PFALZER FAMILY TRAVELS

2011-06-16T11:24:00.004+09:00

Our 10,000+ mile trip home took us from KL to Guangzhou to Los Angeles and finally to Cleveland. After 29.5 hours we finally arrived back in Ohio. Now to readjust to the 12 hour time difference. Be prepared to be up at 3 am and ready for a nap at noon.

Arriving in Guangzhou, China. Even though we were in transit they still wanted to give us the once over and hold our passports for a while.

Finally arriving back in the United States in Los Angeles. Now to wait a few hours for our last leg: a red-eye to Cleveland.

Back less than 12 hours and time to celebrate Alex's birthday once again. He made it through the party without falling asleep.

Alex and Helen's first day back in an American school. And they get to ride the bus to school. Actually Alex's first time going to an American school.

Last Night in KL

2011-06-16T10:45:00.005+09:00

We had a going away party our last night in KL. Pizza, fun with friends and the Royal Wedding with true English commentary(mostly about the hats!). We will truly miss all of our good friends we have made in the last 9 months.

Sell, Sell, Sell!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kevin Cupit, Helen's social studies teacher from England.

Brisa, Gaston, Kadisha and Devy from the Netherlands and Colombia.

Alex, Amily, and Sophie.

Alex and Amily after the wedding!!

Watching the Royal Wedding!

Sophie, Frances and Chloe(from South Africa), Amily(from England) and Alex

Scott(England) and Jenky(Phillipines)

Neil and Dominique Cave and their girls from South Africa.

The Masons from England.

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Anne(South Africa) and Jocelyn(Malaysia)

Children representing 5 countries and 4 continents!

Alex's Birthday at school

2011-06-16T10:41:00.001+09:00

Alex celebrated his birthday at school with cupcakes and friends.

Alex's 8th Birthday

2011-05-26T09:17:00.002+09:00

Alex celebrated his 8th birthday with a movie and ice cream cake at Baskin and Robbins.

Ramayana Ballet

2011-04-26T19:59:00.004+09:00

Our last night in Jogjakarta, we went to see the Ramayana Ballet. It is known as the dance you have to see when you are in Indonesia. Unfortunately we could not see the outdoor version performed with Prambanan Temple in the background. Still it was a very cool production. The smaller of the white monkeys that you see in the video is performed by a little boy who was only 5. He was swinging and climbing all over the roofs of the stage all night long.

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being the Mahabharata. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king.

Prambanan Hindu Temple

2011-04-23T23:11:00.005+09:00

Prambanan Hindu Temple was our last stop for the day. Many of the temples are in ruins at Prambanan mainly from earthquakes. The first in 1006 destroyed many of the small temples surrounding the larger temples you see in the pictures below. A second earthquake in 2006 took place a few minutes before the temples opened for the day so no one was hurt. Our guide said not to come back in 3006 if the pattern continues.

Prambanan is a ninth century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple compound is located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta.

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple of ancient Java, and the construction of this royal temple was probably started by Rakai Pikatan as the Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty's answer to the Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty's Borobudur and Sewu temples nearby. had shifted the focus of its patronage from Mahayana Buddhism to Shivaist Hinduism.

A temple was first built at the site around 850 CE by Rakai Pikatan and expanded extensively by Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honor Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva).

The temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

Mt. Merapi

2011-04-23T18:03:00.007+09:00

Mt. Merapi, 9,738 feet, is the most active volcano in Indonesia and one of the most active in the world. It has been erupting regularly for the past 550 years. Most recently Merapi erupted between the end of October 2010 and the first part of December 2010. Over 350 people were killed in the most recent eruption. Some people live as high up as 5600 feet on the mountain. Most days you can see a plume of smoke rising out of the crater at the top of the mountain. The first few pictures are from the internet of the eruption last year. What we saw was the layers of ash, downed vegetation and destruction of buildings and homes in the area. In the area we visited there was some new construction going on. Following are two You Tube videos I found online covering the most recent eruption. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIkyvU5ohow&feature=related; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVitigd74lM&feature=related. Reminded me a lot of what happened at Mt. St. Helens in 1980.

Mt. Merapi views during our visit.

Borobudur

2011-04-23T17:16:00.010+09:00

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. It is located about 25 miles outside of Jogyakarta. It was the first stop on our all day tour to Borobudur, Mt. Merapi and Prambanan. Kind of interesting that the most visited tourist attraction in a Muslim dominated country is a Buddhist monument. Our tour guide was actually a Muslim woman who was very knowledgeable about Borobudur. Borobudur was recently closed for two months after the eruption of Mt. Merapi. About one inch of ash from the volcano covered the monument. You can see workers are cleaning the monument still, 5 months later. Borobudur was put together using interlocking bricks. Two bricks were set side by side and another bricked locked them together. This interlocking brick system is also shown in one of the pictures below. Here is a short synopsis of Borobudur from Wikipedia.

Borobudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa(a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics).

Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

There is no written record of who built Borobudur or of its intended purpose. The construction time has been estimated by comparison between carved reliefs on the temple's hidden foot and the inscriptions commonly used in royal charters during the 8th and 9th centuries. Borobudur was likely founded around 800 AD. This corresponds to the period between 760 and 830 AD, the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in central Java, when it was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. The construction has been estimated to have taken 75 years and been completed during the reign of Samaratungga in 825.

Interlocking brick system used to put Borobudur together.

Our guide pointed out how Alex's tightly curled hair is just like Buddha's.

The Stupas on the top 3 levels of Borobudur.

There is a Buddha statue inside each Stupa.

