It finally happened!

Cambodia is where dreams come true.

Ok, not really, it's actually a very poor country where people have been oppressed, tortured and exposed to the evils of several intense and homocidal regimes. Because of all the turmoil - oh yeah, and the wars that have left landmines scattered about the forests STILL - the country has little to no functional infrastructure, for things like roads and telephones. And so many of the people here are followers of Buddhism or Hinduism or animism and dont have the peace or hope that comes from knowing Jesus. So it's very sad.

But, thanks to tourists like me, some areas are beginning to pick up. Siem Reap, the town nearest the temple ruins at Angkor Wat is now the country's busiest, cleanest and safest city, with travelers from around the world coming in by the thousands, bringing industry and dollars to the area. The local businesses depend on this income and recognize the role tourists are playing in their economic development and as such, are very accomodating.

For example, we booked a trip via the internet (Expedia or some such) and found a deal on a flight/hotel package. Part of the package included airport transfers to/from our hotel. I was figuring this would mean a shuttle van from the airport with us and 9 other tourists, packing us into town and making the rounds of the various hotels. But no!

You know how I always say "some day I want to be one of those people at the airport getting greeted by a driver holding a sign with my name on it?" (I'm especially prone to saying this when I'm at the Vegas airport...for CES or otherwise).

Well that "some day" was TODAY! We exited the customs check point at the Siem Reap airport and rounded the corner to exit the terminal and there she was: a lovely young lady holding a sign with my name on it. (Ok, technically it had The BF's name on it, "& party", but that still counts! I'm "& party"!)

Her counterpart grabbed our bags and showed us to our car, where they had chilled bottled water and cool towels waiting for us. What a lovely way to enter a country. Thank you Cambodia.

What happens in Vegas...

...is clearly not staying in Vegas.

But it really doesn't need to, because we didn't do anything wild or crazy.

I went to Las Vegas for the very first time last week, and met my friend MommaDoc there and basically our days went like this:

• Wake up sans alarm clock
• Head to buffet (location of buffet depends on the day)
• Eat lots of deliciousness (one day I had a french toast sandwich, shrimp cocktail and flank steak sandwich, followed by vanilla ice cream with Butterfinger crumbs for brunch...it was awesome)
• Sit at pool
• Order freezy slushy drinks at pool bar
• Float in lazy river (where we used 3-foot beverage glasses as paddles to direct our innertubes)
• Order refills of freezy slushy drinks from friendly pool waitress ladies
  
• Eat (the best) burgers and fries (in the world) at In-N-Out Burger
• Change into "fancy clothes"
  
• Shake our money-makers at dance club
• Go to bed at a reasonable hour
• Lather, rinse, repeat

Maybe that's not what most people do in Vegas. But as I told the blackjack dealer: "I have casinos in Seattle...I don't have pools...or sunshine...so whatevs."

MommaDoc and I had a fantastic vacation and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Having just finished med school, MommaDoc earned a vacay...I was just grateful she wanted to spend it with me! In fact, I'd do it again tomorrow. We got to visit with each other (awesome) and even came in under budget (awesome). Overall, my first trip to Vegas was a success.

Now let's see how long the "tan"* lasts.

*It was hard work getting from translucent to color, so while I'm not sure I qualify as "tan", I'll still claim it.