tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29022206974636724182024-03-05T13:46:42.915-08:00The Jungle BlogSarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-37272210500472322462013-02-23T09:10:00.000-08:002013-02-23T09:10:02.169-08:00FIN.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey guys, guess where I am!<br />
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I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkkkk! Surprise! After the farm, I intended to head down to South India, but the farm I had chosen didn't have space for another volunteer. When faced with the prospect of donning my pack and starting the "backpacker" life again, I came to the realization that, man, I was just tired. So, I booked a ticket to 'Murica, showed up in Palatine one day and asked my (shocked) parents nicely if I could crash ^here^ for awhile. <br />
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[Thanks to some clever fibbing on the part of my father, I have retained my old phone number. If you still have that... call me maybe?]<br />
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I only saw a small part of India, but I have no regrets about that. It just means I'll have to go back... which I intend to do. For now, though, my adventure continues here in Palatine, Illinois (seatbelts, and smart phones, and clean tap water, oh my!).<br />
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I have learned a great deal in the last 3 years. And once
again, I find myself faced with the task of summing it all up. But how to sum
up, in one nice neat little package, everything I have learned in 3 years and
in 9 countries?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">I
have seen a lot, no doubt. And seen some pretty wicked awesome stuff. And
though it took me a while to figure this out, I have learned that I don’t like "travelling" all that much. My favorite places on my trip (Dariganga, Ben Tre,
Huayxai, Dharamshala) are the ones where I made the most meaningful
relationships, the places I <i>lived</i>.
And maybe in 10 years, I won’t remember the name of the mountain I climbed in
Ha Long Bay, but I will never ever forget my 6 am work-out with all the ladies
of Ben Tre. I might not remember which ruin I was in when that damn monkey
stole my sunglasses, but I will never forget the birthday party the</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> b</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">eautiful
people at Project Kajsiab threw for me. And I might forget the Mongolian word
for cow dung, but I couldn’t ever forget the moment when my counterpart, Zolaa,
after months of dedicated studying, earned herself 5<sup>th</sup> place on the
Olympic exams, up from 25<sup>th</sup> the year before. This is why you travel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each one of those people and countless others were the ones that made my trip the experience of a lifetime (though I hesitate saying that because another very important lesson I learned from fellow travellers is that you are never too old, too busy, or too broke to travel... my journey is just beginning...). The world is full of beautiful people. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I write now, the last post on this blog (RIP
mongolia820), to say that this trip has been amazing. Amazing, challenging,
life-changing, frustrating, perfect… impossible to sum up in a handful of
adjectives. To EVERYONE I knew on this trip, whether it was for 2 years or 2
minutes, I say,</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Thank you!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Баярлалаа!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">спасибо!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ขอบคุณค่ะ!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">cám ơn!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ຂອບໃຈຫລາຍໆ!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">terima kasih!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">धन्यवाद!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Merci!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gracias!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: ghostwhite; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">danke!</span></span></div>
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Until we meet again...</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-82616142654804358502013-02-13T20:10:00.001-08:002013-02-14T21:01:32.269-08:00Tibet Will Be Free<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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To all my Mongolian friends out there, happy Tsaagan Sar!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This Tsaagan Sar, I find myself in McLeod Ganj, India… the
home of the exiled Dalai Lama and quite a population of Tibetan refugees. In
fact this place feels less like India and more like… well… Mongolia. This past
week, Tibetans have been celebrating Losar, a three day celebration of the new
year. </div>
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Typically, the holiday is spent at home with your<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeyZu8-L3O7TSoBuNxYgGyqW81TuhKC4nuoxqxhALLBf2-ZP-9YiY_HXzgavLRDawpAaFyVgZG9bNUG7TkKVC-IXmd9Y7PBCovGwDf2I8lOtKzsABhDi9rP2kpgJONR6G4fpBQ8Df-R__/s1600/IMG_1072%255B1%255D.JPG" target="_blank"> family</a>. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoB5vBk4h5br_IkYa1aBnuxm653Ec69FcpoZJBuL-xP3S7qo3RrUvKFAKOJL7B9dqFqRniHscJj2RwarJiYCo63bJ4pMk9kQye0dPmg6OIWqlOp1iOcQ-Iwq7EVM8Mnes2sGmhRl5PIVrR/s1600/IMG_4285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoB5vBk4h5br_IkYa1aBnuxm653Ec69FcpoZJBuL-xP3S7qo3RrUvKFAKOJL7B9dqFqRniHscJj2RwarJiYCo63bJ4pMk9kQye0dPmg6OIWqlOp1iOcQ-Iwq7EVM8Mnes2sGmhRl5PIVrR/s400/IMG_4285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuuchi</td></tr>
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You may visit a religious shrine or two.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0HoMzSyEfDD1tN7c-QxeOsq1FOI2XP-RESUkiEVp691VnZes9cEEHu24O7sDcEM05ludbQeA-z-_9lmF-GTMtJSAG5_Wds6uTjUSFeb2h4kB_7Q5-R2VO_onVVIFntC1znvOfOEaYCA_/s1600/IMG_4224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0HoMzSyEfDD1tN7c-QxeOsq1FOI2XP-RESUkiEVp691VnZes9cEEHu24O7sDcEM05ludbQeA-z-_9lmF-GTMtJSAG5_Wds6uTjUSFeb2h4kB_7Q5-R2VO_onVVIFntC1znvOfOEaYCA_/s400/IMG_4224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacha</td></tr>
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You wear your <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_x_NUJ_p8PynUV648QH7PQtzjTZLltAnnbbqeFHULKXkIJrT4fFbD7VG-soQuohUX-6913s-rn89qdL8Npe_muryeuCTqBCYXTOVWOiOuH5qJzxvzOViJ0YLpuj89LOto9P4Hnt6j67QT/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" target="_blank">traditional clothing</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goch</td></tr>
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And you eat your traditional <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUfj26YFTb4Y5SI0mJ52fV2snP5vxGEBp7aRpBGD9LRbYYG71dCHdPYXIPHbCYsBrizky71utK-N07MveISxwTKNwTGBTGWs-G5c1ygefnZ0WV-1zNofc0a4wTkxqotGiGFsEqD4iPOA/s1600/_MG_3599.jpg" target="_blank">food</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo4PfX1dQIhMHeytYbQkMLBqmHSOd4srHBMRnuUj6OasriVzPNjVXnFRBkPrjm0Gypad6zD6QXLQZQxdpN686lyq1hM858cNf2XzQb27nE2QGzLPDJrjHgEIfy-MJGoFndP9L8qJLOHC1/s1600/IMG_4282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKo4PfX1dQIhMHeytYbQkMLBqmHSOd4srHBMRnuUj6OasriVzPNjVXnFRBkPrjm0Gypad6zD6QXLQZQxdpN686lyq1hM858cNf2XzQb27nE2QGzLPDJrjHgEIfy-MJGoFndP9L8qJLOHC1/s400/IMG_4282.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momos</td></tr>
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The links take you pictures of Mongolia. It should come as no surprise that Mongolian and Tibetan culture are near
identical (not to mention how similar the Mongolian and Tibetan people look! I
keep doing double takes at people as I walk down the street, thinking I see
someone I know) since they share a common history, but I am still shocked and
delighted every time I see a little piece of Mongolicana. The world is such a
small place sometimes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In other news...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJJX4z6p8AoRCeOUGLbLDN9lY8VmtJeEyPEVSQLR1zSSb5Wj298fTgPgj_9e3TIYMY4lq1zAfRw4n6zDdScVWWW8IOEXaFbnlTluXynajNmE0UtJzYp8puA2lRzlUE8OvSzGju7CuVHPF/s1600/IMG_4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJJX4z6p8AoRCeOUGLbLDN9lY8VmtJeEyPEVSQLR1zSSb5Wj298fTgPgj_9e3TIYMY4lq1zAfRw4n6zDdScVWWW8IOEXaFbnlTluXynajNmE0UtJzYp8puA2lRzlUE8OvSzGju7CuVHPF/s400/IMG_4254.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, February 13<sup>th</sup>, marked the 100<sup>th</sup>
year of Tibetan “independence.” I use quotes here because while they have
claimed themselves an independent country, and have a treaty with China in
which they were granted independence, China hasn’t exactly upheld their end of
the deal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4UwQA_zOzu2YLN1atjUVnZMBUUzwvDZVbjwwbMkSMwqG3BTeKQqDyS7qnB4SoxSLPgVSxTM_nSjlwlpT-U_VhrQNnhV9kgpynswrXUsa8oC-DhM44LwlFMv4Qcvjo3jOw7d2d0mVxrjy/s1600/IMG_4201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu4UwQA_zOzu2YLN1atjUVnZMBUUzwvDZVbjwwbMkSMwqG3BTeKQqDyS7qnB4SoxSLPgVSxTM_nSjlwlpT-U_VhrQNnhV9kgpynswrXUsa8oC-DhM44LwlFMv4Qcvjo3jOw7d2d0mVxrjy/s400/IMG_4201.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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It’s no secret that Tibet is in a state of crisis and its people
displaced, but here in McLeod Ganj, I am meeting people who actually walked
through the Himalayan mountains, risking arrest and death, to seek refuge. Over
the past few months, Tibetans have seen a huge spike in self-immolations, usually
young monks desperate to alert the world of the magnitude of the issue.
Yesterday, on the 100<sup>th</sup> year of Tibetan Independence, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/world/asia/100th-self-immolation-inside-tibet-is-reported.html?_r=0" target="_blank">the 100th person sacrificed their life by self-immolation</a>. The stories are
heart-wrenching and terrible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But McLeod Ganj serves as more than just a sanctuary.
Tibetans gather here in droves, organizing awareness events, resistance groups,
doing whatever they can to further their cause. I find myself both horribly
depressed at their suffering, yet completely uplifted by their determination.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAjLD9ILKjYp0e_RM7k_VynzSh4OsUqfPb4c37mtHJ1IfPZsb66BPlfdUk_jQgkPqCd-VY52I-C7hbNkrBRWJ6zxaRxHKFxPKAmhxtiiuzSyUkins9AJiwyQhyz8X2TpJ9na8f0dX6SVM/s1600/IMG_4270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAjLD9ILKjYp0e_RM7k_VynzSh4OsUqfPb4c37mtHJ1IfPZsb66BPlfdUk_jQgkPqCd-VY52I-C7hbNkrBRWJ6zxaRxHKFxPKAmhxtiiuzSyUkins9AJiwyQhyz8X2TpJ9na8f0dX6SVM/s400/IMG_4270.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tibet will be free. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-61604897851523456582013-02-13T19:27:00.000-08:002013-02-13T19:27:28.124-08:00No Tension<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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And I’m on the move again!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve left Niramayam Farm with a whole slew of crazy new
ideas in my head and I’m off to learn some more. But before I scoot off to
where ever I decide to go next, I’m bumming in McLeod Ganj for a while. It’s
hard <i>not</i> to bum around considering
there are more cafes than dogs in this town (and there are plenty of dogs). And
all the cafes have… coffee! and wifi! and carrot cake! Not joking about the
carrot cake. And it’s really really good, too. Oh, the above pic is the view from my hotel balcony. It's not so bad. (But you pay for added little benefits like a stunning view... my room is 110 rupees per night. Do the conversion. I dare you.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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So things to do in Mcleod Ganj. Volunteer. I’ve been helping
with various English teaching related things with Tibetan refugees and I hear
there’s a soup kitchen in town that I intend to check out. Yoga. I went to a
yoga class which was very nice. Hikin. That’s been my primary activity. There
are many villages and such to walk to around here where you can get some
amazing mountain views and see some village life and if you hike high enough,
you can even see some snow (I wanted to hike up that high a few days ago, but
the weather was unpermitting… now I have to wait for some of the snow to melt
because the path is pretty impassable at the moment). And eating! Heh. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here you go. Enjoy some pictures. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrT8X1s51w-4QRE97bddo7Fs5AXvbAFH_M_jVYF1PlBhK_25pXvVuh4luwuc2H13h3g3JICVRpOcnFqMxnCjKwVhXIx0nGvmiKN0q7_Ih5PVQ075XNY9REFQZQXmWJUsB__Q1oamncN_f/s1600/IMG_4140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrT8X1s51w-4QRE97bddo7Fs5AXvbAFH_M_jVYF1PlBhK_25pXvVuh4luwuc2H13h3g3JICVRpOcnFqMxnCjKwVhXIx0nGvmiKN0q7_Ih5PVQ075XNY9REFQZQXmWJUsB__Q1oamncN_f/s400/IMG_4140.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EBDMDcZFID4gHiDR8zZw7dgAVShgLlrBZUkXdWW69TUwZc7wzrQPfI446zVLg2epFeQhBI-Ixi0RHEe85cbM7sBCtCVk_XbeOtWgo_XwUdk7ZnaONaUorVHVs3ehcEfPxHcDhpnztouZ/s1600/IMG_4121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EBDMDcZFID4gHiDR8zZw7dgAVShgLlrBZUkXdWW69TUwZc7wzrQPfI446zVLg2epFeQhBI-Ixi0RHEe85cbM7sBCtCVk_XbeOtWgo_XwUdk7ZnaONaUorVHVs3ehcEfPxHcDhpnztouZ/s400/IMG_4121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now look at <i>this</i> little gem I found in a bookshop here...</td></tr>
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Oh, the title of this post refers to the most important lesson I learned on Niramayam Farm: No Tension. The workers had pretty limited English, but among their handful of awesome sayings (“Full Power!” “<i>Chapatti</i> Master!” “Night Duty”) was “No Tension.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So don’t worry! Relax! No Tension!</div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-36192483451082755452013-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:002013-01-26T21:19:56.594-08:00Another boring post!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Same ole Same ol! And since (as you probably could have guessed) my Flickr account has falln by the wayside... here's some various "artsy fartsy" pics I've taken over the past few months. </div>
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hugs and kisses!</div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-10946849271631473692013-01-12T04:17:00.000-08:002013-01-12T04:17:01.627-08:00Birds!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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'Ello, 'ello! </div>
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I have very little new things to report (my plants grow! the weather is getting colder! the food is still amazing!), so I shall share a few of the bird pictures I've managed to capture! I've snapped and identified over 40 species (BooYah!) but here are a few of my faves:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaejASq9C_HAOMilbEZJef-tfKJrEzB55s52zQFIRSBwBPuemNFbU28RPXexBtKQgDeD9Am5AGdYmY4_Z06ivjH5atK_RZuZpILDZzgZ6ODAV6PyyRexrWKTpbFc9ucnWqy1sfixjDnf7J/s400/blue+whistling+thrush+1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Whistling Rock Thrush</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTKi7z_FsxssXBcG96NbQrQStLRzNpQWh1yx3elO-XB-64EjbT4w49FOAkzwoaNWhuocPyFXFSswu19hUkvyBuMvQrreh8vk7j4EcjXuDfhlNsi3XtL-y2yDPClSK6Nbf4XZNYAYqkUft/s1600/common+tailorbird+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTKi7z_FsxssXBcG96NbQrQStLRzNpQWh1yx3elO-XB-64EjbT4w49FOAkzwoaNWhuocPyFXFSswu19hUkvyBuMvQrreh8vk7j4EcjXuDfhlNsi3XtL-y2yDPClSK6Nbf4XZNYAYqkUft/s400/common+tailorbird+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Tailorbird</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDz8lKAa7_EE5ABP3ZA-4WYyoTHqbAcTDQhnfVqUPzgLpoxKXKOk2KyRBy3zn_Nw3XpDJ850z2otbonBCPpIN6rh8fp_42s4qVts3zNkx9oViGheGZL8VN9LtVDRHC_rAtNVyv4JcpbThb/s1600/great+barbet+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDz8lKAa7_EE5ABP3ZA-4WYyoTHqbAcTDQhnfVqUPzgLpoxKXKOk2KyRBy3zn_Nw3XpDJ850z2otbonBCPpIN6rh8fp_42s4qVts3zNkx9oViGheGZL8VN9LtVDRHC_rAtNVyv4JcpbThb/s400/great+barbet+2.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Barbet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRxCnTxygcyKlRlnKfXMGMExHuILj6vxUxNvyyKYG3Vua5izoNy8xVQUyj600CWSEAMWhzInw3M2-pp275-aYGmo5I94OC8pATF7MafSU5_6cU__Y6Aoo4ePu4LivSPOHQjy2MqN0M27Z/s1600/himalayan+bulbul+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRxCnTxygcyKlRlnKfXMGMExHuILj6vxUxNvyyKYG3Vua5izoNy8xVQUyj600CWSEAMWhzInw3M2-pp275-aYGmo5I94OC8pATF7MafSU5_6cU__Y6Aoo4ePu4LivSPOHQjy2MqN0M27Z/s400/himalayan+bulbul+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Himalayan Bulbul</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebs74Q55xLuDls6jxxpLesS6tVtQReUoEL_qT6wGx0lXTy5ihfKs0YOcZy37CrDOFsyDkbk0UCpzVFkrKlX6TIOG0c_GD-XtrLfei_vy1aLwJ7isrJAc6Hh2a011pLuPVrM99teoTDmFO/s1600/long+eared+owl+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebs74Q55xLuDls6jxxpLesS6tVtQReUoEL_qT6wGx0lXTy5ihfKs0YOcZy37CrDOFsyDkbk0UCpzVFkrKlX6TIOG0c_GD-XtrLfei_vy1aLwJ7isrJAc6Hh2a011pLuPVrM99teoTDmFO/s400/long+eared+owl+1.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-eared Owl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhTojnpRMBwnovK4Z5RGLUK-suL5OOz0T0CHCoVB_9T9hUE7918B1aXLh6pXlHLQUMrJfW0MH20oEhKOwAKD2HNVsn7E_3WFNkAxlYj_h6Er-OQBKvYr3JtB5rzMA38pYUni2lugUB_GC/s1600/oriental+white+eye+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhTojnpRMBwnovK4Z5RGLUK-suL5OOz0T0CHCoVB_9T9hUE7918B1aXLh6pXlHLQUMrJfW0MH20oEhKOwAKD2HNVsn7E_3WFNkAxlYj_h6Er-OQBKvYr3JtB5rzMA38pYUni2lugUB_GC/s400/oriental+white+eye+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oriental White Eye</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdM2DpPafhg4dcmG_4YHIYhEDUzYWoYpoR90b_j8G_im_WFnN8nrxcUrJ4tY2o5WgNC-8r9JCYjxxFC2XutCtyZqNUbFLE5jpaHFkfwSzJlcH5REMm5Q9c0DvLGQ0_vnZwFhKdCGO6z4I/s1600/tawny+eagle+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdM2DpPafhg4dcmG_4YHIYhEDUzYWoYpoR90b_j8G_im_WFnN8nrxcUrJ4tY2o5WgNC-8r9JCYjxxFC2XutCtyZqNUbFLE5jpaHFkfwSzJlcH5REMm5Q9c0DvLGQ0_vnZwFhKdCGO6z4I/s400/tawny+eagle+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tawny Eagle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_HhjitbPnUkqpXRC_xWrG7_cVPUYU4vwLV4zTxGBwGfkYXkvzoqiVyu_QHo6I7UMm6tZAgyWQXk9jC3gmpT5HzULmZ6c8GERs1JSFPoz9WB0ogRIoOEcRoV3eiDj9dAnpyZLHdPpq_S5/s1600/white+throated+kingfisher+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_HhjitbPnUkqpXRC_xWrG7_cVPUYU4vwLV4zTxGBwGfkYXkvzoqiVyu_QHo6I7UMm6tZAgyWQXk9jC3gmpT5HzULmZ6c8GERs1JSFPoz9WB0ogRIoOEcRoV3eiDj9dAnpyZLHdPpq_S5/s400/white+throated+kingfisher+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-throated Kingfisher</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1KXSZjWHOh04B3uQA1Q148TQl2w0p_YSO53ijK7Ym9MxobQkh-JTsY_zeuY7twPZXsOgcaFSuM8lDa75O_UmwbKjph_XQbXF7XztOqH0iz6wS6pXE1mlfC_p1cxXBl0HoMHYpQVouvma/s1600/yellow+billed+blue+magpie+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1KXSZjWHOh04B3uQA1Q148TQl2w0p_YSO53ijK7Ym9MxobQkh-JTsY_zeuY7twPZXsOgcaFSuM8lDa75O_UmwbKjph_XQbXF7XztOqH0iz6wS6pXE1mlfC_p1cxXBl0HoMHYpQVouvma/s400/yellow+billed+blue+magpie+3.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-billed Blue Magpie</td></tr>