Touching the bricks at this level brings good luck.

Borobudur with Mt. Merapi in the background.

Jogyakarta

2011-04-23T17:03:00.006+09:00

Jogyakarta or Jogja, as the locals call it, is located on the island of Java about a 1 hour flight west of Bali. Java is the most populated island in the world. 60% of Indonesia's population lives on Java. Java is about 550 miles long east to west and contains many volcanoes. One of the most active volcanoes in the world now is Mt. Merapi just outside of Jogja. Mt. Merapi erupted most recently in late October 2010. We arrived very early in Jogja and headed off to the palace while our room was made ready.

Tanah Lot

2011-04-22T10:37:00.003+09:00

Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home of a pilgrimage temple, the Pura Tanah Lot (literally "Tanah Lot temple") and a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography.

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods[3].

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. However, the temple had significant Hindu influence.

At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. A giant snake purportedly protects the temple, which was created from Nirata’s scarf when he established the island.

On the beach in Bali

2011-04-22T10:15:00.005+09:00

Our beach experience in Bali was interesting to say the least. When you google beaches in Bali, all the beautiful, white sand, pristine beaches show up. Our beach was a little different. Granted we were staying in the high traffic areas of Kuta,Legian and Seminyak beaches. The resort we stayed at was right on the beach an the first day we strolled out to the beach our mouths dropped open. Trash littered the beach in a 4 foot wide path where it had been left by the incoming tide. We were told this happens once or twice a year with the winds change and it comes from neighboring islands. The sad thing is that there are very few trash cans on the beach and no one seems interested in picking up the trash. We have noticed that trash is an issue all over Southeast Asia. People are content to have piles of trash wherever you can find room. They do not hesitate to drop their trash wherever they are and recycling seems to be non-existent. The only areas that are kept pretty clean are the areas used by tourists. Which does not explain this particular beach in Bali. The waves are pretty good so there are a lot of surfers. They are content to wade out through the trash(literally, you can feel it brush up against you as you swim) and find the perfect wave. Our resort was full and I mean "full" of Australians. Apparently Bali is where they go and they come in droves. The restaurants surrounding the resort have Australian flags everywhere and advertise for Australian football(soccer) teams. The Aussies never seem to leave the resort. They seem content to drink $10 cocktails and hang out at the pool. We were like, "There has to be better beaches in Australia!" The hawkers on the beach meet you at the gate and are relentless. If you buy from one you must buy from all. They hold onto you and attempt to convince you to buy what they are selling. They look hurt when you offer half of what they are asking, but you know they are ripping you off with their first price. So we kept to the pool, although Helen and Alex took a shot at boogey boarding and Alex loved it. He wanted to surf too!! There were quite a few pools and they had lots of kids to play with.

Barong and Kris Dance at Laka Leke Restaurant

2011-04-22T08:54:00.004+09:00

Our last night in Ubud, we went down the street from our B&B to the Laka Leke restaurant for dinner and to watch the Barong dance. "Barong is probably the most well known dance. It is also another story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. This dance is the classic example of Balinese way of acting out mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality." Balinese dance often involves slow almost robotic movements of the arms and legs. The small boy, in the pointed cap, in the video at the end of the blog, is only 10 years old. His dancing was very impressive. Dance is a very big part of Balinese culture and most people learn to dance from a very young age. The video at the end is a ceremony Sue caught on video while walking on our street. The last picture shows how so many people carry things are their head in Southeast Asia.

Sue and I ordered a special meal made up of many typical Balinese foods including crispy duck. Our first time for duck. All the food came served on or in banana leaves. We will have to ask my sister Laurie, the chef, what she thinks of their presentation.

Bingtang is the locally made beer. And, yes, that is a flower behind my ear!

Monkey Forest

2011-04-21T20:32:00.002+09:00

Right down the road from our B&B in Ubud was the Monkey Forest. It is populated by what seems a ton of Macaque monkeys. It also has several temples. Along the Monkey Forest was a short-cut into town. We were only able to convince Helen, who is deathly afraid of monkeys, to walk through once. I have to admit when 20-30 monkeys or more begin checking you out it is a little unnerving. People buy bananas and hold them as high up as possible and let the monkeys climb them like a tree. I will pass.

I think I look good in a Sarong!!

River Rafting in Bali

2011-04-21T19:01:00.005+09:00

We took advantage of an extra day in Ubud to go river rafting on the Ayung river. The Ayung river is a class 3 river with some good short rapids. Helen, Alex and Sue had never been river rafting before. We spent 2 hours on the river floating through the tropical jungle with huge plants and beautiful waterfalls.

Alex meditating and asking for a peaceful ride!

Around Ubud

2011-04-21T18:44:00.005+09:00

Ubud is not a huge town but they do have a small royal palace. They also have an outdoor market like so many other cities and towns across Southeast Asia. Even if you are not buying much the markets are fun to wander through and see what strange things they are selling. We bought a mask and a silk batik scarf. There was so much more we would have liked to purchase, but space and cost are big motivators with us these days.

Offerings are made everyday in Bali. Even though Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, Bali is 90% Hindu. Little square baskets are placed out in front of people's houses each morning and looked like they lit some type of incense. Here you can see a lot of the little baskets all at once.

Kecak Dance Perfomance in Ubud

2011-04-20T17:51:00.004+09:00

Kecak is a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men, although a few women's kecak groups exist as of 2006.

Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 150 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.

This was our favorite dance performance we saw in Indonesia. The chanting was very cool. The fire breathing men in the videos below really got the kids attention.

