Viva Las Vegas!

Hello Beautiful Peeps!

Toot toot! I am back from a two month nonblogging absence! I shall provide no excuses... Only a list of the fabulous chain of events that happened to me during the most wonderful pinch-me-if-this-is-my-real-life last two months:

1) I was feeling a teensy bit homesick. Okay, that is a lie. I, Tara Beth Cheney was super homesick. I am a pack animal. I love my family, my friends, and mostly - being home for the holidays! Amongst emails from my best friend that I must return home immediately because she could not live for one more day without me and constant pestering from my little sis if I was going to make it home for Christmas... I caved.

My sister, mom, and several other relatives were going to be in Las Vegas on December 9th to celebrate my sister (CeCe) and two other cousins' 21st birthdays, all which occurred in 201o... I had been well informed of this fabulous trip, because my sister had sent me some very sad emails begging, pleading, and wishing I was going to be there celebrating the year of her 21st birthday with her. Little did she know that I had a very very fun surprise up my sleeve.

So, I secretly hopped on a plane from Hong Kong and came back to the beautiful United States of America! One would think I would fly home to Boise, Idaho. But no - I went to Vegas! I knew my mom and sister's flight arrival time, so standing in the Las Vegas airport's limo driver line, I held a sign in front of my face that said, "Tami & CeCe Cheney." With my Aunt Amy to film the surprise (I had to let her in on the secret because I needed an accomplice), well... You watch for yourself:

Before the surprise.

Just after CeCe noticed me, took out the line of limo drivers with her carry on, and attacked me (plus my cute mama crying in the background).

So the surprise was the best ever. And we proceeded to do exactly what all single 21-year-old girls* do in Vegas...

Party like ROCKSTARS! And this brings us to event number...

2) Picture this... First night in Vegas. It's a Thursday night, so the clubs aren't quite hopping like they normally are on a Friday or Saturday. CeCe, our cousin Steffanie, and I have a few lovely beverages, put on our party skirts, and head down to the Rok Club, which is a somewhat small dance club in the New York New York - the hotel we were staying at. With our lovely beverages demolished, and a nearly empty dance floor, we were literally dancing like no one was watching. We're talking soulja boy, moon walking, the robot, and as CeCe chastisingly calls them - TBC's cheerleader dance moves.

I look up from my running man just long enough to notice some cute boys looking our direction.

"Hey CeCe," I say. "Check out those cute boys over there. They want to talk to us but they're too shy."

To my surprise, seconds later, the cute shy boys have us surrounded. One particularly very-tall-blonde-haired-blue-eyed-godlike-wonderful-smelling-Abercrombie-dressed-with-really-nice-Italian-leather-shoes-and-European-jeans-beautiful-boy comes up to me and starts talking to me with a strangely sexy foreign accent (have I told you lately that I loffffff accents? Okay, what girl doesn't?).

"Where are you from?" I ask.

"Norway," he smiles with the yummiest most kissable lips I have ever laid eyes upon.

"Ohhhhhhhhh." I giggle. "What's your name?"

"Uheestein"

"Uhee-what?" I ask.

"Uheestein."

"Uhee-what?" I question again. "Oh, never mind. I'll call you Mr. Norway."

My only recollection from that point forward is of me and Mr. Norway - as if we're in our own little world... The rest of the club fades away as we dance, me still doing my moon walking, trying to get him to robot, and jumping on him rodeo-style only to have the bouncers kick me off. We even go to the co-ed bathroom together:

Dancing turned to kissing and the next thing you know.... I'm pregnant!

JUST KIDDING! (And sorry Mom - bad joke.)

This leads us to event number...

3) ********

HOWEVER, I am going to make you wait! MUAH! Stay tuned for the continuation of TBC's pinch-me-if-this-is-my-real-life last two months!

Love,

TBC

* Okay, I know I'm 27 and not a 21-year-old girl. But for that weekend in Vegas, I temporarily reserved the right to be 21... again.

