Wilde in the World - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After our three and a half day visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia, the boyfriend and I hopped on a plane and fly back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We flew Air Asia. It was cheap, clean and felt very safe for our 90 minute flight. Be prepared to pay a little extra for everything on this airline. They really nickel and dime you here.

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Wilde in the World - Cambodia Day 3

Day three in Siem Reap started at a much more vacation-y time of 8:00am. Yes, we woke up at 8:00 while on vacation. In reality, our bodies had no idea what time it was. Traveling to the other side of the world is rough!

Our day three plans included bicycles! Our hotel was about six kilometers away from the Angkor temple complex and we were in the mood for an adventure. So much of an adventure that we left the helmets at the hotel. Sorry mom.

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Wilde in the World - Angkor Temples Day 2

Day two of our vacation in Cambodia started off very early. We had to wake up before the sun because we wanted to watch the sunrise! Our tuk tuk driver (the same Mr. Phuc Me!) picked us up at 5:30am and we drove to Angkor Wat. Then it started raining...

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Wilde in the World - Sieam Reap Cambodia

A few weeks ago, I had to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur. After asking the BF to join me on each of my work trips this year, he finally was able to take time from work and come along! We decided to take a few extra vacation days before the conference and take a mini vacation. At first we were torn between the beaches of Malaysia and the temples of Cambodia.  Since this post is titled "Siem Reap, Cambodia" I think you know which one we chose.

Why did we decide to go to Cambodia rather than the beach? We have actually been to the beaches of Thailand, which are just north of the Malaysian beaches. Plus, we were headed to Florida for Thanksgiving and I had major beach plans for that trip. So off to the temples we went!

Day one of our trip was really really long. Our flight path to Cambodia was Newark, NJ to Chicago, IL to Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It took a total of 36 hours to get from home to hotel. Luckily, we were greeted with a beautiful room and a treat!

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Wilde in the World - Lima, Peru

Before the year is over, I want to finish updating you on what I've been doing all summer/fall!  In late August, I had the chance to travel to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time! I've gotten close to the equator before (Singapore is right on the northern side), but never have I crossed the line. I ventured to Lima, Peru for a conference and spent four days in the hotel. This was the view from my hotel room...

Since it was August, Lima was just coming out of winter and transitioning into spring. Apparently the sun doesn't shine during the spring in Lima and my view looked like this all five days that I was at the conference. Luckily my hotel room was amazing (definitely stay at the Lima Westin if you want a gorgeous bathroom!) and the conference was interesting.

Even the food at the hotel was tasty. Their chef is Malaysian, so the menu was a fusion of flavors from Malalysia and Peru. Sounds strange, but it was totally delicious.

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Soup Winner & Quick travel update

I am so happy to be home after a long, long, long journey. If you have been following my instagram, then you may know that I spent that past week and a half in Southeast Asia. Specifically, the boyfriend and I visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is the reason why I haven't chosen a winner for my fun Soup Season giveaway yet!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter to win! I loved reading about your favorite fall eats. I really want to go to the grocery store and get to cooking some of your dishes in my new kitchen! Okay, it's time to announce the winner!

Congratulations Margie!!!  Be sure to e-mail me with your address and Swanson will send along your prize package in a jiffy. Let me know if you make something delicious!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And here are a few of my photos from Cambodia. I am currently going through three different cameras, sorting and organizing over one thousand pictures. I'll be posting a complete update to both Cambodia and Kuala Lumpur over at WITC.

Wilde in the World - Oxford

After a week on conferencing in Geneva, we made a quick stopover in the UK for a meeting. Specifically, we went to Oxford. I've been to London before and there is no comparing the two cities. While London is loud and speckled with skyscrapers, Oxford is quiet, quaint and mostly historic.  Case in point - I stayed in a prison.

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Wilde Week #43

Never mind that title, let's call this post...

A Wilde Month

You may have been wondering where I have been all month. Well, most likely you haven't been that curious. Usually just my mom asks why I haven't been posting, but she knows my schedule has been crazy. Over the past month, I've been around the world and back again.

First stop along the way - Singapore. A city state right near the equator, Singapore was an amazing combination of Asian cultures, modern high rises and delicious food.