Our show was at night and the video is a little dark. Here is a daylight show I found on YouTube: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqke2IrdZxQ Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX1rghsOqu0&feature=related

Bicycling Bali

2011-04-20T10:12:00.006+09:00

One of the best ways to experience Bali is by bicycle. We did a tour that took us to Mt. Kitamani and then we rode down through villages and rice paddies. Yes, luckily it was mostly downhill because there are quite some hills on Bali. Helen and Alex rode in the van for part of the way because the hills were too steep. Alex crashed only once. Not bad since they have not ridden bikes since we left Palau.

Our tour started at a coffee plantation. Only some of the coffee is not made the ordinary way. What looks like a mongoose, eats coffee berries and then poops them out. The beans are cleaned(????) and then made into coffee. It is some of the most expensive coffee in the world.

Mt. Kitamani. Most recent eruption was in 1994.

Entering a traditional Balinese compound. These compounds can house up to 30+ members of the same family. There are several buildings for sleeping, a kitchen, shrines for offerings and it is all surrounded buy a traditional and elaborate wall. The youngest son is the "boss". He is expected to take care of his parents as they grow older. When he marries, his wife comes to live in the compound.

Somehow we managed to be paired up on our trip with a couple who live about 20 minutes away from my parents in Seattle. Bali is a very long trip from Seattle!!

A Balinese rice paddy.

Ubud

2011-04-20T10:01:00.006+09:00

We began our trip to Bali in Ubud. Ubud is a small town located in central Bali. Bali is not a large island, somewhere between the size of Rhode Island and Delaware. Ubud is the cultural and artistic center of Bali. It is in up in the mountains about 1.5 hours from the airport, which is located on the coast. In Ubud you will find all kinds of Balinese art and dances. It is quiet with small narrow streets that you just wander through. We stayed in a small bed and breakfast outside of downtown. It was very peaceful and quiet and the staff was so nice. Our bathroom in our room was partially outside and the back of the property was forests of tropical plants and rice paddies.

Indonesia

2011-04-20T09:41:00.004+09:00

We took our last vacation to travel to Indonesia. It is impossible to see all of Indonesia in 10 days. Indonesia, with about 2000 islands would stretch from one end of the U.S. to the other. It is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Java, which contains the capital Jakarta, is the most populated island in the world. It has the largest number of Muslims of any nation. You would not know it though. The Muslim population is much more obvious in Malaysia. In Indonesia we saw very few mosques and not very many girls/ladies wearing headscarves. The island of Bali, which has 3.3 million people, is 95% Hindu. Borobudur, the most visited tourist spot in Indonesia, is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. Indonesia though is a haven for erupting volcanoes and earthquakes. Mount Merapi, that we visited, had a major eruption just 6 months ago.

The island of Borneo as we headed south to Bali. This was our first time crossing the equator. Bali sits about 8 degrees south of the equator.

Arrival at Bali. We arrived in a downpour. It was suppose to be beginning the dry season, but we saw a lot of rain our first few days.

Spring Concert

2011-04-08T16:16:00.005+09:00

Helen and Alex took part in the Spring Concert. Sue was in charge of choreographing one of Helen's dances and another dance for the kindergartners. Alex made his stage debut and was fabulous. I think there shall be more to come from him in the future since he has found out he likes to perform! Helen did a wonderful job dancing and singing. Check out the pictures and video below.

The Gymnast, Sunset, Sunrise

2011-04-08T15:20:00.004+09:00

Alex has been in a regular gymnastics class for a few months now and he loves it. Many of his "moves" are self taught. But he likes trying out new moves at his class on Sundays.

Sunset off our balcony.

A beautiful sunrise.

Fireflies or Kelip Kelip

2011-04-08T14:45:00.007+09:00

We took a trip about 1.5 hours northwest of KL to Kuala Selangor. Our main reason was to see the fireflies, but we also made a short visit to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park where we were able to see monkeys in the wild. We took our good friends from the UK, the Masons with us. Our car had been not too reliable and they were having issues with their Sat Nav(GPS) so we decided to carpool to save us both having problems.

Alex at a termite mound.

The macau monkey is plentiful in Malaysia and we see them all the time. The silver haired monkey is supposedly more rare and so it was fun to see how they act in the wild. We especially liked the silver hair's spikey hairdoo!

A lookout tower gave us a great view of the sanctuary.

Neil, Joe, Alex and Amily enjoying the view.

The ladies man is at it again. Girlfriends on every continent!!

Kuala Selangor river as the sun sets. Viewing of the fireflies is best after dark. Unlike fireflies we have seen in the States, these fireflies gather together in bushes and their synchronized blinking is a sight. Looks just like a string of blinking Christmas lights.

Three tired children after a fun day.

Misc. Pics

2011-03-29T07:46:00.003+09:00

Sunrise off our balcony. The best part of where we live. We get a pretty good sunrise almost everyday.

Helen, Alex and Amily(sp) at Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia. Amily's family moved to KL in December from just outside London, England. We took a walk in the jungle and got caught in a downpour. Then we found out that leeches like the rain too!!

Cameron Highlands

2011-03-28T22:31:00.008+09:00

We traveled to Cameron Highlands this past weekend. Cameron Highlands is about 4 hours north of KL in the middle of the Malaysian peninsula. Even though it is fairly close to KL, it is a totally different world. KL is hot and humid with temperatures between 75 and 90 everyday. Cameron Highlands is cool and often cloudy with temperatures between 50 and 80 and no humidity. It is a great place to escape the heat and do some mountain walking. Cameron Highlands ranges between 4000 and 6600 feet which is why it is so nice and cool. They also grow all kinds of vegetables, fresh strawberries and tea. Many of the hills are full of mazes of tea plantations. The tea leaves are still often picked by hand.