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Heh, boring post. Deal with it!<br />
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-65743965597900553292012-12-31T04:24:00.000-08:002012-12-31T04:24:33.096-08:00A day in the life...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy New Year! </div>
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I'm back in town quickly and, hooray! the internet is working! So, FOR REAL THIS TIME, I present you with "Sarah's Life on Niramayam Farm."</div>
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I live here:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9b8-WJ8_uOOU4idTTiKW58O08TD0RkyHYuuozC0g5DiQzINbRvCau-pYxy4H8C0E4ONuZ4mvUxFU5RnuNr9eoOoy4LsAeJDh7QQ_hO7dqexZHD9UKocjgaoe5oE1lfsPsIzxdTgfNihs/s1600/IMG_3550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9b8-WJ8_uOOU4idTTiKW58O08TD0RkyHYuuozC0g5DiQzINbRvCau-pYxy4H8C0E4ONuZ4mvUxFU5RnuNr9eoOoy4LsAeJDh7QQ_hO7dqexZHD9UKocjgaoe5oE1lfsPsIzxdTgfNihs/s400/IMG_3550.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hagrid's hut, anybody?</td></tr>
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It's a small circular hut made of stones and clay that reminds me of my ger. Only it's bigger. And taller. And has running water. Like I mentioned before, I start my mornings at 7, when I begin my waking up rituals (drinking coffee) and reading a bit about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka">Masanobu Fukuoka</a>'s farming philosophy. I will spare you all the hippie rant about eating locally grown food and blah blah blah, but the ideas are having a huge influence on my way of thinking and where I will choose to go next with my life. I highly suggest you all take a little readsie: <a href="http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/One_Straw_Revolution/One-Straw_Revolution.html">The One Straw Revolution</a>.<br />
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After I'm sufficiently caffeine-ed, I head out to the fields to do some work!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suresh plowing fields the old-fashioned way</td></tr>
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I have quite a few tasks that I have undertaken here at the farm. Ramesh, the owner of the farm, was interested in testing out a few new ways of farming and set the tasks to his WWOOFers. We built a few gardens using "the double dig" method, where, you guessed it, we turn the soil over twice. We've also built an herb spiral, started a few different types of compost piles, started a Fukuoka-inspired field, and built a pond! Ramesh has also assigned me the task of photographing and identifying the birds on his farm. Easily the most fun and frustrating task I've ever been handed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compostin'. 1 part organic matter (leaves, kitchen scraps, etc...), 1 part cow shit. </td></tr>
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After a day's work, we pass the time eating, drinking, and being merry in the good ole outdoors. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGcs6Cr2Ezg3wY5VAaqtkutggPcLAcIdxwvszf9hkMXlukED-XSdYaFGeEHFC15diMtjrKda4MBNi-ZmWmykek_KliNZjH20aoeDyPH-VRWwUn0F-suHWlbCm7S6K9BA9fv3DAbk9R7Sd/s1600/DSCN2925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGcs6Cr2Ezg3wY5VAaqtkutggPcLAcIdxwvszf9hkMXlukED-XSdYaFGeEHFC15diMtjrKda4MBNi-ZmWmykek_KliNZjH20aoeDyPH-VRWwUn0F-suHWlbCm7S6K9BA9fv3DAbk9R7Sd/s400/DSCN2925.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzu8vzd6z9oke87eLhHyR6OkTmKl3LyBkjYOpbYhKHHA-8OfhMuRrKCT_ab6otnBS7PNCaTXA1xptPSrQD_y-8hUBfXNj4TgOy6KKy9iPqaYZxrRHkcF47n1sjfYMm3XYj38cMHhNFCOKE/s1600/DSCN3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzu8vzd6z9oke87eLhHyR6OkTmKl3LyBkjYOpbYhKHHA-8OfhMuRrKCT_ab6otnBS7PNCaTXA1xptPSrQD_y-8hUBfXNj4TgOy6KKy9iPqaYZxrRHkcF47n1sjfYMm3XYj38cMHhNFCOKE/s400/DSCN3070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silipy! Daughter of Bayla, the unphotographable. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSAYMgyozEEdqcgMMo8YWnfIGmc6h6a2qzCGQAkXvfIvruRBZwt8ZTemmyzBEs5CdtZ3-VYGrHwNl1LoV5li1Gb-Sh9cgeIb2Y1l_ZfFWFQZP86FHLXE6LW4IDum_Hw6aOhwwF7l7Uk5d/s1600/IMG_3881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSAYMgyozEEdqcgMMo8YWnfIGmc6h6a2qzCGQAkXvfIvruRBZwt8ZTemmyzBEs5CdtZ3-VYGrHwNl1LoV5li1Gb-Sh9cgeIb2Y1l_ZfFWFQZP86FHLXE6LW4IDum_Hw6aOhwwF7l7Uk5d/s400/IMG_3881.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ze Mountains at Dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWlpPk-BTLpjjgEkUmyS0-FYeKaoq2834NhQCS-0iutVck39goAjtvq4cJipaHkD0Qe7WTqncZhi16wew7YNrNsmfMl-JEzGJlA0Tr3qwmiwlkCI8At8HaMK0HQmkV0Yo3kxuoyC3wTvk/s1600/IMG_3849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWlpPk-BTLpjjgEkUmyS0-FYeKaoq2834NhQCS-0iutVck39goAjtvq4cJipaHkD0Qe7WTqncZhi16wew7YNrNsmfMl-JEzGJlA0Tr3qwmiwlkCI8At8HaMK0HQmkV0Yo3kxuoyC3wTvk/s400/IMG_3849.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desraj and Suresh, two of the farm's awesome workers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhBwkaJROIEKyLxneScDi6fTEcjrwRDFaGOJT4nZUSYLW9feB_j3MdpvcYtGsbxYXnKcJtZpg8DwSltNhQSKgfJxM0DhZKYkPXchk3q9-d8LAvpz1Y1kjrJ2h56gk-BPjsD2hKWtx3KuR/s1600/IMG_3785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhBwkaJROIEKyLxneScDi6fTEcjrwRDFaGOJT4nZUSYLW9feB_j3MdpvcYtGsbxYXnKcJtZpg8DwSltNhQSKgfJxM0DhZKYkPXchk3q9-d8LAvpz1Y1kjrJ2h56gk-BPjsD2hKWtx3KuR/s400/IMG_3785.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPSYZ0AwBKjZpIJHFQumjEVSRDweFvtueWMUsZSXmkgbZq2a48R9ne_8LrsDTyyv2hAfcju-IklwTeFZ7oy2dIuwV9QfYtGZuNllTkNC-lTbGLhVRMbBL2Zihn2u9QZwXDRXRVEYwhUta/s1600/IMG_3936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPSYZ0AwBKjZpIJHFQumjEVSRDweFvtueWMUsZSXmkgbZq2a48R9ne_8LrsDTyyv2hAfcju-IklwTeFZ7oy2dIuwV9QfYtGZuNllTkNC-lTbGLhVRMbBL2Zihn2u9QZwXDRXRVEYwhUta/s400/IMG_3936.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being silly by the fire</td></tr>
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And that's that! Life is good people! I hope you all the best for 2013! Who knows, maybe I'll even see you in person! Hugs, kisses, and champagne!<br />
<br />
I leave you all with another installment of "How To..."<br />
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<b>How To Make a Clay Pond Using Common House/Farmhold Ingredients</b><br />
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Step 1: Gather the ingredients:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcdMiI2YLh9SvCtM7yuY8YUPTLRu3jXI_7wI2zTdMbYNEfV3w80zB9NlcQSOCkhbjkHQvpYBs7VI_zGjjgMwhDp_Ldr5luIZR8DAGg-J9huWiJXQehRUKKb_cK3cP1qzrBWSBRSHjPlz7/s1600/IMG_3790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcdMiI2YLh9SvCtM7yuY8YUPTLRu3jXI_7wI2zTdMbYNEfV3w80zB9NlcQSOCkhbjkHQvpYBs7VI_zGjjgMwhDp_Ldr5luIZR8DAGg-J9huWiJXQehRUKKb_cK3cP1qzrBWSBRSHjPlz7/s400/IMG_3790.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZjFuMkJXBURx-I31sWwfTFkCR6F_bkftNVGe59J7swa_U4J0-ZTlZWu8su3qr1le07KzhrTZxxUMVoIYmEHqfhuH1QK9TmD_KUeSkAhNZNpNW6hZQYIMNFCTnjMaJj0wg59f-pLAmKoj/s1600/IMG_3794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZjFuMkJXBURx-I31sWwfTFkCR6F_bkftNVGe59J7swa_U4J0-ZTlZWu8su3qr1le07KzhrTZxxUMVoIYmEHqfhuH1QK9TmD_KUeSkAhNZNpNW6hZQYIMNFCTnjMaJj0wg59f-pLAmKoj/s400/IMG_3794.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZOngIECi8iRNiIIJ44tV2zOfpAxDohvU6OWCQfw9Smoa7AJBPuz43klLe6kv-T11v6TFpyrd5EZpeh3YzM71RRjxan-v_Jk1VPGr5IdsLJlvoEzIbSgUrms5XvrzUzIotpVjwVARLcqC/s1600/IMG_3807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZOngIECi8iRNiIIJ44tV2zOfpAxDohvU6OWCQfw9Smoa7AJBPuz43klLe6kv-T11v6TFpyrd5EZpeh3YzM71RRjxan-v_Jk1VPGr5IdsLJlvoEzIbSgUrms5XvrzUzIotpVjwVARLcqC/s400/IMG_3807.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5s-JZdr3EGf2_59YgyqdsWrxEo2UhcpSNAe2lKdK10P2CWB02S9xwxzElOzvUm_Vno3i5XHoNJTRhWMvPc4-2GLRS5RJSRsj86yyFFx7b9gcGEnGaLXR55LcSol4NdhfxlMmCxViCqrd/s1600/IMG_3822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5s-JZdr3EGf2_59YgyqdsWrxEo2UhcpSNAe2lKdK10P2CWB02S9xwxzElOzvUm_Vno3i5XHoNJTRhWMvPc4-2GLRS5RJSRsj86yyFFx7b9gcGEnGaLXR55LcSol4NdhfxlMmCxViCqrd/s400/IMG_3822.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A volunteer. The more unwilling, the better. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDI5sdraDcrflOMUMgCd_JBIdKNBtzE2mQFdj9HQ2Io4IO95KMQlCyQH_zR8cil1cXACbn0Q0YhKlHfoenYdyp77xbZeh3dAuyutEupiF7_9PzgKjGyQc_FVfTcW0xYTDNoxrN1m1-JMN/s1600/IMG_3802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDI5sdraDcrflOMUMgCd_JBIdKNBtzE2mQFdj9HQ2Io4IO95KMQlCyQH_zR8cil1cXACbn0Q0YhKlHfoenYdyp77xbZeh3dAuyutEupiF7_9PzgKjGyQc_FVfTcW0xYTDNoxrN1m1-JMN/s400/IMG_3802.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most important ingredient of all. Fresh dung. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Step 2: Tell your volunteer to mix the ingredients together. What? <i>I</i> certainly can't stick my hand in cow shit <i>and </i>take pictures at the same time! </div>
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Z1xIYQEfy-LBLqTlTWaZkHJhvKOhtlFW31m18u4LoAjmK8d2f7hDaqAm2rV5VOXTwrVegEfgiohnluosZDpXcaDUzsz1aRIxoyk4ZtXGVEC_kts1UFKUJ6EoW6ulbrzKTmgcrhgUdpuk/s400/IMG_3796.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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Step 3: Once thoroughly mixed, wind up and SPLAT. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdC8yCfgFuaRSg2me6HBvHA7S-5qDx0-AzCfuo8SJX3h07ZTm1JUEnLzQcZJnLkB3QLR6yEuQz5QPVWJfFeH6zHWHj8sxMkYTvFFSbWvHANI2LzEWTZi-vLYimVaj5Kap7U-1_uj2MjjtW/s1600/IMG_3814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdC8yCfgFuaRSg2me6HBvHA7S-5qDx0-AzCfuo8SJX3h07ZTm1JUEnLzQcZJnLkB3QLR6yEuQz5QPVWJfFeH6zHWHj8sxMkYTvFFSbWvHANI2LzEWTZi-vLYimVaj5Kap7U-1_uj2MjjtW/s400/IMG_3814.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Step 4: Admire your handiwork and try not to breathe through your nose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaFNDzfXp3Q1XjJ27fnLSN-6RH9Ej8y64C3QRA53tRih2RaUgrwVJMfX6jiADgfrf3qo58kK9JutUeiob2PcA8drmbOCWzaQPkZee9EjkjRZrefvA6s03RNQXXpFHtiuM_Gbzi6SvOmFJ/s1600/IMG_3819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaFNDzfXp3Q1XjJ27fnLSN-6RH9Ej8y64C3QRA53tRih2RaUgrwVJMfX6jiADgfrf3qo58kK9JutUeiob2PcA8drmbOCWzaQPkZee9EjkjRZrefvA6s03RNQXXpFHtiuM_Gbzi6SvOmFJ/s400/IMG_3819.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-77730873402161954122012-12-27T23:43:00.000-08:002012-12-27T23:43:24.303-08:00Niramayam Farm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy Belated Christmas, folks!</div>
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And Merry The-World-Did-Not-End!!</div>
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Hooookay, the farm. I've been here for a little about a month and a half now and, boy howdy, I just love it. Everyday I wake up, watch the birds, drink a bunch of coffee, work a little bit, eat some awesome food, watch more birds, work some more, eat more awesome food, sit near a fire, and then go to sleep. After 2 years in Mongolia and 4 months of travel, the farm is like one giant exhale. </div>
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I know I promised pictures and stories and such, but once again, I LIED. I tried to upload pictures but after an hour, all that uploaded was this:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamd-gNXS0yZz3bj4EnPpnAwkVYI_AOAim4excNEX2bMsQ0GB-hEUt810RGM05xMQacoz28vzbAp3Y-lk7BYNx0OBfEcD1WpyNwTY-2fjQXUfE6rirMQfvoIgr_1vzpG8cYteYWXLWyoQW/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamd-gNXS0yZz3bj4EnPpnAwkVYI_AOAim4excNEX2bMsQ0GB-hEUt810RGM05xMQacoz28vzbAp3Y-lk7BYNx0OBfEcD1WpyNwTY-2fjQXUfE6rirMQfvoIgr_1vzpG8cYteYWXLWyoQW/s400/IMG_3655.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Mastram, one of the workers on the farm (and Lionel, another WWOOFer in the corner)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, I'm running out of time because I have to catch the bus back to the farm and also I'm hungry. But I won't leave you completely in the dark! Here's the link to the farm's (outdated) <a href="http://www.ganeriwal.us/">website</a>.<br />
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Sorry about the blog. Miss you all and HAPPY NEW YEAR!</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-73115035457347383682012-11-19T22:55:00.001-08:002012-11-19T22:55:14.231-08:00INDIA!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Namaste everybody!<br />
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Sorry for the poor bloggin, but I have once again isolated myself from the outside world of news, cell phones, and internet.<br />
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Last you saw me, I was hangin in Bangkok, hating the noise and confusion and waiting for my Inidan visa. Since then, I have travelled to Phuket, where I met Woody Leonard, a friend of my mother's. I sat on the beach all day and ate delicious food by night. More on that later. Maybe.<br />
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Then I went back to Bangkok, got my visa, flew to Delhi, met an M-7 (!!!) (More on THAT later), got on an overnight bus (can't get enough), rode to Dharamsala and have been living the simple life ever since.<br />
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Oh, by the way, I'm <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WWOOFING</a> in the foothills of the Himalayas.<br />
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Sorry, this is so quick and scattered, but I haven't the time (nor the pictures) to do this post justice. Someday, I promise, I"ll have some great stories for y'all. Until then, it'll be like i'm in Mongolia again. 1 post per 2 months.<br />
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!<br />
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-35440875373042505982012-10-22T21:56:00.001-07:002012-10-22T22:06:16.371-07:00Kajsiab<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Enough about failures! Here's a post a<span style="font-family: inherit;">bout succe</span>ss. </div>
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After travelling through Vietnam for an entire month and never spending more than 3 days in any one place, I decided I needed to find a place to <i>stay</i>. I saw Vietnam... I saw a LOT of Vietnam. But my constant motion made it impossible to get a hold on the culture, the people, the daily life of the Vietnamese (with the exception of Van and the Luu family... miss you guys!). I felt very... distant... from the <i>real</i> Vietnam. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. Vietnam is awesome and I would recommend travelling there to anyone who likes food and fun. I blame it on Mongolia, my thirst to experience culture first-hand, that is. As I moved into Laos, I abandoned my plan, which was to wear out my visa and see as much as Laos as possible. I chose to stay, and watch, and participate, and do what I do best: volunteer. </div>
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Project Kajsiab! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bpC0fEOEJPaH_oEKNita73Dnnmb3vGv4ivyfkOVudFH3WlsvEHk7S_KUassw7g4yE4O0fry7OUk1SXSB35EY2NRIpUMj6T-lQdnLNK_CWwGPmQm4OpkHQ9m2NwBVPPQjgg00FrCOAXTH/s1600/IMG_2667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0bpC0fEOEJPaH_oEKNita73Dnnmb3vGv4ivyfkOVudFH3WlsvEHk7S_KUassw7g4yE4O0fry7OUk1SXSB35EY2NRIpUMj6T-lQdnLNK_CWwGPmQm4OpkHQ9m2NwBVPPQjgg00FrCOAXTH/s400/IMG_2667.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This little excerpt was written by a fellow volunteer, Alec, who is one talented man with a pen in hand:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><i style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Early in the year of 2004 Nzoua Vue’s family was beset by tragedy. His beloved sister, Kajsiab, died a preventable death due a minor infection and inadequate health care. She was thirteen years old. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sadly, this grievous loss is not an unusual story in many parts of Laos today.</span> Indeed, rather than being a stand-alone case, the loss of Kajsiab to a curable case of appendicitis is instead an indication of the myriad problems that continue to afflict many rural villages of Laos in the 21<sup style="border: 0px; bottom: 0.8em; height: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">st</sup> century: food shortages, no access to clean drinking water or sanitation, limited or no access to healthcare and no reliable source of income.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="background-color: #999999;">It was with the intimate knowledge of these problems and the memory of his beloved sister that Nzoua and his Dutch wife, Lara Picavet, formed the non-profit socially minded company, Kajsiab.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kajsiab means: a flower that blooms, a heart that opens, a love that suddenly springs.</span> It is the name of a beloved sister who died at the age of thirteen as a result of a minor infection that could have been easily cured with access to basic healthcar</span><span style="color: #7a7575; font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: #999999;">e</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; font-family: inherit;">The rest of the article can be found <a href="http://www.explore-laos.com/volunteer-in-laos-kajsiab-project/">here.</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; line-height: 18px;">Basically, women's empowerment is the name of the game! The Daauw House, the main hub of Project Kajsiab, functions as a restaurant, guesthouse, bar that helps earn income for the project. It's main purpose, however, is a shelter for the local mountain people, for whatever reason they may seek it. All this happens under the same roof, making the Daauw House less like a restaurant and more like a living room. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Not to mention this place is </span><i style="line-height: 18px;">swarming</i><span style="line-height: 18px;"> with children.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span></div>
