The Temple of Doom

I have decided that a little jet lag is a good thing. This morning Steve and I woke up at 5:00 am. We watched the sun rise over the jungle from our hotel room balcony, listening to the monkeys and tropical birds greet the day. Steve went to the gym while I read in our room. At 7:00 we went down for a swim in the luxurious pool, which of course we had to ourselves. We then enjoyed breakfast in the hotel restaurant, where they offer a combination of French and Cambodian cuisine, a reflection of the French colonization of Cambodia. Our hotel, the Sofitel Phokeethra, claims to be the eighth wonder of the world. Jonny says don't believe everything that you hear. However, I have decided that there may be just one little shred of truth to it. The dollar goes a long way in Cambodia! 

Jonny and Jenny found us in the restaurant this morning after flying over from Bangkok. I leaped out of my seat to greet them -- we were so excited to be with them. They had a driver waiting outside for us, who we paid $25 for an entire day of zipping from one temple or restaurant to another. We jumped into the back of his white sedan and began our journey through the jungle. 

In our guide books we read that one must have at least three days to enjoy Angkor Wat and the other surrounding temples. We had a day and a half so when Lies pulled up in front of Ta Prohm temple we were intent on some fast paced sight seeing. 

This first temple was right out of an Indiana Jones movie. In fact, we debated whether or not this was the actual setting for the first movie. This temple, over the past 900 years, has been swallowed up by the jungle. Huge trees grow out of the roofs of the crumbling temple with ferns and moss adding a bright contrast to the precariously balanced massive stones that block the ancient corridors.

We stopped at Bayon, a temple with steep flights of stairs leading up to 54 gothic towers with 216 cold smiling enormous faces, staring down from on high. The faces watched over the 54 provinces of the ancient Khmer civilization in the area. We climbed up the towers, coming face to face with the mysterious carvings. The view of the jungle and distant rice paddies was spectacular.

For lunch we stopped at a large open air cafe, with a thatched roof for shade. Steve ordered Cambodian curry, served in a huge coconut and I ordered pancakes with a sweet honey sauce and fresh fruit.  I drank from a peeled open coconut with an inserted straw to extract the milky water. 

In the afternoon we made our way to Angkor Wat, which is widely believed to be the largest religious structure in the world, and the reason we made the trip to Cambodia. It was never abandoned, because it changed from a Hindu to Buddhist temple, and therefor is the best preserved temple. It lacked the omninous feeling of Ta Phrom, instead having intricuit carvings, including the 3000 nymphs, each one unique, and a depiction of a religious epic streaching around the entire inside corridor. 

In the evening we climbed to the top of a nearby hill which was topped with Phnom Bakheng, one more ancient temple. From the top of the massive stones we had a perfect view of Angkor Wat. 

We then found our driver, who took us to the killing fields, a spot where thousands of murders occured during the Khmer Rouge. I have so much sympathy and respect for the Cambodian people. They are a people of strong spirit, kindness and progress, despite the horrific events they are still recovering from. 

New Tidbits Learned

1. In the late 1800's the discovery of the Angkor temples brought Cambodia into the international scene by a French explorer named Henri Mouhot. 

2. Tomb Raider was filmed at Ta Prohm

3. Cambodia ruled the entire region of Southeast Asia from about 800 to 1200 

4. In 3 years, between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge killed 3 million Cambodians, 35% of the population

 

We loved each moment of our day and look forward to tomorrow.

A water taxi, a sampan and a tuk-tuk

(note: No luck moving photos around the blog. So sad.)

This morning we awoke to the sun rising over Bangkok. We had arrived at midnight the night before so this was our first introduction to the city.  The Mae Nam Chao Phraya River below us snaked through the city, with long tail boats in reds, yellows and blues and oriental house boats drifting along.  Huge chunks of bright green plants from the northern rain forests meandered between the boats.  Modern skyscrapers arose haphazardly throughout the city, but smaller buildings tucked between palm trees and the remaining jungle growth were more common. Golden stupas from Buddhist wats, or temples, glistened in the morning sun. 