The Mossy Forest on Gunung(Malay for mountain) Brinchang. The mountain top is reachable by a very narrow road. The first day we went up, we were in the mist and drizzle.

The maze of beautiful green tea plantations.

Everyone in Cameron Highlands wears warm weather gear. We saw kids wearing ear muffs and gloves.

Tea and snacks at the Sungai Palas BOH Tea Plantation. A beautiful view and the sun was finally coming out!

Helen and Alex picking strawberries. No CPR needed today!!(Joe's mom once saved a man having a heart attack in a strawberry patch. Then proceeded to get herself thrown out of another one for complaining about the prices!)

Sunset over Cameron Highlands.

Night market in Brinchang. Pumpkin balls were our favorite along with chocolate covered strawberries.

A beautiful view from the top of Gunung Brinchang, 6600 feet.

They fight, they bicker and squabble, but deep down...........

A South African Influence

2011-03-28T22:24:00.002+09:00

One of the best things about living internationally is the people you meet from all over the world. We now have friends from every continent except Antartica. We are working on finding and meeting friends soon from there too. The Cave family moved to KL and Cempaka in January. They are from Cape Town but spent the last 9 years living in Swaziland. We are learning all about South Africa and the surrounding countries. Much more interesting than reading it in a book. Their three girls and Helen and Alex have become quick friends and had a sleepover recently. They took us to a local South African restaurant where Sue and I got to try ostrich. It was good!! Neil works with Sue in performing arts. Dominique teaches Global Studies.

Sue's Performances

2011-03-28T22:18:00.004+09:00

Sue has been involved in two performances lately.

She choreographed a dance for her 9th grade girls class.

Sue with her two closest friends at school. Rodrigo is from Brazil and Judy is from Venezuela. They are very nice and helpful and great friends.

More pictures from Sue's most recent dance.

Swimming Gala

2011-03-28T22:14:00.003+09:00

Helen took part in the Swimming Gala at the end of January. Yes, I am behind on the blog. Her synchronized swim team did a performance at the beginning of the program. Then Helen swam in two races and came in 2nd and 4th on her own and her relay team placed first.

Langkawi

2011-02-07T14:08:00.009+09:00

We had last week off because of Chinese New Year. We flew up to Langkawi(lang-cow-wee) a small island off the northwest coast of Malaysia right near Thailand. They were in the midst of their dry season. We left KL in a rainstorm and had 4 beautiful and blue sky days. We laid on the beach, rode a cable car up to the top of a small mountain for a great view of the islands. Here are some of the pics of the fun we had.

The second day we were there we did and island hopping tour. Amazing how it looked like Palau. Made us miss our little island nation in the Pacific. We headed to the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden(you swim in it you get pregnant is the story), watched some very cool eagle feeding and had an hour on a white sandy beach. Malaysia has it share of monkeys and they have figured out that the tourists have food. Watch out!!

On Cenang Beach. Our accommodations were truly not adequate but it was right on the beach. There should be regulations for calling a place a resort!

We took a cable car up Gunung Machinchang(Gunung is how they say mountain in Bahasa). They will not run it up to the top, about 2100 feet, if there is any type of cross wind so we had to wait around for 2 hours. But the ride and view were worth it. They have a suspension bridge and viewing areas that give you great views of the mountain and the surrounding islands of Langkawi.

Preparing for a "sand ball" fight on the beach!!

Heading home!

Thaipusam

2011-01-26T14:55:00.007+09:00

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). It is celebrated not only in countries where the Tamil community constitutes a majority, but also in countries where Tamil communities are smaller, such as Singapore and Malaysia.

Kavadi Attam is a dance performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of Murugan, the Tamil God of War. It is often performed during the festival of Thaipusam and emphasizes debt bondage. The Kavadi itself is a physical burden through which the devotees implore for help from the God Murugan.

Generally, Hindus take a vow to offer a kavadi to idol for the purpose of tiding over or averting a great calamity. For instance, if the devotee's son is laid up with a fatal disease, he would pray to Shanmuga to grant the boy a lease of life in return for which the devotee would take a vow to dedicate a kavadi to Him.

Sue and I were able to experience Thaipusam Eve at Batu Caves. Batu Caves often sees in excess of 1 million people come to the caves during the holiday which lasts for several days. The American Association took us up so we would not have to park.

You cross the small river to a "staging area" where Hindus are getting their head shaved and preparing to climb the 272 steps to the top of Batu Caves with their offering. Some are the small silver pot of milk. Others are giant circular kavadis carried on their shoulders. These people have others with them who will carry a stool so the carrier can sit down and rest on his way. Then they carry these heavy burdens up 272 steep steps. Supposedly the carriers and other Hindus get into a trance which allows them to carry their burden.

We have mice!!

2011-01-11T15:24:00.003+09:00

Yes, we have mice on purpose. Helen and Alex have been bothering us for a pet for a while. Fish are out since we no longer live 2 minutes from the ocean. Helen and Sue are allergic to dogs and cats. We were going to do hamsters until our friends told us that you can train mice easier. You have to get two girls because boys will fight and a boy and a girl will......well....you know.

So far so good. Hope they do not fall prey to the same fate as the poor little chick I stepped on in Palau!!