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For more stupidly adorable pictures of the many children inhabitants of the Daauw House, check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbkappel/">flicker page</a>. </div>
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A note on Lara Picavet and Nzoua Vue, the heart and soul behind this organization. Lara, originally from Holland, visited Laos 10 years and never left. She fell in love with the forest, the people, and most importantly, Nzoua (recall, it's was Nzoua's sister, Kajsiab, that gave life to all this). Now, they have three beautiful half Dutch, half H'Mong children and live with in the Daauw House with the guests, the volunteers, and the mountain people.<br />
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The world could use more people like Lara and Nzoua. Their passion is infectious and their goals are focused. They have the unique perspective to see issues from both outside and <i>inside</i> the culture which is their greatest strength. And the best part of ALL this, is how unbelievably successful they have been.<br />
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Just in my two weeks there, I witnessed the first day of school for 2 girls, ages 8 and 11, whose previous years were spent raising their younger siblings while their brothers attended school and their parents worked. I saw a young pregnant woman communicate to her husband what <i>she </i>wants and expects. I saw Nzoua counsel a group of young men on how better treat their wives and children. And I saw Zjong, who has lived more life in her short 21 years than anyone should have to, burst into tears of happiness when some customers left a tip for Project Kajsiab, claiming she'd "never thought there'd be a day like today."<br />
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There is much that still needs to be done, though. And some of that stuff I got to help with! Like, clearing the land for base 2, which will be a health clinic, organic farm, and another safe-house:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZTgY6Bk9OtEwRqOFjwRY9xSr4P5OMWNIK4Ddjvh-jVHp12UVEH_nJSZE-qX8iwzmQPMkh-9fuWCPgYh8Mtvn0is1QnRawCliB4Ytxwwcyt4byQGXcZHm_VklRzydNuzHu-XRYOTY1lop/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZTgY6Bk9OtEwRqOFjwRY9xSr4P5OMWNIK4Ddjvh-jVHp12UVEH_nJSZE-qX8iwzmQPMkh-9fuWCPgYh8Mtvn0is1QnRawCliB4Ytxwwcyt4byQGXcZHm_VklRzydNuzHu-XRYOTY1lop/s400/IMG_2408.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As if Laos wasn't hot enough. Oh, meet Martha and Alec!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbPV3EyIKBFAZYPETVT2-zms7ItEEM1tLjDqqOTKy2QhSpxik2iGVMv7dQDi-m3ctfDRk3Dlm4-RdM21G8udWD4b50nwrQubRDgwFFjrGjBVdO572XIKnt21F-eQzo_NBGDfKaXWPdw4h/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbPV3EyIKBFAZYPETVT2-zms7ItEEM1tLjDqqOTKy2QhSpxik2iGVMv7dQDi-m3ctfDRk3Dlm4-RdM21G8udWD4b50nwrQubRDgwFFjrGjBVdO572XIKnt21F-eQzo_NBGDfKaXWPdw4h/s400/IMG_2439.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Buying handicrafts from a local woman</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAsJu2-JzlYOL3MhnvumRKyCTtbjePxxFXtKLyoVKkNBaDQPPBSk1RmDLAsVUUHHd8aF3PwM1wkDo03y2YdznWoQxIArjuLhTVX-E58xvQcJHU9JHdatluZjTL1y-qJo3LAZSEApoIqgU/s1600/IMG_2473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAsJu2-JzlYOL3MhnvumRKyCTtbjePxxFXtKLyoVKkNBaDQPPBSk1RmDLAsVUUHHd8aF3PwM1wkDo03y2YdznWoQxIArjuLhTVX-E58xvQcJHU9JHdatluZjTL1y-qJo3LAZSEApoIqgU/s400/IMG_2473.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Painting signs for the Home (or rather taking a break while the children hijack all my supplies)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z5IbN3yIBK_i0vrPotMZI5hDT-JDsAnk0fypX9QFDTIQEMFBDpkOXtDQt1-RaAAz27YObr9v6slIhcryLVRkGyzq9OePPwvqWFUEa_a5tF9R8vXILjrMtFg0-ExeJjU5qHTp2f_e7V5a/s1600/IMG_2848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Z5IbN3yIBK_i0vrPotMZI5hDT-JDsAnk0fypX9QFDTIQEMFBDpkOXtDQt1-RaAAz27YObr9v6slIhcryLVRkGyzq9OePPwvqWFUEa_a5tF9R8vXILjrMtFg0-ExeJjU5qHTp2f_e7V5a/s400/IMG_2848.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting villages to buy wood</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN09D_uGWAj327_2RmThTOXUQ23ij6jUqoYKUg06d9dUYKh0U1xmp1PZVSNecxbR2XfQsgeNcuY0Su8D22Fn-SadXeRgHu2oSPZnvyWlfuHuheHv6777LPKY4ZuN0KK05cRrnRjsBApNRp/s1600/IMG_2622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN09D_uGWAj327_2RmThTOXUQ23ij6jUqoYKUg06d9dUYKh0U1xmp1PZVSNecxbR2XfQsgeNcuY0Su8D22Fn-SadXeRgHu2oSPZnvyWlfuHuheHv6777LPKY4ZuN0KK05cRrnRjsBApNRp/s400/IMG_2622.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvesting Rice! (I mean, taking a watermelon break... check out that awesome knife in her hand! That's what we cut the rice with)</td></tr>
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And here are some other pictures worth sharing, but have nothing to do with work and have more to do with fun. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkOjlxzp0GCfGlwTwBfL9-2KIBFgHDXnHFgUCAtvdPWcXzSEV4Maiobh_M9jRylZXIHd13-m4I8UyR_RXiDZ8Fjp0pllpwtAsKy_PA56-QQHSSchbxXpOm4MBRqiQSGN2KLOhFM8ARsxF/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkOjlxzp0GCfGlwTwBfL9-2KIBFgHDXnHFgUCAtvdPWcXzSEV4Maiobh_M9jRylZXIHd13-m4I8UyR_RXiDZ8Fjp0pllpwtAsKy_PA56-QQHSSchbxXpOm4MBRqiQSGN2KLOhFM8ARsxF/s400/IMG_2417.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnival! Which really consisted of this game and the "throw darts at balloons" game. Oh, and Bingo! And a bouncy house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz-HES9XtTseohqUF9Lho2DFArUMxw6mvZOGZHFTI7V1bg4WOG6JfaSjkjNJNMhS8wSAUY26v7h4HgiedvYyE4YfxwcjOIjj3plX2YF0V6fIQctUfnUtWshrhZu1HTGJ1dldqwxC4qp9U/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVz-HES9XtTseohqUF9Lho2DFArUMxw6mvZOGZHFTI7V1bg4WOG6JfaSjkjNJNMhS8wSAUY26v7h4HgiedvYyE4YfxwcjOIjj3plX2YF0V6fIQctUfnUtWshrhZu1HTGJ1dldqwxC4qp9U/s400/IMG_2433.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along with a billion cute kiddies, there were 2 cute kitties. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9mLNdJw4A6YNofxTPruPSSe1NA0dEdl1f28_7nlDYaeTGlHOAgxIT7lk0_QD6d0l6IibXK4mbs4YHD9RliQMoaKRXn83gs-JUfkT18e2ddt16dwSW_6yvRXF1GwxYfpO8cQQluGjulph/s1600/IMG_2466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9mLNdJw4A6YNofxTPruPSSe1NA0dEdl1f28_7nlDYaeTGlHOAgxIT7lk0_QD6d0l6IibXK4mbs4YHD9RliQMoaKRXn83gs-JUfkT18e2ddt16dwSW_6yvRXF1GwxYfpO8cQQluGjulph/s400/IMG_2466.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And if we got injured or bit by some unknown critter, Nzoua's mother, the local medicine woman, came to our aid!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42LIcVIJe58i1RcNadLNYSfmxuhExhDJ5MO7dDJfuGuesWnPE-dZ1oWPIj450Z7pRg-XDNVzLyi76Aov156y5R1JbPUMoE532GPsYIDC-7FeNxXgxdxFNBuBXA59t1Mr4EUBi3fapXj1a/s1600/IMG_2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42LIcVIJe58i1RcNadLNYSfmxuhExhDJ5MO7dDJfuGuesWnPE-dZ1oWPIj450Z7pRg-XDNVzLyi76Aov156y5R1JbPUMoE532GPsYIDC-7FeNxXgxdxFNBuBXA59t1Mr4EUBi3fapXj1a/s400/IMG_2477.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kittie numbero 2. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqgcfG8SsKXLqvv2feE4IyvTpVYDtlzmi5fvNQWhdmTkOst3q6CqtykVn30J7I69QIm8cwhTT5WFTZrFOU3bmsGAw75rg_IimryFSjqKQ0jq-fHsdrLzQxzMx0KfKF5W5c4j3V-NQrHte/s1600/IMG_2547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqgcfG8SsKXLqvv2feE4IyvTpVYDtlzmi5fvNQWhdmTkOst3q6CqtykVn30J7I69QIm8cwhTT5WFTZrFOU3bmsGAw75rg_IimryFSjqKQ0jq-fHsdrLzQxzMx0KfKF5W5c4j3V-NQrHte/s400/IMG_2547.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps the best picture to describe the Daauw Home. The restaurant offers a menu to choose your own meal or, even better, you can eat with the local people staying at the shelter. Just like a big family. [Sidenote: Holy shoot, H'Mong food is so good and spicy]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwm8IBNssV966qCVDNxhjxAIz9E85qOXnlZjMSkcj50LdE1xcBuOZDtAjkmqIzQTzcMGKiQYZaV39u71n-Z0WpiwpPuCQDcjw0JTzhe8ARRual3dj3BLo0HnaCTWEOcOBhX6LXu0K2QJkV/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwm8IBNssV966qCVDNxhjxAIz9E85qOXnlZjMSkcj50LdE1xcBuOZDtAjkmqIzQTzcMGKiQYZaV39u71n-Z0WpiwpPuCQDcjw0JTzhe8ARRual3dj3BLo0HnaCTWEOcOBhX6LXu0K2QJkV/s400/IMG_2560.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stayed in a bungalow and here is my bed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW0utXhHbmzKrKEpzzX9vnlTnsZB7pNPLY0srZvG2_CU9JQkrmIqoLrpxQHXDJc3xsvDKe1_FrvVvtJtiJSjddxFPxbdLHSm-EpcbI0vtSuHMI0nW42JgSQ0KrhfElWEFQycBV1HDTGpP/s1600/IMG_2631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW0utXhHbmzKrKEpzzX9vnlTnsZB7pNPLY0srZvG2_CU9JQkrmIqoLrpxQHXDJc3xsvDKe1_FrvVvtJtiJSjddxFPxbdLHSm-EpcbI0vtSuHMI0nW42JgSQ0KrhfElWEFQycBV1HDTGpP/s400/IMG_2631.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional home in one of the H'Mong villages.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwAOgxDzK5r0lx_f5KohCyw0VVZ6FV_YA_VUd3tLpcE6GA5_4Ad0lCQhoul5TOuhgfnPSERnwz79yBRclGZQu5X7iACMcZUUVmiOiVIlkyGX__fRg3EvvTK-p1w2iXxy4Eh2wHpUUDIlx/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwAOgxDzK5r0lx_f5KohCyw0VVZ6FV_YA_VUd3tLpcE6GA5_4Ad0lCQhoul5TOuhgfnPSERnwz79yBRclGZQu5X7iACMcZUUVmiOiVIlkyGX__fRg3EvvTK-p1w2iXxy4Eh2wHpUUDIlx/s400/IMG_2792.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another night of carnival fun. This is the look a husband gives his wife after losing all the money she gave him. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihccxzOIGTEElAouuAC8TKdHOS-rjTkx7KBB1LceDh3stYWtNDOHTA22E00nz4spcKHNF5UepKtEKBlBt8gzkAU-hBmyuDOi1ow5oqbNJetWjrZy2SKvHqT81jcpfVD5R-fzy5vRkAcohl/s1600/IMG_2798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihccxzOIGTEElAouuAC8TKdHOS-rjTkx7KBB1LceDh3stYWtNDOHTA22E00nz4spcKHNF5UepKtEKBlBt8gzkAU-hBmyuDOi1ow5oqbNJetWjrZy2SKvHqT81jcpfVD5R-fzy5vRkAcohl/s400/IMG_2798.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genius. Would this work on the streets in Chicago? I found my future calling...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0IOJ9ZOyNsGMGtYxZGDhM0nGMCIqbp7O8IWYdN6vRQIUWzUwjC8r1lN3DzhwtWdsQLLOlHOBYdmyVgc5Twurd-bmzy7fIkjHsjSIpoo9Q7ToRZN-iqThLkCemkbJJq3v1HpGaqYZdiPu/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0IOJ9ZOyNsGMGtYxZGDhM0nGMCIqbp7O8IWYdN6vRQIUWzUwjC8r1lN3DzhwtWdsQLLOlHOBYdmyVgc5Twurd-bmzy7fIkjHsjSIpoo9Q7ToRZN-iqThLkCemkbJJq3v1HpGaqYZdiPu/s400/IMG_2884.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayla, Bow, and Iniya. The two on the ends are Lara and Nzoua's kids. Bow is Nzoua's sister and these two girls' aunt. This is their first day of school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIZrCLZto2ok1ncQayDcj6AdzRhFPcoTcPoQHqMEpnDo7_VPaUKY2l-4wJHvAOwoO4G_IiPWlVChD2VXtbf3O8H3sVEqbSfmoDPZ2O419nQWt64h4iCD_lfbpZ4vUVt5PyYHecghBYlZ5/s1600/IMG_2994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIZrCLZto2ok1ncQayDcj6AdzRhFPcoTcPoQHqMEpnDo7_VPaUKY2l-4wJHvAOwoO4G_IiPWlVChD2VXtbf3O8H3sVEqbSfmoDPZ2O419nQWt64h4iCD_lfbpZ4vUVt5PyYHecghBYlZ5/s400/IMG_2994.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zjong. One of the most amazing women I've ever met. She is proof that Project Kajsiab is on the right track. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar3Keov1AHgDZu5MoW8v5CsjIglYLZqC7lC0vnvcIjetTuP1qJlvVrvLAt8eUZ3Ff0cQINHGOqq6ajVwX500QDYheAJHcgmUSSj9tyy-9JFw7Ob_okuggCQisNWD-Sqy5RkImA5d3pQE1/s1600/IMG_2997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar3Keov1AHgDZu5MoW8v5CsjIglYLZqC7lC0vnvcIjetTuP1qJlvVrvLAt8eUZ3Ff0cQINHGOqq6ajVwX500QDYheAJHcgmUSSj9tyy-9JFw7Ob_okuggCQisNWD-Sqy5RkImA5d3pQE1/s400/IMG_2997.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Pe. Her story is also riddled with sadness. Her husband is currently in jail and her husband's family abuses her. She took her son, 11 months, and came to stay at the Daauw home until her husband returns. She is 17 years old. But as the days went on, Pe opened up more and more. Turns out, she's a mischievous little prankster with a lot of life and love to share. </td></tr>
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OH! And then it was my birthday! So keeping in tradition of "how to spend birthdays abroad," we slaughtered an animal and drank a lot of beer:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLPMErbwJNeUfpqEXRBMp2ytHJMQ29jrIYYh20hpdCdcvSBYiVgDJlAhtM2Wvkyek_v7rdfkFqxsX6lbr9mkNlRX-XPWEbaPb0BhrtyWZEs7rXjLY_kdFhgVEyzCDpopSme4Nao4SYSL8/s1600/IMG_3142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLPMErbwJNeUfpqEXRBMp2ytHJMQ29jrIYYh20hpdCdcvSBYiVgDJlAhtM2Wvkyek_v7rdfkFqxsX6lbr9mkNlRX-XPWEbaPb0BhrtyWZEs7rXjLY_kdFhgVEyzCDpopSme4Nao4SYSL8/s400/IMG_3142.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaaaand I'm a vegetarian again. Sorry buddy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdb76R4cEI-3AWNs9lmj_CSEZjAfh33g_KvkMXhvCDHyuIik32QKFPCWE5L7RvQiLXSkIPC01oP_ZSfeDNz_826wnwl4BrcI7zRtr9CV4DLrpVrvCt1ZUm5mFGScF-niS7eCaLG7LPjex/s1600/IMG_3149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdb76R4cEI-3AWNs9lmj_CSEZjAfh33g_KvkMXhvCDHyuIik32QKFPCWE5L7RvQiLXSkIPC01oP_ZSfeDNz_826wnwl4BrcI7zRtr9CV4DLrpVrvCt1ZUm5mFGScF-niS7eCaLG7LPjex/s400/IMG_3149.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least there was no hammer involved in killing this guy (Mongolian goats aren't so lucky)</td></tr>
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All of a sudden, the small quiet road the Daauw House overlooks was filled with people. Lara had invited Nzoua's entire village to celebrate my birthday with me!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwxfhxGwOCxSBRWUerVL6vOxfuFNvriwM77l7SXxNaane7y7PbckEqiez99yjCoLOI9jrMGo0vuOMmZuvYcxZzsS8bluVz-lyBnxJmYzuQAZwxDOJKwF4XYajnAXiJpRSvPVQu6bCh8Lz/s1600/IMG_3293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwxfhxGwOCxSBRWUerVL6vOxfuFNvriwM77l7SXxNaane7y7PbckEqiez99yjCoLOI9jrMGo0vuOMmZuvYcxZzsS8bluVz-lyBnxJmYzuQAZwxDOJKwF4XYajnAXiJpRSvPVQu6bCh8Lz/s400/IMG_3293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party!</td></tr>
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Whew. You wouldn't believe how many more pictures I have. Well, actually maybe you would. I will post them on flicker as soon as I can, but I feel like my iced coffee doesn't cover the 3 hours of free wifi I've just siphoned. So, I'm going to boogie.<br />
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Here's a bunch of information on Project Kajsiab. If you care to help, which I <i>highly</i> suggest you do [I truly believe this is aid at it's best. Grassroot to the core and completely in line with the wants and needs of the people they serve], you can give to the Project itself, as they are looking for sponsors currently (though they intend to be completely self-sustaining in the future) OR you can sponsor the education of one of the mountain girls! Chiggity-check it out:<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Kajsiab-Laos/147308638632040?fref=ts">Facebook - Project Kajsiab</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1a95zbcZ1U">Youtube - Info on Project Kajsiab</a><br />
Lara Picavet: projectkajsiablaos@gmail.com<br />
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Peace, love, and empowerment!</div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-82830883288164477272012-10-19T04:38:00.000-07:002012-10-19T04:38:19.546-07:00Quick update!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Heya folks!<br />
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I'm sorry about my real horrible bloggin lately, but I've been busy! Seriously! I've been volunteering at a sweet organization called Project Kajsiab, where EMPOWERMENT is the name of the game. I met many a wonderful person and ate a lot of good food (there is a theme running through most of my posts, eh?).<br />
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Anyway, I have more pictures than I know what to do with, but BLOGGER WON'T LET ME UPLOAD THEM. I've reached my quota or something lame like that. I will look into it, I swear, but until then you are going to have to wait a little longer.<br />
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Also, I am not feeling very inclined to write about anything nice right now because I'm still reeling from the biggest failure of my adult life. I told y'all I was going to Myanmar, and I did, but you won't be hearing any stories or seeing any pictures anytime soon. I spent all of 24 hours there before it became necessary to leave. I'm totally fine, so don't worry. It was just one disaster after another from the train to the airport, to the sterile quarantine room at the airport, to the damn money exchangers, to the lack of foreign banks, to the hold on my bank account, to the sheer chaos that Yangon currently is.<br />
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Sigh. Much of it was my fault and I feel as though writing this on my blog is a confession of sorts. Travelling is hard and so far I've done a good job (I think), but I got had in Myanmar. Myanmar:1 Sarah:0<br />
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Now I'm in Bangkok (again), beating my head against the wall and trying to decide what to do next. When I'm in a happier mood, I'll write about Kajsiab because the people involved with Kajsiab deserve a post worthy of the good they are doing.<br />
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Until next time,<br />
Sarah</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-32264186216867211422012-09-29T22:37:00.000-07:002012-09-29T22:37:13.068-07:00Sa bai dee!**<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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**Hello in Lao!</div>
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[Before I begin, I'd like to clarify something I wrote in the previous post... the <i>campsit</i>e <i>where we ate</i> included the puppy, lunch did not. I still have not [knowingly] eaten dog.]</div>
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I have successfully crossed into Laos! My trip from Sa Pa, Vietnam to Odoumxay, Laos went something like this:</div>
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7:00 pm - 3:30am: on the road to Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam in a mini-bus with a sleeping Vietnamese man on my shoulder and Vietnam's Greatest Hits playing on repeat at ear-bleeding volume</div>
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3:30am - 5:30am: at the bus stop, people watching until the ticket booth opened</div>
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5:30am - 7:00am: Got my ticket for the 5:30am bus to Muong Khua, Laos which promptly left at 7. </div>
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7:00am - 8:30am: Attempted sleep on the benches in the bus (which should have been retired 20 years ago), but an impromptu karaoke session kept me awake and amused</div>