I was in Singapore for a business trip, but was lucky enough to have an extra day to explore the city. And eat! During the week I was there, I indulged in amazing Cantonese, Indian, Malaysian & Thai food. I also spent an afternoon with my team, soaking up the atmosphere and some original Singapore Slings at The Raffles Hotel. One thing I ate a few times over the week - Chicken Rice. Go to Singapore, eat some chicken rice. Totally worth the trip.

Our flight home went via Tokyo and while some of my coworkers indulged in McDonald's, two of us decided to get some noodles, katsu chicken and fried squid legs. Ah-mazing. Definitely helped with the fact that we were about to sit on a plane for 13 hours.

Stop by later in the week for a little more of my wild and crazy month!

Wilde Week #22

Boyfriend and I spent the past week in Arizona, enjoying a short, mid-summer vacation.  We spent the first few days in Phoenix, him attending a conference, me sitting by the pool getting a little tan.  After BF's conference was over, we headed north to the mountains and canyons.

We spend most of our vacations travelling the world and rarely get a chance to tour our own country.  Growing up near Niagara Falls and living near New York City now, I often lose sight of the exciting and awe inspiring sights in the United States.  It was a nice change of pace to see what the US has to offer as a tourist destination.  While July isn't the best time to visit Arizona, due to the hot temperatures in the low desert and the monsoons in the high mountains, we had an amazing time looking back through millions of years of history.

We situated ourselves in Flagstaff because it was in the center of several attractions we wanted to visit while in Arizona.  BF and I drove just over 100 miles to the east and spent one day driving through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.  The beauty of the landscape was amplified even more by the fact that it was created by millions of years of the forces of nature acting on the Earth.  This national park is also a testament to chemistry in action, you know I loved it.

One major item on our checklist was to hike rim to river in the Grand Canyon.  Since all of the signs in the park recommended against hiking down and back in a single day, we were sure to be well prepared.  I filled up my camelbak with a gallon of water and a ton of food.  BF carried his own water and snacks and we set out on our hike shortly after sunrise.

We chose to take the South Kaibab trail into the canyon, since it was listed as one of the most scenic and less busy trails.  As we hiked down the canyon, the temperature rose higher and higher.  The comfortable temperatures at the top gave way to 90 degree temps at the mid point.   By the time we reached the bottom it was well over 110 ºF.  Luckily there was also a shallow stream which I promptly sat in and cooled right off.  We refilled our water packs, had lunch and spent a little more time sitting in the stream.

After an hour of recuperating, we were rejuvenated enough to head back out of the canyon.  It took us about four hours to hike to the river, including time spent taking pictures, climbing rocky outcrops and snacking.  Just as we set out on the trail, a rain storm rolled through.  We donned our rain ponchos and started on the switchbacks.  The heavy rain only lasted a few minutes, but it managed to drop the temperature by twenty degrees.  It made for a much more comfortable climb.

BF and I enjoyed a quiet climb, as the rain drove most of the other hikers off of the trail, and we made our hike in record time.  In only three and a half hours we made it from the Colorado River to the top of the canyon.  We finished our hike very dirty (the trail is dusty and very red), hungry (the last of the cookies were delicious after that hike) and thirsty (you can fill up your bottle with Grand Canyon spring water!).

If you are traveling to Arizona, you are most likely heading to the Grand Canyon.  You should definitely spend some time hiking the trails as you'll get a totally different perspective from inside.  If you want to hike rim to river, you can be crazy like us (not recommended!) or you can book a room at the Phantom ranch, spend the night on the river and hike out refreshed in the morning!

Packing for Morocco

Today I'm posting something a little different from what I usually post.  When preparing for our trip to Morocco, I had such a hard time trying to decide what to bring with me.  What should I wear?  How much should I pack?  What is appropriate desert wear?  Boyfriend and I were going to be travelling around the country a bit and didn't want to deal with large wheelie bags.  We each packed a single small duffle bag and messenger bag and were totally prepared for our ten days in Morocco, which included rock climbing, two days in the desert, three days at the beach and touring through the city.  Here's my Moroccan packing list!

Clothes - There are two things to keep in mind about Morocco.  1.  It's very close to the equator and can get pretty hot.  2. Morocco is a Muslim country and it's best not to pack your short shorts and tube tops.  I packed for comfort and moderate modesty.  Though we did see women in all states of covered-up.  From completely robed from head to toe, to short skirts and tanks tops (mostly tourists or Casablanca girls).