 Steve and I had breakfast in the hotel.  We decided to ease ourselves into the local cuisine and enjoyed the Hilton buffet.  It turned out to be a great choice, with stations of just about any breakfast food served at umbrellaed tables overlooking the river.  After enjoying chocolate croissants, fruit smoothies, Belgium waffles with nutella, and omelets, we hopped on a water taxi waiting at the dock and made our way to The Grand Palace. 

The Grand Palace was built in the 1700s by Thailand's first king as both a residence and a religious shrine to Buddha.  We hired Ann, a Thai woman, to guide us through the palace.  She spent an hour with us pointing out the different nations that influenced the building of the palace, the purpose of each building, including the one that holds the ashes of all the former royal families and another one in which the body of the king's sister has been on display for fifty days and will continue to be displayed until a building elsewhere can be built for her ashes.  The most significant building is one which houses a jade Buddha, which was found 600 years ago.  It was covered in plaster and upon breaking open, it was revealed that it was solid jade, signifying sacredness.  Almost the entire 600 acre compound is decorated in gold leaf or ornate porcelin tiles.  The Grand Palace was fascinating and our tour with Ann was a success. At the end, she kissed us on both cheeks and told us that she wanted to take us home with her.  Apparently she had a good time as well!

New tidbits learned:

1. Thailand changed it's name in the 1800s from Siam, meaning "Land of Smiles" to Thailand, meaning "Land of Freedom" because they thought that it sounded more modern and they had never been colonized.

2. Surrounding countries worship a fat Buddha, representing good luck. Thailand depicts a thin Buddha because Thais are thinner people.

3. In Buddhism, the gods with multiple arms are evil.

4. There are seven levels of progression in Buddhism. Buddhists strive to become an angel in future reincarnated lives, the highest level of progression. (Bangkok is know as the "city of angles.")

Our next adventure  was a sampan ride through the canals of Bangkok. The city is also known as the Venice of the East. Our driver must have had a limited time frame and was quite aggressive. Rather than meander through the back canals of the city, we sped along, with the wind blowing in our faces, a welcome change from the muggy heat. We passed one house after another perched up on stilts, to avoid the disaster of a rise in the canal level. (I remember a book that I had as a child that depicted houses in Venice on wooden stilts. I thought that I would love such a life. However, when I visited Venice, no such stilts existed. Finally years later I have found the houses that I dreamed of living in as a child. I think that my dreams have changed!) We saw men sleeping in hammocks on their porches, children fishing off of their houses and a father and daughter swimming in the canal. The driver assured us that the government ridded the area of all of the crocodiles -- lucky for those swimmers!

With a limited time before our flight to Cambodia, we raced to Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple with an enormous reclining Buddha -- in fact, the largest reclining Buddha in the world. We took a quick tour, enjoyed more gold and porcelin, snapped a bunch of photos and we on our way. Back on the streets, we debated whether to hop back on the water taxi, which made more than a handful of stops along the way or hire a cab, which would have to battle the increasing afternoon traffic. Thats when the tuk-tuk driver entered the scene. We had read that tuk-tuks made their money off of bringing their customers to kitchy suvenior shops where they collect a commission. With making it too clear that we were absolutely in a hurry and wanted no stops on the way and a driver with a little too much testosterone, we were in for a wild ride! Once the driver revved up his engine and peeled out into oncoming traffic, the feeling was no less thrilling than being on the back of a motorcycle in a James Bond or a Bourne Identity movie. The driver's technique to make time was to swerve into the oncoming lane to fly pass congestion and move over just a few inches when an approaching truck was within touching distance. He skidded around corners, once again usually in the wrong lane and ninety percent of our journey I could have reached out and grabbed the passengers in cars flying past us. We took air off the speed bumps leading up to the lobby of the Hilton and came to a screeching halt in front of the bellhop. Steve and I climbed out of the tuk-tuk, straightened our hair and attempted to look civil, knowing well that few Hilton guests arrive in such a manner. We made it back in record speed, which we never imagined was possible, and both agreed that the tuk-tuk was truly better than any amusement park ride that we had ever been on.

We jumped in a taxi and headed to the airport for our flight to Cambodia.  We wondered what new excitement lay ahead.  

   

Empathy

As soon as the snow begins to fly each year, I listen to news reports of preseason consumer spending and daily updates on snow levels at ski resorts across the nation.  Following these come reports of stranded travelers stuck in airports, sometimes for days.  Before last night, I felt for them, but never joined them.  