2011 and Joe's Birthday

2011-01-11T15:14:00.002+09:00

KL is pretty much like any other place on the planet on New Year's Eve. Lots of people, fireworks and lots of noise. KL does have its own unique way of celebrating and that is the huge number of people running around with foam or what looks like the snow you put on your windows at Christmas time. People will spray anyone and everyone so we should feel lucky we did not get sprayed. We headed down to an area outside of downtown called Bukit Bintang.

A warm New Year's Eve night. That is about 82 degrees for you non-metric people!

Helen is 10!!!!!

2011-01-10T13:52:00.003+09:00

Our little girl turned 10! Here are pictures from cake at school, a movie out with friends and a Baskin and Robbins ice cream cake afterwards. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELEN!!

Putrajaya, Malaysia

2011-01-07T14:43:00.003+09:00

Putrajaya is the administrative capitol of Malaysia. It is located about 30-45 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur. We have been wanting to visit the city since we got here and got our chance to go with the Trimmers over the holiday. Putrajaya is even more modern and new than KL. It has several beautiful mosques and a cool modern architecture bridge. We were down there at sunset so we got some great views of the city.

Alex, Helen, Lillian and Catherine hanging out at the bridge.

Banteay Srei Temple

2011-01-07T14:03:00.005+09:00

Banteay Srei is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art."

Angkor Wat Temple

2011-01-07T11:21:00.007+09:00

Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation — first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

The initial design and construction of the temple took place in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II (ruled 1113 – c. 1150). Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. As neither the foundation stela nor any contemporary inscriptions referring to the temple have been found, its original name is unknown, but it may have been known as Vrah Vishnulok after the presiding deity. Work seems to have ended shortly after the king's death, leaving some of the bas-relief decoration unfinished.[3] In 1177, approximately 27 years after the death of Suryavarman II, Angkor was sacked by the Chams, the traditional enemies of the Khmer. Thereafter the empire was restored by a new king, Jayavarman VII, who established a new capital and state temple (Angkor Thom and the Bayon respectively) a few kilometres to the north.

In the late 13th century, Angkor Wat gradually moved from Hindu to Theravada Buddhist use, which continues to the present day. Angkor Wat is unusual among the Angkor temples in that although it was somewhat neglected after the 16th century it was never completely abandoned, its preservation being due in part to the fact that its moat also provided some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

Our trip to Angkor Wat Temple began at 5 am at our hotel. In order to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, you must arrive at the temple between 5:30 am and 6. After watching the sunrise over the temple we spent a couple more hours exploring the temple. Angkor Wat is massive and you could spend days inside wandering the complex.

Hold on to your food or the monkeys will take it while you are not looking!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T10:41:00.006+09:00

We have had a request for Christmas pictures and video and when Grandma Baxter asks to see Christmas pictures of her grandchildren you had better listen!! So here they are. Pictures and hopefully video of Angkor Wat will be up soon.

Making Christmas cookies at the Trimmer's house. The Trimmers are from Detroit and we spent quite a bit of time at their house over the holidays.

Very small amount of people here claim to be Christian but you would not know it by the enormous amount of decorations at the mall. This was two days before Christmas and the mall was a mad house!

Helen, Alex and Lillian Trimmer on the bridge in Putrajaya. Putrajaya is the administrative capitol of Malaysia.

Helen and Alex with the "Angels" from a play based on the nativity. One of Sue's fellow dance teachers helped to choreograph the dance scenes.

Alex, mommy and mommy's new hairdo!

At the mall. You would not guess we live in a predominantly Muslim country!

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas morning. When you live in the tropics no shirt is required!

Sissy loves to dress up her brother.

Christmas Day back at the Trimmers. Yes, that is a live Christmas tree. It is from Sweden I think via IKEA!

Phnom Bakheng

2011-01-03T19:05:00.006+09:00

Phnom Bakheng Temple is located high on a hill and gives you a great view at sunset. You can also see Angkor Wat right next door. Phnom Bakheng was built in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. There is quite a climb up some steep narrow steps to reach the top.

Views of Angkor Wat next door.

After our hard day trekking through temples, we headed downtown to have some Khmer barbeque. You cook the chicken and beef in the center. Around the edge is a "moat" for soup which boils the vegetables and mee. So tasty that we came back for more the next night!

Pre Rup

2011-01-02T17:26:00.004+09:00

Pre Rup was completed in 961 during the time when the architects were still building temples mainly with brick. The temple consists of three tall towers atop a pyramid. Pre Rup was the official state temple of King Rajendravarman's reign.

It was quite a climb to the top of the pyramid, but a great view of some of the surrounding temples once you reached the top.

Ta Som

2011-01-02T17:15:00.004+09:00

Ta Som temple was built in the late 12th and 13th century.

Helen and Alex enjoying their tuk tuk ride through the Angkor Temples.

Neak Pean

2011-01-02T16:44:00.007+09:00

Neak Pean is an unusual temple compared to the rest of the Angkor temples. As you can see by the picture below, the temple is four ponds arranged around a central pond. A sanctuary tower was erected on a circular island in the center pond.

The next two pictures show the Statue of the horse Balaha. Depending on the height of the water you can sometimes see the seafaring merchants grasping hold on his flanks and tail.

Preah Khan

2011-01-02T15:13:00.008+09:00

For our second day at the Angkor Temples, we decided to do some exploring on our own. It is easiest for traveling between temples and for learning about the temples to hire a private car and guide for the day. However it is not cheap at about $60/day. So we hired a tuk-tuk for $15 and armed with a good guide book, headed out to view some temples on our own. The guidebook that we used, "Ancient Angkor", is a great guide and takes you through each temple with lots of information. But you have to read and walk at the same time which can be challenging.