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8:30am: Reached the Vietnam border. Handed my passport to the bored guard playing Galaga (and whose finger never stopped clicking the mouse, even when checking my papers). Over to Laos, an out-door border crossing, where I got an H1N1 test (a gun shaped thermometer pointed at my head and which cost me 3,000 kip), a visa, and some iced coffee. </div>
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9:30am - 4:00 pm: bouncin and bustlin through the mountain roads, watching dubbed versions of American movies (new American movies, I presume. The movies were all dubbed, so I couldn't follow along, but I watched one with James Franco and some chimps that was really really weird). </div>
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4:00pm: Tired, in pain from sprinting down a mountain and then sitting for a million hours, checked into a hotel where I promptly passed out in front of the fan. </div>
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THEN I WOKE UP AND GOT ON A BUS FOR ANOTHER 8 HOURS. And you know what? I kind of enjoyed it. Call me what you will (INSANE), but I have learned to love the bus ride. In fact, the more crowded with people who don't speak my language, the more I seem to like it. I like being with the people, travelling the way they all travel, hearing the roosters calling from the top of the bus, resting my legs on one of the 25 flour bags filled with fruit. I've found I have less to complain about on these rides simply because no one else is complaining. On an air plane I feel <i>entitled</i>. This seat doesn't recline, give me a new one. I'm sorry, this ice cube is not regulation size, take this drink back! But cramped in a bus, with my knees to my chin, my head halfway out the window, I sit there peacefully and think <i>it could be worse. I could be </i>that<i> guy in aisle straddling the chicken between his legs</i>. And if he's not complaining, why should I? Also, as I keep finding myself to be the only foreigner on theses buses, people tend to give me snacks and drinks and often make me hold their babies, much to the babies' horror. So, despite the other options of travel available to me, I will probably continue to subject myself to the craziness that is bus travelling BECAUSE I LIKE IT OK?</div>
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Well, after those 8 hours, I arrived in Luang Prabang, a charming town with more temples than houses sitting at the convergence of the Mekong and ... some other river. And it came with 3 of my fellow RPCVs from Mongolia! For some strange reason, I didn't feel inclined to photodocument any of this, but I swear it happened. We hung out, got drunk, went swimming, drank some more, karaoked (as peace corps volunteers are apt to do), and then got our shit together and went on a TREK. </div>
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I hate the work trek. Especially travellers who are "trekking" through Southeast Asia. Shut up, you're just carrying a big backpack onto many different forms of transportation. </div>
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He he, sorry. Most travelers are awesome awesome people, but some you just want to sock in the face. </div>
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The Trek! It was 2 days, we hiked around the mountains the first day, stopping in H'mong or Zau villages, where I wanted to take many pictures of too cute children, but the other folks we were with were snap snap snapping away right in these poor children's faces, so I backed off. Please read<a href="http://capitulatenow.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/kao-tai-hoop-day/"> this.</a> </div>
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[that blog is written by one of the RPCVs with me in Luang Prabang. She's delightfully sassy and really effin funny.]</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA7Wfki3h0rVW_XXzeAk_JbwHRXH9OJznRezKcgOTFCVtsTUS57ROvU0gMMYANeNEJ0UneQgElTGfLUerYS-2nbscmSg-NrFYS1DsDYtC0JtS3vOx7cN_dI5Xz4kx0dg8HxWRhmuOuZJ9/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA7Wfki3h0rVW_XXzeAk_JbwHRXH9OJznRezKcgOTFCVtsTUS57ROvU0gMMYANeNEJ0UneQgElTGfLUerYS-2nbscmSg-NrFYS1DsDYtC0JtS3vOx7cN_dI5Xz4kx0dg8HxWRhmuOuZJ9/s400/IMG_2331.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did get a picture! Here is Ryan with his parasol hiking through a rice field. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdML6MPy7ZbseLcYqGTVvw4_KNXlrvB59QGoTD7ZgXC-exCIXbW3dGV1Zq6yLyvX7wK7aW8STplutbtEibLZbT7Vxxa0K8B65mtTa0TXlYtMweoH6h3Ca5lx4pELUFCt0fow-wLcvOKgD9/s1600/IMG_2334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdML6MPy7ZbseLcYqGTVvw4_KNXlrvB59QGoTD7ZgXC-exCIXbW3dGV1Zq6yLyvX7wK7aW8STplutbtEibLZbT7Vxxa0K8B65mtTa0TXlYtMweoH6h3Ca5lx4pELUFCt0fow-wLcvOKgD9/s400/IMG_2334.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only picture I took in the village. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRzW3vw5XX2zO2YVlrZlE0iuyZHVvvtZkjULJF6_pYrDeiocx0ZaZJMUt0Ekw05-noFeA7FbDbcCHnHtVqGeZiLT_WhWxzktNKXRI58hRWW17424KA4YkJVu0C8aCIKkJOPrLIjjt8dXM/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRzW3vw5XX2zO2YVlrZlE0iuyZHVvvtZkjULJF6_pYrDeiocx0ZaZJMUt0Ekw05-noFeA7FbDbcCHnHtVqGeZiLT_WhWxzktNKXRI58hRWW17424KA4YkJVu0C8aCIKkJOPrLIjjt8dXM/s400/IMG_2341.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more trekkin</td></tr>
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So we arrived in one of the villages in the early evening, where we put our bags down, cleaned up a bit, and attempted to entertain little H'mong children while we waited for dinner. We failed, by the way. The kids had a indiscernible hopscotch-esque game, which they would not tear themselves away from. I say indiscernable because from what we could tell, the biggest girl, the one with the stick, seemed to change the rules with each passing turn. She'll make a great leader someday. </div>
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At dinner, we hung with out guide, BK (he loves shortening words to JUST their first letter. For example: How was your B? [meaning breakfast] or Today we will W, E and K [meaning waterfall, elephant ride, and kayak]) who shared many a different story. To give you an idea of <i>how </i>different, one story included his life as a monk and the next included a story of a boy in a tree pooping on the head of a dog. Then we drank some Lao Lao (homemade alcohol) and slept soundly in our little bungalows. </div>
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Then next day we prepped for some W, E and K. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqyT6L9JPmMnaGm447yPT0uCG_fHoYUGUBPGwKMV3sI1WI-gUTbWGBHcsGozkcIENQ27JK8GzzcLGxkM_iOwPIVtzP7MkCgnL3fLuLE4cclnkwZ8r2teyhpcIQsm4a6K_9uSNSpApe847/s1600/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqyT6L9JPmMnaGm447yPT0uCG_fHoYUGUBPGwKMV3sI1WI-gUTbWGBHcsGozkcIENQ27JK8GzzcLGxkM_iOwPIVtzP7MkCgnL3fLuLE4cclnkwZ8r2teyhpcIQsm4a6K_9uSNSpApe847/s400/IMG_2386.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDkAtrl8LuEQrHM2DhZLw6mRdiYVOgotFzeVBSuHrVYA3GVp1S8nPTQlANgE-23xt4Dhpiz2ctpP4pqGwfwQwfAPPYcfToMNPbShFeDwKzpgukkA2MZJhkUnDyBZ_Ow-f7s64ZxvqVD5J/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDkAtrl8LuEQrHM2DhZLw6mRdiYVOgotFzeVBSuHrVYA3GVp1S8nPTQlANgE-23xt4Dhpiz2ctpP4pqGwfwQwfAPPYcfToMNPbShFeDwKzpgukkA2MZJhkUnDyBZ_Ow-f7s64ZxvqVD5J/s400/IMG_2357.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEquzJXgGMvYTfB4cpVH9ngaulTitE3WF4IOUuLJF0SMtUSH_TAKsk7IvyfRZcyPTLMBu697XA_kZpjEeYiKSxud34RuBEWTwXKgzczThmHg6oIm6X5JTtLFUB8tcKOR0dKrjnU8sYxv7/s1600/IMG_2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEquzJXgGMvYTfB4cpVH9ngaulTitE3WF4IOUuLJF0SMtUSH_TAKsk7IvyfRZcyPTLMBu697XA_kZpjEeYiKSxud34RuBEWTwXKgzczThmHg6oIm6X5JTtLFUB8tcKOR0dKrjnU8sYxv7/s400/IMG_2393.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K!</td></tr>
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K was by far the most exciting, as the river was wicked fast and full of raging rapids. Both BK and our other guide were flipped by the waves, but our boat remained afloat (huzzah! I was fearful for my camera... )<br />
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After all that fun, the 4 of us from Mongolia met up for drinks and dinner and in the morn, we all parted ways.<br />
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And that was my time in Luang Prabang! Swimming pools, elephants, and good friends, oh my!</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-64720328822347445232012-09-23T01:35:00.001-07:002012-09-23T01:39:58.266-07:00Fancy Pants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Greetings from the top of Indochina!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EH-tz2LxkQUSWyAYQVI0RI2wA0g1dv8xm8WmbsphxQ43oJzQjfN1lOmY3J7dzuEf4kBtPlnjtfTC85QVn4CevienQdMBqePkLbNOwfk_tTdwrcMjtNr5qGP6xw2wUrT_Qx8f9qayFs9k/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EH-tz2LxkQUSWyAYQVI0RI2wA0g1dv8xm8WmbsphxQ43oJzQjfN1lOmY3J7dzuEf4kBtPlnjtfTC85QVn4CevienQdMBqePkLbNOwfk_tTdwrcMjtNr5qGP6xw2wUrT_Qx8f9qayFs9k/s400/IMG_2325.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Last you heard from me, I was in Hanoi, waiting to board YET ANOTHER overnight bus to go to Sa Pa, Vietnam. </div>
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[A small digression on overnight anythings in Vietnam... As a cheapass traveller, overnight transportation is about as good as it gets because a. you don't waste any precious days on your already too short visa and b. it acts as transportation and accommodation all in one and don't have to spend more money on a hotel. BUT, and that's a pretty big BUT, it sucks. A lot. The first overnight bus I took, I paid 25 extra cents for a toilet (who wouldn't?) which ended up as luggage overflow and was then locked for the entirety of the trip. When I climbed into my snug little bed, I learned that it was just that... snug. And little. About a foot too little. As I drifted into a semi-sleep like state, I started to smell something horrible only to discover that something... and I still don't know what... was dripping all over my blanket and it smelled heinous. When I told the driver, he just shouted at me in Vietnamese, threw a pillow at me, and pointed at the aisle. Guess where I slept that night. </div>
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The SECOND overnight, I thought... ah hell no, I'm not doing the bus again. So I opted for the slightly more expensive train. However, the lady behind the counter refused to sell me the sleeper bed on the train and I was forced to sit in a "reclining" chair. For a while, it was fine, apart from the two countryside men across from me that were drinking a questionable brown liquid from a Fanta bottle. Then around maybe 3 in the morning, we hit a bump or something, the train lurched and the air con vent snapped open, dumping me in air conditioner fluid. Not a drip or two, but a lovely waterfall came crashing onto my head. On the bright side, it happened to NO ONE else and everyone on the train who was awake had a good laugh at my expense. </div>
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The THIRD overnight was inevitable, as I was racing to get to Laos so I didn't overstay my visa in Vietnam and everything about it was wonderful. The vents were on the side, the beds were long enough, and no one was snoring. I was finally relieved to be on a bus that wasn't going to suck when I noticed the empty bed next to me was crawling with cockroaches. </div>
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And now. I'm in Laos. Trying to get to Huayxai. And I have just been informed the ONLY bus that goes there is overnight. Sigh...]</div>
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But anyway, SA PA! </div>
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Sa Pa is in Northern Vietnam and it's home to a bunch of lovely hill tribes and gorgeous step rice fields that if you are interested in seeing, I suggest you google it. Because the entire time I was there, it rained. I couldn't see anything because the whole town was in a cloud. </div>
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But I booked a trip up Fanzipan, the tallest point in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, hoping it'd clear up. </div>
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It didn't. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-B3vaWpbGHtFd6XHOvc-AjydydCOXGP1HW6v3m-QoMNrX5belcui5wfKYCs7zAX5-N0TPznr1SUw3LWUpJwh0S8zRHxHD0K1QpC6Cq5wYhclikreNmEf5ashAaQ7vH52iKxa1mGVQB9h/s1600/IMG_2257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-B3vaWpbGHtFd6XHOvc-AjydydCOXGP1HW6v3m-QoMNrX5belcui5wfKYCs7zAX5-N0TPznr1SUw3LWUpJwh0S8zRHxHD0K1QpC6Cq5wYhclikreNmEf5ashAaQ7vH52iKxa1mGVQB9h/s400/IMG_2257.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day with the best visibility. </td></tr>
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Oh, that dude is Alex. I met him in Sa Pa and he accompanied me on our hike up Fanzipan. Oh, and also, it sounds like Fancy Pants, hence, the title of this post.<br />
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Alex and I attempted to do things around Sa Pa, but the rain and subsequent mud foiled all our plans and we just played pool all day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmWrL2HPR13GvjeklYQMhmlcPYCtqRxwUwGtDxHB0gze-HvLviMQxI_ducIUCng7rCDqsHLktUPIZs3hjnTlhAR-dgp0AphR__fhDZOrxCtjnYmCjBqRUUPnUuap9mMaL5nETZAL4TIN9/s1600/IMG_2274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmWrL2HPR13GvjeklYQMhmlcPYCtqRxwUwGtDxHB0gze-HvLviMQxI_ducIUCng7rCDqsHLktUPIZs3hjnTlhAR-dgp0AphR__fhDZOrxCtjnYmCjBqRUUPnUuap9mMaL5nETZAL4TIN9/s400/IMG_2274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The climb up Sa Pa is a 2-3 day trek and even now as I write, I do not know what this mountain looks like. I was told you could see it from Sa Pa, but only on clear days. Even as we were climbing it, the peak was always in clouds and we didn't see it until we were ON it.<br />
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So, we hiked, ate lunch around 2200 m at camp, which included this delightful pup:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lQi9kHwvKqq-ly9-smo5zcknX5nr_jX1u89ghXPQOTC_jl3ZZicHQVQRql_bPGKsVAV6uVUcufZ_P33J-3S4AEW9XIEKRRaGwkE2NO47u1dv__cuRTo_AjH351F6AFlEXYtxnEPCkR44/s1600/IMG_2282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lQi9kHwvKqq-ly9-smo5zcknX5nr_jX1u89ghXPQOTC_jl3ZZicHQVQRql_bPGKsVAV6uVUcufZ_P33J-3S4AEW9XIEKRRaGwkE2NO47u1dv__cuRTo_AjH351F6AFlEXYtxnEPCkR44/s400/IMG_2282.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R6P1B4j6iRqZ8qbB4-U9Cb7s5aNxfdBKAjUCeN6faaRxW4Hgf7WAn1mr8DKXzWZI6ApUU_HhcUXt3Lh_HYSTruGSxUTlnXplxhLnjmeODA48A9KvBDNi_2Lv1DPAaWuTWN947gOC89O7/s1600/IMG_2285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R6P1B4j6iRqZ8qbB4-U9Cb7s5aNxfdBKAjUCeN6faaRxW4Hgf7WAn1mr8DKXzWZI6ApUU_HhcUXt3Lh_HYSTruGSxUTlnXplxhLnjmeODA48A9KvBDNi_2Lv1DPAaWuTWN947gOC89O7/s400/IMG_2285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the camp</td></tr>
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Then continued up to 2800 for some dinner and sleep. It was a pretty challenging climb. There were very few gradual inclines, instead we go up 200 meters, down 75, up another 200, and so on and so forth.<br />
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The porters had no problem at all though.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stupid fat American hurry your ass up!</td></tr>
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About halfway up, the clouds broke for a glorious second!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeelqz7tBnjLr_H0hzguBDWrotx6EjbMDCd04-kUvcyAUpnj9qUgIQTWwNcCIQulnshzZ1cTDLycprGCCdqmxs_IIg9Ws2-a_KSWE14p5oqtXULGjHNI92_qA0ZKodCLWKekCHJiCRRN-2/s1600/IMG_2293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeelqz7tBnjLr_H0hzguBDWrotx6EjbMDCd04-kUvcyAUpnj9qUgIQTWwNcCIQulnshzZ1cTDLycprGCCdqmxs_IIg9Ws2-a_KSWE14p5oqtXULGjHNI92_qA0ZKodCLWKekCHJiCRRN-2/s400/IMG_2293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A WORM TWICE THE SIZE OF MY FOOT</td></tr>
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And then, the summit!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoqt8yu5pHhopOn5BgXvVRMY6OEVCO_CGT2ZBfSGLrWRepD5Agbsae6mvH3zez37bmCogADzk-M5YdOkcPghcuEY2gbE8P0NMhqu4hVfVMNtJsmC0DReqApopLfMXMSljAU4Tfdmm-ieC/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoqt8yu5pHhopOn5BgXvVRMY6OEVCO_CGT2ZBfSGLrWRepD5Agbsae6mvH3zez37bmCogADzk-M5YdOkcPghcuEY2gbE8P0NMhqu4hVfVMNtJsmC0DReqApopLfMXMSljAU4Tfdmm-ieC/s400/IMG_2322.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing view from the top</td></tr>
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After all was said and done, we had to wait for the other members of our group to reach the summit before going back down. We waited. And waited. And waited. I had a bus to catch at 7 pm and I was guaranteed back at 4. As 3 o clock came and went, I decided to go back down with the porters. However hard the ascent was, descending with the porters was 1242353256309x harder. It took us 2 days to climb the damn thing and I raced down it in 3 hours. I arrived in Sa Pa a half hour before my bus and I was a sweaty smelly person. LUCKILY most bathrooms have a shower in them (even public ones!) and I managed to scrub 2 days of jungle off me. You are very welcome dude next to me on that bus.<br />
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Anyhow, like I said, I'm overnighting to Huayxai, Laos next and I hope to update y'all on my time here in Luang Prabang soon!<br />
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Till then, Yay White Sox!</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-35103517567683904072012-09-11T03:11:00.003-07:002012-09-11T03:11:43.083-07:00"Sorry for being so Hanoi-ing last night"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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- awesome punny drunk guy in my dorm </div>
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Hanoi! It's where I'm at RIGHT NOW, which means for the first time since my trip started I'm not 2 weeks behind on posting. </div>
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So Hanoi is pretty nice and chaotic... like a smaller Ho Chi Minh City. There are lots of lakes around, which I explored via bicycle. I even saw a water puppet show that was pretty entertaining (the art was created when the rice fields would flood. They made really elaborate puppets that float in the water and the scenes often depict daily life). There are also tons of war remnants - downed B52s, missiles, grenades, etc and this also happens to be the place of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh">Ho Chi Minh</a>'s final resting. </div>
