#2163 travel Tuesday: getting closer

Trip preparation continues! We are now just ten little days away from our southeast Asia adventure!

I've been reading through my guidebooks, checking out pins on Pinterest, and looking at comments on TripAdvisor. Today I downloaded a couple of apps that can be used offline: one for the town of Siem Reap and one for Angkor Wat, (though we will have a guide there.) Even with all my reading and various preparations, I know that once I get there I will be overwhelmed. Hopefully I will retain at least some of the information I am trying to soak up beforehand.

My dad had purchased a Kodak camera a few months before he died. He gave the camera to our family, and it's been sitting in MT's dresser drawer for about a year. I was thinking about all the photos I'm going to take next month and I remembered the camera. Today I took it out for a test drive, so to speak. I went for a walk at Red Butte Garden and took a few (18) photos with the camera to make sure I knew how to use it and how to get the photos off the SD card. It'b been awhile since I used one of those! What I like about the little Kodak is that it is small. I have a Canon, but it's pretty old now and it's sort of big and heavy. I think the Kodak will be a lot more convenient. I will be using my beloved iPhone to take photos as well. This is a trip of a lifetime. I want to make sure I have plenty of space for photos, which are my very most favorite souvenirs.

The photos from RBG came out okay. Here is a sample:

Red Butte Creek

I love how they wrap these trees. I wish I could remember the name of them. Something Scotland something. 

So cute! 

In the bottom photo, the camera focused on the whatever-they-are's in the middle and I kinda like how the ones closest to the camera are kinda blurry.

I will be practicing a little bit more before we go. I read the user manual. This camera can do a lot of stuff!

I've pretty much got my clothing picked out and ready to go. I need to pick up some toiletries, but nothing major. I've got a few things to do around the house, but I feel pretty good about what I have left to do. Of course I have a list and I refer to it daily.

T will be house and dog sitting and I have a list of rules/tasks for him. If he wasn't here I would be paying someone to take care of Osi and keep an eye on the house, so I figure I can pay him for those services and it would be less than I'd have to pay someone else because he already lives here.

I had a weird conversation with a couple of co-workers yesterday. I was in the breakroom getting a glass of water and two men, I'll call them Paul and Mike, were in there getting coffee. Paul has a son who just got back from Thailand. The conversation went something like this:

Paul: So when are you leaving for Thailand?

Me: The 8th.

Paul: Where are you flying into?

Me: Actually, we are starting our trip in Cambodia.

Mike: Cambodia? (his voice went up an octave at the end of the word)

Me: (chuckling) Yep.

Mike: Cambodia. (his voice went down an octave in the middle of the word)

Me: Yes

Mike: Are you going on a mission? (I think he means a religious mission. It's a thing around here)

Me: No. I'm going on vacation.

Mike: Are you going to build houses?

Me: No.

Paul: Are you going with a group?

Me: No I...

Paul: YOU'RE GOING BY YOURSELF???

Me: No. I'm going with my husband on vacation.

Mike: To Cambodia?

Me: Yes, Cambodia. Have you ever heard of Angkor Wat?

Mike: Yeeeeeaaaah. (I could see his mind working through this one.)

Me: It's a big historical site. Lots of Buddhist and Hindu temples. Ancient. I want to see that. Then we are going to Thailand.

Mike: (waggling his eyebrows) Oooooh...you're going to the red light district?

Me: Um...no. We're going to the beach.

...SIGH...

How did I go from building houses to hanging out at the red light district in this guy's mind?