Babymoon in Espana

We've been off the grid for a couple of weeks (and then a couple more to recover) from our babymoon to Espana!

Cocktails/Mocktails before dinner in Marbella, Spain

What a treat to spend nearly two weeks with each other exploring the southern part of Spain and soaking in the rays of the Costa del Sol. 

Not only was it a great trip to see another country and experience a new culture, it was also a really nice time to reconnect with each other.  Russ and I have learned that travelling has helped us enormously because it affords us the space and time (minus distractions) to focus on each other.

So, while Spain was beautiful - I'd say the best part of the trip was growing together as a couple and cherishing our "last hurrah" before baby.

Since we've missed some "bump" updates, this will have to suffice for the 26 week pic and of course, I'm acting like a ham!

Our overall trip went something like this: Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Marbella, Morocco, Almunecar, Nerja, Granada, Madrid, Amsterdam and HOME!

Alhambra in Granada, Spain

I can fill ya in on details (hotels, what we saw, ate and did) later but that should give you a general sense of our itinerary.  It was just enough city/beach balance and overall a once-in -a-lifetime trip that we'll treasure forever.

Turkey - A Fabulous Adventure

Istanbul, In front of the Blue Mosque

  We feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to travel as much as we do.  When we got married almost eight years ago, we set some goals for ourselves and for our marriage.  Travel was at the top of our list and dare I say, we've been successful in fulfilling this on-going goal thus far.  Travel is a bug we can't quite shake and it's something that draws us closer together, puts life in perspective and provides us with a greater sense of global responsibility and understanding.  I can honestly say that Turkey is the most eye-opening trip that we have had and stirred feelings in me that I didn't know existed.

Delicious and fresh food

Yummo!

Throughout our seventeen day trip, we did our best to absorb the rich culture, interact with the Turkish people, and indulge in the fresh and flavorful food (can you say baklava!).  The weather couldn't have been better and we left feeling that we had truly experienced as much of Turkey as our bodies could physically handle.

Hotair balloon ride above Cappadoccia

What you can't hear are the whistles he's getting!

The extremely turbulent Bosphorous River fish boat

Ephesus

In front of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

As an overview, we began our journey in  the metropolis of Istanbul, then caught a flight to Cappadoccia where we experienced the unique and majestic natural terrain (via hot air balloon and hiking).  After a couple of nights sleeping in caves (cave hotels are big in Cappadoccia), we flew back to the west coast and rented a car in Izmir.  We maneuvered our little Fiat down the coastline to Kusadasi and drove out to the ancient city of Ephesus.  Nothing can explain the feeling of standing in the same location where St. Paul stood (and was thrown out of) so many years ago!  We then made our way down the turquoise coastline where we explored the small and bustling beach towns of Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kalkan, Kas, and ended our Mediterranean adventures in the Old Town in the city of Antalya.  After a much-to-late night with the locals, we drove through the countryside to the Unesco World Heritage Site of Pamukkale and then onward to Istanbul for some last-minute shopping along the Bosphorus River and of course, more baklava.  It was an ambitious trip but we left feeling satisfied that no rock had gone unturned and that we had seen the best that Turkey had to offer.

Pamukkale (it's actually hot water and calcium deposits that look like snow)

I have a lot of other thoughts that I'd love to write about but perhaps at a later date.  Some of  the topics I hope to explore further are:

• The role of women in Turkish society - their oppression was palpable
• The role of the Muslim faith in Turkey - and how this influenced us, as Christians - - particularly during the call to prayer (5x's/day)
• On a lighter note - the FOOD = delicious
• The history - incredible and moving
• The nightlife - particularly in Istanbul and Antalya

Santa Barbara, Solvang, Buellton and Los Olivos Weekend

We haven't posted in a while but I figure I'll start with last weekend and hopefully get to this past weekend tomorrow. Last weekend we ventured about 105 miles North of Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Buellton and Los Olivos for some site seeing and wine tasting.