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[sidenote: all my links generally take you to wikipedia because a. it's the first thing that pops up when I google things b. I like wikipedia and c. I'm too lazy and technologically out of date to doing some real good internet surfing so deal with it]
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02UGuufJ7TUQ-VmU-wpTKHBegnLmkqJ3jtoRtvHnPtd93yq9A3SJRxv1kYhNcKMdne5Je28majzkZXcu46GeEPDZ2naJXYa7MXuKE2gRYgjgka94JcCf2rgn9GjQTOnZjTXwefT-Gviw2/s1600/IMG_2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02UGuufJ7TUQ-VmU-wpTKHBegnLmkqJ3jtoRtvHnPtd93yq9A3SJRxv1kYhNcKMdne5Je28majzkZXcu46GeEPDZ2naJXYa7MXuKE2gRYgjgka94JcCf2rgn9GjQTOnZjTXwefT-Gviw2/s400/IMG_2235.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Uncle Ho wished to be cremated, but those less concerned with such matters erected this elaborate mausoleum to use him for propaganda purposes. Oh, also he isn't there right now. He's vacationing up in Russia, as he does every year at this time, for reasons that could not be articulated to me. <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLdMLZUQ9eLtHg6-daumOo51djF3ly51qUz-ojF1cxpxqzfmP-1mcCYK6G-OGT3SFzVQmDje3btEAWn7RiZIsSkplS94ZhJ05ncs8756-Uw4wascUW5Of8QuS441VTk3fo7mHFti_Dpcv/s1600/IMG_2236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLdMLZUQ9eLtHg6-daumOo51djF3ly51qUz-ojF1cxpxqzfmP-1mcCYK6G-OGT3SFzVQmDje3btEAWn7RiZIsSkplS94ZhJ05ncs8756-Uw4wascUW5Of8QuS441VTk3fo7mHFti_Dpcv/s400/IMG_2236.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ho Chi Minh Museum</td></tr>
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Next to the mausoleum is the Ho Chi Minh Museum, which is the weirdest museum I've ever been to. The bottom floor has pictures and whatnot of Uncle Ho and an exhibit on Lao-Vietnam relations and looks the way you'd expect a historical museum to look. The top floor, where a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh greets you, is something else entirely. It would appear (few labels were in English, so I must guess here) that whoever designed the exhibit was had in interest more in modern art than in Ho Chi Minh. Included were informational tidbits presented like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV6ljYZ0MRjC6khWqhsO0HjEm953Tawn6YYD8KdMjpsHIajIJxW6on7apS-1KizkFkuAZN8nMFeoPFAVx0gilW8FCEibU4yeaFxU_iBP_9bVTo3-NANktLzmnycd7-1gv7lWzhsKt23WF/s1600/IMG_2238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMV6ljYZ0MRjC6khWqhsO0HjEm953Tawn6YYD8KdMjpsHIajIJxW6on7apS-1KizkFkuAZN8nMFeoPFAVx0gilW8FCEibU4yeaFxU_iBP_9bVTo3-NANktLzmnycd7-1gv7lWzhsKt23WF/s400/IMG_2238.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Or this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_RInyKiPnQet9x39ZQrq3oCpAcCqUBQm3JqqG402uebFq7qqVhC0Jz5vCJnP0Tl3q8F5WP-bgXBnl270rIyWerVO3su53Q4RzfEEIpl7ZKiF898U2Q-ZoQuvFGmxy80vVc1YbCbst1fH/s1600/IMG_2243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_RInyKiPnQet9x39ZQrq3oCpAcCqUBQm3JqqG402uebFq7qqVhC0Jz5vCJnP0Tl3q8F5WP-bgXBnl270rIyWerVO3su53Q4RzfEEIpl7ZKiF898U2Q-ZoQuvFGmxy80vVc1YbCbst1fH/s400/IMG_2243.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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An explanation (if you can call it that) was next to this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKyry24nlNRHZu3Amxb35mPSMpz1G60WhPBwvBgB_b8S19cKsxYr57jT5OeQY4Ye_CB9y5FxFjCZPUlXzLDUvS-DNyhDkyIC0KMWeRf8nqmgmL8qoAQPSkjVeFP_JE50Mev260nF4idPG/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKyry24nlNRHZu3Amxb35mPSMpz1G60WhPBwvBgB_b8S19cKsxYr57jT5OeQY4Ye_CB9y5FxFjCZPUlXzLDUvS-DNyhDkyIC0KMWeRf8nqmgmL8qoAQPSkjVeFP_JE50Mev260nF4idPG/s400/IMG_2246.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfEbmHbhrmVJBW2i7zPI-3GOcXXghLNd_vZn9dds949tryhlOGbtfxxkn-xsIWf32TY7WApevuGiWHxr3EzIkyswO4LIbyRjAirR5dPGMdnKixI71NIy56dDsJ0mTrBCS0mzpB5IGV3E9/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfEbmHbhrmVJBW2i7zPI-3GOcXXghLNd_vZn9dds949tryhlOGbtfxxkn-xsIWf32TY7WApevuGiWHxr3EzIkyswO4LIbyRjAirR5dPGMdnKixI71NIy56dDsJ0mTrBCS0mzpB5IGV3E9/s400/IMG_2244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Weird, right? Overall, I learned virtually nothing of Ho Chi Minh's life or importance, but left rather stunned and confused. It was interesting, to say the least. There were also a few other fun surprises I found in the museum, too:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ub_WBePirAhaO25AyYdYAvk9cAb8j_NKJxVkRsZu4DmwKxROsPFf-oRz5jTZQ9SPOc8Qy_PX0NgZbPVNrg7dHXsn-HXmBI5bgbVXWO0U-mc0WMHk0ZdcBSqS6T7x41DRaeoa9eRzZuSR/s1600/IMG_2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ub_WBePirAhaO25AyYdYAvk9cAb8j_NKJxVkRsZu4DmwKxROsPFf-oRz5jTZQ9SPOc8Qy_PX0NgZbPVNrg7dHXsn-HXmBI5bgbVXWO0U-mc0WMHk0ZdcBSqS6T7x41DRaeoa9eRzZuSR/s400/IMG_2247.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ahaha shat down. Yay maturity. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3x599DrRFv-v_-fNw9uQBa2nQsT2sRbNI0QnyxDr8uKANBXQ_0xY-LoDblLgYUC91Vk8JWtDYwgSHIbvvJCPPEdDlluJKmJvx0-zu4aqtcF0ZyuUbOVFaRZaEMXgavITzHTPNtq5DlXe/s1600/IMG_2248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3x599DrRFv-v_-fNw9uQBa2nQsT2sRbNI0QnyxDr8uKANBXQ_0xY-LoDblLgYUC91Vk8JWtDYwgSHIbvvJCPPEdDlluJKmJvx0-zu4aqtcF0ZyuUbOVFaRZaEMXgavITzHTPNtq5DlXe/s400/IMG_2248.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know this man well! This is Sukhbaatar, the famous Mongolian Hero who my province was named after. This pin was a gift to Ho Chi Minh from the country of Mongolia. </td></tr>
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Anyway, to continue on my walking tour, I went over to a small lake in the middle of seemingly nowhere, where a B52 was shot down and nearby to a museum that was not quite constructed yet that will house EVEN MORE war remnants. What a mess we made.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4RovhUh-H5LUhut2lg3v5Nf7-EHshqU5t7DWzM94cckXQFUjl6a5QayHSjbn7o6I5sw9we8XJBBmMZ2hMNH-_hZCHeBli7R_WIW1naxbb9gbwUV1OrGrFJEptNm0QlkOGXPmliacSs_5/s1600/IMG_2249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4RovhUh-H5LUhut2lg3v5Nf7-EHshqU5t7DWzM94cckXQFUjl6a5QayHSjbn7o6I5sw9we8XJBBmMZ2hMNH-_hZCHeBli7R_WIW1naxbb9gbwUV1OrGrFJEptNm0QlkOGXPmliacSs_5/s400/IMG_2249.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B52 (or part of it at least)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJfYO8MCdnOlv5MAT3_U0P302sXB_njPFp3kcOyrnBzoqeTlwQLgRTVjC8JuRqqum3bbLNir26HzCbq4nL8uojzuhQwfbh9m6NYfOPrz_Pm-6zJxmXGIxncidAarqy_BE8Wmei7TaRiQN/s1600/IMG_2255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJfYO8MCdnOlv5MAT3_U0P302sXB_njPFp3kcOyrnBzoqeTlwQLgRTVjC8JuRqqum3bbLNir26HzCbq4nL8uojzuhQwfbh9m6NYfOPrz_Pm-6zJxmXGIxncidAarqy_BE8Wmei7TaRiQN/s400/IMG_2255.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wreckage soon to be on display at the new museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7HWpRGnKqC-pFqLgGTcAD0hzMYyHSOJOIHiYRCFO9vbxFruf7FelCV5uypx-N8RepUn3fsAol6Ap8yDdlpGhS9wH1XPRp3g0Q4c4mgYgDkcB4Nn5EEGu__E32S_dHERoEEI1M6EflG-1/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7HWpRGnKqC-pFqLgGTcAD0hzMYyHSOJOIHiYRCFO9vbxFruf7FelCV5uypx-N8RepUn3fsAol6Ap8yDdlpGhS9wH1XPRp3g0Q4c4mgYgDkcB4Nn5EEGu__E32S_dHERoEEI1M6EflG-1/s400/IMG_2137.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi</td></tr>
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After all that, I dipped off for a little cruise to take a vacation from travelling. I tell you, travelling is exhausting. I haven't stayed in any one place for longer than 4 days and I felt like I deserved a little relaxin. The 3 hour tour (just kidding, it was three days), took me to Ha Long Bay, a geological wonder in northeast Vietnam. The bay is made up of thousands of "islands" of limestone, which most actually are less like islands and more like the peaks of mountains. Besides the stunning mountain range in the middle of the ocean, there are caves, national parks, and sandy beaches, to boot.<br />
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Day 1 included amazing food, a trip to the largest cave, some kayaking, and some socializing on the boat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70LdB8FOXerPDTXcIkvdSZXMu5AzX_u07KBlcBFLAw9laL7MJ8KvhojptFC82sY0FqZtt6cx_JjUKFSi1GjK4yKT-bL2VMiN1QWuhF3MvM9jrJP24wcWfx17wK71EMZ1Y4eVOrcXHR6ze/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70LdB8FOXerPDTXcIkvdSZXMu5AzX_u07KBlcBFLAw9laL7MJ8KvhojptFC82sY0FqZtt6cx_JjUKFSi1GjK4yKT-bL2VMiN1QWuhF3MvM9jrJP24wcWfx17wK71EMZ1Y4eVOrcXHR6ze/s400/IMG_2150.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my room on the boat. Not too shabby. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wKrDbsmBicJ-le1s0GGJHCwi-JN3VNh6dqfnVM0iLvD8DkwxN1G9KBkKwdKPgHhg7QGuZapPiaqRKa75v-hMbVSjFAjKZ5vukneN7PCaxHpxqLR5BR5vjz1mDENzELlpZYpYuAiMNy1V/s1600/IMG_2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wKrDbsmBicJ-le1s0GGJHCwi-JN3VNh6dqfnVM0iLvD8DkwxN1G9KBkKwdKPgHhg7QGuZapPiaqRKa75v-hMbVSjFAjKZ5vukneN7PCaxHpxqLR5BR5vjz1mDENzELlpZYpYuAiMNy1V/s400/IMG_2152.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boat, herself! There were 10 others on the boat from a variety of places: Holland, Spain, England, and Vietnam</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pN0pE-DtjA2LA0U2aQTTXKEON1LycJXgbj2VAfFw_aEt-x-Udb92yjMxAsINlPfKmDq78OTgfvK3spGFPTXbNnLyBx9EKd2jJ3M8t41mFTbykTs3cVfQt5n7SODHbtD0SIUkT4DNX5Q_/s1600/IMG_2161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pN0pE-DtjA2LA0U2aQTTXKEON1LycJXgbj2VAfFw_aEt-x-Udb92yjMxAsINlPfKmDq78OTgfvK3spGFPTXbNnLyBx9EKd2jJ3M8t41mFTbykTs3cVfQt5n7SODHbtD0SIUkT4DNX5Q_/s400/IMG_2161.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cave was a little goofy in that they had decorative lights everywhere, but it made for some pretty cool pictures. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2fzag-FgjNPBFJZ7KKCBG3yzCl9vZNxa471usvOUE36qz3IBbBkUl4FyL30VRl4x3-tt0gPLqBp-B_DjkOea8jciD12TR9EVurWnigTjAFw9dzN2x4OUV-SZhceiFR6kjtH7xCsohXid/s1600/IMG_2171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2fzag-FgjNPBFJZ7KKCBG3yzCl9vZNxa471usvOUE36qz3IBbBkUl4FyL30VRl4x3-tt0gPLqBp-B_DjkOea8jciD12TR9EVurWnigTjAFw9dzN2x4OUV-SZhceiFR6kjtH7xCsohXid/s400/IMG_2171.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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On our second day, we went to Cat Ba National Park, where there were some trekking options available. Most people said no, because it looked like rain, but me and a few other youngins, who haven't accepted our own mortality yet, thought they were wusses and went up anyhow. </div>
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Oh dear god. </div>
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The trail quickly disintegrated and became, more or less, straight rock climbing. No one could go in without a guide and our guide truly believed he was a monkey. As we teetered perilously on what he assured us was the trail, he grabbed vines and swung in front of us or, worse, jumped from rock to unstable rock in order to help us climb through the jungle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzfUuR5vjB4vo1oeKHJGdax_TTDj1G7kRcGnIaEvJvTudfFbWNs-MKh-ZXmFtAQa3aSxok-UOtGOBXMPb0wTIazZVJWZFTYzie9gWifLXIEYGSGhp-6nSB-5efRFRUIPuZ41GZ36clsq5/s1600/IMG_2182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzfUuR5vjB4vo1oeKHJGdax_TTDj1G7kRcGnIaEvJvTudfFbWNs-MKh-ZXmFtAQa3aSxok-UOtGOBXMPb0wTIazZVJWZFTYzie9gWifLXIEYGSGhp-6nSB-5efRFRUIPuZ41GZ36clsq5/s400/IMG_2182.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Very soon, it started to rain. Very soon after that, it started to pour. Very soon after that, we were drenched to bone and lost virtually all visibility. But did we turn around and go back? Oh heck no. Monkey Man wouldn't allow it. After 30 minutes of scaling slick wet boulders, we arrived at the top - which was glorious, as you can imagine. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That weird hump on my side is my camera, which I was protecting with my life. </td></tr>
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Remarkably, we survived the descent and upon waving goodbye and thanking our guide, he turned and disappeared into the Jungle.<br />
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Back on the boat, we cruised in and out of bays before docking at an AWESOME private island, complete with bungalows, buffets, kayaks, sunsets, and vicious monkeys.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgive me, but almost all the islands in the distance reminded me of the Ocean Temple in Majora's Mask. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha! Look at that!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt-pSCcrDTGcmKxZkHE4PpvsTPnx0PCxcNVY6-9G6yDTdw_JX0LwpPza7HAodxDfURJr6MF9sULsD_1A2CcyUio8hDFUm_P7fWmqokBaRdvi-m5K0D7fxUfjxp5U8tBqEfKqzwtys6jFM/s1600/IMG_2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt-pSCcrDTGcmKxZkHE4PpvsTPnx0PCxcNVY6-9G6yDTdw_JX0LwpPza7HAodxDfURJr6MF9sULsD_1A2CcyUio8hDFUm_P7fWmqokBaRdvi-m5K0D7fxUfjxp5U8tBqEfKqzwtys6jFM/s400/IMG_2204.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure Evil. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBtWfEZw-unERSrSWP4M_WzKJuCRtn_JvnLQ_4UeBDz-wonrIE9tSGK8xgFpNZfkCtD3shSKlVYDrU-XKyTMlL3UQjyA5EHCrvnHHFoiKL7hAaE297KO9b8WBq2a93O9FV5ISHPxB4T9Z/s1600/IMG_2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBtWfEZw-unERSrSWP4M_WzKJuCRtn_JvnLQ_4UeBDz-wonrIE9tSGK8xgFpNZfkCtD3shSKlVYDrU-XKyTMlL3UQjyA5EHCrvnHHFoiKL7hAaE297KO9b8WBq2a93O9FV5ISHPxB4T9Z/s400/IMG_2233.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of the Boat</td></tr>
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In case you were interested in taking such lovely trip (which it was lovely), 3 days and 2 nights, with everything included but the beer, cost me $105. </div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-75056706070359614452012-09-10T18:14:00.000-07:002012-09-10T18:14:04.167-07:00Good Morning Vietnam!*<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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*that should exhaust my pop culture references to Vietnam.... </div>
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After spending a few days in the cool misty mountains, I came down Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Da Nang, where all intentions of sight-seeing were immediately foiled by this: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5sE8uXn03tKbB0XOmKjpARn5ciYS-DbJLlXRDuyUNBYrZ-Z6Jb0lMysYHS-m2sg7-6ut5-pOeMjNox8-caW5YG4B4efmsHvn12yBqUv1f5vdd6T5rpOV3Zt4XIxy0t0g2vLelOX9sS44/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5sE8uXn03tKbB0XOmKjpARn5ciYS-DbJLlXRDuyUNBYrZ-Z6Jb0lMysYHS-m2sg7-6ut5-pOeMjNox8-caW5YG4B4efmsHvn12yBqUv1f5vdd6T5rpOV3Zt4XIxy0t0g2vLelOX9sS44/s400/IMG_2022.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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In each of these cities, I walked around a bit at night and got to know the town, but the overwhelming majority of my time was spent being a beach bum. A very happy beach bum. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2dOT6RTc4a4RiGtgXEV3ud3BneZbYybDFmz0mz7GpIkh1Nb9SSO76RbCDErngIm9GcLY_-tv4c3u987sx_PrZmjI050uRYLTkew9sGcdXsYemVFzuHLVBCzmEfKjDIjc-k7grVQPKIBY/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2dOT6RTc4a4RiGtgXEV3ud3BneZbYybDFmz0mz7GpIkh1Nb9SSO76RbCDErngIm9GcLY_-tv4c3u987sx_PrZmjI050uRYLTkew9sGcdXsYemVFzuHLVBCzmEfKjDIjc-k7grVQPKIBY/s400/IMG_2027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In Da Nang, I got the tip off that there was a resort in town that was looking for Westerners to swim in their pool.<br />
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Seriously.<br />
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Since I had the necessary qualifications, I sought out the resort with great eagerness and, alas, the rumor was true. As a new resort, they were having trouble appealing to the foreign crowd, so they happily invited foreigners in to show the rest of the world that this was, indeed, an international resort.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkReMr8zQNpSMqOjEDLEdpUoVThJ31nkoUF0UafdiP5sdIoImWKWeBr9xilvsDyonbbKI4d8iT9TuJR9Xk6Yevsou3hL2AA8l4nwIDXXYxyydduMQoQdLmOPCXF2ieFrdFcxxx4FP1h4M/s1600/IMG_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkReMr8zQNpSMqOjEDLEdpUoVThJ31nkoUF0UafdiP5sdIoImWKWeBr9xilvsDyonbbKI4d8iT9TuJR9Xk6Yevsou3hL2AA8l4nwIDXXYxyydduMQoQdLmOPCXF2ieFrdFcxxx4FP1h4M/s400/IMG_2026.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Infinity pool!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY7MAOsgU0cUoZ0_VGell2uV0yxpmTeVDsu4dwAM4vLuqEDcrcaK1-Wa_LwE5IBlU9tbawOnHaYhfyre2HSghtko4Ej2b6rpfZon8PAL7E5Uv993apKHeJUL6UaURRdPT8ClbHqnTaFbp/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEY7MAOsgU0cUoZ0_VGell2uV0yxpmTeVDsu4dwAM4vLuqEDcrcaK1-Wa_LwE5IBlU9tbawOnHaYhfyre2HSghtko4Ej2b6rpfZon8PAL7E5Uv993apKHeJUL6UaURRdPT8ClbHqnTaFbp/s400/IMG_2018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoi An by night</td></tr>
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So, after completing an entire novel in 3 days, I decided I had spent too much time on the beach and headed North to Hue, which is just about smack dab in the middle of Vietnam. Hue offered quite a bit to see and do, including the old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_City,_Hu%E1%BA%BF">Imperial City</a> and some pretty tranquil tombs. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyCD1VrCXLkKqADrsMFQcxIvaXvnQA6QM3uiK7LqqtkVhadvwCND_SS-N9vU1eODOR60K-uTxWb0jPq4lILlYz-TbgCksD0VcPAnRZ9d1-vt7HVLC-kdyn5hMBpVNp7PiY02CJ8D2Tlkl/s1600/IMG_2123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyCD1VrCXLkKqADrsMFQcxIvaXvnQA6QM3uiK7LqqtkVhadvwCND_SS-N9vU1eODOR60K-uTxWb0jPq4lILlYz-TbgCksD0VcPAnRZ9d1-vt7HVLC-kdyn5hMBpVNp7PiY02CJ8D2Tlkl/s400/IMG_2123.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incense drying in the sun</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycWq1d9ocnwdBSINeURZA7d3JoXZRDCUHOWM7PiGpgAHvRPdHyAty8cd7tkW6btV3xH1IsUZplaVu_eehj3awYGOq1NX6Cwb7AB2dhgce5P0fumecSj3irs78YUPlD70EgaN-QohMDl3R/s1600/IMG_2109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycWq1d9ocnwdBSINeURZA7d3JoXZRDCUHOWM7PiGpgAHvRPdHyAty8cd7tkW6btV3xH1IsUZplaVu_eehj3awYGOq1NX6Cwb7AB2dhgce5P0fumecSj3irs78YUPlD70EgaN-QohMDl3R/s400/IMG_2109.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj769nOPAaF12nCPw1FhJmx-sN61Qpy5s7pNHHazvcwjgWVD2PL1EAJnTXVY54sUT80AV3M4ll1AouHW5Jo77AGDIYgt2f7N3YSUh6kZPclirpglgKVzssR0YwGmkGwleaC_og-vHUWLwVG/s1600/IMG_2098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj769nOPAaF12nCPw1FhJmx-sN61Qpy5s7pNHHazvcwjgWVD2PL1EAJnTXVY54sUT80AV3M4ll1AouHW5Jo77AGDIYgt2f7N3YSUh6kZPclirpglgKVzssR0YwGmkGwleaC_og-vHUWLwVG/s400/IMG_2098.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZYFnuD_H-Kya3R645U-m-SQCKaJEMdgzbCyNJCjhFjNgM94_7MjTDQf3B8sdvg3HpThvJ6p_fvDKVk0YgwDsJoZeibXXsfqKgU6M4xhq_XFw89_hLXI0hpYxa0CfCfeyFvrRV3e2uxMf/s1600/IMG_2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZYFnuD_H-Kya3R645U-m-SQCKaJEMdgzbCyNJCjhFjNgM94_7MjTDQf3B8sdvg3HpThvJ6p_fvDKVk0YgwDsJoZeibXXsfqKgU6M4xhq_XFw89_hLXI0hpYxa0CfCfeyFvrRV3e2uxMf/s400/IMG_2105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiRlmHxO24lI5or6Tn5gQC9QmUgAVTDm8VF5pN3j8dlV3etzMswfjP_8OxTioD5CUzhFAEA7KeqSisst_8nBDMlyrjQp7ZNqFEOqAN_C7jqN7H8CyS6HeAG1zza4yLNJQj58lQ2av5_HQ/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKiRlmHxO24lI5or6Tn5gQC9QmUgAVTDm8VF5pN3j8dlV3etzMswfjP_8OxTioD5CUzhFAEA7KeqSisst_8nBDMlyrjQp7ZNqFEOqAN_C7jqN7H8CyS6HeAG1zza4yLNJQj58lQ2av5_HQ/s400/IMG_2044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYakmPyLJLf4GLcmLuzFj-Mf17O4xfxi0VTptpN08Ip25TP-aQOkwchM4C3AlmOCtEoT1yZv-tziM1FkYl3IKlv8cc2V7cPVfqWjTWbPZ6fsUJgyVDFIC_SJcUHkW8JXfQLdgb5-uVehr1/s1600/IMG_2056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYakmPyLJLf4GLcmLuzFj-Mf17O4xfxi0VTptpN08Ip25TP-aQOkwchM4C3AlmOCtEoT1yZv-tziM1FkYl3IKlv8cc2V7cPVfqWjTWbPZ6fsUJgyVDFIC_SJcUHkW8JXfQLdgb5-uVehr1/s400/IMG_2056.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvuBKWWd1ufNy0tNFr6711GmlkMcwqUx2IzUXh05d_DtjIeBorg-ngQHyo1L4et97TMljixMY3wuWb5rnxIyo4Fqdn7BieEEXxL23GSUGC760-RYLHRlsDIPJHDJ0Ty8syTS0Mwb5BeYT/s1600/IMG_2034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvuBKWWd1ufNy0tNFr6711GmlkMcwqUx2IzUXh05d_DtjIeBorg-ngQHyo1L4et97TMljixMY3wuWb5rnxIyo4Fqdn7BieEEXxL23GSUGC760-RYLHRlsDIPJHDJ0Ty8syTS0Mwb5BeYT/s400/IMG_2034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a museum in the Ciatdel that contained old war machines. If you can read it, the small white label in the upper right says "Rocket Launcher"</td></tr>
