Now Featuring Sound

Oh, hello blog. I had big plans to post lots of video recaps once I got home, but a bunch of my stuff is on CDs in Atlanta, and I'm not there, and blah blah blah...

Harpswell Singing from anna rogers on Vimeo.

Anyway, I do have this clip to share. On my last night in Cambodia, we had a wonderful party at the dorm, and my awesome students/sisters made me feel very special. We were having such a grand 'ol time that they decided to sing a few Khmer songs. I can't tell you what this song is called, so perhaps I'd better ask and find out. In any case, this gives you a sense of the joy that surrounded me for two lovely months.

As you see, lots of my sisters were singing. But FYI, the ones in the middle are Limheang (blue t-shirt) and Savry (orange).

Top 100

From Top 100

This update does not involve new photos, and technically it isn't about travel. I'm totally cheating. But I've got over 2,000 photos on Picasa right now. I thought it would be helpful for both me and casual viewers if I chose my Top 100 favorites.

From Top 100

Some look awesome like these two, and others just have sentimental value. It wasn't easy for me to narrow down my choices, and I'll probably fiddle with it often. Forcing myself to really think about it and choose is a useful exercise. They are not in any particular order, because then I'd really drive myself insane. Even though the captions carry over, the photos don't link to the album they came from. However, you can tell where each was taken by looking at the map next to the photo.

The top photo was taken at the Batu Caves just north of Kuala Lumpur. The one below it was taken at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. And that photo of me in a wig was taken in Jesse's bathroom. Hope you enjoy.

One Last Stop

The Tokyo I'll be dreaming about doesn't start and end with anime and neon. Beautiful leaves, amazing fish. The cozy, clean smells of tatami and nori. The way that my neighborhood or any given park could be so quiet.

From Tokyo

I spent six days here, a laughable amount of time when compared against the rest of my trip. It's not a part of Southeast Asia and it wasn't a part of my initial plan. Japan could easily be it's own separate trip. But I was lucky enough to get a Tokyo-to-Atlanta buddy pass, so why not check out the city while I'm there? The timing was perfect: there was autumn weather, it's a large city, things cost money... It was a wonderful environment to be in on my way home.

From Tokyo

It definitely whet my appetite to see more of the country, and I certainly will someday. Until then, here are a few photos.

From Tokyo

JAMP and The Flying Carpet

It has such a ring to it, doesn't it? I need to tell you more about Thailand, but I've finally uploaded my photos... So I don't want to delay actually sharing them with you.

From Thailand

In spite of having very few obligations these days, it's taken me some time to get these up. I don't do well sitting and staring at Picasa. I get restless and I feel the urge to make something happen, even if that just means putting a box in the attic or kneading some bread dough.

For any traveler, the process of coming back home is tough business. For the record, I deeply love my extended family and I refuse to ever give them up. So I have been looking for ways to stay (funky) fresh in Atlanta, and I hope to post good news here very soon. In the meantime, here's a trip down Travel Lane that ROCKED. Thailand was a very different experience from Cambodia. I found myself living a tourist's life, reuniting with dear friends, and seeing things that are just too beautiful to ever really comprehend.

From Thailand

Tokyo is coming. As are videos and stitch-assisted panoramas. I am determined to move forward... and to savor every bit of nostalgia that I've got. Enjoy.

No, I'm not dead yet. I'm actually back in America, driving (driving a car...) to Publix every other day and preparing for our big family Christmas at my grandparents' house. It's crazy. I can't believe it either. Thankfully, my family is awesome and actually interested in what I've been up to this year. In fact, I'm pretty confident that 90% of you readers are related to me.

Anyway, in the midst of the madness, here's notice that my photos of Angkor Wat are up.

From Angkor Wat

With my limited skill set, I'd need a real-real-wide-angle lens to even attempt to show you one of these temples. And I visited twelve of them. It's clichéd-but-true that very often, it's the little moments that capture your attention. One unfortunate character in a cast of millions:

From Angkor Wat

Or walking alone down enormous corridors, and suddenly seeing a guard in his own quiet moment:

From Angkor Wat

(And by moment, I mean day.) I had no problem finding little things to educate and captivate me, all day long for three days. I have to be honest with you though, and admit that this album is basically 92 photos of rocks. But they were really, really well-made, astonishing rocks. So there you go.

There's still about six weeks of traveling I've yet to review. JAMP and The Flying Carpet coming soon. I'm feeling fat and cranky in Florida, but I'm so very pleased to be spending Christmas with people I love. I hope that whatever your December plans, wherever you are, that you're able spend time with people you care about. In the end, life's not worth much without them.

Three Things

1. It was brought to my attention that the comment link for this blog was broken. I fixed it. So, if you wanna, you know, comment on something... that would be cool...

2. I won a contest! A very cool contest. Malcolm Fontier designs really well-made bags, wallets, toiletry cases, etc. I have taken a look through their studio back in Atlanta, and they donated a wallet to our silent auction when Jesse and I were fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They hold a "Going and Need Gear" contest on facebook, where for every 100 fans added, they give away gear to someone going on a trip. I wrote a short explanation of what I was doing back in June, and a few weeks ago they hit the 200 fan mark and chose me as their second winner! I got a messenger bag, wallet and toiletry case of my choice (Director, Mojito, Bahia). I was absolutely thrilled and have been taking photos of my spoils in Thailand already. (You'll see those at some point.) I have to say... if you're in the market for some really nice accessories, do check them out. I can also assure you that the people running the company are worthwhile people to do business with.

3. Harpswell photos are up! You can take a closer look at all the women who inspired me and motivated me to do my best every day for the last two months. Because I just can't bear to put a post up without a photo, here you go. These three ladies were my roommates for the large majority of my time at the dorm. You can click on the link to the bottom-right of this photo to access the album.

From Harpswell

p.s. Iffy, you'll note that this post includes a photo of my face. See, I respond to your comments, people.