Looking for Laos, Cambodia and South Korea Posts?

Look to the bar at the right, and click on a month to see posts.  Laos, Cambodia and SK are in the June-July-August links.  Happy exploring!

Casa Bonita, Denver, CO

Have you been here?  Do you have childhood memories of how amazing this place it?  Do you have no idea what Casa Bonita is?  Or, did you watch South Park and think this place was just made up?

Well, it's a real place.  It's in Denver (there's on in Tulsa, too, I think).  The food is t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e but the atmosphere is fun and it's great when you're a kid.  Cliffs and caves, a waterfall with divers, Black Bart the Bandit and the Sherif "duels," Black Bart's cave, puppet shows, mariachi bands, SkiBall, and an unmistakeable aroma of chlorine and sopapillas, Casa Bonita provides entertainment for the whole family.  And you signal your waitperson with a raising/lowering flag on your table.  

The outside pink stucco sets the stage for the inside décor (vintage Mexico), and as you weave your way through the cafeteria style line, you know it's going to be fun.  Not yummy, but fun (you have to order food to enter).  Re-visiting Black Bart's cave as an adult, I must admit that I remember it being scarier (duh), but it was still fun to see again.  I'm sure the heart used to beat and light up.

If you've never been, I suggest going with kids, or going with someone you want to share part of your childhood with.  Just be sure to eat a snack before you go.

Summer's Bounty

Summer inspires me to cook and try new things.  Here are a few recent experiments:

Farmer's Market purchases

Pear Tarte Tatin

Blackberry Crème brûlée

Golden Raspberry Mascarpone Tart

Vanilla Croquembouche

(I was hoping to make a full-sized version of this for Libby's wedding, but that was a bit ambitious)

Asian Art!

I bought this painting at Ta Prom from a young (16? 18?) artist.  He was unlike any other vendor at the temples; he simply had his art out for display.  He didn't harass tourists, shout at you or convince you what a deal you were getting.  I noticed this picture right away as I climbed through the entryway of Ta Prom, in fact I thought it was a photograph.  I was sure then I would buy it.  The shy smile of pride and satisfaction on his face when I handed over the $18 USD is an image I will never forget.

This paper with Chinese characters was used as packing paper.  Just as we use old newspaper to wrap delicate objects, a pottery vendor used old calligraphy practice sheets to wrap the vase I bought (see below).  It makes me wonder if people in other countries frame old US newspapers.  I like that it was free!

Summer's End 2013

Kevin, Dana and Katie canoeing on the Willamette

A perfect summer day in Oregon

Ankeny Vineyard

Ted & Rodney's Summer Campout... I learn just how hard archery is

Cougar Hot Springs, Oregon

Located about an hour east of Eugene, Oregon, Cougar Hot Springs is a short hike off the road.  Clothing is optional (as you can see, we "opted") and you will find you fair share of hippies.  The highlight was jumping in the lake across the way and swimming to the island in the middle.  A great weekend or day trip for visitors and Oregonians alike!

Picnic by the cold creek

Soaking in the hot pool

Waterfall and lake view on the trail to the hotspring

Surf Camp 2013!

Surfing on the Oregon coast requires a wetsuit, but don't let the frigid waters of the Pacific keep you away.  The waves are great and it's a wonderful place to learn to surf.  Beaches are not overcrowded, surfers are a laid back group of folks, and people are happy to see others learning.

I have been afraid of water for a long time, and I have to admit that I was scared to do this.  I'm really glad I did, however.  SURFING IS SO MUCH FUN!!  The feeling you get when the wave "takes" you is like no other feeling I have experienced.  Success, freedom, flight, power and grace... and a real rush!

Me and Dan, pre-surf on the Oregon Coast

Otter Rock, Newport, Oregon

A surfer heading in for the day

I'd like to say that's me, but it's not

Part of the Surf Camp 2013 Crew

PS- My wetsuit makes me feel like Cat Woman.  You will feel that way, too.

Korea, etc.

One of my favorite moments in Korea!  There are all these crazy buttons on the toilets.  There's a built-in bidet... which I mustered up the courage to use one afternoon.  Let's just say that, um, it knew exactly where to aim.  The only trouble was that it wouldn't stop.  I had assumed it was on a timer, but no.  So, knowing one of the buttons was an alarm, I bravely pushed what I hoped what the "stop" button.  Luckily for me, the Korean toilet gods were on my side, and I did not set off an alarm.