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And here's a preview of Hanoi:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KJwNl99aU9v84CaxHyugdxWjrA2v1sU97rpaH0Jr1yQUy08Mu48GzEUbphSHgzL9AJH8SF9f-A2iMq9gLFdumKrI50lu5jv2ECrpAGKILty_-rGq3RRwONZWQKaNOyrrfdyFHuOxUIjI/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KJwNl99aU9v84CaxHyugdxWjrA2v1sU97rpaH0Jr1yQUy08Mu48GzEUbphSHgzL9AJH8SF9f-A2iMq9gLFdumKrI50lu5jv2ECrpAGKILty_-rGq3RRwONZWQKaNOyrrfdyFHuOxUIjI/s400/IMG_2143.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water Puppet Show!</td></tr>
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Until next time!</div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-38518388284773171812012-09-04T00:18:00.001-07:002012-09-04T00:18:06.098-07:00That's all I have to say about that...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey all!</div>
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I'm 2 weeks into my Vietnam adventure and have made through about half the country! Which is good because my visa only last 30 days... </div>
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I left Ben Tre for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where I spent one quick day doing what there is to do i.e. markets and museums. The market was like any other, but the museum... oh the museum. </div>
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The <a href="http://www.saigonscene.com/War-Remnants_Museum.htm">War Remnants Museum</a> was easily the most horrible thing I've seen on my trip. The Khmer Rouge killing sites were terribly depressing, of course, but there was that easy distance between that and me. Different time, different culture. </div>
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In the War Remnants Museum someone asked me where I was from. I said Canada. </div>
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The whole museum is dedicated to documenting everything horrible America ever did to Vietnam. The pictures are brutal, the stories far worse. Exhibit after exhibit left me feeling worse and worse. And the cherry on top was the Agent Orange section where they some affected fetuses on display coupled with hundreds of pictures of sufferers. </div>
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The main problem with the museum is how they paint their innocence in the whole thing, which is barely true. No exhibit documented the start of the war or why America felt the need to act or any of the atrocities the Viet Cong were guilty of. But that aside, it didn't feel to me like that kind of brutality could ever be justified. No matter the flaws, no American with a heart could ever walk through that museum and not leave it feeling a little disappointed and angry at their country. </div>
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My final little note on the museum is on the graciousness of the Vietnamese. It would seem to me that any Vietnamese visiting that museum would walk away fuming, just like I did. But, that is rarely the case. In fact, I have yet to have a negative encounter with any Vietnamese based on my nationality. Staying with Van's family, I had an opportunity to ask what the general feeling was towards Americans. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "what's done is done." I had another opportunity to ask the same question to a veteran, a Vietnamese man who fought in the American army. He shook his head and said that people are horrible, but mostly, people are good. </div>
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To conclude my borderline political rant, after what that war did to Vietnam, regardless of blame, the strong-willedness and graciousness of the Vietnamese people have transformed this country into what I am lucky enough to be seeing today. </div>
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Aaaaaand on that note: Da Lat!</div>
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After being thoroughly depressed in Ho Chi Minh City, I left one afternoon to Da Lat, the Central Highlands, the agriculture hub of Vietnam. </div>
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Not to mention it was just an adorable town all around. Oh, and god bless this cool-climated oasis. I got off the bus and I got goosebumps! After sweating for 2 straight weeks, it was a welcome welcome chill. But anyway, Da Lat's economy is booming at the moment because of COFFEE. Everybody and their dogs are growing coffee and people are making bank from it. Some of the houses here are just so beautiful and big - which according to Huang, friend and guide, said were for the rich people. I asked how much the houses cost and he shook his head and said, "very very expensive. Maybe 60 or 80 thousand USD." What the what? </div>
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On my travels one of my favorite things to do in each place is imagine myself living there. I may have found my place of retirement...</div>
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So my time was spent walkin around and such. I visited a very beautiful flower garden among other things:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGkMCdjXPCWG7BRzEQPRwvjyCbwVIRIjxnZqJB32UJZhpDurK1-BULSJEX0zbN9zJC3TVEcmmMSIwW_BpX48q1j2KKr_TT2ydh6bMJn5Dt6Op_y-eNyjNiqCecNxxrMMGgq_QGZXCCU4U/s1600/IMG_1887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGkMCdjXPCWG7BRzEQPRwvjyCbwVIRIjxnZqJB32UJZhpDurK1-BULSJEX0zbN9zJC3TVEcmmMSIwW_BpX48q1j2KKr_TT2ydh6bMJn5Dt6Op_y-eNyjNiqCecNxxrMMGgq_QGZXCCU4U/s400/IMG_1887.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbI1i9pm8ScRYArbFxyLS-_LQn3-DP6x5n7Vk2URfhvrbehSVxaHqW3n1QgJla4uxZEQdKJSCO4psaMHP5Ccv5AVWmLrtJYhjRjAPK8qYgh3OqCgBUZ0GPtsToVFIiAOOp0HaOP9fv2qQ/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbI1i9pm8ScRYArbFxyLS-_LQn3-DP6x5n7Vk2URfhvrbehSVxaHqW3n1QgJla4uxZEQdKJSCO4psaMHP5Ccv5AVWmLrtJYhjRjAPK8qYgh3OqCgBUZ0GPtsToVFIiAOOp0HaOP9fv2qQ/s400/IMG_1890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I ended up staying with another womderfully kind Vietnamese family, who cooked me an amazing meal (this is why I choose to stay with families... home-cooked meals!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SgexybK2_sCs_c0QlNkdUMA81wfnbTaAV1wNzAa9Xz8KO_CX72mNm7RQFngNvzzSND3ZFsVHTwiYgqxmQ8BQ31DkPFw5iGJq-dAv61kA3WlpY1EQ9LVE_Y62E7ES9RzumRkreulv4e9i/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SgexybK2_sCs_c0QlNkdUMA81wfnbTaAV1wNzAa9Xz8KO_CX72mNm7RQFngNvzzSND3ZFsVHTwiYgqxmQ8BQ31DkPFw5iGJq-dAv61kA3WlpY1EQ9LVE_Y62E7ES9RzumRkreulv4e9i/s400/IMG_1906.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish filets! My delight chef is incredibly pregnant at this point. When I asked how many months she was she said , "Nine," I said shoot she'd have the baby real soon! She goes, "Yes. Maybe tonight." That's one hard-workin prego lady!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fam</td></tr>
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Then I dipped off to the countryside for a few days!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGylG53nfpbCIcs0ruprQiT7er-lObka8By4GhgvI2ttTl_GdZ8fzgxdAkU9fNB3CSNrYmKLiRsh-3_6kysYPTSK3C077YhJKvQRf0KCjgbKSLYhyphenhyphenVw8nCbULDDvjrWR51Oxrir1g9XuX/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGylG53nfpbCIcs0ruprQiT7er-lObka8By4GhgvI2ttTl_GdZ8fzgxdAkU9fNB3CSNrYmKLiRsh-3_6kysYPTSK3C077YhJKvQRf0KCjgbKSLYhyphenhyphenVw8nCbULDDvjrWR51Oxrir1g9XuX/s400/IMG_1918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3ROgaxRZd9tQFMXiWo_JkYZsHV-Nap0wp1gDkARtuSvjjOBoXQJ-Tl-QSAbdsOEfut9EW8EWMbFWjhffGnpDTBtYgzXZaSt-jQL1BAslDAtKHx41_VQwUy7SsBS25fDVVdvxylfEO03b/s1600/IMG_1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3ROgaxRZd9tQFMXiWo_JkYZsHV-Nap0wp1gDkARtuSvjjOBoXQJ-Tl-QSAbdsOEfut9EW8EWMbFWjhffGnpDTBtYgzXZaSt-jQL1BAslDAtKHx41_VQwUy7SsBS25fDVVdvxylfEO03b/s400/IMG_1934.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COFFEE! After Huang pointed out what coffee looked like, Da Lat appeared to me the way Magic Eye images suddenly appear in focus - every mountain was covered in beautiful coffee plants. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiGUW2WokqSgSnlZdBIxEQcSfeFAdADMQ_a_gN1RPYbhIe8Bfs2FOdRXBl0N24MotU0khGfvFzz5XHgsV7Hk0fZVfxDl9uR5SeLlzg3pS-ok5gr1tSPlrBgu8GaEGgcwWvvTL_AcJMBMg/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiGUW2WokqSgSnlZdBIxEQcSfeFAdADMQ_a_gN1RPYbhIe8Bfs2FOdRXBl0N24MotU0khGfvFzz5XHgsV7Hk0fZVfxDl9uR5SeLlzg3pS-ok5gr1tSPlrBgu8GaEGgcwWvvTL_AcJMBMg/s400/IMG_1938.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh God, Weasel Coffee. This lucky weasel spends his life eating coffee beans and pooping them out. The beans ferment in his stomach creating a special taste that is apparently really really delicious and expensive. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0VaaE3izoJxw5atdEaFNjbtvUS5Qm0cq-JZ0EBbecv93ZZ59ggMkBblWGF6qkMjh71oVG4ew69cwxWuFYKv7v2c6USFqNm-ap12hNYjFFMzJJBtz7OPVncMvOY61KCYCu7S5Ei6pnK8E/s1600/IMG_1942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0VaaE3izoJxw5atdEaFNjbtvUS5Qm0cq-JZ0EBbecv93ZZ59ggMkBblWGF6qkMjh71oVG4ew69cwxWuFYKv7v2c6USFqNm-ap12hNYjFFMzJJBtz7OPVncMvOY61KCYCu7S5Ei6pnK8E/s400/IMG_1942.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0E5LoxQNMGSHE1aTe3eEWFjVtzTxz0okX77pcJ3LOSvrqQrH597gVDbI-NchwpND_wfW_9ctXAuCRrlyWzoob3EKLKFxBPnqqsDCHQMD-0pzPnH0YpxZfa0_mcGSohBg8xPAkCPg3Ilm/s1600/IMG_1944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0E5LoxQNMGSHE1aTe3eEWFjVtzTxz0okX77pcJ3LOSvrqQrH597gVDbI-NchwpND_wfW_9ctXAuCRrlyWzoob3EKLKFxBPnqqsDCHQMD-0pzPnH0YpxZfa0_mcGSohBg8xPAkCPg3Ilm/s400/IMG_1944.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behind the waterfall. What a powerful force. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6cFhxTVYvxUiwL-8zfB08jr4VbIYW9NEGIrUCpd6zoVx2pdKG4ZJLzqjZW9VXMB-1hjJztFXiVGLbLsKS8w0RpY_r032JsWFcrm5hXwrOCGZKsdm3UswLD8I2aYFZiXbo5xeYA_4rSwF/s1600/IMG_1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6cFhxTVYvxUiwL-8zfB08jr4VbIYW9NEGIrUCpd6zoVx2pdKG4ZJLzqjZW9VXMB-1hjJztFXiVGLbLsKS8w0RpY_r032JsWFcrm5hXwrOCGZKsdm3UswLD8I2aYFZiXbo5xeYA_4rSwF/s400/IMG_1962.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh846w6Qp21Na6BNglDiIC_Cy1NM0dWF9UvAIU6wcb7Oy3O3bwgJ_NUI0pxKAoRNEf0fNgfcA4VNlNHMx72Hjgk1pw42J2yb97UghPidPqObNQG0-1IwQ4LizZ4hSHNkQnyt7v_oxbT_W2F/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh846w6Qp21Na6BNglDiIC_Cy1NM0dWF9UvAIU6wcb7Oy3O3bwgJ_NUI0pxKAoRNEf0fNgfcA4VNlNHMx72Hjgk1pw42J2yb97UghPidPqObNQG0-1IwQ4LizZ4hSHNkQnyt7v_oxbT_W2F/s400/IMG_1975.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many waterfalls!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKdTIMnk5VDEtteRmGu3OZRnm3hongVgFAXTtV2YUqTzRQ6mEKhk2LVvtHTcqZYQL8Gvzau14d6wlNNNGuNYB7NHACburVTnkN1Ncbs4TMnyg10KYyO9fNvZGdC7JSZW35yCqlS2upec/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKdTIMnk5VDEtteRmGu3OZRnm3hongVgFAXTtV2YUqTzRQ6mEKhk2LVvtHTcqZYQL8Gvzau14d6wlNNNGuNYB7NHACburVTnkN1Ncbs4TMnyg10KYyO9fNvZGdC7JSZW35yCqlS2upec/s400/IMG_1984.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Vietnamese Long House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-k9aWFBd0d9Core8eGugoMnCaYlmDt3-hZRvL4xSNKcui8X-O7pj8ZoMta94B5f4899R3YqWBVvOLjbL2-fwypCcCJVtoK34YgwXrK17h7fdpCG1hO9OTZriixSvT7Og30LF7tIvi5s8/s1600/IMG_1992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-k9aWFBd0d9Core8eGugoMnCaYlmDt3-hZRvL4xSNKcui8X-O7pj8ZoMta94B5f4899R3YqWBVvOLjbL2-fwypCcCJVtoK34YgwXrK17h7fdpCG1hO9OTZriixSvT7Og30LF7tIvi5s8/s400/IMG_1992.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely</td></tr>
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I ended the tour in Nha Trang, a wonderful beach town where I spent a few days before moving on. Maybe someday I'll show some pictures. Now, I'm getting on an overnight train to Hanoi, which will probably suck, but, hey! I'm travelling!<br />
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Later folks!<br />
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Oh, and it's been raining allllll day. I keep waiting for the day it starts raining and doesn't stop for 4 months. </div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-70825753079636055352012-08-25T18:16:00.000-07:002012-08-25T18:16:31.461-07:00My Day in Ben Tre**<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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**and how it turned into 3. </div>
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About 4 seconds after arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, I knew I had to get out. Not that it's a bad city or anything, I've just come to realize that I hate cities. They are so crowded, expensive, and really g-d hot. So, I headed down south to Ben Tre, the homeland of the coconut (says anyone you ask in Vietnam). </div>
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Ben Tre is a bit unknown on the tourist trail. If tourists visit any town in the Mekong Delta, it's usually Can Tho. But I met this fabulous lady:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_GLLMXo_PexekI-7cSU8vgm-HeJhNQBdp68aTwTrJ1JNuaHSb-o3y0-nizA7EuIWqRIhUkyvjSjTcKafUht8PXpiTvF7fkK7UbAhtWpMOHtjybIWWymS0SuTpI-EsZ_O3mInScQT2Rdp/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_GLLMXo_PexekI-7cSU8vgm-HeJhNQBdp68aTwTrJ1JNuaHSb-o3y0-nizA7EuIWqRIhUkyvjSjTcKafUht8PXpiTvF7fkK7UbAhtWpMOHtjybIWWymS0SuTpI-EsZ_O3mInScQT2Rdp/s400/IMG_1767.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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who said Ben Tre is where it's at. A few hours later, I was on my way. Oh, that lady above is Van. She let me crash with her and her family in Ben Tre. I will gush and fawn over these people in just a bit. So anyway, Van and fam live above the shop that they own, selling various pieces of shrine-ery. Buddhas, incense, prayer beads, etc. It's delightfully small and every last corner of her house is filled with the shop's over flow. </div>
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So, on my arrival, I was introduced to Van's mother and father, who wasted no time making me feel at home. Within minutes, I had a glass of water, a pair of slippers, and a request to be home in thirty minutes for a home-made lunch. </div>
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Before lunch, Van and I had a conversation that went something like this:</div>
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Van: Do you enjoy all food?</div>
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Me: Heck ye. </div>
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Van: Pork?</div>
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Me: Not mutton! Yes!</div>
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Van: Vegetables?</div>
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Me: Not mutton! Yes!</div>
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Van: Shrimp?</div>
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Me: Not mutton! Yes!</div>
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Van: Dog?</div>
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Me: Not mu... WHAT??</div>
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Yes, friends and family, I am in a place where some people (not all, in fact not many) enjoy the fine delicacy of DOG. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-mazPuC9qQnBAjaOgANBTWTzMAovjMFjH4zhszmq-FnqXg0n-klWsJyW86mp167WcrulEEvRi-ivEYVbpbs_AGRoI946hPnA482g4UUu91wkUe6WdFzBFgZc9WeoW02lXPqlyRzU_sZh/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-mazPuC9qQnBAjaOgANBTWTzMAovjMFjH4zhszmq-FnqXg0n-klWsJyW86mp167WcrulEEvRi-ivEYVbpbs_AGRoI946hPnA482g4UUu91wkUe6WdFzBFgZc9WeoW02lXPqlyRzU_sZh/s400/IMG_1730.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chef and a delicious dog-free meal. </td></tr>
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Words cannot describe this meal. The best I can do is to tell you to come to Vietnam, to Ben Tre, stay with this family. We had soup, pork, vegetables and a shrimp stir-fry in COCONUT. They cook EVERYTHING in coconut! Good GOD it's amazing. After this meal, the family told me they wouldn't make it again to ensure I would return to Ben Tre someday. Well played. </div>