PPS - Mr. Norway's correct spelling of his first name: Øystein. The Ø is pronounced like the U in urge. The Y sounds like ee. The stein is just like the stein in Einstein. "Uheestein." Now have 5 vodka sodas and try and say that out loud. :)

Hong Kong!

I have emerged from hard bug-filled mattresses, cold water showers, and air-con free rooms to the bustling, beautiful, shopping madness, skyscraper-filled Hong Kong!

When I was in Koh Samui, Thailand and doing my detox fast at The Spa Resort, I adopted two wonderful, smokin' hot Israeli moms who were fasting along with me: Dana and Pnina. These two beautiful, warm, loving ladies were my savior during 7 days of rainy chewlessness. When they departed the spa, Dana invited me to her home in Hong Kong, should I ever be passing through the city. Since I have an open agenda, I told her that I'd take her up on the offer!

The cool thing about Hong Kong is that it takes up a relatively small area of land, yet 7 million people live there! So, instead of building out, they build up! Everyone lives in a flat and suburban houses do not exist.

I arrived to domestic, pampered happiness at Dana's flat. Despite Dana insisting that her flat was "simple for Hong Kong standards," I was pretty sure I wasn't in Cambodia any more! Their flat was clean, fabulously decorated, had great juju, and included a live in maid/cook named Dolores (loved her!).

Dana, her husband, and their three kids moved from Israel to Hong Kong 13 years ago with only their suitcases in hand to relocate their bag manufacturing business to China. They started out with only plastic chairs and a table as furniture as they had no money and the cost of living in Hong Kong is extreme. Over the years, they have started more and more companies and now own several factories that manufacture things like travel bags, camera tripods, toys, etc. Dana's background is interior design - which shows in the prettiness of her lovely home, and her husband is a witty businessman. Their two grown daughters have moved out, but their 16-year old son Paz still lives at home. I like to tease him when he calls Dolores on his cell phone from his room because he won't get off his petut to ask her in person to make him a pizza.

This wonderful family treats me like their own. My invitation is open to stay and enjoy Dolores' yummy healthy cooking for as long as I'd like. I am just so very thankful for this present in my life! These wonderful people make being away from home a little less prickly when I get homesick. :)

I have been doing a grand tour of this beautiful city and have so very many pics and vids. Check 'em out!

Despite its small area & metropolocity (yes, I just made up that word), Hong Kong has oodles of green space & hiking paths to entertain the many many peeps that live in flats.

Crazy colored tennies on the Avenue of Stars.

Loved the reflection on this building.

One little piggy experiencing the Chinese art of cupping. Yes, it's fake.

Yes, it looks real. And yes, very very weird!

Symphony of lights.

Hong Kong energy efficient clothes dryers.

Flower Market Shop.

Fishies in a bag at the Fish Market.

Fruit Market aka TBC Heaven.

Adorablicious newlyweds taking some pics on top of a double decker open-roof bus.

Christmas is HUGE in Hong Kong.

Here are a few of the many videos I've been taking. Happy watching!

• View from an open-roof double decker bus
• Ferry ride from Hong Kong Island to the peninsula
• Hong Kong's skyscraper Symphony of Lights
• One of Hong Kong's busiest crosswalks
• Trams
• Fish Market
• Ladies Market
• Flower Market
• Textile District
• View from the top of the Peak Tram

Peace out from Hong Kong!

Bali!!!!

Hello Everyone!

I survived/thrived on the 7 day detox in Thailand with excellent results, sweet talked a man with a pick up truck to drive me to the other side of an island through flooded roads to the airport where no cab driver would venture, and have discovered a land of smiles and sunshine in (drum roll please...) Bali!!


I spent one day on the crystal blue-watered beach of Kuta, Bali, and then headed inland to the happy little town of Ubud, very close to where Elizabeth Gilbert stayed in her memoir Eat, Pray, Love. This place is by far my favorite out of all my travels. There is eternal sunshine, oodles of friendly people, and the streets are soooo safe to walk at night as a single lady traveler (compared to Bangkok in which I didn't even like to go out in darkness). It seems to be the yoga capital of the world (everyone comes here to do yoga retreats, learn to be a yoga teacher, etc.) and there is a large raw food community here, with several restaurants catering to that demand.