Before leaving Salt Lake, Steve and I were prepared for a nine hour layover in Los Angeles. We even looked forward to it, with a planned trip into LA.  But after returning to LAX, picking up boarding passes, making our way through security and settling in at our gate, we were informed that our plane had been delayed -- five hours. China Southern pulled out bags of Fritos and Dansani water bottles, and travelers from across the globe settled in for a night on the floor in Terminal B.   Steve and I looked around and decided that almost anything was acceptable.  We had a discussion over which was cleaner, the carpet under the seats which possibly had never seen a vacuum, or the space in the aisle, separating the rows of hard airport chairs, which had cushioned millions of dirty feet over time.  Moments later, Steve was snuggled under the seats and I was above him, bunk-bed style, with my legs carefully wrapped around the armrest zigzagging my body from one connected chair to the next. Several hours later we awoke to commotion.  The word was that our flight had been delayed another six hours.  According to the man fielding the questions, a volcano eruption in Alaska was to blame.  Soot could fill the engine, he said. Clearly a dangerous situation. I imagined fights around the country were grounded. We were all assigned a room at the Hacienda Hotel. As we filed out, I glanced at the monitors that indicated that all other flights were leaving on time, even to Asia. One half day of our vacation was already swallowed up and more was at risk. Steve and I stopped at the counter and received more bad news.  Due to the delay, we would miss the last flight to Bangkok and have to stay overnight in China. And with no visa, this meant another night on an airport floor. In addition, we would miss our flight to Cambodia. With a little assertiveness, which Steve labeled as aggression, I made it clear that something must be done to get us to Bangkok the next day. Minutes later, we were booked on Cathay Pacific, connecting in Hong Kong and arriving in Bangkok twelve hours after our original arrival time.  We showered and napped at the Hacienda and returned to LAX.  We boarded our plane at the same time our original flight would have been landing -- sound familiar? With thirteen hours ahead of us, we pulled out our books and travel pillows. We were finally on our way across the Pacific.  

On a side note, I am now a huge fan of Cathay Pacific -- personal monitors with over 30 movies to choose from, complimentary unlimited Haagen Dazs ice-cream, and when we settled in our seats, the flight attendant brought us a pouch that contained fuzzy socks, mints, a toothbrush and toothpaste and other pleasantries.  Another highlight was that Colin and Jeanetta Robinson, friends from high school, were on the same flight and I was able to visit with them and learn of their adventurous life living with their five children in Hong Kong.  

The bright spot of our twenty-seven hour layover was an excursion to The Grove, the outdoor mall in L.A. that I discovered a few weeks ago with the mothers and daughters in Steve's family. Unfortunately, Steve and I left our camera in our bags which we checked into the Marriott hotel. What we would have photographed was Kobo, the little authentic Japanese restaurant perched atop one of the shops at which we ate sushi, gyoza, and katzu, the water show that was the backdrop for the gospel singers that we listened to while resting on the grass, the theater, which premieres many of Hollywood's movies and where we watched Mamma Mia, and the Farmer's Market, which is a maze of stalls and small shops in which we enjoyed French crepes for lunch and homemade ice-cream for a late evening snack.  

Better luck in Thailand with remembering our camera. We can't wait for our adventure to begin! 

Welcome, Jonathan!

The one event that absolutely guaranteed our return trip home this summer was Jonathan's baptism. For the past year Jonathan has been counting down to the moment he turns eight and is able to be baptized. And lucky for us, his birthday is in the summer so we can share this special event with our family and friends. 

We all gathered at the Valley View Stake Center for the big event. Our previous bishop was gracious enough to preside over the baptism, which made it possible to enjoy this event with our close family and friends.  Steve preformed the baptism. All of Jonathan's cousins and some of his closest friends gathered around the font. Although Jonathan wondered aloud before we arrived at the church what would happen if his toes floated to the surface, everything was perfect, with no emerging digits! 

          

Both grandfathers spoke, with Grandpa Ebert sharing the significance of Jonathan's name and Grandpa David comparing the Gift of the Holy Spirit to a tomato plant. What great examples Jonathan has to follow. 

