Basking in my Rebirth

"When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth.  You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don't even understand the language the people speak.  So you are like a child just out of the womb.  You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends on them.  You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations.  And you accept any small favor from the gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life."

The Pilgrimage-Paulo Coelho

The End

<-Becca & I aboard the boat we went snorkeling on. 

So I just woke up here, in Los Angeles.  Got in yesterday after traveling for over 48hours.I'm working on uploading all of my pictures and videos: it is a time-consuming process.

I miss Bali. I miss Cambodia. I miss traveling. I miss Becca. I miss never knowing exactly what

 I'm ordering or what I'm doing for the day.  It was amazing.

The day after my last entry, Becca and I met Danny boy at the beach and swam for a bit until he took us to a spot to go snorkeling! I was kinda nervous at first but got in and did it!

 

There weren't as many sea creatures as I'd have hoped; but I was so excited and happy I did it anyway because that's something I've never done before!

It was so cool just being underwater with the fishes and seeing school's (spelling) of them swim by.  

However, I started feeling some pretty nasty stinging sensations on my arms and face. I kept looking around and saw nothing so I asked Becca and she said she was feeling a little but it wasn't a big deal.  After swimming around I noticed she wasn't in the water and looked up at the boat. She got out after being stung on the face-which I had happen a few times. So I got out with her and we waited a bit before getting back in.

Once back in we noticed the entire area was full of teeny tiny jelly fish-and THAT is what was

stinging us!  

We stayed in for a bit longer then got out and headed to the Turtle Sanctuary where we got to hold and feed sea turtles!!

And then to our surprise we also got to hold a fruit bat, a snake (which I was more than excited about), an eagle, a bird that was supposed to be a toucan but didn't really look like one, and then we got to see another eagle, an iguana, and an angry monkey.

After that we headed home and got some dinner before resting up and having another fun night out! Met some more Aussies-Ryan and Steven. Danced most of the night  and then planned to walk to Seminyak the 

next morning.  Lonely Planet said Seminyak was a really posh part of Bali...that it was not-well, it was 'posh' because there were loads of expensive shops; but other than that...nothing.  We really had no reason to go there. It was so boring. Just shops. Lots of shops and traffic.  Totally dissapointed in it; and excited for our adventure the next day to Ubud.  That night we took it easy since we had to be up early for our trip to Ubud.  We bumped into Tim and Ricky and just chatted with them for a bit before calling it a night.

We went to Ubud, in Bali for a day.  Saw a cultural dance which was so similar to Indian dance as well as those I've seen in Hawaii.  After that we checked out a batik center and saw how the women make the patterns using wax and dye and looms.  Then we went to a silver and copper place: saw how they made jewelry.  I got a silver ring with a stone that had the face of the man

 in the moon carved in it: as it reminded me of home, and my mom.

After that we headed to the royal palace where family members still live. That was interesting. The smallest and least elaborate of palaces we've ever been to. But we saw the people living

 there, so that was interesting.

We also went to a wood-carving center and saw how they carved some amazing pieces

 from different types of wood: sandal wood, hibiscus wood, and the such. It was amazing what they did.

<- This is the carving I bought for my mommy: a carving of her and me!

We also went to see another waterfall; nothing like the one in Luang Prabang; but beautiful nonetheless.

Ubud is the artistic and cultural center of Bali-that is why we saw all these things. :)

We also went to the Elephant Cave and learned about it from a guide who blessed us and put rice on our foreheads and clavicles: as it was a holy day.  I had often wondered why some days I saw people with rice on their faces.  That was interesting to learn about.

After that we headed to: The Monkey Forest!! SO fun! It's this giant forest where all the monkeys run free and you get to see them! IF you have food for them you're supposed to drop it and walk away as they get very hostile.  We had a great time there!! Reminded us of the fun we had in the beginning of our trip at Lop Buri!

We then headed to Tamal Lot: the sea temple.  It is the most famous temple in all of South East Asia.  It was built on a rock in the ocean.  We go there for sunset. It was beautiful. And we were quite lucky because on our way there it started raining, and as we left it poured.  Somehow the sky cleared for us.  