We headed out on Friday afternoon. Shortly after making our way up the Pacific Coast Highways, Russ and I decided to stop so that we could soak in the last rays of sunshine and watch the surfers across from Neptunes Restaurant. We arrived in Santa Barbara around 7:00 pm and checked into the cute Montecito Inn (no we didn't run into Oprah - - she lives down the road ha ha). After dropping off our bags, we ventured out into the cute town and finally found excellent Indian Food on the main drag. It's surprising how difficult it has been to find Indian food in LA! The next morning, we jumped on the hotel's cute beach cruisers and made our way down to the beach and took a nice ride along the scenic coast. We decided that we'd love to live in Santa Barbara one day, preferably in a big beautiful house on the beach :)

Beautiful little flowers along the beach

Later that afternoon, we met up with the Hill's in Solvang, an adorable Danish town about 25 miles from Santa Barbara. It is always fun when we are with the Hill's! We enjoyed beers and Brats and then it was off to Buellton and Los Olivos. All of these towns are adorable. So much character, cute shops and tons of wine tasting rooms. Unfortunately, we missed the last of the tastings but made up for it at Matt's Tavern. To make the day even more perfect, we ended up being on the receiving end of left over cupcakes from Enjoy Cupcakes ! The owner came out and gave us a whole pan of gourmet cupcakes because she was closing up her shop for the evening -- who doesn't like FREE cupcakes! They were delicious.

Beers & Brats in Solvang

We made our way up to the top of Mount Figueroa where we set up camp and made a fire. We even enjoyed the thoughtful bottle of wine given to us by the Abo's with a special poem asking us to be Godparents on the back of it..ahhhh (I had to take a photo to commemorate the special occassion).

Delicious Washington Wine...In the Santa Ynez Valley of all places - -we miss the Abo's

I love this photo (I wish it were more clear but it's cute)

We parted ways with the Hill's on Sunday and Russ and I hit up Gainey Winery for a tasting and then headed home. We loved the Chardonay and Pinot Grigio but weren't crazy about the Syrah...maybe it was the 80 degree weather? All in all, it was a quick trip that was full of adorable sites. We'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to get out of LA for a quick little getaway. Before you go, be sure to watch Sideways again so you can check out all of the little places in the movie. We watched it afterwards, which was fun too. We hope to do a similar trip in about a month for our 6 year anniversary! We'll see...

xo Ang n Russ

Conquering a Mountain!

A long-time goal of Russ' and an ambitious challenge for us both was accomplished this past Memorial Day weekend. We made it to the top of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park and it was truly a remarkable experience!

We arrived Friday afternoon with a good part of the day left and so we drove into Yosemite for a little site-seeing and enjoyed drinks on the Pizza Deck before heading back to Oakhurst. One of the highlights of Oakhurst is that we managed to find the best Mexican food we've ever had! El Cid Restaurant isn't much to look at but they make a killer carne asada burrito and strawberry margaritas. It was the perfect way to fuel up before the big hike.

We took off early Friday morning to avoid Memorial Day weekend traffic. It was a surprisingly quick 4.5 hour drive mainly because it's a straight shot on I-5 for the majority of the way and, Russ had remembered to download a few episodes of This American Life for us to listen to. Our plan was to spend the night in Oakhurst, a little town outside of Yosemite, on Friday night and start the 20+ mile hike first thing on Saturday morning.

Taken at the beginning of our hike from Glacier Point. The Panorama Trail curves around to the right, across the waterfall (Nevada Falls) in the distance and culminated at the big perch of granite, also known as, Half Dome on the left.

A beautiful butterfly that wanted to go with us.

Stopping at Nevada Falls for cheese, salami and crackers...everything tastes better on a hike.

Nevada Falls

The next morning, we started out strong. The first two+ miles are largely down hill and then it's uphill for a few miles and a beautiful hike along the ridge line where the views are spectacular. The scenery in Yosemite is so beautiful and breathtaking that it almost looks fake, it is truly one of the most majestic places we've yet to see. We ended the day in Little Yosemite Valley, a place for backpackers to camp, and made sure to secure our food in our bear canister. I was originally terrified of bears but realized there is nothing to worry about and we actually found ourselves hoping one would roam into our camp so we could get a closer look.