I have taken a handful of raw vegan un-cooking classes. My favorite was "Raw Desserts":

Raw Vegan Berry Cheesecake:


Pineapple Cobbler:


Key Lime Pie:


No dairy, ovens, heat, or sugar were involved with any of these desserts!!! And they were soooo delicious!!!

Sitting in a juice shop in Ubud, I met a yoga student from Canada named Dustin. I was telling Dustin that I loved raw food, and Dustin shared with me that his yoga retreat that he was attending only serves raw food. He gave me the chef's email and SNAP! The next day I am apprenticing full time in their kitchen!

Being a TOTAL rookie at working in any type of kitchen other than my own, I am finding this to be a totally crazy experience. I am learning soooo very much about not only raw food, but kitchen environments. Lucky for me, the peeps working there are absolute angels and are so sweet to me despite my severe lack of experience.

My FAVORITE part of this adventure is getting to eat all this crazy yummy food! Check out some of these spreads:

Mexican Night with raw burritos:


Salad bar lunch party:


Breakfast with cranberry vanilla almond "milk", mango smoothies, coconut "yogurt", fruit, etc:


The fruit here is crazy amazing! Mangosteen, Jackfruit, Snakefruit, Passionfruit... so much yumminess!


My other favorite part of Bali are the eternally happy, extra smiley Balinese people! In particular, there are two young men (Ketut and Yande) who work at my guest house that are quite the charmers...

Ketut offers to hand feed me my fresh cut fruit breakfast each morning with a giggle and a smile. I respectfully decline his generous offer. :)

Yande ranks an eleven out of ten on the charmer scale. He is quite the comedian as well. He has been driving me to and from my apprenticeship resort each day, which is about a 20 minute moto ride. I have been enjoying teaching him the meaning of "Sugar Daddy," and "Cougar." He has requested that I locate a "Cougar" for him pronto.

Upon returning to my guest house, I receive hilarious notes like this:


Yande couldn't drive me to my apprenticeship today because he had to go to a wedding. I received the following Facebook message from him:

"Hiii my waterlily, how are you.....I miss you so much. On the wedding ceremony I just thinking about your lovely face. I almost cry for this, 102% very sure."

And then, because I am leaving Ubud on Tuesday, he said:

"I will kill myself on Tuesday....at the time you leave me..I bought a gun today.."

I peed my pants a little when I read it. (And then scolded him for the suicidal part.) He is quite possibly the funniest human I have ever encountered.

Here are a couple quick Bali videos for you!

Me on the beach in Kuta rejoicing in the sunshine after 10 days of Thailand rain

Me at my guest house in Ubud

Balinese Kids Band raising money for tsunami/volcano victims

Hiking near Ubud in green paradise

Dining in a pink sunset at Sari Organic Restaurant

Hope you enjoy the vids and I highly recommend Bali as your next vaca destination!!

Peace out from Bali!

Love,

TBC

Koh Samui, Thailand!

Hey Guys!

Hello from the island of Koh Samui, Thailand! I have been here for 10 days and for seven of those I have been doing a detox fast at http://www.thesparesorts.net/. This has involved no solid food, detox drinks, herbal supplements, meditation, yoga, 14 lbs dropped like hot cakes, and many lovely new friends!

I have oodles of videos to share but this rainy little island has been experiencing a monsoon, and the internet connection speeds have been less than fabulous (I am just thankful that we have electricity!). A couple quick vid's:

Day 1 of the fast... The view from my bungalow in the jungle on the hill above Lamai Beach in Koh Samui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij9ZdMoXVyk

Day 3 of the fast... Standing like a drowned cat on the beach! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq250_IYdtc

So rainy:

I have soooo many more videos to share! They are coming soon, because tomorrow I am headed to (drum roll please....) BALI!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Love,

TBC

Phnom Penh - Day 9 of TBC's Adventures

Hello from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia!

