Angkor Wat. If it brings up visions of a long-ago faraway place, something you might have seen in a dream, this is an accurate picture. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cambodia, built in the 12th century, and the complex covers miles of ground. It is the largest religious monument in the world! A wat is a temple, and the famous Angkor that you see in a lot of the photos is but one of many temples here, the best preserved of them...

Suan Mokkh Monastery Retreat, Days 2-10 The schedule was virtually the same every day, however each day was also different. Day 2 you were given bananas with breakfast, and your new friend Sabine handed you a beautiful yellow flower in passing. And you got to go shopping! 2 rolls of toilet paper and a tiny package of laundry detergent from the little dining room store so you can wash your clothes in a basin. Since you can’t talk, you just...

Suan Mokkh Monastery Retreat, Day 1 Imagine waking up to the sound of a bell at 4am, not a jarring bell, but a beautiful melodic one, gentle but insistent. You wonder where you are. Your wooden pillow & straw mat in a cement room are good reminders that you are at Suan Mokkh Monastery in southern Thailand. You shine your flashlight out of your white veil of mosquito netting, scanning the floor for spiders before you set foot on the cool...

A visit to Fox and Franz Josef glaciers is a great way to chill out, literally. They are melting rapidly though, so head there sooner rather than later! A friend told me not to bother going if you can’t see them by helicopter, and although it’s truly the best way to view them, it’s still worth going even if you don’t go up in the sky.That being said, I did opt for a helicopter flight as one of my few special excursions...

Woke to a symphony of birds calling thru my open window, then the gentle whoosh of a brief rainfall (they call this the rainforest for a reason). Lindsey called me out on the deck to see three big white cockatoos in the tree, amazing! I’ve only ever seen them in captivity. A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets swooped by and a tiny yellow sunbird landed on a branch right in front of me. Tried to take photos but they were much too fast. We headed up...