This little Stellar's Jay was a friend of ours and loved to perch himself next to our tent.

The next morning we headed out for the most exciting part of our adventure....making it to the top of Half Dome! We hiked the 3. 5 miles up hill and used the cables for the last 900 feet to the very top of the Dome. It was a little nerve-wrecking at times but overall, it was a piece of cake!

You can see the cables lining the way to the top of the Dome.

A 45-60 degree climb, yet we manage to take photos :)

We returned to camp, made some dinner, and savored the adventure. We look forward to conquering many more mountains in the years ahead!

The top of the Dome! Standing on the Diving Board...it is very high up 4,737 feet above the valley floor and about 8,900 feel in total elevation.

SE Asia Continued

After a couple amazing weeks of travel, we are about to begin our journey home. We are leaving Cambodia today, returning to Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) from which we fly out tomorrow 17+ hours back to LA. While there are plenty of memorable details that Ang will surely fill in, here are some general impressions…

Since it’s our first visit to SE Asia, it is truly remarkable, unlike anything we’ve seen other parts of the world. It is all that we had hoped it would be: a mix of adventure and much needed relaxation in a place that is visually stunning, authentic and rich culturally. There are many beautiful hotels in the cities and beaches, but the vast majority of the population (which is quite poor) seems to exist culturally the same as it did hundreds of years ago. It does not seem to be “spoiled” by tourism, but rather co-exist with it. Before coming here, we were cognizant of the challenge of this economic disparity and prayed about how we could have a positive impact on the population that has faced so much hardship, namely from wars. We’ve found that just our presence is greatly appreciated, as the artisans, tuk tuk drivers, etc are starving for work. In Siem Reap, tourism is one of the main industries, and we were told it is down roughly 50% from last year (due to the global financial crisis). It is amazing how much each person appreciates the business we give them and find it unexpected when we tip even a dollar or two. But more than our tourist dollars, I think our greatest benefits of our visit will play out over time as a result of having a greater understanding and affection for this population, caring more about what happens here, seeing the impacts of war, and realizing how blessed we are in so many ways, not the least of which, is having reliable employment.

Vietnam & Cambodia

We've been in Vietnam for about ten days and we have a little less than a week until we head home. Originally, we thought 16 days would be too short to truly experience Vietnam and Cambodia and we were right. We nixed Cambodia (for now, we have been planning this trip as we go and it's worked out relatively well). I'll try to give some highlights but not yabber too much about anything:

Day 1 - Flew into Hanoi, the Northern part of Vietnam and it was a culture shock. This was our first introduction to SE Asia and it was indeed eye-opening. Most of the population ride motorbikes, which makes for many interesting photos but can get a little taxing on the lungs. We stayed at the Golden Lotus Hotel II and walked around the markets. After about 40 hours of being awake and absorbing as much of Hanoi as we could handle, we headed back to the hotel to crash.

Day 2-3 - We took a beautiful tour of Halong Bay. This is a must if you are considering visiting Vietnam. Definitely a highlight. We stayed in a beautiful Junk boat and enjoyed delicious seafood, kayaking, and tours on the various islands. We were the only other couple on the boat and it was absolutely perfect.

Evening (3) - Upon returning to Hanoi, we went for a bite to eat at Bar 69 and then headed to the Water Puppet show. We liked this but it was very touristy. Nonetheless, it is worth going to enjoy the artistry of the puppets and the skills of the puppeteers.

Day 4 - Flew to Nha Trang, the beach baby. The northern part of Vietnam tends to be cooler than the south and so we were itching for some sunny beaches. On our way from the Da Nang airport into Nha Trang, we passed the Diamond Bay Resort and saw that last year they hosted the Miss Universe pageant. Of course, we took a photo because it was just too funny. We enjoyed the beach all day, got massages, and found a fantastic pool right on the beach where we rented a cabana for $2 and ordered drinks all day (Louisiane Cafe - order the Thai Mussels).