Steve confirmed Jonathan a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with grandfathers, uncles and good friends. 

Emilie played the piano, accompanying our guests in the Baptism song and in I Know My Father Lives. She also played the prelude and interlude music which included a repertoire of Primary songs, Suzuki numbers and music she has worked on this year with her piano teacher. Sophia said the opening prayer, which was quite thorough and Annelise gave a sweet closing prayer.

Throughout the day Jonathan was showered with love. For lunch he had a special date with me at Windows on the Square, over looking Temple Square. Afterward we walked across the street to pick up new scriptures for him, with his name embossed in gold on the front. I loved our time together. We then stopped at Grandma Ebert's house. She gave him a handsome new blazer to wear to his baptism. He received a book about baptism (which made me cry) from his aunts and uncles, a candy gram from uncle Craig's family and a pillow case from aunt Marilee's family that each friend and family member signed. What sweet dreams it will bring! Most importantly, Jonathan was surrounded by all of the people who love him most. The evening was full of excitement and support for Jonathan and his big step in life. This love flowed from the chapel to Evergreen Park where we met for pulled pork sandwiches (thanks to Grandma Gretta -- we can always count on her for a party!), salads, fruit and an abundance of cookies of every kind. The adults sat around the picnic tables catching up on recent friend and family news and the children played until the sun set and we were left searching for lost shoes in the moonlight. The event couldn't have been better.   

Summering Ebert Style

Our family car sports two stickers on the back window. On the right side is a round Red Sox logo and on the left side is a Newport Beach decal.  We are huge fans of both and, although we abandoned Red Sox Nation for the summer, we couldn't be happier than building sand castles on Newport Beach with our cousins.  Last week Grandpa and Grandma treated all 21 Eberts to a vacation at our favorite beach house right off of Newport Pier. 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

 

Beach time is always the basis for our great family vacation. Most mornings began almost with the sunrise, a bucket in hand and little sets of child eyes scouring the sand for new treasures washed ashore. After Grandma's breakfast the little ones would run to slip on their bathing suits and head to the waves with whichever aunt, uncle or father agreed to take the crew out first. The day delightfully meandered from sunrise to sunset with sandcastle building, body surfing, sand burials, more seashell collecting, dolphin watching and even seal spotting. The children savored each hour they spent with their cousins as the adults relaxed in a row of beach chairs with magazines, books and good conversation. 

 

On Wednesday we all entered the "magical world of Disney." Despite our initial hesitations of Disneyland in July, our day of fairy tales, animated  roller coasters, character greetings, churrios and frozen lemonade, and fireworks couldn't have been better. If racing from one lineless closing ride to another, wheeling sleeping Ezra down Main Street under the twinkling lights of the charming shops, or being almost the last car in the parking lot at 12:30 am is any measurement of success, we accomplished it. For me, the best part of the day was simply watching our children relish with their cousins and grandma and grandpa in the excitement of the day. This came in the form of tallying the high scores on the Roger Rabbit ride, delightfully using the twenty-two fast passes that Grandma negotiated for Space Mountain, and plotting out which seat on Splash Mountain would get them the wettest (or keep them the driest), among many other highlights. 

My 35th birthday celebration began at exactly 12:05 am in the Peter Pan line. Carolyn instigated a spontaneous Happy Birthday serenade with Emilie, Jonathan, Tanner, Annelise, Chris and Julie, to usher in my big day. Others in the line joined in and clapped. What a memory. Steve took me out to lunch to El Torrito at Fashion Island and then we went shopping at Lululemon for running clothes. Grandma graciously offered to babysit while we were out -- thank you! The girls gave me a fabulous new hair do, complete with two pig tails jutting out from each side of my head. Just as we were leaving to see the American Girl movie, Kit Kittredge, Marilee and Grandma pulled out cupcakes from Sprinkles, lit with taper candles. After another serenade, I unwrapped a beautiful pearl and sterling silver necklace which I absolutely love and a gift card from Lucy, which I spent on an outfit to go with my necklace. When planning the vacation, Marilyn apologized that it would be over my birthday. I can't think of a better way to turn 35!