That night we found Jordan at The Bounty and danced until they closed at like 4am.  Jordan's camera was taken :(  

Our last day we just layed on the beach, Becca played with her poi, and we met a few more nice travelers.  That night the three of us went out, enjoyed some local stuff, and danced until about 3am-as I had to go home because I still hadn't packed and was leaving the next morning.

That morning at 6:30 I packed and got taken to the airport. Techincally, it was Thursday night in LA when I left and I arrived in LA at about 1:30pm.  LOTS of time spent in airports and planes.

It's weird being home.  I'm really happy to see my mom again. And I'm excited to see my friends. But it's different...life is so safe and typical here.  Becca and I both agreed we will never be able to go shopping or eat out because of how cheap it was out there, and how you bargain for everything. :) We'll have to see. Tomorrow I start working again; and thus, saving for the next time I get to write in this blog. I have contacted my theater company and will hopefully be getting involved with helping out on this next production that opens in a few days. And so it goes.

I hope you all enjoyed following along with me. My older entries have pics now, too...if you want to go back and browse through them.

I missed you all and love you lots. And now I am missing and loving those past five weeks-the best five weeks in my entire life. And Becca. :) Love you wifey!

XOXOOXXOXXOXOOOXOOX Until next time I leave you with the final sunset I experienced in Kuta Beach, Bali:

Danny Boy

Here we are our first night in Bali at Apache with Ricky and Tim, and two cute and sweet Japanese tourists.



Well last night after writing in my blog we were just going to check a few places out and call it a night since we had been up til sunrise the day before.

But, alas, we ended up going out again. We hopped into a few bars had a drink in each one, then headed to the 'discotech' we had been to the night before and danced for a while. Afterwards we finally went back to our favorite: Apache, the reggae bar. And I just stood at the front of the stage singing along to every song and dancing the night away!! The bands were so good adn the music great. And it was PACKED! Mainly with locals. Everyone was so friendly. The lead singers gave me a shout out because I was SO into it. :)

Then one of the other lead singers took us to another bar where he was performing.

By then it was sunrise and two other tourists walked us down to this 24hour restaurant and gave us some tips on things. We ordered some food and watched the futbol game before getting home at about 4:00am.
This morning when we woke up we met Danny Boy (on the left) at the beach and he and Bob (wit the sunglasses) got us surfing! I finally stood up! I've surfed back home for a few years, but my ability to stand is usually lacking; but Bob got me up! It was wicked. So fun.

After that we just laid out and got a massage on the beach. Then Danny Boy took us to a local spot and we got some dinner.

Tonight we're just gonna walk around; Becca wants to do some shopping. I might too ;). Tomorrow we're meeting Danny and he is going to take us somewhere so we can go snorkeling. Then after that we'll probably rent surfboards and surf and play all day and stay on the beach for the sunset.

I believe in two days we will be heading to Ubud: it's about 30minutes away, for a nice little day trip.

Danny Boy is the local I met yesterday at the beach. You need to be cautious out here about people but when I told him I was from California he told me that he is currently taking care of a girl who is stuck here from California. Apparently this girl, Christina, lost her purse and her passport was in it. It's a very long and complicated story and after hearing more I"m a bit annoyed with her; but she is "stuck here with no money and no way out" so Danny Boy is taking care of her. He has nothing and yet he is paying for her meals and helping her find places to go and taking her around. He's looking after her. He told me today he is going to see if he can sell some of his land back home (he's from a different part of Indonesia) so he can have money to help her!
I think she should get a job for a little bit; it's really easy here to do that. And not let him pay for everything. He's just so nice and wants to make sure everybody that comes here is smiling and happy. He said to me: "I came into this world with nothing; these are all just things. None of it matters. What matters is people."
He's just so nice and so giving and so great! Before we leave I am going to give him some money for everything he's been doing for us. He's so cool and has made my experience here so much more enriching already.

So off we go for a quiet night. I'm coming back here for sure. It's great!

LOVE YOU!XOXO

Here are some videos I took in Bali:

Last Leg

Sorry I haven't written; when we got to Siem Reap the internet was too slow to be bothered with.
So we left Phnom Penh and took a 6 hour bus ride to Siem Reap. On the bus we met two awesome guys: Matt (from London) and Lenny (from Holland).  We ended up all four going to the same guest house-as when you get off the bus you are horded by tuk tuk drivers just yelling and surrounding you to go with them-I got so overwhelmed Matt came in to save the day and swooped us up and got us all a tuk tuk together.

