Isn't it Ironic?

I'm sure many of you know by now that my super exciting fabulous 40 day trip to Asia (Thailand and Cambodia) was cancelled by my esteemed government colleagues three days before I was supposed to get on the plane. After the initial shock and depression wore off, I find myself doing the "If I was in Thailand right now, I would be....."

In honor of the Fourth, Matt and I biked down to the mall. It was eerie how many roads were closed so we got to bike all over the place without any traffic. After successfully passing through several check points, we walked around the Folk Life Festival. For a couple weeks every year, the Smithsonian puts on a cultural festival in which the entire mall is covered with food tents, music and educational stuff. This year's theme included Northern Ireland, Virgina Heritage, and the Mekong regions. The Mekong showcased the cultures of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam! Who needed to travel across the world to get a taste of Thailand and Cambodia!? Everything was in my backyard. Hmpf! My passport still doesn't have the stamp.