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Later, Van took me out for a tour (and to find me a bicycle) of Ben Tre. She showed me the "downtown-y" area, as well as where I could take my bike into the countryside the next day. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IkwW8HvcJLwyAlGSbXq4S5q_30Pd8YWOL5wgsrdCQ03TGtZOdqn_r0Qck-ywPNzon4oY875B0OVu8ntzAK3631tJ1mEBiTc0UIN-5ergAtGHymS7iOrFmvDYY3ABfaJqx_6_iJkfn4xb/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IkwW8HvcJLwyAlGSbXq4S5q_30Pd8YWOL5wgsrdCQ03TGtZOdqn_r0Qck-ywPNzon4oY875B0OVu8ntzAK3631tJ1mEBiTc0UIN-5ergAtGHymS7iOrFmvDYY3ABfaJqx_6_iJkfn4xb/s400/IMG_1749.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Smashed Bananas" - aptly named. Then you grill 'em and dip 'em in coconut sauce! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0Ta3u46akef52n4r5bNdyCAEi0tz_Ph4X4iMvgT8COtvUpOtyackEK-OD5t9lp6uopsI1pN8TQd-rR0o9xJd7s9-KMa37ZhVYPBC_Mmup6JIr0UyCe2KrrOIAjh8jvZ6N0PGsTz-9i4/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb0Ta3u46akef52n4r5bNdyCAEi0tz_Ph4X4iMvgT8COtvUpOtyackEK-OD5t9lp6uopsI1pN8TQd-rR0o9xJd7s9-KMa37ZhVYPBC_Mmup6JIr0UyCe2KrrOIAjh8jvZ6N0PGsTz-9i4/s400/IMG_1746.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we got our nails did. This cost me just over 1 dollar. After a half hour of work, I felt like I robbed the lady. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ4HbzkenF6TavQ97M2UllOgPA9o96jTBVMtuFokFqPnl34TeHAFbGbGJ_02HLnPjNZod_MngjgrkrpyAUOD-8pvB3j4J8cWdyMve0RpYLjRIsIUG7LyzmVNNDdspPckBbIDKTWdFF7Ve/s1600/IMG_1766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJ4HbzkenF6TavQ97M2UllOgPA9o96jTBVMtuFokFqPnl34TeHAFbGbGJ_02HLnPjNZod_MngjgrkrpyAUOD-8pvB3j4J8cWdyMve0RpYLjRIsIUG7LyzmVNNDdspPckBbIDKTWdFF7Ve/s400/IMG_1766.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night Market. They sold avocados AS BIG AS MY HEAD. This place is a paradise. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljGvIzC7BDFhY15OcCfoMuObjPkXwQhosMv_lq6Kl7ChesiKt9LkIr25UCUwlnr7CppFl7kKs4DvFshX0BzYXunEmqazqMBGr3r-pPCEsdonZeuLLRGwiHfq69IccYKgcuDztowrItgPC/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljGvIzC7BDFhY15OcCfoMuObjPkXwQhosMv_lq6Kl7ChesiKt9LkIr25UCUwlnr7CppFl7kKs4DvFshX0BzYXunEmqazqMBGr3r-pPCEsdonZeuLLRGwiHfq69IccYKgcuDztowrItgPC/s400/IMG_1775.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and the fam! A little blurry, but such is life. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo58Vy715Hu4dVB0GBtxURLjcvEo12ZOWIDIZB2Mk6Kgszn5c5RYouMhlVWm03I54STV7ELnz1UPZY2MnDwhMHK2139lpH7-RMETSn0wVT6LJeVpa_oJk3edxUW4TAW7NYv0DfIM69qlg/s1600/IMG_1763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZo58Vy715Hu4dVB0GBtxURLjcvEo12ZOWIDIZB2Mk6Kgszn5c5RYouMhlVWm03I54STV7ELnz1UPZY2MnDwhMHK2139lpH7-RMETSn0wVT6LJeVpa_oJk3edxUW4TAW7NYv0DfIM69qlg/s400/IMG_1763.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee-bit treacherous, eh?</td></tr>
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The next morning, I was awaken at a quarter to 6. I was going to exercise with Van's mom. We drove over to the museum in town, where many Vietnamese were already playing badminton, jogging, stretching, etc. <div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gnDAbpwPmN_9c1JyYH9Skd34uVhkruA7qXGHgXsNGcp6LZp7xj4vulhcAkb-cHIxxLzC860qHOCUqO5Fj5ya6qctxoy3XOqLXPjBmTd-XyHEn3KRgrl9XyUqItt_T5L4u7IFcLbjtUkw/s1600/IMG_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gnDAbpwPmN_9c1JyYH9Skd34uVhkruA7qXGHgXsNGcp6LZp7xj4vulhcAkb-cHIxxLzC860qHOCUqO5Fj5ya6qctxoy3XOqLXPjBmTd-XyHEn3KRgrl9XyUqItt_T5L4u7IFcLbjtUkw/s400/IMG_1795.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My work-out crew</td></tr>
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We started with some badminton, which was great because I know, at the very least, how to hit a ball with a racket. When we moved into Tai Chi, I suddenly felt very large and cumbersome - you have to move slowly and be completely aware of your body. And considering no one spoke enough English to tell me where my body was supposed to be, I looked like an awkward elephant trying to balance on one foot. The Vietnamese had a hoot laughing at me though.<br />
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[Sidenote: I thought I was tall in Mongolia... I'm a MONSTER here]<br />
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Anyway, onto the next activity where she pulled out A SWORD!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHZPpWIjdg_Bl73xZA04-mzr0aoa65I6Y1YkMucyOCw4Qjbgb1fF_mbMnCPNNW2xxATlAh2NJgwIabT8ZEiJUaIkDIHahS-ZCid-fe_VBP3VtM-EyZlcoPNCE4PMtUmEO1_TCYu17pLFS/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHZPpWIjdg_Bl73xZA04-mzr0aoa65I6Y1YkMucyOCw4Qjbgb1fF_mbMnCPNNW2xxATlAh2NJgwIabT8ZEiJUaIkDIHahS-ZCid-fe_VBP3VtM-EyZlcoPNCE4PMtUmEO1_TCYu17pLFS/s400/IMG_1803.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then, we did a little dance like thing while holding a sword. </td></tr>
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After this, I hopped on my bike and rode around town and the back countryside. It was beautiful. I took some pictures, but I'm really unhappy with them because it really doesn't do the area justice. Do you know how many shades of green there are? A lot. Anyway, I got to see many a cool thing - like people shelling TRILLIONS of coconut... by hand, folks fishing out of the delta waters (oh, did I mention Ben Tre is technically an island?), and groves and groves of all sorts of fruit. Stunning. Completely stunning.<br />
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Then it got insufferably hot and I went home and passed out here:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUdUCjM06uYl7Vzns6QbYKqteHunSkFgHHrWuBD9dv3YgXFOxRrLl2KL_r7hl-_3BQoJeNQ3Ygk_Q80FQN87p2h_gmW40Y58CL95MrFtP4n7Xk70c5WvgU1ccUvgEWv_Q_esDPziAZHL4/s1600/IMG_1737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUdUCjM06uYl7Vzns6QbYKqteHunSkFgHHrWuBD9dv3YgXFOxRrLl2KL_r7hl-_3BQoJeNQ3Ygk_Q80FQN87p2h_gmW40Y58CL95MrFtP4n7Xk70c5WvgU1ccUvgEWv_Q_esDPziAZHL4/s400/IMG_1737.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ::heart:: hammocks</td></tr>
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Later, we spent the day chillin with the fam, eating a ton of delicious food, and havin a good time. At one point we visited Vans' grandmother, who insisted on taking a series of photos with me. I show you this only to prove about HUGE I am:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9rkrCNkl1S7T2o0DkbKt4T2VGy9ND1PPImAe4NiAKNRzk5RW6dodYMvVd3DuZHj9V8FhH8VpOWXfBVzvmynkSbx9a53hOZp3QkVyOB_GW96V55WnZwt2rJt3vGIpYH-AlKXG_5xZLR4F/s1600/IMG_1836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT9rkrCNkl1S7T2o0DkbKt4T2VGy9ND1PPImAe4NiAKNRzk5RW6dodYMvVd3DuZHj9V8FhH8VpOWXfBVzvmynkSbx9a53hOZp3QkVyOB_GW96V55WnZwt2rJt3vGIpYH-AlKXG_5xZLR4F/s400/IMG_1836.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is standing! I am sitting!</td></tr>
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The next day, I had to leave in order to make it to Dalat by the22nd. But, man, I did not want to. After 2 full days of the most amazing food I've ever eaten, the warmest hospitality I've ever known, and the most gorgeous scenery I've seen on my trip, getting on that bus was real hard.<br />
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On a sidenote- Ben Tre was also cheap. Like, real cheap. Over the course of three days, including transportation there and food (and I ate A LOT) and drinks, I spent a grand total of $22. Hoo boy, I want to go back.<br />
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Oh crap, the market! I totally went to the market to where they sell fish! and shrimp! and crab! and squid! and eel! and snake! and frog! and bird! and duck! and just about anything you could ever want. Oh, and it's all still alive, too. </div>
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Moral of my story is I love the Luu family for welcoming me in as their own. I had such an amazing time and am completely convinced that our paths with cross again. I'll make sure of it. Thank you for everything Van and Mom and Dad for giving me everything in Ben Tre!</div>
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Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-68064282453431047812012-08-20T22:47:00.000-07:002012-08-20T22:47:00.116-07:00Cambodia!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the last 2 weeks, I've been in Cambodia, taking in the sights and eating what there is to eat (which is a lot). Cambodia is a remarkably beautiful place and, oddly enough, often reminded me of Mongolia. The people are so friendly, the roads are sparse and chaotic, and the nationals are still doing the hard back breaking work they've been doing for centuries. Only instead of grasslands, there are rice paddies. Instead of slaughtering sheep, they are collecting coconuts. And instead of it being cold, it is very hot.</div>
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We took a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, which DESPITE THE TRAVEL BLOGS IS REALLY EASY AND NOT STRESSFUL AT ALL. I hope future travellers will read that and relax because after I read a billion horror stories on the interweb, I thought the trip was going to be hell. It was fine, people. Totally fine. </div>
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Anyhow, onto Siemp Reap, the hometown of Angkor Wat. The town itself was quite nice, but it clearly only existed for tourists. There were so many foreigners there, it was challenging to find a local whose job didn't consist of accommodating tourists in some fashion. But, the temples were sweet. Check it out:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOHPE5IN2l-7ivuksn4DgILtFsPw-M_MfLk4ZVeXUavt29m9tYGMzPDhj_GSUcxmR0ScR5dveBGX9itreG9NjqGEBT97eerSKQ_m_uZDB6HbuNBK-GNNwobYcAxC2PIXKl9kK1PB0aQC0/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOHPE5IN2l-7ivuksn4DgILtFsPw-M_MfLk4ZVeXUavt29m9tYGMzPDhj_GSUcxmR0ScR5dveBGX9itreG9NjqGEBT97eerSKQ_m_uZDB6HbuNBK-GNNwobYcAxC2PIXKl9kK1PB0aQC0/s400/IMG_1281.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the temples were covered in really detailed reliefs. You could spend hours just looking at one (and I suspect many have)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In some of the temples, the ruins are being overtaken by trees. It looks pretty gol-darn awesome except that the trees are wreaking havoc on the integrity of the structures. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKgIXo6Q9tbF2_H2UGcO40J4sGbaybSiSdUYXxj56htSHursM8-q-EsVJY965kHtCqpnu5_FmGAMegvKuMaRsdcN8erhnBreiGSi7CXqHbbZxO0v2l90iXb4g3l9G2WoQussr5GOliY-2/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKgIXo6Q9tbF2_H2UGcO40J4sGbaybSiSdUYXxj56htSHursM8-q-EsVJY965kHtCqpnu5_FmGAMegvKuMaRsdcN8erhnBreiGSi7CXqHbbZxO0v2l90iXb4g3l9G2WoQussr5GOliY-2/s400/IMG_1402.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVtDW9QI1YkNew1kBH90fPQ3sfVZ8RdJ01EdqN0aUsiBL6fWt3C2DIKeRlFW-1fxizeRoPvH8oHHN1qNA9yq803NLP4gNACOQ-VSTM_lq3knwFn0lyULekMzwib8mB7V2_hyphenhyphen5A5SPcjVk/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVtDW9QI1YkNew1kBH90fPQ3sfVZ8RdJ01EdqN0aUsiBL6fWt3C2DIKeRlFW-1fxizeRoPvH8oHHN1qNA9yq803NLP4gNACOQ-VSTM_lq3knwFn0lyULekMzwib8mB7V2_hyphenhyphen5A5SPcjVk/s400/IMG_1325.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Bayon - A large temple with faces carved into the pillars. One facing each directions. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We rented bikes to explore the area!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFE-N-xHyNQHfomJeyEvXN8zeQ5G8iZAJH9_eIZWPUmQlCKrvssX1TzTjsY9sF57v5s3bTAcJtnyJfSCq3IfMuobDbIaYeufStuSnn1ObrMa_ZHwmsWMMQXFIXheteU5bESfeB4EySaox/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFE-N-xHyNQHfomJeyEvXN8zeQ5G8iZAJH9_eIZWPUmQlCKrvssX1TzTjsY9sF57v5s3bTAcJtnyJfSCq3IfMuobDbIaYeufStuSnn1ObrMa_ZHwmsWMMQXFIXheteU5bESfeB4EySaox/s400/IMG_1311.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3T6KzqThjzz2TWX4dwYb7zvkCgrPe_V51FYxtD6pt18uIcdD5QjDnCuxDwBmpjWQ9O5eUwAgnXOczQQhKWc-p8NZQuR5RgqdYvU6EZVytKglLGmxzbPe_swLXbTBIsp5JxjcfRxOv2QJ/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3T6KzqThjzz2TWX4dwYb7zvkCgrPe_V51FYxtD6pt18uIcdD5QjDnCuxDwBmpjWQ9O5eUwAgnXOczQQhKWc-p8NZQuR5RgqdYvU6EZVytKglLGmxzbPe_swLXbTBIsp5JxjcfRxOv2QJ/s400/IMG_1290.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some call Angkor "the largest jigsaw puzzle on Earth." After finding all the ruins, archaeologists are now in the process of puttin it back together. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyztKrWdztyq8MWFKBqBIgddcaB-oDirBDtM0wfVneQIjrWbj671xTlYRSKAqJKP_yVw2WDhBg2UsvowX58rUPcrHV08FqECT7IpUvO7qGiWfkNwAJ7iWWAOODkklxYF8YTIrc9W4E4mL3/s1600/IMG_1344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyztKrWdztyq8MWFKBqBIgddcaB-oDirBDtM0wfVneQIjrWbj671xTlYRSKAqJKP_yVw2WDhBg2UsvowX58rUPcrHV08FqECT7IpUvO7qGiWfkNwAJ7iWWAOODkklxYF8YTIrc9W4E4mL3/s400/IMG_1344.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtn4LwMvxPBlMpp4iauhxRLuHUMzprO_uKYBOUhhlgiwBhrX2bQF5woSOgEWwhGaI2FYNlHPTCPXd-LiTKd87Fkc9gGhTwNxwKgkOsy_BZmvvDyFMhy-1gkxiur-S-iFUYRzVmLUVAbMv_/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtn4LwMvxPBlMpp4iauhxRLuHUMzprO_uKYBOUhhlgiwBhrX2bQF5woSOgEWwhGaI2FYNlHPTCPXd-LiTKd87Fkc9gGhTwNxwKgkOsy_BZmvvDyFMhy-1gkxiur-S-iFUYRzVmLUVAbMv_/s400/IMG_1305.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then we ran into an elephant!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw a really beautiful traditional dance performance and when they were finished, they just stood there so stupid tourists could take pictures with them. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then we ran into a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer from Mongolia! How about that! And, Molly Cook, my college roommate was there too!</td></tr>
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After the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap, We took a nice relaxing Jungle Cruise to Battambang (and yes, the whole time I kept thinking, this is just like DisneyWorld). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tonle Sap. Depending on the season, the river system created form this lake changes direction!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A floating village. Literally everything floats. People don't walk. They have boats that take them to the store or to their friends house. It's quite neat. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice field!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from a top a mountain. This mountain is very depressing. I only took one picture because out of respect. During the '70s, Cambodia was taken over by the Khmer Rouge, who, like the Nazis, systematically killed their people. This mountain housed what the Cambodians call "the killing caves," 100 feet deep caves, where parents were forced to witness as their children were pushed in. A similar cave nearby was then waiting for the parents. The atrocities carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime are on par, and in some cases even worse than those of the Nazis. </td></tr>
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Whew, depressing. Sorry to leave you on that note, but that's what I saw and did in Cambodia! After that I hopped over to Phnom Penh and now I'm in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.<br />
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Catch ya on the flip side, people. </div>
Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-4390985152532555042012-08-11T01:44:00.001-07:002012-08-11T01:44:37.948-07:00From UB to BKK<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sa-wa-dee-ka folks! That's Thai for hello and how I'm greeting all these lovely Thai nationals in BANGKOK! </div>
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Good God, it's hot here. I kind of miss the cold. </div>
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But not that much. Bangkok is hot and crowded and lively and fantastic. Bangkok was intended to be a stop over point on our way to Siem Reap, Cambodia, but we ended up staying a few extra days (waiting for a visa) and checkin out the sites. We ate. We went to markets. We saw AWESOME thai boxing (see pic from previous post) We sweated more in 20 minutes than we did in the last 2 years. </div>
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We also visited a few temples, which I have some pictures of:</div>
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(sidenote: my camera totally revived itself after taking a little swim in the eg river! Huzzah! But, in typical sarah fashion, I have misplaced the charger. urgh.)</div>
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Now I'm in Cambodia at Angkor Wat for a few days before headed on off to Phomn Pehn. Catch ya later folks!</div>
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<br /></div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-33268972061940923882012-08-08T00:23:00.002-07:002012-08-08T00:23:43.462-07:00BAM!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Welcome to Thailand!<br />
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More to come later!<br />
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(Oh, I changed my blog! But I'm not pleased with the new name. I'm taking/pleading for suggestions! Whatcha got people?)</div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-55744551009877480902012-08-04T20:16:00.000-07:002012-08-04T20:25:29.145-07:00The Least Densely Populated Country on the Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hey everyone!<br />
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I'm back from my AWESOME 3 week canoe trip through northern Mongolia and, man, what an experience. We started at<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%B6vsg%C3%B6l_Nuur"> Lake Khovsgol</a> and followed it's only connecting river, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eg_River">Eg River</a>. 295 miles later, we connected with the (much) larger <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenga_River">Selenge River</a> which we paddled for a few days until we ended our trip just north of Erdenet. </div>
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Whew. </div>
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So we embarked on July 1st, with our boats, our gear, and three weeks worth of food crammed in the backseat of out Japanese minivan. We spent the previous day packing/waterproofing:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish I could say that the scotch tape worked. RIP watch. </td></tr>
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It took us 2 days to reach Lake Khovsgol, which was a little longer than it should have been. Because what trip through Mongolia is complete until you break down?<br />
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The lake is famous for many a thing, including the Reindeer People! We stopped to have a looksie at these poor reindeer whose life had come to posing for pictures for stupid tourists. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If possible, enlarge this photo. The reindeer is totally peeing!</td></tr>
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Then, finally, the lake! We camped one night on the lake before setting off the next morning towards the river. Khovsgol is THE most beautiful lake I have ever seen. It's water is impossibly blue and crystal clear. It would have been PERFECT swimming conditions if the lake hadn't melted only 3 weeks earlier. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew. Eric, Carolyn, and Pico</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not edited at all!</td></tr>