<-Here are Matt (red shirt) and Lenny on our last night together. Nicest room we've stayed in at The Smiley Guesthouse. We got a room with hot water AND air con! It was amazing! :) $12/us a night. That night the four of us went out til very very late-got dinner and went to a few bars on this big street called: Pub Street. Which, btw, is the cutest street ever! :) 

It was so nice, and there are SO many travelers so you meet SO many people. It was SO fun!! :) Because we didn't get much sleep that night, we all decided to check out Angkor

 Wat for sunset and then see the sunrise the following day.

Sunset was beautiful there: it was a really impressive and

 incredible sight: Angkor Wat. We only had a short time to be there as the sunsets right when

 they close so we all just took pictures and walked around a bit before it started to rain.

Then we called it a bit of an early night after going out to dinner on a street BEHIND pub street which was REALLY REALLY posh. So cute!<-Becca and I at sunrise.  

The next morning Matt, Becca, and I woke up at 4:30am to go to Angkor Wat. We probably should have woken up at 4am to see the sunrise; but we got there as it was rising so it was still

 a really beautiful sight. After that we explored Angkor Wat for a while and then went on with

 our tuk tuk driver to Ta Prohm (The temple that TOMB RAIDER was filmed at) which was INCREDIBLE!! The trees growing around the temple were unlike anything I've ever seen. 

It was amazing. We also went to Angkor Thom which was WICKED! So amazing; I can't believe these temples have survived so long; and even through the khmer rouge. Although many have been completely destroyed and they are

 trying to rehabilitate but the Khmer rouge also destroyed the blue prints for all of it so it's hard to figure it out.

<-Ta Prohm

<-Bayon & Angkor Thom

It's so sad to realize I am going home in a week. Not that I am not excited to see all of you and be back at home; but 5 weeks was not enough time. I think I really got the groove of it down in Cambodia and settled in; and now it's time to go.

Cambodia is my favorite country because it's not quite booming yet. I hope you go there within the next 5 years; because I reckon it will become much more Western in the next 5 years and change loads. I like it more than Laos because of the intense history that is STILL alive there. The begging, esp with kids, can be a bit much to handle at times. The constant: "You buy you buy" gets tiring and hard to deal with. But the country is so beautiful in so many ways. Really incredible. When I go on my travels again next year I plan on going back to Siem Reap. I want to see the rest of the temples and volunteer at an orphanage.

I met more people in Cambodia than anywhere else and really enjoyed the country in everyway. 

It was all the travelers that have inspired me to go home, work my butt of and save my money, so next year I can buy a one-way ticket out and travel til I run out of funds. Everyone I met had been traveling for like 3 months and still had another 9 or so; had been to so many countries and were still planning on traveling for like a year or more!! I just can't imagine a better time to see the world and learn about yourself and other people and places than now while I'm yougn and still pretty unattached to anything. Thank goodness I'm an actress. :) Allows for lots of flexibility! AND you can't grow as an actor if you dont' grow as a person. I know for a fact I have changed and grown a lot from this trip and really really am itching to keep traveling. It's so sad that I have to leave!!! BUT I am missing hugging my mom everyday and seeing all of you, definitely.

Our last day in Siem Reap we went to a hotel and used their pool to relax and swim and beat the heat. Then we flew into Kuala Lumpur and sat around for 4 hours due to our lay-over playing chess, same same but different ( a game we titled after the most popular saying we've heard among our travels). Then finally we arrived here:
Paradise. aka: Kuta beach, Bali.

Full of beautiful surfers and Indonesians. Surfboards everywhere you look, beautiful beaches, tan bodies, pure and total HOLIDAY. I can't believe I have to leave here. It's incredible! We got in last night a bit late, grabbed some dinner then went out to an AMAZING reggae club!! Danced until 5am. Came home and then when we woke up this morning we had lunch and laid on the beach.

