girl - always prepared with those jumper cables!  I guess dude was impressed by that simple mechanical feat of preparation.  He started enquiring after my status and asking if I dated black men.  Oh boy.  Way to kill the act of service by turning it into a pickup.  Oh well.

Time to hike!

My adventure buddy for the first half of my BYU-Hawaii tenure was a free spirit named Jen.  And she just moved to the DC area!  Her timing was perfect - she got here in my favorite window of the year when the weather is perfect for being outdoors.  Perfect weather for a hike. And so hike we did.  We found a great place inside the beltway, right off GW Parkway.  We saw lots of interesting wildlife...like some frogs, chipmunks, and metallic-shiny green beetles....and snakes!!!  Here are all the ones we saw:

Look at its eyes!!  This one was hanging out under the water - directly below a spot we kept walking over.  After this, Jen found a big stick and tried to pick it up. 

This one was sunbathing right by the rock we were sitting on for several minutes before we spotted it. I tried to get closer so we could have a pic to show how big it was (pretty big), but as soon as it noticed, it plopped into the river and disappeared.

And on an unrelated note, look at this beautiful girl I spotted later that day.

Pork and Beans

I'm not usually one to post something unrelated to my adventures, but this new music vid by Weezer  represents so many youtube adventures, so it sort of counts.  I just love it.  Good message, too. :o)  Hope you enjoy.



Also, here's an interview with the director.

EU Day

Another cool DC event that not enough people know about: EU DAY!

All the European embassies opened their doors to entertain anyone who wanted to explore.  My friends and I only made it to Germany and France, but from what I hear, everything else is weak sauce in comparison.

Grand prize winner of the awsome embassy prize for sure is Germany.  They had a lederhosen-clad band, fake tattoos, face painting, wheel-of-fortune-style prize giveaways, pins with words like "GAGA" (CRAZY)...I could go on and on.  

They definitely showed their understanding of the American way: the best way to get us to like you is FREE FOOD!  Everywhere we looked, there was German chocolate, gummy bears, bratwurst, and this mysteriously delicious spiced cherry soup.  Gold star to Germany.

Finally! An afternoon on the Tidal Basin...

After three years of talking the talk, I finally made it onto a paddle boat on the Tidal Basin, and even on a beautiful Saturday afternoon before the humidity and mosquitoes could get the best of us.

At one point, we even stopped to listen to a traveling High School choir sing a patriotic song in front of the Jefferson.

It was love.

Time for another PARRRRTY!

Speaking of annual traditions, my girls and I recently hosted our 2nd annual Pirate Parrrty! Since we knew what we were doing this time, the decor was even better than our maiden voyage last year.

Present and decked out for this year's parrrty: My twin. Everyone gets us confused, or at least thinks we're related. Everyone. Except, personally, we can't really see it. Can you?

















Since I like combining unrelated adventures lately, here is a snippet from a picture scavenger hunt we recently did. I know exactly what you're thinking: WHERE is Princess?!

Purple Scream Walks for Lupus, part II - the sequel!

It's true, I've been here long enough to start talking about "2nd Annuals." Another year, another Lupus walk through the streets of DC, another clown painting butterflies, and another awesome t-shirt.

The walk was a little less scenic this time around...lots of sharing the sidewalk with tourists...

What adventures will Kim aspire to next??

On a completely unrelated side note, Marcia and I stumbled upon this revival, just down the street from the Lupus Walk finish line. I love how The Simpsons are their classic example of a dysfunctional family. Isn't DC great?

Cumpleaños Feliz

Backtracking just a bit, it was my birthday last week!! The celebrations range from dancing the weekend before (to the wonderful mixins of Sasha and Digweed, for any of you progressive aficionados out there), to a pirate parrrty to take place this coming weekend. On the big day, it was Mexican food with some of my awesome friends.

Cherry Blossoms strike again!

This is my favorite time of year in DC. It's not really cold anymore, and it's not humid yet. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Perfect time for a parade.

My friends and I volunteered again to take part in the Cherry Blossom Festival, and we got to be ushers for the parade, which basically meant front-row seats to see Bob the Builder. It was cool to see all the participants from Japan and random places around the country (including the marching band from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah?!) and just to enjoy being in the city on a nice day. This part of DC is so beautiful.

Having had multiple roommates and friends from Texas, I have a pretty solid grasp of the concept of Texas pride. With that in mind, I can say with surety that only from Texas would you ever find a phenomena such as this: the dance team incorporating a Texas-shaped prop into their dance. (As an aside, at my house we had a Texas Independence Day party. There was cake, and we sang happy birthday to Texas. If you were there and not an actual "citizen" of the great state, you were given a temporary visa for the night. I'm not even kidding. It was fantastic.)

It was an especially enjoyable day because I got to hang out with Princess and Marcia, which hasn't happened for far too long. They were even with me to enjoy the highlight of my day - seeing this truck:

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Brian Regan, I suggest you follow this link immediately so you, too, can experience the joy that is seeing some of your favorite comedy in real life. It reminds me of when my mom and I were driving across the country and we saw a sign that said "Blasting Zone Ahead."

Two weeks in the Rockies

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever been an aunt or uncle that 99% of the pics I took while I was home were of the kids. (What can I say? They're incredibly photogenic!) Lucky for me, my surgery recovery was pretty tame, so I could still enjoy their company.

I caught Eva and Colby before they could ham it up.
Look at that hair!

Eva loves to love baby Lilia (pronounced "Wee-uh"
by the sibs). And I'm sure Lilia loves it, too.

Mia and Jack were grateful I didn't need all those
chocolate creamsicles.

There's just something about catching people sleeping
- in their most raw, vulnerable state. I can vouch for
this, having been caught plenty of times myself.

Here's just such a photo, of me and Colby
pretending to sleep. Aren't we such good fakers??

Kissing cousins? Jack ("Ssack") and Eva ("EE-ba")

Kissing cousins part II? Mia and Colby

I must add, this photo is slightly deceiving. Colby looks like he just wants to escape, while Mia looks like they're BFFs. In reality, Colby spent the whole week trying to get Mia to stop ignoring him and warm up to him. (It was an interesting example of what happens when you put two oldest siblings together.) But he didn't let it get him down - he's a persistent kid! By the time I left, they were playing together. You just can't get the vibe of the true story from this picture, and for whatever reason, I feel some sort of obligation to clear the air and set everyone straight. Now I feel better.

The other 1% of pics were of the rodeo (which I've already told you all about) and my dad's handiwork in getting the new chandelier installed...all I can say is, you just had to be there to appreciate.