Happy Holidays!

The day before Christmas….Will and I spent our last day in Luang Prabang, a charming city in northern Laos. Side note: The same city that Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat. Pray. Love. stayed with “Phillipe” for several months while writing her next book, Commitment.  We had planned a full day of excitement and activities on December 24^th…..get up early, bike to the waterfall nearby, stroll around the markets, make a Xmas video for our families, etc.  Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as we planned.  The night before our big day, Will and I had a major insomnia attack, waking up restless at 3am for no rhyme or reason. We resorted to watching hours of BBC, including a one hour Julian Assange interview, hoping we’d eventually pass out, but alas it never happened.  On the up side, I was able to log 5 hours of interviews that night, bringing us up to speed with a total now of 24 hours of footage logged.  Oooff, makes my fingers tired just thinking about it!

Needless to say, the next day was spent napping and relaxing.  We ate an early dinner of chicken tikka masala at an Indian restaurant nearby, and came back to our hotel just in time to watch CNN Heroes with a bottle of wine and a pack of Oreos (…to honor our French and American-ness).  Apparently it was aired earlier this year, so perhaps some of you have already seen it – we were lucky to catch it the second time around.  If you’ve never heard of it (as we hadn’t), it’s an award show on CNN which acknowledges the extra-ordinary initiatives of ordinary people, hosted by Anderson Cooper – our favorite – and presented by a number of celebrities, including Kid Rock, Demi Moore and Halle Berry.  Their stories and loving dedication were truly an inspiration, often bringing us to tears.  It was wonderful to see one standing-ovation after the next as the nominees for the $100,000 prize selflessly introduced their cause, proving that anyone can make a big difference.  

After the show, I went on their website to learn more and it turns out that anyone can submit a nominee for next year’s awards. So, if you know someone that should be recognized for their outstanding work, anywhere in the world, here’s your chance!

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html

Christmas Day…..Will and I caught an early flight from Luang Prabang to Bangkok, where I am now currently writing this blog! We were lucky enough to cross paths with Will’s sister, Helen, and her boyfriend Fabian, who have also been exploring southeast Asia.  We spent the day walking through the lively alleyways of Bangkok, filled with tourists in santa hats, pad thai stalls, and massage parlors.  Speaking of massages…that was our next stop! 30 minute head and shoulder massage for only $3 – not too shabby!  With the warm, humid air and ice cravings, it felt more like summer break than winter holiday, but with family in town and a few phone calls back home, we were reminded of that Christmas spirit!!

Thank you to all our friends and family for your support and love! We miss you! Happy Holidays!!