A short history of Preah Khan temple. The temple was built in the late 12th century.

The next two pictures depict what part of the temple looked like without the temples in ruin. The second picture is a garuda, one of the bodies that the god Vishnu occupies. You can find many garudas carved into the temples all over Angkor.

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship.

Roluos Temples

2010-12-31T11:42:00.005+09:00

Tree temples Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei, 15km South-East of Siem Reap town, comprise the Roluos Group of monuments. They are closed together and extend over an area of 3km east of Great Lake. The Roluos group, dating from the late ninth century, is the earliest site of the 600-year Angkor Period. The three temples belonging to this important group have similarities of architecture, decoration materials and construction methods which combine to reveal the beginning of "Classic Period of Khmer Art". These temples mainly made out of brick, which was the first material the Khmer used to build their temples at the beginning of the Angkor period.

Ta Prohm

2010-12-31T11:07:00.007+09:00

One of the major temples of Jayavarman VII, Ta Prohm was actually a temple monastery. The complexity of Ta Prohm is increased by its partly collapsed state. The temple has been chosen to remain in its original state as an example of how Angkor looked on its discovery in the late 19th century. As you can see in the pictures, silk-cotton and strangler fig trees, grow over and around a lot of the temple. While providing support to the temple, the tree roots also dig into the structure. However the amount of trees intertwined in the structures amaze each visitor who wanders through the temple.

The movie "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie was partially filmed at this temple complex.

Ta Prohm was built late 12th to 13th centuries.

More Angkor Thom

2010-12-31T10:54:00.002+09:00

As I said Angkor Thom was not just a series of temples but an entire city. The pictures taken below are in the area surrounding Royal Square. Also in this area are the Elephant Terrace and Leper King Terrace. Both of these terraces were used during royal receptions.

Elephant Terrace. There are a row of elephants carved into the wall that surrounded the terrace.

Angkor Thom

2010-12-30T21:43:00.007+09:00

Visiting the temples of Angkor is much like visiting a national park. There are over 1000 temples spread over a 1000 square kilometer area. You pay a price to visit for one day, three days or seven days. Believe me if you bought a seven day pass you could not see it all.

Most people come to see Angkor Wat, the most famous and biggest of the temples. But as we found out there are many other beautiful temples to see. Roads connect the temples and you can be transported from one temple to the next by tuk-tuk, car/van or bicycle. Our guide book said you could walk from temple to temple but I am not sure where they got that idea.

The biggest temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom(actually not just one temple), are located fairly close together. The other temples are spread out around them. We did two days with a guide, which was a great way to get information about the temples and what life was like during the Angkor period. The Khmer Empire flourished from the 9th to 13th centuries. No one outside of the area knew about the Angkor Temples till around 1900. From the early 1900's to 1979 work was done by various countries who brought people to the temples to help restore them. With the Khmer Rouge take over of Cambodia and the Cambodian civil war, no work was completed on the temples from 1979-1990. Now most of the bigger temples restoration processes are funded by foreign countries and overseen by UNESCO. UNESCO is an organization that overseas many world heritage sights. I asked our guide how much of the ticket money that is paid actually helps to restore the temples. He said only about 10-15%. Cambodian greed and corruption at work!

The early temples were built out of brick and the later ones built out of sandstone. The sandstone was brought from nearby mountains.

Angkor Thom, shown below, was actually a "city" with a population of almost 1 million people. It has four gates facing north, south, east and west. There is a wall around the city and a moat on the outside. On the inside are several temples and structures that were the center of life in Angkor Thom.

A view of the south gate of Angkor Thom from the outside. One side of the road is statues of gods and one side is demons. Many of the temples were built to honor the Hindu gods, Vishnu and Shiva. The king who built Angkor Wat changed the religion to Buddhism around 1150. After his death, his successor changed the religion back to Hinduism. Needless to say there was a lot of face swapping and other changes made to the temples during the time of the Khmer Empire.

The moat surrounding Angkor Thom.

View of the south gate of Angkor Thom from the inside of the city.

The Bayon. The biggest temple and most important in Angkor Thom. There were originally 49 face towers but only 37 are standing today. Each face had a different look and as you moved you could see some faces almost side by side. It is very difficult to show with pictures the vastness of this temple.

Almost all the temples had carvings depicting the daily life of the people and their battles against aggressors.

Look closely and you can see some of the faces in the towers.

I really thought the hallways that were created inside the temples were cool. Depending on the time of day, you would get different types of light coming in from the outside.

Here you could get in position to see three faces together.

Sue's idea. Cambodia is like Thailand in that people bow with the hands in a prayer-like gesture when they greet you and when you leave.

Many of the temples also contained statues used for offerings to the gods.

The foundations of the temples was made using volcanic stone like you see here.

The rest of the temple was made from sandstone that could be easily carved into and shaped as the builder wanted.

Outside Bayon Temple.

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

2010-12-28T10:04:00.003+09:00

Our last bus ride finally!! We enjoyed seeing a lot of the Vietnamese and Cambodian countryside, but the continuous honking and slow travel by bus was getting old. We were glad to arrive in Siem Reap and looking forward to seeing the temples of Ankor Wat.

Helen being silly on the bus.

More flat Cambodian countryside. There were a few hills here and there but it is a very flat country for the most part.

Somebody's lunch. Just glad it is not mine. These spiders and bugs were for sell at a roadside market. Had to take a picture but we had no interest in taking a sample.

