Got a new morning commute. Yep, big news—I have started as the Features Director at Elle Decor. Thrilled to be working with the talented team led by @elk_elisa and @stellenevolandes . Not to mention sharing a floor with so many friends and respected colleagues. It’s going to be a lot of fun. @elledecor@hearstmagazines
Halong Bay and its sister, Lan Ha Bay, are among those places of epic natural beauty—like the Grand Canyon—that are overrun with visitors and yet, their magnificence just transcends all of that. Before we went, I knew the complaints: too many boats, loud music, disconcerting amounts of trash. Yes, we definitely saw a lot of boats, but our overnight trip to Lan Hay Bay was peaceful, the waters where we dropped anchor garbage-free. Kayaking around quiet coves in the late afternoon, sunlight spilling over the jagged tops of the limestone karsts, eagles gliding in graceful arcs overhead, was pretty sublime. Sunset, moonrise, and sunrise weren’t too bad either.
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#HalongBay
#LanHaBay
#VietnamTravel
One of Vietnam’s most important Buddhist sites and often called the country’s most beautiful cave, the mountaintop Huong Tich Cave is the centerpiece of the Huong Son complex of temples and shrines—also known as the Perfume Pagoda—built into a lush landscape of dramatic karsts southwest of Hanoi. It’s a major pilgrimage site, accessed via a 45-minute boat ride on the Yen Stream, followed by a strenuous hour-plus hike or a short cable car ride up to the top, which might diminish the pilgrimage element of the journey but is a huge relief when the temperature is pushing 100 and the humidity isn’t far behind. It certainly didn’t undercut our experience of the sacred and spectacularly beautiful site.
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#PerfumePagoda
#HuongTichCave
#HuongSon
#YenStream
Siem Reap food adventures. First time trying grilled honeycomb with bee larvae—creamy, smoky, a little sweet. And we sampled the fried crickets, grasshoppers, and silkworms in the night market. Well, some of us did—my son opted for the ice cream next door.
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#SiemReap
#CambodianStreetFood
When you come to Siem Reap, you must connect with our amazing guide @chhouk_torngvatey She has taken our list of cultural and historical curiosity wishes and made them come true. Vibrant and smart, she turns history-laden tours of temples (we have been to nine or eleven - it depends how you count them) into living three-dimensional experiences rich with humanity and full of sensory moments. The heat of the midday sun on baking sandstone. The breeze at the temple top. The thrum of cicadas and sweetness of teak trees mixed with jasmine in the air. A cold lemongrass towel to wipe your face and hands. Every stone, every frieze tells a story and seriously, she knows them all. Her excitement is contagious and now we too can spot the Asuras, the Apsaras, the Nandi, Singha, Garuda and Nagas. And now we understand why Jayavaraman VII was so beloved by his people - because he had their stories carved on the walls of the Bayon too, and not merely his own. And oh is that Shiva under the Tree of Life or Buddha under the Bodhi trees? She knows. Nighttime food tour? Please. Fried crickets and silkworms tossed with banana chips? Yes! Today, we spent time visiting Preah Ko and Ba Kong Temples en route to Tonle Sap lake and Kampong Kleang village. It was a journey through time and left us full of important questions and deeper awareness of how we are all interconnected. We are dusty and tired and filled with gratitude and perspective we didn’t have this morning. Thank you @chhouk_torngvatey for making our time so enlightening and memorable. @treelinehotels@hkaandpartners@loyuyu_ceramics@saarti____
In 2020 we had a trip fully booked to visit Cambodia. Then Covid came. Six years later we are blessed to finally be here, in Siem Reap. Words fall short, and there are too many stunning images. Visiting this incredible place is another reminder of how even magnificent empires come and go. With @alexandrarowley@alexandrarowleyart@theelliottwallis
#SiemReap
#AngkorWat
#BayonTemple
#BanteaySrei
#TaProhm
The first kiss at my wedding to @alexandrarowley , 20 years ago today. Plus a few of the memories from our ongoing journey together. So grateful to be sharing it with you, my love!
#leaningin
Moments from a preview of the @caldergardens , the idiosyncratic must-see addition to Philadelphia's Franklin Parkway cultural corridor. Architect Jacques Herzog of @herzogdemeuron described the spaces inside the hazily mirrored building he created for displaying Alexander Calder's work as "unpredictable"—and that they are. Gardens and sunken courts feature plantings by the great @pietoudolf that will, in time, enhance the effect.
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@calderfoundation
#alexandercalder
#herzogdemeuron
#pietoudolf