I got a massage; but I got tricked and ripped off. It's okay; I've learned my lesson and in USdollars it really isn't that much so it's fine. After that we just went to a different spot on the beach and while I was in the water a local, Danny Boy, and I started talking. He's been taking care of a girl from California who's stuck here until her Emergency passport arrives because she lost her first one. He's going to take us surfing tomorrow morning and then get us to his friends that snorkel!! :) It should be wicked! I'm very excited.
There is SO much to do here it's insaine! I can't wait!! I am living it up as much as I can.

Will do my best to write again before I head home; but I can't promise, as I said: I am surrounded by the beach, surfers, reggae music, and friendly people for only 6 more days. Gotta live it up!! :)

Love you all and be home so soon!! :)

Cambodia, so far.

That is me, feeding an elephant outside of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.

Two days ago we arrived in the capital of Cambodia: Phnom Penh. 

Automatically we were greeted with pure chaos: the roads here with no signs and the rules seeming to just be: "if you can go, go!" Massive amounts of people on the road; the most I've seen. I mean, there were five guys on a single motorbike at one point. 

Cars, tuk tuks, motorbikes, and bicycles just go-doesn't matter what side of the street. Although, amidst this chaos they seem to  have a system down.

A bit into our drive from the airport to an area with guesthouses, Becca said: "Maybe we should rent a motorbike" and as she said that we passed an accident.Not sure what had happened, but he was in the road and his foot was bloody. It looked as if 

something had flown into his foot.  Thankfully, he wasn't seriously injured, and nobody else was so it wasn't that bad. But upon that I looked to her and said: "Or not."

 After we arrived in the area where our guest house is, we settled in and made plans for the next day. Grabbed some dinner and decided to go play pool. We met even more people from Denmark; a group of three boys and went off with them to another bar to play more pool. Then to check out another bar and so on. Eventually it was time to call it a night, and that we did.

  

Yesterday we had a driver, Lo, take us to The National Museum, Tuol Sleng Museum, and the Royal Palace. We broke the sights up into two days, and had wanted to to Tuol Sleng with the Killing Fields today. I am glad we decided to go to Tuol Sleng yesterday. Both the T.S. and The Killing Fields would have been far too much.

So first we went to the National Museum, which was very nice. It was filled with stone carvings and other artifacts dating back to the 8th century! It was amazing to see the craftwork. How 

detailed and beautiful the pieces that were preserved, were. Just incredible stuff. We

 weren't allowed to take pictures inside, though. 

After that, because the Royal Palace was closed during the hottest part of the day we headed to Tuol Sleng.

It was horrible.

For those of you that don't know, ONLY 30 years ago, Cambodia went through a horrible civil war which culminated in the 

genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge. Over 3

 million Cambodian citizens were brutally murdered from 1975-1979. 6 American journalists, 1 Australian, and 3 Europeans, as well. 

There were rooms and rooms of photos of people 

such as this one; of those that were unjustifiably murdered by

 the Khmer Rouge. This photo is of the wife and baby of a government official; we also saw photos of the wife sitting in an

 electric chair-baby in hands. Horrible.

The Khmer Rouge actually took over the ENTIRE city of Phnom Penh. Last night we watched a movie about the war, and had already been to the prison at that point. So today, driving through this city: this country's capital which only 30 years ago was abandoned and filled with

 the Pol Pot regime and screams of pain was really intense. To realize that a lot of the people around me were alive then, experienced the war...and to be an American driving through their streets. I began to feel dirty, more so than I have before.

Usually, I feel terribly guilty for having the life I have when I see the people here. You feel bad for having a digital camera and for caring about things like how your body looks in a dress or something when you see all these bare footed children and people around that have nothing. They are concerned with feeding themselves. It makes you feel so bad. And I'm a pretty conscious person back home when it comes to being grateful for everything I have been given; but nonetheless you feel badly. But after going to S-21, after learning about what happened here...I was not proud to be an American. I do, however, feel lucky to be one.

Toul Sleng is also known as S-21 (Security Prison 21). In 1975, Pol Pot's security forces turned a school into this prison which was the largest center of detention and torture in the country. Almost everyone here was executed at the Killing Fields. It was absolutely awful to see. There were rooms with just a single rusty bed, and a black and white photo behind it taken before when there were dead bodies tied up and tortured here.

