A short series of blinks

Our time in Cambodia seemed to pass in a flash. Each blink of an eye was a new exciting or thought provoking experience, but in a short series of blinks it had passed. And so I am going to describe it through those blinks.

Phnom Penh airport. Capital city. Get in a tuktuk. Driver won't stop talking. Wants to take us to a "better" hotel. Flashback to India. Sick feeling. Get to Hotel. More touts. They say rude things that invoke guilt in us. Bad dreams all night. Sleep.

Tea with sweetmilk, omelette and fresh baguette. I remember how great and simple bread is. Tourvan to the killing fields. Walking through a mass grave. Pieces of torn clothing half buried beneath my feet. Did this really happen so recently? Horrifying. But the forest regrowth brings a sense of calm and rest. Next stop: giant market. Colorful Khmer scarfs. Knock-off clothes. Statues of Buddha. Endless. Restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. Big pot of soup on a hotplate. Noodles. Greens. Meat. Is that brains? She's dishing some to Ben. He's eating it. Sleep.

Bus to Siem Reap. Lots of people throwing up. Wish I had enough Gravol for all of them. Put my headphones on. Arrive at night. Flashy lights. Lots of tourists. Looks like fun. Sleep.

5:00am. Tuktuk to Angkor. Fifteen minutes of cold and dark. Sunrise. 'Angkor Wat'. Amazing. Completely void of people inside. 'Bayon'. Unreal. 84 huge stone faces built in stone. 'Ta Prohm'. Mystic. Lara Croft was here once. Ancient viney trees engulfing ruined mossy stone temples. One of the best things we've done so far. Sleep well.

One more day at Angkor. Can't stop taking pictures. More tea with sweetmilk. Must remember this treat when we get home. Ben chats with young kids selling postcards. They play piano on the iPod. Watch 'Killing Fields' movie at hotel. Cambodian man watching too. He brings the movie to life.Tells us stories. His kid brother was brainwashed. Did this really happen so recently? Sigh. Dinner at a streetstall. Best Cambodian food I've had yet. Ben tries crocodile. Not sure if he likes it. Download missed True Blood episodes to our iPod. From a business chain that actually profits on this. Why not? Sleep.

More about that later!

Well, time has passed faster than I could imagine and our around the world trip is already winding down. I started this blog with Skeptic in mind, pictures and inspirations of upcoming ideas and creations. Boy, was I wrong. In our whirlwind adventure I have barely had time to blog about our days activities, let alone post pictures or think about...fashion. There is so much more going on in this part of the world than what people are wearing. With that said, I have completely opened my mind to new ideas, colors and ways to manipulate fabrics. Fabrics, that's one thing that there is a lot of in India and Asia. And I have done extremely well at holding back from buying the whole market (althoughI did buy 1 meter of black and red check cotton today). My sketchbook is filled with a lot of shaky crude sketches drawn while squished on a bus or while walking through the streets.

I think once I am home and settled, I will do some back blogging with pictures of some of the incredible and inspiring things we've seen.

One thing I do know is how lucky I am to have a place to go back to work when I get home. Not only that, my hard summer work sewing mittens is paying off thanks to that same place. Smoking Lily graciously offered to sell my "Smittens" while I am away collecting new ideas and inspirations to bring back to them. They even put up some beautiful pictures of them on their website http://www.smokinglily.com/ like this one.

Thanks Lily!!