2 white Gap ribbed tank tops
4 short-sleeved Old Navy tees in different colors
1 long sleeved white Gap favorite tee
1 long-sleeved workout t-shirt
1 hooded, zip-up wind breaker in a bright color
Black maxi skirt
Linen pants
Dark green cargo capri pants
Black yoga pants (for rock climbing and our night in the desert)
1 big t-shirt for sleeping
Underthings for 4 days
Scarf (I got a bright one from Target to dress up any boring outfits for venturing into the Hassan II Mosque)
Hat (I went with a straw fedora similar to this one)
TOMs shoes in burlap (comfy, so hipster, goes with everything)
Merrell shoes (lightweight and colorful!)
Teva Sandals (I really only wore these twice, at the beach)


Toiletries - Morocco is near the equator and we were spending some time in the desert, SPF was a key item in all of my toiletries!  Don't worry about soap & shampoo most hotels & riads will supply you!

Spray sunscreen (for those quick applications and your part)
Body Sunscreen - SPF 30
Face Sunscreen - SPF 30
BB Cream (for light color and more sunscreen)
Eyeliner & mascara (minimal makeup for this vacation!)
The usual stuff - deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution, etc
First Aid kit - bandages, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, antihistamine, immodium, ibuprofin, Purell

Extras - Things you might want if you head into the desert or up a mountain or to the beach.  Morocco is a land of diverse locations, where are you going to go?

Metal water bottle w/ carabiner
Tissue packs
Sunglasses
Bathing suit
Mini flashlight
iPad (for books and games and movies!)
iPhone (excellent multitasker - alarm clock, camera, map)
Cameras (I bought my Canon T3 & Sony Cybershot)
Memory cards for cameras (4GB, 8GB & 32GB)
Charging cables for your devices
Power converter (220V --> 110V)
Dropps (portable laundry detergent!  The reason why I could bring half the clothes as usual)
Snacks (we brought Clif bars, trail mix, gummy bears & peanut butter crackers)

Vicki's Travelling tips!

Here are some things that I wish we knew before we headed to Morocco!

- You will get sand in everything you bring to the desert.  Try to shake out before you go back to your Riad or hotel! 

- Load up the map on your phone once you locate some Wifi.  My iPhone was able to locate me through the GPS, even without cellular data turned on.  This was so useful in the Marrakech Medina, there are so many small streets and alleys but they all show up on Google maps!

- Stay in a Riad, but find one where you have your own bathroom.  The Riad gives you the perfect Moroccan experience, but there is nothing like enjoying a hot shower after a long day in the Medina - without walking through the building in your bathrobe.

- Packing light makes travelling through the country much easier too.  My small duffel bag fit below my seat on the bus and was easy to throw overhead on the plane & train.

- Bring clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty, or even leaving behind.  I abandoned a few t-shirts so I could bring home some souvenirs!

- Don't worry if you forget something.  Boyfriend and I found grocery stores in Marrakech, Agadir and Casablanca.  Came in handy when I didn't like the shampoo at the Riad, I bought myself some Dove. 

- The water in Morocco won't make you sick, but a two liter bottle of water will cost you only 4 dirhams.  Less than $1 for flat or sparkling is a deal.  Personally, I supplemented my water intake with plenty of Schweppes Citron.

Have fun in Morocco!  Learn a little French and Arabic along the way!  Check out some pictures from our trip and be adventurous too!

Wilde in Washington, DC

I spent this past week in Washington, DC for a work conference.  As luck would have it, as my train was pulling into Union station, the famous Japanese cherry blossoms were getting ready to bloom.  Over a million people travel to Washington every year to enjoy the Cherry Blossom festival.  Then there are those of us who just lucked out and were there at just the right time! 

Also, I was lucky enough to be training for a half marathon and had many miles to cover over my six days in the city.  Twenty-five miles to be precise!

I even got to test out my new macro lens for my iPhone.  That's right.  The photographs below were shot with my iPhone.  I want to wallpaper my house with these images.

 

I was so lucky to be in Washington this week.  I didn't want to leave the flowers, it was so beautiful.