I arrived here yesterday after a 5 hour ride on a river boat up the Tonle Sap River from Siem Reap. This is a passenger boat that goes about 35 mph, and people sit inside the cabin in the bitsiest seats that make crowded airplane seats feel like a cakewalk. Because it's so crowded, many people abort the cabin and go outside to sit on the top of the boat (which truly wasn't intended for passengers). So of course, I had to take part in the action to get a fabulous video.

Right before walking outside of the boat, I put my iTouch in my pocket. Once I jumped up on top of the curved roof of the boat and sat down, I heard a clank and to my absolute horror, saw my iTouch sliding off the roof of the boat toward the water!!!! (Let me just take this quick moment to say that my iTouch has been my lifesaver during this trip. It was a gift from the extra fabulous Ronda Conger, and without it, I could not have shot all these fabulous videos that I've been sharing with you! So, I'm sure you can imagine my dismay as I watched it plumet toward the water.) As my new friend Wayne put it, I must be very Irish, because the iTouch landed on the walkway below the roof of the boat, which is about 2 feet wide, and sat there on the very edge! I screamed, made sure I wouldn't fall into the water too, and jumped down to rescue my baby. When I grabbed it, everyone on top of the boat that was watching cheered!! Some dude even gave me a high five! Thank you sweet bejubus!

Okay, so here's my happy video, post rescue. It's hard to hear me because it's so windy, but it makes for a good show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1UHiMBzsQ

It was a very scenic ride and included huge raccoon eyes from the big sunglasses I wore (note to self - no more big sunglasses while tanning). Here's a quick vid of a floating village we passed by: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM2lDOXJEmQ

My favorite part of the ride were the extra friendly villagers we'd pass. Whether in a boat or on land, they would have a huge smile on their face and would wave like crazy. The kids were the best part - they'd wildly wave with both hands as if we were the most exciting thing they'd seen all day.

I am now at my hotel which has a nice balcony over the Tonle Sap River. I shot a quick video of it this morning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxNX9UwfT2Y

I'd like to take a quick moment to discuss the wild and crazy things I've seen on motorcycles or "moto's" as they call them here:

1) A family of five, including Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, and Baby (yes - all on one bike!) - FAMILY TOGETHER TIME!
2) Six crates of eggs and two people - front person driving, crates in the middle, and back person holding crates with legs flailing out to the sides - INTENSE!
3) Women in skirts riding side saddle. This is a common occurance - LADY LIKE!
4) Two people and a car bumper. This one took up a lane and a half of traffic - INSANE!

The most interesting part of the driving situation here is that there are very few stoplights, and if there are stoplights, no one obeys them... At intersections, everyone just slows down but doesn't stop. They just keep driving through where they see a hole in traffic. Pedestrians walk slowly through the intersection (without stopping), and cars, trucks, bicycles, and motos swerve around them. Traffic lanes are ignored with an invisidble middle lane created for passing, regardless of oncoming traffic. Even when turning, motos cut the corner and drive for a while down the wrong side of the street until they can find a place to merge over onto the correct side. And everyone honks all them time because this is there notification to other drivers that they are passing you. I am truly in awe of this situation.

So I decided to get crazy and ride on the back of a moto today. The moto driver dude had mad follow up skills (followed me down the street, waited for me while I ate breakfast, waited for an hour while I went through a museum, etc, etc). Plus, he was wearing a pink shirt (how could I resist???). I survived the ride - and dare say I enjoyed it - and asked him how much he wanted to be paid. He said, "Maybe I be lucky and you give me $20?" I laughed and gave him $4 (a very good wage for a moto driver).

For all you CBH Homes sales peeps that I so love and adore ::: The moto driver was a great lesson in sales skills...

