On The Road: Oudong Mountain

We had a plan, i.e., leave early for our 2-hour drive from Phnom Penh to Oudong. And we all know that sleep, candy crush, and other distractions trumps plans. Generally, getting on the road at 10AM was a bad idea. Judging from Google Maps we were to catch the sun at its highest point by the time we get to Oudong Mountain, but we were on a mission to get out, drive, and see some stupas.

Sunsets Like No Other: Boracay 04/13

After my first trip to Boracay last November 2012, I was definitely left hung up and hell bent on visiting the island again. So when I was asked to cover the 16th Nestea Beach Volley Championships that was held there last March I jumped at the chance.

Boracay is a truly magical place. I'm a city girl by heart, but I love the beach almost--almost just as much, and being able to spend days in tropical paradise and still be able to feel the city vibe through various restaurants, clubs, hotels, and amenities that are typically lacking in the more private and isolated beach destinations, I am very much willing to overlook the overcrowding-- it isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.

Greetings From Cambodia

Today marks my first month in Cambodia, and I still find myself falling in love with the country more and more each day. As cliché as it may sound, after an excruciating turn of events I decided to finally pack my bags and begin a journey of self discovery. Life will never be the same, but it only gets better, the gift of travel is definitely one of the many testaments to that.

2012 and the first half of 2013 has left me with far too many goodbyes, moving on is only fitting. There is so much I want to be, and in a desperate attempt to be everything all at the same time I am left lost. My former journal held no real meaning any longer. Who I am and what I do is no longer translated in those pages; they are mere reflections of how truly caged I feel.

Cheers to new beginnings and stories of wanderlust, adventure, and mundane updates!

For the meantime, here are snippets of my blog backlog, errr, first month in Cambodia via my Instagram account (@tonimariepd). Enjoy!

1. spent a quarter of our 19-hour transit at the Bangkok airport; 2. the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh; 3. Phnom Penh at night; 4. Partying Kampuchea style; 5.   Cambodia isn't just about historical relics and arhcitecture, they have great beaches, too; 6. Welcome to Sihanoukville; 7. the 700-year old Wat Phnom; 8. the stupa on top of Oudong mountain that is said to house some of Buddha's remains.