Another "Just had to take this picture"

While most people might think that because Cambodia is such a poor country, that it would be very cheap to travel in. We actually thought that Cambodia was expensive. One of the issues is that they use the American dollar and Cambodian Riel. Many items are priced using the American Dollar. The problem is that they do not use any American coins as change. You pay in American dollars and get change in American dollars and anything less than a dollar you get in Cambodian riel. Yes, it is confusing. It seemed that prices were inflated just for the tourists. While Siem Reap is a big tourist area because of Ankor Wat, prices in Phnom Penh were also expensive. We regularly spent $20-$25 for a meal. Luckily our hotel in Siem Reap had a huge buffet for breakfast. However other things are cheap. Sue and I got massages at the Siem Reap market for $6/apiece. Our hotel shown below was $40 per night. We had been in our first room barely 30 min. when they moved us to the suite you can see in the picture. First time to have a jacuzzi tub in at least 2 years! However the hotel charged us $1/minute for a local call to our tour guide!

Wat Phnom and a boat cruise down the Tonle Sap

2010-12-26T10:51:00.004+09:00

Our last day in Phnom Penh took us to Wat Phnom and a sunset cruise on the Tonle Sap river.

Monkeys roam freely all over Southeast Asia.

Wat Phnom on top of the tallest hill in Phnom Penh.

Yeah, someone else who wants to push our children.

Sunset over the Tonle Sap river and Phnom Penh.

People live and fish on these small boats. At night time they tie them up on the river banks in small communities.

Helen, Alex and Jessie, who was the son of the people who ran our guesthouse in Phnom Penh.

The Killing Fields, Khmer Rouge and Tuol Sleng Museum(PG-13)

2010-12-24T17:29:00.003+09:00

The Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia lasted from April 17, 1975, just two weeks before the fall of Saigon, until Phnom Penh and the rest of Cambodia was liberated by the Vietnamese army on Januar 7, 1979. It is estimated that at least 1.7 million people perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

The beginnings of the Khmer Rouge which led to the mass executions of Cambodians began in 1953. Cambodia declared independence from the French. King Sihanouk was the leader of Cambodia at the time. Cambodia became embroiled in the Vietnam War when bombing raids(secretly done by our good buddy Richard Nixon), by the United States sought to flush out the Viet Cong hiding just over the border in Cambodia. In March 1970 Sihanouk was overthrown. While in exile in Beijing, he set up government in exile that allied itself with a Cambodian revolutionary movement dubbed the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was led by a Cambodian educated in France who studied Marxism, Pol Pot.

According to some of the tour guides that guided us through the Killing Fields and Security Prison 21, the Khmer Rouge convinced the people of Phnom Penh to move to the countryside because the capital would be bombed by the Americans. In 3 days, Phnom Penh went from a bustling city to a ghost town. Once moved out to rural Cambodia most of the people were killed and buried in mass graves. It was the goal of the Khmer Rouge to turn Cambodia into a giant peasant-dominated agrarian cooperative, aka as long as you know nothing we can make you work 12-15 hours per day and keep all the money for ourselves!

Even after Cambodia was liberated in 1979, control of the government and internal civil war continued. The United Nations even gave the Khmer Rouge the Cambodian seat up until 1991. Only just this past year have some sentences been handed down to the worst perpetrators. Most have been in jail since the 80's but not much has been done. The Cambodian government seems to be good at protecting its own. As in the past the rest of us in the world are somehow kept out of the loop and the suffering and killing continues. Sue and I visited Dachau back in 1995. The biggest difference here is that we were alive when this was going on. Our tour guides who are slightly older than us, told us how their families were executed and how they escaped and were on the run as teenagers.

I guess the question we kept asking ourselves was: After the Holocaust how does this continue to happen around the world and people are not held accountable for their crimes?

A memorial stupa was built in the 1990's as a reminder to the many people killed and found in mass graves outside Phnom Penh. It has 17 levels of skulls, other bones and clothing found in mass graves around the Killing Fields.

Here are a few of the levels of remains taken from the mass graves.

Our guide's family was killed at the Killing Fields. He was 17 at the time and luckily escaped. We were in awe that he would come back to The Killing Fields and lead tours and tell his story day after day. Maybe that is his way to deal with the entire situation

Securtiy Prison 21 is located in Phnom Penh. Prisoners were interrogated here. A sign with the following instructions is found at the prison:

1. You must answer accordingly to my question. Don’t turn them away.
2. Don’t try to hide the facts by making pretexts this and that, you are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. Don’t be a fool for you are a chap who dare to thwart the revolution.
4. You must immediately answer my questions without wasting time to reflect.
5. Don’t tell me either about your immoralities or the essence of the revolution.
6. While getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.
7. Do nothing, sit still and wait for my orders. If there is no order, keep quiet. When I ask you to do something, you must do it right away without protesting.
8. Don’t make pretext about Kampuchea Krom in order to hide your secret or traitor.
9. If you don’t follow all the above rules, you shall get many lashes of electric wire.
10. If you disobey any point of my regulations you shall get either ten lashes or five shocks of electric discharge.

Most of the prisoners knew anything that could help the revolution but were interrogated over and over anyways. Then they were sent to The Killing Fields where they were executed.

A typical prisoner's cell.

A few more pieces of information about the prison from Wikipeida.

Almost all non-Cambodians had left the country by early May 1975, following an overland evacuation of the French Embassy in trucks. The few who remained were seen as a security risk. Though most of the foreign victims were either Vietnamese or Thai,[5] a number of Western prisoners also passed through S-21 between April 1976 and December 1978. They were mostly picked up at sea by Khmer Rouge patrol boats. They included four Americans, three French, two Australians, a Briton and a New Zealander. Several dozen Vietnamese, Thais, Laotians, Indians, Pakistanis and Arabs were detained in the prison at various times. No foreign prisoners survived captivity in Tuol Sleng.