1) Follow your prospects everywhere they go. Wait for them outside and remind them that your services are readily available each time you see them.
2) Don't take no for an answer. Or be willing to hear it 23 times until you get a "yes."
3) If they say they are scared to go for a ride, tell them you'll be safe and won't kill them.
4) Aim high for your price and work your way down from there. And be funny about it so they're not offended.
5) Be patient and wait for them to look around before their ride.
6) Make suggestions for destinations you think they might like and might benefit your paycheck (he suggested he take me for a ride 20 miles outside of town to see a tourist sight).
7) Wear an outfit they will recognize when they see you again (Pink in may case! Or in yours... Fabulous CBH black and red! Can I get a double meow?!?!)

That's all for now, folks! Peace out from Cambodia!

All my love,

TBC

Cambodia!

Helllloooo Party People!

I am officially on day 6 of my excellent adventure and I am in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I have been touring temples for the past two days... including Angkor Wat - the 8th wonder of the world! I have several day's worth of videos to share with you... Check them out!


Video from Day 3 - After I had just crossed the border from Thailand into Cambodia... This looks very third world (okay it is third world) and makes me super thankful for the paved beautiful streets and happy beautiful safe greenbelt of Boise, Idaho! Seriously - we Americans have no idea how good we have it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_8iSMmaPOg

Video #2 from Day 3 - Traveling in a taxi from the border to Siem Reap with my new friend that I adopted on the bus ride from Bangkok to the border. His name is Richard and he is from England but lives in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was a complete blessing that I met him, because he guided me through the somewhat scary/confusing Thai-Cambodia border and then we shared a taxi to Siem Reap. The ride took two hours to get there, and I was so excited to learn that Richard has traveled all over the world via backpack and had supremely excellent advice for places to visit/things to do/insider tips for EVERY place I asked him about. SCORE! To top off the day, Richard told me about an awesome guest house in Siem Reap that I'm staying at... It has free wifi, a pool, and it's all for $16 per night (breakfast included). This is a serious step up from a backpacker hostel in which I would be sharing a bathroom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLNOCdVmugM

Day 4 - I am standing by the river in Sieam Reap... I love this place! I am MUCH more at home here than in Bangkok... Bangkok was a bit much for the travel rookie. This place is still touristy, but much smaller, friendlier, and Cambodia deals in US dollars! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqy7nUdQGto

Day 5 - Standing on the moat in front of Angkor Wat. WOW. What a truly breathtaking place. This is the 8th wonder of the world! BAM! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OL-sPs43IE

Day 6 - Riding in a tuk tuk on my way to more temples. A cultural experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcYRXcsw4nQ

Day 6, Video #2 - The Khmer people of Cambodia have experienced some crazy stuff in their lifetime - major craziness as recent as 1975... This is a band made up of mine victims that were playing just outside of a temple. These mini bands are all over this place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdgSOlyiwx8

Day 6, Video #3 - Riding in a tuk tuk again past more temples... This shot is my favorite scene in all the temple watching. It's in front of a place called "The Terrace of the Elephants" and it's this wide open green grassy area that is lined by these massive stone structures. My apologies for the bumpy video. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxuqBDpUmyM

Day 6, Video #4 - Still riding in my tuk tuk and passing by Angkor Wat! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikrIvo6EWg

Are you peeps tired of videos yet?!?! Or just tired of tuk tuk videos?

Here are a couple of cool pics (for more pics, check out my Facebook page):

Me in front of Angkor Wat. Check out the reflection in the pool behind me... My guide recommended this picture spot. You can see all five towers from this shot. The green sections are where they are currently doing restoration.

Me from the top of Angkor Wat (please excuse the make-up free sweaty face... I'm telling you - all this sweating is one hell of a weight loss program. And a cause for no makeup and three showers a day! MUAH!).

That's all for now, folks! I'll be travelling to Phnom Penh, Cambodia the day after tomorrow via river boat and will have more updates then!

Love,

Tara Cambodia Rocks Cheney

Bangkok Day 2

Hello everyone!

Today is Day 3 in Bangkok for me, but I made two videos yesterday! Check them out:

Rasayana Raw Food Cafe

Riding on a river boat

Today I am headed to the bus station to ride to the Cambodia border to head into Siem Reap, next to the temples of Angkor Wat aka the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

Can't wait!

Love,
TBC