Day 5 - After waking up to the sunset, we rented a scooter and drove about 45 miles South to Doc Let (Yoc-Let) beach. If you are looking for seclusion, this is a great place. We swam a bit and walked the beach and then headed back to town for some dinner. Russ ordered a drink called "the bucket" and you can just imagine what is in this...lots of red bull and lots of alcohol - yuk but he liked it.

Day 6 - Hoi An. Truly one of the most picturesque towns we have ever visited. The French influence and architecture are stunning as are the hundreds of silk lanterns that line the river and are lit throughout town. We spent a good part of our day getting fitted for various clothes - -dresses, shirts and Russ got a nice suit. We were a little surprised that the prices were more than we thought but still, a custom made dress for $25 isn't bad at all. I am most excited about my Asian inspired dress and Russ' fancy suit. We stayed in the An Tuy Hotel in Old Town,which was great and near the action. But, if you have more time, we'd recommend also staying at the gorgeous Victoria Beach Resort.

Day 7 - Hoi An. Again, lots of final fittings for our clothes and we did some more shopping, ate delicious pineapple and got a drink at Brothers Cafe, a beautiful restuarant situated along the river - - it's something right out of the movies. Speaking of movies, The Quiet American was filmed in Hoi An.

Day 8-11 - Hoi An to Phu Quoc Island. This was the most random and unplanned part of our trip but was definitely a highlight! We stayed at the beautiful La Veranda Resort for our first night and it felt like a honeymoon. Truly one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever stayed in. They were booked after the first day so we satyed at a little villa on the beach at the Saigon Phu Quoc Resort. We rented bikes, swam, laid out, hit golf balls, and went on an amazing snorkeling tour off of a couple different islands. We think it would be fun to get scuba certified but we'll see. We depart tomorrow for Ho Chi Minh City and we'll see if we feel up to traveling over to Cambodia once we have a day under our belts in HCMC.

Day 12 - We landed in Ho Chi Minh City and were at our hotel by 10:30 am. We spent the day at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, ate lunch and then visited the War Remnants Museum. This museum was compelling and contained many extremely graphic photos about the attrocities of war. We were both moved and walked away with a sick feeling in our stomachs and greater sense of compassion for the innocent victims of the war (on both sides). After walking shopping and exploring more, we decided that we definitely had time to make it to Cambodia. We purchased our plane tix and headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Day 13 - We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia around noon and checked into our hotel, the beautiful Prince d'Angkor Hotel and then it was off to town o check out the Central Market and grab some gelato in the VERY hot and humid heat. We were most excited though to hire a tuk tuk driver and make it to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. It was miraculous and is one of the seven man made wonders of the world. We then headed back to town to Pub Street to enjoy a couple of drinks and then ended our day getting massages.

Day 14 - Morning came too soon. The sunset over Angkor Wat was beautiful but we had heard that to truly experience all the Temples had to offer, we needed to arrive by sunrise. That's right, we woke up at 4:15 am and were en route by 4:45 am. We saw the sunrise and spent the next couple of hours walking around Angkor Wat. Then, it was back to our hotel to catch a couple hours of sleep and then more shopping! Around 3:00 we hired a guide named Sothea to take us back to the temples and he took us to Taparom Trees, Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants and Leper Kings, Heavenly Jail, and ended with a hike to the top of Bakheng Temple/Moutain to watch the sunset. We then headed into town and watched some beautiful Apsara dancing and enjoyed some Amok, a Cambodian fish dish, and a couple drinks before heading back to the hotel.

Day 15 -We finally had a chance to catch up on our rest and spent the majority of the morning in the hotel and then headed out for a cappuccino and to finish up some shopping. We flew back to Ho Chi Minh City and had a great meal at the night market and headed back to catch some much needed rest.

Day 16 - We made it to the airport and took off for home! An awesome adventure and we are already looking forward to the next one. Maybe...Greece, New Zealand or Spain? - - let us know where we should go, we'd love to hear from you.

xoxoxo
Ang n Russ