Pol Pot, first, captured all the

 intellectuals in the capital and surrounding area because it did not want them to undermine its rule. So all the government officials and their entire families were sent there to be tortured and then executed.

We walked around the prison, saw the small cells they lived in. And saw the pictures of all those that were detained. Women, children, babies, and men. It was really intense.

After being there we moved on to the Royal Palace. What a contrast in an afternoon.
The palace is huge, and has a small replica of Angkor Wat. It's quite beautiful.

After that we got lunch and eventually headed back to our guest house (Room 202 what!) and decided to see the Killing Fields and the market today and then head off to Siem Reap.
Today sealed the deal for me: Phnom Phen has been the most emotionally disturbing place for me, so far.

On our way to the Killing Fields I saw pieces of a bike in the road ahead. Then crowds of people on each side of the street and as we approached I saw the body of a man, surrounded by the remnants of his motor bike. He was just laying in the middle of the street. Dying.

Part of his face was torn open and there was a huge stream of blood pouring from his head into the road. Everyone around just stood there, lots of people on cell phones, calling for help.

I can pray that he survived: but I don't think he did.

I didn't even know how to react. I don't know how to react. It was just this...I saw somebody in the road, DYING. And there was nothing I could do. I couldn't call for help. I couldn't stop our driver to wait there and make sure he got help. I couldn't stare too long because it was too disturbing, and yet the image is in my mind.

A few minutes later there we were: at The Killing Fields.This is where the Pol Pot took the

 victims from S-21 and murdered them. In 1988 they built a stupa (the image to your left)to honor the victims, and in that stupa, sits over 9,000 skulls. 17 levels. The top levels are of the bones of peoples bodies, the bottom levels are all of skulls, and below that some of their clothes.

We hired a guide to take us and two others around the fields. It was horrible. As you walk you can see clothes and bones coming up from the ground-as the rain falls and the Mekong River pours over, more graves have been discovered over the years.

 

There was a mass grave with over 100 women and children next to a tree that they used to murder the babies. The Pol Pot didn't use bullets because they were to expensive, so often they would use farm tools or bamboo sticks and beat people in the heads and then bury them alive. Or, especially if it was a soldier which betrayed them, when Palm trees are young their leaves are sharp and they would use those, or an axe to slowly decapitate people. When it came to the babies...they would hold them by their feet and smash their heads against a tree. 

The photo below is of teeth of victims still laying in the fields. It's horrifying. You are walking over land in which people were brutally murdered on less than 40 years ago.

It was absolutely horrible. And to realize that this happened in 1975 really upset me. I mean, genocide is still a huge problem now. And I wonder, why? Why do we do this to one another? And then the

 questions come in: Can we do anything? Why doesn't the US do something? yada yada and then all the complicated answers and my head spins with anger that people are capable of such hatred.
We didn't learn much about this in school, by the way. We don't learn much about the horrible things that have been, and are, happening around the world like this and it's not right. People need to know that genocide did not die with Hitler.

We finally left after being surrounded by a group of kids begging for money.
Everywhere you go in Cambodia you are faced with beggars. Worse than anywhere else I have been.

After the Killing Fields we headed to the market here. It was huge and had tons and tons and tons of stuff-I got Adrianna and Brianna a little something as well as myself. :)

After that we headed back to the River to walk a bit and get some lunch. More beggars approached us and I finally gave in to one man. It looked as if the entire left side of his face was nothing more than a massive, massive, tumor.
I wish I could give to all the children and all the people I see whom have deformities; but I can't. And this man, I know people probably don't give to him because of how frightening he is at first glance, so I gave him some money and just thanked the universe for providing me with my health, and my mother, and my friends and asked that the blessings continue and those I love are always safe from these sorts of things.

Tomorrow we leave for Siem Reap: which should be incredible! We will spend 3 days exploring Angkor Wat before flying off to the beaches of Bali.

I can't believe I come home in 13 days! Wow. My eyes have certainly seen more than I could have imagined already. I can't begin to even tell you how much these past two days alone, on top of being in Thailand and Laos, has affected me and changed the way I see things.

Love you all! Miss you. See you very soon!