On Friday, all the girls, sans Sophia and Chloe, headed North for LA. Our one goal in mind was to experience the American Girl world in person. We all drove together to their new store in the upscale Grove shopping mall. We did indeed accomplish our goal, leaving with bags in hand and additional boxes shipped! Annelise bought the Julie doll and Hadley and Gaby bought the Kit doll. Emilie stocked up on AG books, which as a mother, are my favorite ones around. After all, how could I complain about the Manners book which illustrates the correct place setting or the Family book which teaches girls to be helpful and loving at home! Afterward we enjoyed crapes at the Farmers Market. We experienced just a sliver of Los Angelas and I decided that we definitely need to return. 

We can never leave Southern California without visiting our favorite eateries. Ruby's Diner on the pier tops the list. Despite the limited menu, the experience of walking out over the Pacific Ocean, past the fishermen to enjoy hamburgers and shakes simply can not be missed. The kids will never forget the year we ate on the roof of the restaurant and watched dolphins leaping out of the water. This year there were no dolphins, but there were new blueberry shakes that were almost as memorable! 

Our tradition each year to sweeten our goodbyes, is to clean up and head again to Ruby's for breakfast. This time we opt for a different location with an expanded menu. We enjoyed cinnamon bun french toast and omelets. Somehow we also ended up with a vanilla bean malt -- I guess we needed to slip one more in before our vacation officially ended! Over breakfast, we thanked Grandma and Grandpa with a Tommy Bahama shirt and a stain glass garden stake. We are so grateful for the memories that were created and the love that was expanded. Although we can't miss out on the waves, rides or favorite restaurants, it is the time together that is everlasting.             

Homeward Bound

Our summer West is in full swing. We  have already hung out on Newport Beach for a week, whizzed around and around on Disneyland's Space Mountain, baptized a child amidst family and friends, marveled at the beauty of Temple Square from the top of Hotel Utah and gathered around Grandma's dinner table for her "famous chicken tortilla soup." (More blogging to come regarding these fun events.) 

The first hurdle we always encounter in our bi-annual pilgrimage west is making it from our front door in Boston to our assigned seat on our airplane. The above photo illustrates that this is no easy task. There is a part of me that would truly rather drive three days with five children in the backseat than live through the stress and anxiety of this first step in our journey. This summer, the timeline went something like this: 1:00 p.m. -- Pack nine bags to be checked and eight carry-ons into the car. 1:50 -- Steve comments, "Now that I think about it, we have a lot less time than I thought. We could be in trouble" as he accelerates on the Mass Pike. 2:20 -- gentleman at skycap informs us that, unless we take our bags inside, we will have to pay $75 for extra bags plus three dollars per bag "and that doesn't even include the tip!" (Have you seen the Southwest commercial?!) 2:40 -- woman at Delta counter flatly states that she must physically see each child in order to issue a seat assignment. Is this another new policy? I explain that they are all in the car at the pick up curb with Steve, crossing their little fingers that the policemen will not shoo Steve away from the curb before their mother returns. Seconds later, Steve and I swap places as he races to the counter with Ezra in arm and four little ones in tow to be "physically seen." Now I am the one crossing my fingers that the police will not spot me. 2:50 -- Steve hands off the children and leaves to park the car as I race to Au Bon Pain to fill five hungry bellies in preparation for the "No more in-flight meal policy". 3:15 -- fourteen shoes are pulled off and sent through the scanner with watches, belts, blankies and our eight carry-ons. 3:35 -- Big sigh of relief. Boarding begins and we are there to tell about it. 

Last Christmas we were not there to tell about it. Despite leaving our friend's house in Las Vegas for the airport at 4:00 am and commenting that we had broken a family record for the most time allotted to make it from house to airplane seat, our travel experience home from Christmas was a disaster. It began with the woman in front of us arguing with the skycap for fifteen minutes over three dollars -- Steve offered to pay the bill. Skycap tagged our bags and then informed us that due to the number of bags, we had missed the cut off to skycap them by one minute. Steve hauled them inside and to his horror realized that two days after New Year's Day is still not the time to travel in Las Vegas. The police shooed me away from the curb --twice. Six of us waited in the security line while Steve returned the rental car, we met up with him and then ran,  OJ  style, through corridors, down escalators, past slot machines, onto the tram, off of the tram, and to the end of the terminal to see our plane backing away from the gate. Out of a Tom Cruise movie, Steve ripped off his jacket, crumpled it up and threw it into the seat next to the check-in counter. The rest of us fell onto the bench, close to tears. We were still for just a moment until Emilie sat straight up. "Mom! I think that our family goal for 2008 should be that we don't miss any more airplane flights!" Great idea. Hours later we sat in front of another check in counter in another terminal but at the same airport. I mentioned to Steve that our original flight was just landing in Boston. 