My amazing travel buddy Marie hanging around in Insadong, one of my favorite areas of Seoul

View of... something... in Seoul

Look closely.  You can't read anything!  Well, unless you read Korean.  It's wild to not understand anything, written or spoken.  It gives me good perspective as to how my students must feel sometimes.

I understood literally nothing on this receipt.  Except that it was a receipt.

Starbucks in Korean

Robyn, Marie and Katie in a tea shop during a rainstorm

Bug Bomb!

Visiting friends in foreign lands requires a certain amount of adventure and willingness to partake in local customs.  Marie had several "Korean Experiences" she wanted me and Robyn to have, among them legally drinking beer in the street.  One can go into a mini-mart, buy a beer, and either sit on the picnic table or the curbside outside the shop and drink away.  And we did!

So there we were sitting in the muggy afternoon heat of a July afternoon in Seoul, drinking bad beer out of cans and discussing that night's dinner plan, when Marie suddenly yells, "Grab your stuff and get inside!"  My stomach dropped and I immediately (and shamefully) thought someone was coming at us with a gun.  Robyn and I jumped up and as we turned around we saw a cloud of gas coming toward us.  We ran into the mini-mart, hearts beating, beer still in hand..., and then we heard Marie laughing.  While this sort of calmed me, I was wanting to know what the heck was going on. 

Marie explained that there is a huge Mosquito problem in Seoul and they go around "bug bombing" neighborhoods to kill as many pesky mozzies as possible.  As it's quite a dose of toxic fumes, obviously she didn't want us to inhale it.  It was scary and funny at the same time.  When we felt it was safe, we left the mini-mart and were walking home... When we heard another BOOM!, and Marie yelled, "RUN!" Sure enough, another bomb had been set off and was following us down the street.

Beer cans still in our hands, beer sloshing onto our arms and legs, we ran away from the fumes laughing our heads off.  And, clearly, I stopped to take pictures.

Seoul Food

I had no idea about Korean food until rather recently.  Seriously, I ate my way through Korea and enjoyed every bite.  I even gave myself major stomach pains from eating so much spicy food (I know spicy food can't give you an ulcer, but it sure felt that way...).

Below you see Marie and a giant bowl of Pat Bing Soo, or shaved ice with sweet beans, sweetened condensed milk, ground matcha, and mochi cubes.  This is the traditional version, though every café has its own "house" version, usually involving sliced fruit.

We ate this pat bing soo at a tea shop with Marie's Korean friend Young, who showed us exactly how to pose for a picture (below),

and how Koreans decorate just about every digital image with animation and/or embellishment :-)

Above Left: Korean barbeque (delicious pork belly and other meat, along with garlic and onions (just eat them raw out of the bowl), cook until crispy then use a pair of giant scissors to cut up (we saw these everywhere!) and hand out to all diners.  Eat with flat, metal chopsticks.  

Above Right: Kimchi stew and rice.  More delicious that I ever thought possible!

Left: Korean barbeque (can't remember what cut of meat, but very fatty and tender)

Right: Ttokkbokki, thick rice noodles in a spicy sauce.  Eat on the street with toothpicks.  Mmm.

Above Left: drinking makkoli (a rice/wheat alcohol) in a sampling "flight," I like the one that resembled hard cider the best

Above Right: Pajun, Korean pancake with octopus and green onions.  One of my favorite things!  So good, though we did eat varying qualities of this dish.  Thicker seemed to be better cooked and less greasy.

Above Left: Pre-dinner goodies (or not so good in a couple cases...).  Every Korean restaurant gives you these "appetizers."  This particular batch was not my favorite: macaroni salad, a cold ice-salty soup thing, cold jellyfish tentacles, thinly sliced radishes and a fruit salad drowned in what we think was makkoli (or Sprite?).

Above Right: Eating spicy potato dumplings with some kinds of "cheesy" filling...

Above Left: Delicious spicy stir fry with potato & sweet potato dumplings, chicken and veg.

Above Right: Home made Korean dinner!  Top is cabbage-carrot-spinach salad (hot), and bottom is bulgoggi.  Marie's Korean friend Betna helped us cook it.  One of the best meals all week!

Above Left: directions for hottokk, bread-pancake type dish with cinnamon/sugar inside (hot and gooey).  We ate them on the street and then found a mix at the grocery store.

Above Right: Bibimbap!  The classic Korean rice bowl with all the trimmings.  Served in a hot stone bowl, I love the way the rice crisps up on the edges.

Close-up of bibimbap in Seoul

One of our last meals: spicy octopus stir fry.  Once you are done with the meat portion, they pour in rice and make "Round Two" (see below).