Most prisoners at S-21 were held there for two to three months. However, several high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres were held longer. Within two or three days after they were brought to S-21, all prisoners were taken for interrogation.[1] The torture system at Tuol Sleng was designed to make prisoners confess to whatever crimes they were charged with by their captors. Prisoners were routinely beaten and tortured with electric shocks, searing hot metal instruments and hanging, as well as through the use of various other devices.

Formerly the Chao Ponhea Yat High School,[1] named after a Royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk, the five buildings of the complex were converted in August 1975, four months after the Khmer Rouge won the civil war,[2] into a prison and interrogation center. The Khmer Rouge renamed the complex "Security Prison 21" (S-21) and construction began to adapt the prison to the inmates: the buildings were enclosed in electrified barbed wire, the classrooms converted into tiny prison and torture chambers, and all windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire to prevent escapes.

From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (some estimates suggest a number as high as 20,000, although the real number is unknown). At any one time, the prison held between 1,000–1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed. In the early months of S-21's existence, most of the victims were from the previous Lon Nol regime and included soldiers, government officials, as well as academics, doctors, teachers, students, factory workers, monks, engineers, etc

Cambodian Royal Palace and Museum

2010-12-24T10:20:00.006+09:00

During our first full day in Phnom Penh, we visited the Royal Palace and the National Museum. If you remember pictures from our trip to the Royal Palace in Bangkok about a year ago, you can see the resemblance in the architecture.

You get some pollution and dust spraying up from the road, but we love riding in the tuk-tuk because you feel more of the city and it is cheap. In Cambodia there are so many tuk-tuks that there are usually at least 5 waiting for you when you come out of your hotel or other attraction. In addition they are willing to take you somewhere like dinner, wait while you eat, just to get your fare back to the hotel.

Views at the Royal Palace.

The Silver Pagoda at the Royal Palace.

It is not the same as getting to jam with Duran Duran, but it was still fun!

An example of the Khmer language with the English translation underneath.

The riverfront is the nicest place in Phnom Penh. We were not real impressed with the rest of the city as it was hard to find some place to eat and conjested. On the riverfront you can find all kinds of neat shops and restaurants. We try to eat the food whenever we are in a different country, but Cambodia is one of those countries where you are not sure what the local specialties are. So some times out of necessity and missing food from home, we eat western. Works well for Helen and Alex who are not always fans of trying new foods.

View of the connection of the Tonle Sap river as it flows into the Mekong River. From here the Mekong flows into Vietnam and out into the South China sea.

We ate lunch at a restaurant called "Friends" that takes children off the streets and helps them get started in the hospitality and tourism industry.

The very cool architecture of the National Museum.

Another example of: "I can carry anything on my motorcycle."

Hello Cambodia

2010-12-24T09:57:00.003+09:00

There are 3 ways from Saigon in Vietnam to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. There is a very short 1 hour flight, a boat ride that is kind of pricey and the bus. We opted for the cheap way. A 5-6 hour bus ride was $28 for the four of us. Luckily our bus driver was willing to run over everyone and we made it in pretty good time. They do use their horn in Vietnam and Cambodia but they say it is out of courtesy to let the other driver know you are there. So if you want to try it in the States, drive down a two lane road and honk whenever you pass another car, whenever you pass someone walking on the road, whenever you pass a motorcycle or a bicyclist, whenever you think you are passing someone or something even if you can't see them! You get the idea. These people are on their horns constantly. It may be out of courtesy, but it is not so courteous to the people riding on the bus!

Crossing the border from Vietnam to Cambodia is pretty simple. You can get a visa at the border and they will let you in as long as you pay. Cambodia is like #170 out of 186 countries that were evaluated for corruption. That means you show us the money and we will let you in! More on this later.

Vietnamese side of the border. You can tell because the town name is written in readable letters. The Khmer language as it is called in Cambodia, is very different letters from the ones we are use to. Very similar to the Thai alphabet. Apparently the Thais sacked parts of Cambodia long ago and stole some of their culture. Much of the architecture and dancing is also very similar. More on that later too.

Cambodian side of the border. Thanks for the $$$$ and welcome to Cambodia!

They said Cambodia is very flat and they were right. We drove through a lot or rural Cambodia where you can see people working in the fields.

Traveling the Cambodian way.

Just before we got to Phnom Penh, we had to cross a small river on a small ferry. Glad to not be a statistic on one of those Asian ferries to sink! Only white people on the ferry. Oh the stares!!

Goodbye Saigon

2010-12-22T10:41:00.006+09:00

A few last pictures before we left Saigon on our way north to Cambodia. Saigon is a nice place to visit but it is also congested with traffic and if you aren't watching out you may get run over. Not a place I would want to call home. Need somewhere with a little less craziness!

The people in Vietnam are very friendly and if they can speak English will try to help you out. However, they are always trying to sell you something.

The very helpful ladies at Madame Cuc's Hotel.

Like I said before, Vietnam is a communist country but does not have the feel of a communist country at all. However we did see tons of these old communist type posters all over Vietnam. And of course Uncle Ho!

Motorcycles outnumber cars in Saigon and other parts of Vietnam. You can weave in and out of traffic, gas is cheaper and the parking is a breeze.

What every intersection looks like as the light turns green. Here they come!

You can carry pretty much everything on your "motorcycle".

Had to have a picture of the man roasting his pig out on the sidewalk!