Despite the trauma of relocating seven people from the East coast to the West, as soon as we touch ground in Utah and are with our family and friends, we are reminded that our effort was well worth the trip. And so far, we are on track to meet our family goal for 2008. We look forward to the remainder of our vacation with hikes in the Uintah Mountains, explorations in Southern Utah, late nights with friends and unlimited family time.             

Heading West

One of the most exciting aspects of moving to a new area has been all of the exploring that we have been able to do. And what better place to explore than the Northeast? I never know when life will change, from a relocation to a teenager who refuses to race from one outing to another, so I always feel like we must run while we can! Last April the kids had a week off of school for Spring Break. For us, life seems to run smoother when we have a plan. So I looked at a map of the area and choose a trip to the Berkshires. (I figured that I could handle a week alone with the kids, as long as we were close enough from home that we could abandon our plan at any moment and drive home, or, in dire circumstances, Steve could come rescue us! We ended up enjoying every moment of the week and stayed the whole time.) The Berkshires, which is two hours from our house, is the western most strip of Massachusetts, along the New York border. In the twenties, the Berkshires was similar to Newport, Rhode Island, with summer "cottages" built by millionaires springing up from one hill top to the next. Now, little highways string quaint towns together and picturesque farms, chapels and country stores can be found around each bend. In addition, with a swimming pool, a game room, a trip to the baseball hall of fame and plenty of stops at the ice cream shop thrown in for good measure, the kids had a great time. 

Day One

           

On our way west, we drove along the Mohawk Trail, one of America's scenic highways. Our first stop was at Historic Deerfield, a restored colonial town. We learned how to bake cookies in an open hearth, dressed up in colonial attire, painted tea cups and filled tea bags.

Our next stop was the Yankee Candle Factory, where we watched old fashion beeswax candles being dipped and then chose our own molds and dipped candles for ourselves. I let each child pick out three scented votives from a selection of hundreds, to bring home. We left with fruit smoothie, clean cotton, root beer and fresh grass scents, to name a few.  

Our last stop for the day was Shelburne Falls. 

Day Two

Each morning we swam at the condo. Annelise swam the entire length of the pool and Sophia learned to swim all around the swimming pool with a life jacket on by herself -- a prerequisite for joining us at Northcrest this summer. After swimming, the condo offered a hot dog BBQ. 

We brought our bikes, strapped on the back of the car. We rode along one of Massachusetts many rail trails.

Ezra devoured his first ice cream cone at our new find, Crispy Cones. (99 flavors of soft serve!)

Day Three

We drove two hours west to Cooperstown, the birthplace of baseball! Cooperstown gives a new meaning to "in the middle of nowhere!" Isn't there a classic baseball phrase in the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come?" It definitely applies to the Baseball Hall of Fame!

Jonathan loved the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jonathan broke the daily record at the batting cages in pitching averages . . he couldn't have been more excited!

Day Four

Our first adventure of the day was Hancock Shaker Village.

 

The round stone barn had just been filled with baby spring animals for the children to pet and pansies in the window boxes.

We stopped in Stockbridge, a quintessential New England town and the home of Norman Rockwell. We visited the Norman Rockwell Museum, marveled at the entire collection of the Saturday Evening Posts that his paintings graced the cover of, and even met a docent that happened to be the model for some of his paintings. We visited his studio but, unfortunately we couldn't go inside because it was off season.

Day Five

We created musical instruments and preformed them at the MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Arts) in North Adams.

We then created art project after art project. (I think Sophia has had enough fun for one week!)

We stopped at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst on the way home.

After this year's successful trial run, next spring break, we just may venture down to Williamsburg or the Outer Banks. Hopefully Steve will be able to join us next time. We missed him!