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And onto the Eg River!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No camels here. Only yaks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like my hat, dad?</td></tr>
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Eric brought with him some fishing poles, so everyday, we attempted to fish. None of us had any luck, except for Eric, who kept us well fed throughout the trip. He taught me how to clean a fish! Oh, and these are just little trouty guys, but check out what ELSE was swimming in those waters: <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/11/071114-taimen-mongolia.html">TAIMEN</a>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takin a rest in an abandoned summer house. </td></tr>
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I should go ahead and say here, that it was around this time, the river turned on us - fast currents, narrow turns, flooded banks, and overhanging trees. It was a scary two days. We did overturn on of the boats (we recovered everything minus a paddle), but (and if you know me at ALL, you will not be surprised by this), my camera, despite being inside 2 garbage bags AND a dry bag, got wet. For the remainder of the trip, I was camera-less and so these pics coming up are taken on Carolyn's camera and usually by Carolyn.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric's Counterpart's Family. We stopped in Tishig, a nearby soum and they fed us and housed us for a night!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it rained, we put up a shanty, played cards, and attempted to eat some of our melted snack food. </td></tr>
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Oh, the title of this post. Mongolia is the least densely populated country ON THE PLANET. And yet, apart from the few times we camped on islands, we were never not in sight of a ger or within earshot of a motorcycle. But that is one of the greatest things about this country. You could be in the middle of nowhere (which we were) and still find a couch to crash on. We usually were visited by the nearby Mongolian family when they noticed our presence, which 9 times out of 10 was a wonderful experience. They would bring us milk, <i>aral</i> (sour milk product), <i>airag</i> (Mongolian homemade vodka), and usually a 2 liter of fresh milk. What a wonderfully generous and kind culture this is.<br />
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(oh, the 1 in 10 bad experience was usually a Mongolian who came to watch us. Just watch us. Like we were tigers in a zoo).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nicest family we met. The little girl is trying on our lifevest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Mongolian we've become! Makin <i>huushuur</i> for dinner (and breakfast)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final campsite. </td></tr>
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Boy howdy, Northern Mongolia is pretty. </div>
</div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-36159493094172960012012-06-30T03:56:00.004-07:002012-06-30T03:56:57.278-07:00Photo of the Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Inspired by a friend, I have decided to participate in "Photo of the Day." Basically, it's a challenge to myself (creatively) to take one picture for every day. And since I'm going to be in some pretty awesome places in the coming months, now is as good a time as ever to get this started. I won't post everyday, but I will post one picture <i>for</i> everyday. <div>
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Check it all out here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbkappel">www.flickr.com/photos/sbkappel</a></div>
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Lates!</div>
</div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-58578923035441987152012-06-29T17:02:00.000-07:002012-06-29T17:05:31.889-07:00The End and The Beginning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello one and all!<br />
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I write to you all on a beautiful Mongolian summer day, listening to the delightful sounds of construction taking place right outside my window... which started at 4 am. </div>
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But the warm air and quick internet connection are not all that's different about this post. I have officially COSed as a PCV and have joined the ranks of the thousands who came before me as an RPCV!!</div>
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(Peace Corps sure does love it's acronyms: <i>COS = close of service, PCV = peace corps volunteer, RPCV = returned peace corps volunteer [though 'returned' is misleading as I won't be returning anywhere for quite a bit... read on, read on...])</i></div>
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Huzzah!</div>
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The COS process was long and filled with paperwork, but all in all, everything went perfectly smooth. This was the hard part:</div>
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and this...<br />
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and this... (they are sending me off to UB!)<br />
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oh god and THIS... (for those who don't know, Lloyd the Dowg will continue to reside in Dariganga under the care of Shine and Bajay. He has doggy friends and I am convinced he will be happiest there. Oh, but when they take down my ger... yanaa, I can't think about it!)<br />
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I think I will miss you most of all... (The word for <i>"to miss"</i> is the same as the word for <i>"to remember" </i>Mongolian. I totally get it. I don't think I'll ever be able to remember these people without missing them terribly.)<br />
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OH GEEZ, I got myself cryin again. I could (should) reflect about all my triumphs and failures over the past two years. Or about the crazy things I've done. Or about what I've learned as a Peace Corps Volunteer living in Mongolia. But, in the end, it is these three people, my best friends and my family, who have made this experience everything it is. </div>
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And just like that, it's over. </div>
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But one must continue to look forward, non? And I have a pretty sunshine-y path ahead. Some friends and I recently took a quick jaunt to Ulan Ude and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal">Lake Baikal</a> in Russia to renew our Mongolian visas. We camped right off the shore for three days, hiking around and eatin fish. </div>
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Oh, and Ulan-Ude is home to the world's largest Lenin head! How about that?</div>
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Now, my friends and I are gearing up for our 3 week canoe trip from Lake Khuvsgal to the Russian border in Mongolia. We expect a very good time. And on August 3rd, I fly out to Bangkok to begin my journeys in Southeast Asia! My ETA stateside is still TBD, sorrrrryyyyy. </div>
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Things are looking good, people! </div>
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As always, I love and miss you all. Go White Sox. Boo Cubs. Happy summer and good day. </div>
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</div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-13799295350490443702012-06-29T10:41:00.002-07:002012-06-29T17:07:15.911-07:00Ooooh fer cute.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This one is a long time coming. Cute kids and Cute Animals! Viewer beware: obscene amounts of adorable are comin your way. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misheel #1 - Shinee's 10 month old</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out lil Atzaa in the background!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh. Dear. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future herders!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nomio did my hair...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misheel 2 - Anhaa's pretty little girl </td></tr>
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<br /></div>Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-74737765990882603122012-06-21T19:24:00.000-07:002012-06-21T19:24:19.199-07:00Ma and Pa Do Mongolia: Unabridged Version<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As promised: The Kappel's take Mongolia. </div>
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A big ole high five to these two:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkh02b0WyX0MIFYPggjEMoz4LLNuw4_IlVJq-utlte_L3MRgvcjOLd0Y_NjSMmDPZHBd8JT-HZjZuSHiDID69EzHr3NzxgD0FbtaxGEYlT3XLaTvNDrW1ZJyIeqtVC6zTQZFQso6ImY6m/s1600/IMG_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkh02b0WyX0MIFYPggjEMoz4LLNuw4_IlVJq-utlte_L3MRgvcjOLd0Y_NjSMmDPZHBd8JT-HZjZuSHiDID69EzHr3NzxgD0FbtaxGEYlT3XLaTvNDrW1ZJyIeqtVC6zTQZFQso6ImY6m/s400/IMG_0504.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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... for being such good troopers throughout this whole affair. After getting off the FIRST CLASS flight in China, their transportation slowly disintegrated until they were shoved in the back seats of a Japanese mini-van, hurdling through the countryside of Mongolia. But they did it. Just like Rocky. </div>
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Culture shock turned out not to be too bad in UB:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE65uFs83YjIhu_-rrr9ttCgKC9K682yjSojD8kSHGlCQB3yApwI__ztu19ukauJ8zDhOxVJY3btnokvEHskfDgIbQokoh1vbKpPL4DK_YTGixlcqXDym3CbgK05iuJPjjs3jDHxX52Iu9/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE65uFs83YjIhu_-rrr9ttCgKC9K682yjSojD8kSHGlCQB3yApwI__ztu19ukauJ8zDhOxVJY3btnokvEHskfDgIbQokoh1vbKpPL4DK_YTGixlcqXDym3CbgK05iuJPjjs3jDHxX52Iu9/s400/IMG_0491.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, hello Sasha Bairn Coen!</td></tr>
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A little tougher in the countryside:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6IZlQkeuuMHgT2tthrf4mBUualOF90C1vEq9JUb83KSLOVidfKIj9iaYgAN7YBo_jz4YsUKbxwJBx2P-b-49RI-GKYpKhwSwFhrRJR3ZGMegTdUTDwaHKr0G7Xa5CjxbJ6LdaRyZIJoL/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6IZlQkeuuMHgT2tthrf4mBUualOF90C1vEq9JUb83KSLOVidfKIj9iaYgAN7YBo_jz4YsUKbxwJBx2P-b-49RI-GKYpKhwSwFhrRJR3ZGMegTdUTDwaHKr0G7Xa5CjxbJ6LdaRyZIJoL/s400/IMG_2576.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then we spent 6 days travelling to and from my soum. It is approximately one hundred million kilometers of travel. Or so it feels like. Dad began checking off his Mongolia to do list:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYPrHHzW3nqPe8CkA2ZjpYtX4w5SPtw2YaGcSulV61aMW0DDhyphenhyphenRqimYchxVWV3pc9O7Z5MDFfj6-Bw8zQSa4dnKwm2WGA1iQxPzEC4EUgDyP6bnvvsctaqzE9pM6OA6xcweijb7w7UDsM/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYPrHHzW3nqPe8CkA2ZjpYtX4w5SPtw2YaGcSulV61aMW0DDhyphenhyphenRqimYchxVWV3pc9O7Z5MDFfj6-Bw8zQSa4dnKwm2WGA1iQxPzEC4EUgDyP6bnvvsctaqzE9pM6OA6xcweijb7w7UDsM/s400/IMG_0013.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hold a GIANT bird of prey on his shoulder: Check. </td></tr>
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The first day in Dariganga, we spent the day seeing what there is to see. Dad climbed Altan Ovoo with our driver Otgoo while Mom and I waited at the bottom, pondering our womanhood. Next, we saw a few lakes, a few swans, a few natural springs, etc... We drove out to Shilin Bogd (the tallest point in eastern Mongolia), where my parents got to experience Mongolian weather in all it's glory. Sunny as we drove there, snowy/windy/sleety/rainy as we were atop the mountain, then sunny as we drove back. Thank you Chinggiss, for giving my parents a true Mongolian experience. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEwoJOy4OCmrYspul4R8A9pr9uN9cJvdmsNVHJdj0oBzXBFXXuxT_6hUYtOj0WCng_-wH2GioAV-gBaBr_LsVe-_WRdBlOrdbV-Ka0Jip4BIWHk-UiBaLjvW9glrDWBicR-P4ZVcqc9RF/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEwoJOy4OCmrYspul4R8A9pr9uN9cJvdmsNVHJdj0oBzXBFXXuxT_6hUYtOj0WCng_-wH2GioAV-gBaBr_LsVe-_WRdBlOrdbV-Ka0Jip4BIWHk-UiBaLjvW9glrDWBicR-P4ZVcqc9RF/s400/IMG_0065.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing in the open, watching that storm cloud move ever closer. Oh, yes, that is snow by the way. And yes, it is May 28th. </td></tr>
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After our terribly chilly stint on Shilin Bogd, we trucked on over to the Ice Cave, aptly named as it is a cave... that is covered in ice. As per any Mongolian monument, the cave was plastered in khadags (the blue scarf) and money, but seeing how it was a cave, there was no light, and thus no good pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8Vv0-eC9MFa9M-jkPDpI_dpEvRuocAf8WbrqYFhNAFDw_QCxDkQOiUiVWSXJTLAja93OiC2EatxReCGozgm1hyZZHZEIvo6pTwccyl2gfd6-Gl1MzIewNIEk3LsE2wCfMWT9IBIJ6Lq8/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8Vv0-eC9MFa9M-jkPDpI_dpEvRuocAf8WbrqYFhNAFDw_QCxDkQOiUiVWSXJTLAja93OiC2EatxReCGozgm1hyZZHZEIvo6pTwccyl2gfd6-Gl1MzIewNIEk3LsE2wCfMWT9IBIJ6Lq8/s400/IMG_0149.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the ice crystals?</td></tr>
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The ice cave was the grand finale on a tiresome day. As we were bouncing back to my ger, we saw our first herds of gazelle sprinting across the steppe.<br />
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Next day! We had a horkug (a goat roast) at my friend's ger out in the countryside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0SGu0KHuEH9sfvsdrc4sm7xPRjf_az06jkDK7wF3q3qnKssCn7-mASFmj9OUkiW2QX2oiR8g9QyGqf9kt_xDyIW77KfKzR2iDlb_HKO4VSSmDwlDQO-R5TuF3TarcaICzIaWDL2PnWx4/s1600/IMG_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0SGu0KHuEH9sfvsdrc4sm7xPRjf_az06jkDK7wF3q3qnKssCn7-mASFmj9OUkiW2QX2oiR8g9QyGqf9kt_xDyIW77KfKzR2iDlb_HKO4VSSmDwlDQO-R5TuF3TarcaICzIaWDL2PnWx4/s320/IMG_0340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otgoo gathering some water for the goats.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlojQmzWE4fLKVA4nbsUWOuSuNY7yBfjB0AbaSE4GaXQDNxy1bpYgzy8HkvAtaVF0zooBMJlR3cyO0X59L123WBRpsyGnoMhH4YNk9Zdi_P0wNwnSynHL5zH1HabqFWEN1dv-wHIifRnPh/s1600/IMG_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlojQmzWE4fLKVA4nbsUWOuSuNY7yBfjB0AbaSE4GaXQDNxy1bpYgzy8HkvAtaVF0zooBMJlR3cyO0X59L123WBRpsyGnoMhH4YNk9Zdi_P0wNwnSynHL5zH1HabqFWEN1dv-wHIifRnPh/s400/IMG_0194.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the milk tea</td></tr>
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The horhug was done in the same manner as the marmot roast. They took out all the good stuff from inside the goat, then recrammed it back inside with potatoes, onions, and hot rocks. 6 hours later, we cracked that baby open and had a feast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlfLJkE_TYQVh9abBNm6CeuoBJ_CJIOGhEF95kfxhlqHbBmOJ0a3pJwhU6rLiJ7OqHfVEo7orFqhuL_TMui6q6yfA1bLQZdjVdv_yFZrcwRZL-qOi_H-StWum_x1Qz_D0nGEFYsPoHUVr/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOlfLJkE_TYQVh9abBNm6CeuoBJ_CJIOGhEF95kfxhlqHbBmOJ0a3pJwhU6rLiJ7OqHfVEo7orFqhuL_TMui6q6yfA1bLQZdjVdv_yFZrcwRZL-qOi_H-StWum_x1Qz_D0nGEFYsPoHUVr/s400/IMG_0389.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These men spent HOURS trying to get all that stuff out of that goat. </td></tr>
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Meanwhile, we partook in many a countryside activity. Horseback riding, sheep herding, baby goat holding...</div>
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Later that week... Mom and Dad met Ээж and Аав!<br />
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My Mongolian dad presented my American dad with a horse! Dad ceremoniously tied the ribbon around the horse's neck and dubbed him "Jack-Horse." Jack-Horse will be racing in the national Naadam festival this summer. </div>
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And then they were gone! We had a really wonderful time in spite of jet lag, bad roads, and uncooperative national parks. And I'm very glad I got the opportunity to see Mongolia through fresh eyes again. Especially since my time in the country is really winding down FAST. But I'll tell you all about that later. As for Ma and Pa, you guys did a wonderful job travelling about this country and I can't thank you enough for coming. Have you recovered yet?<br />
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<br />Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2902220697463672418.post-14069531800783462702012-06-05T08:30:00.003-07:002012-06-05T08:30:45.098-07:00Kappels in Mongolia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKRdBhFoJfMELy_hgIlnJxmujRzjCmxVer7iGCedEYZXfnOh2qJPR1EW06S9rkg1rpCkv1t9HSw2ygrnDPYKeJvyJvSzf8qsz6fAmXp6yXdBKyfnlrCiM3sraySdbMxzb-NiDueCiP4gW/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKRdBhFoJfMELy_hgIlnJxmujRzjCmxVer7iGCedEYZXfnOh2qJPR1EW06S9rkg1rpCkv1t9HSw2ygrnDPYKeJvyJvSzf8qsz6fAmXp6yXdBKyfnlrCiM3sraySdbMxzb-NiDueCiP4gW/s640/IMG_0470.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Maw and Paw came to visit!!</div>
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Here is the quick, compressed, it's-11-and-I-am-tired-and-leaving-on-the-8am-bus-tomorrow version of my life!<br />
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<li>Mom and Dad just left this morning after a grueling 10 day stint in Mongolia. Highlights include:</li>
<ul>
<li>A goat roast</li>
<li>Horses, camels, and gazelle, oh my!</li>
<li>Extreme heat, terrifying sandstorms, rain, snow, and sleet</li>
<li>An awful lot of Chingiss Khan</li>
<li>Outhouses</li>
<li>Karaoke</li>
<li>Wiggle Walks and Rocky impersonations</li>
</ul>
<li>I finish my service June 22nd!</li>
<li>I am in the process of obtaining a Russian visa to visit Baikal</li>
<li>Then, I'm taking a canoe trip through Mongolia</li>
<li>Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India, and Burma after that!</li>
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I PROMISE I will have a better post complete with better pictures, but until then, tough luck, I'm goin to bed.</div>
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XOXO</div>
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<br />Sarah Kappelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12595566743686581842noreply@blogger.com2