Healthy Fried Rice

Author's note - this is not a cooking blog, it's a blog where I bitch about how much my life sucks, and things of that nature.  But thanks to the Dutchess and Hungry Guide, I am feeling inspired. So here we go.

Tonight I made Thai Fried Rice, or, as my dad used to joke when I was a kid, "Flied Lice!" (Which you may think makes us terribly racist, but I was too young to know it at the time, plus my dad is certainly not racist - he's just an inappropriate).  This is not your typical Thai fried rice...this is my own invention based off a recipe that ends up not resembling the recipe much at all.  That's how pretty much all my cooking is.  Yes, I live in Thailand, I use Thai ingredients, and I use Thai recipes...but don't for a moment let that fool you that this is actual Thai food!  But I like to think it tastes good anyway.

Ingredients:

• Chinese Kale (or other vegetable if you prefer. I prefer leafy greens as they're healthy)
• Your favorite mushrooms (I'm obsessed with mushrooms. I put them in EVERYTHING)
• Garlic, as much as you like (I use a metric shit-ton, cause I loooove garlic!)
• Thai chilis, also as much as you like
• Some 1-3-day-old cooked rice (I always use brown rice)
• 1 egg
• Cooking oil - 2T
• Fish sauce - 1-2T, or to taste
• Oyster sauce - 1-2T, or to taste
• Meat of your choice, if desired (I used chicken)
• Cilantro for garnish

Are you seeing a theme here? Yeah, I am a big fan of the "throw stuff in the wok until the end result is tasty" method of cooking.  So, it's safe to say that measurements are not my style. I've put in a few guidelines here for those of you following along at home (you poor, poor people, if you're actually using my recipes to cook).

The ingredients - total cost about $4 USD

Two Years

On or about this day two years ago, my heart was (figuratively) ripped out of my chest.  The love of my life said to me, "I feel like after six months I should know if I want to marry you.  And I don't know yet if I want to marry you, so let's break up."  Or something to that effect.  No amount of begging, pleading, crying, or even logic, would sway him.  I just couldn't believe that this relationship that, to me, was all that was good and the way a relationship should be, could seem so opposite to him.  That was the end, and thus began a complete teardown and rebuild of the thing known as ME.

A Day in the Life of Sadie

(Sometimes I wish I'd never started a blog, because people expect me to update it. Bah.)

These days I spend large chunks of time in front of my computer in my air-conditioned bedroom.  (Cause I have a job! Working from home! For a software company! As a technical writer!!! No this is not a joke. Yes I'll tell more later. Someday.)  This means I get to watch Sadie, doing what she does best - absolutely nothing! Spoiled dog :)

Early morning, it's cool enough to sit in the sun

Spirited Dog

Just chillin' and enjoying the weather... :)

My New Ride

Here I am, a couple of weeks out of school. Relaxing at last! And working on getting Sadie comfortable in our new environment. I'm going to take Thai lessons in January so I can finally understand what people are saying to me. I've learned a few words, mostly involving food and how much things cost. But that's not enough of course!

Recently I traded in my rental scooter for my very own ride! It's a Yamaha Mio ZR, and it's not something that exists in the States. In fact, nearly all of the cars, trucks, and motorbikes are different here. (Toyota Fortuner or Honda CBR150R, anyone?) They're smaller than in the US,  but usually you don't notice. Until you see an actual Honda Civic and it looks like a freakin' Cadillac, it's so big. It's interesting, that's for sure!

Here are some pictures of my new scooter (or motorbike as they're called in Thailand).  It's kinda pimped out :)  When I finally (a) get a job, and (b) learn how to ride a manual, I'll upgrade to a Honda Dream. I hear they are the best thing around.

 

Here are some pictures from a road trip I took recently, my first long ride on my new bike!  I went in a big loop from Chiang Mai to Samoeng and back to Chiang Mai. It was beautiful. Funny how I've moved smack into the middle of some of the most beautiful and famous motorcycle riding in the world, for those who pay attention to such things. I might have to get more into riding!

View Chiang Mai to Samoeng Loop in a larger map

My Life in Thailand

is the title of this new google map that my friend Bill tought me how to make!

View My life in Thailand in a larger map

There are only a few pins on it as of yet, because my life has lately been taken over by the hell known as CELTA. I just started the final week, though, so my life will soon return to normal..Except for the fact that, as a full-fledged EFL teacher, I'll have to start job hunting.  Eek! And I can blog again - and I'll actually have experiences to blog about, as I don't think you'd enjoy hearing about the inside of a classroom.

In the meantime, please enjoy these pictures of the lovely plants in my garden.

 

New House & Talat Warorot

It's been a big weekend. Yesterday I moved into my new rental house, which involved hiring a truck to take me, Sadie, & our stuff from the hotel to the house, dropping off everything, then the truck dropping me off at a scooter rental place a few kilometers away. Then remembering how to ride a scooter, which I haven't done since February (the last time I was in Thailand), and going to Tesco Lotus to load up on a few necessary items.

I lucked out with my landlord, fortunately. He's a nice man who doesn't charge for internet and had the inside walls of the house painted before I moved in. Then again, his mother comes into my garden every morning to pray at the spirit house, so I guess it's all even. I also ended up renting my scooter from a really cool guy, an English bloke named Robin. In addition to renting scooters, he's also an EFL teacher, and lives nearby with his Thai wife and their child. When I had trouble starting the scooter after I brought it home, I called him and he came right over to my place and fixed it - turns out the fuse had blown. Yay for good people!

Today I opened a bank account, then rode the scooter into town to the Talat Warorot, which is a massive day market in the Northeastern corner of the city that has everything you can imagine (and some things you can't). There I loaded up on kitchen and laundry items as well as a sweet pair of rubber slipon shoes ($3) and super comfortable Thai pants ($2.50). Pretty awesome.

All in all, it's been pretty exhausting. I'm not sure if you've ever been in a situation where almost nobody can understand you, or they understand very little, and therefore getting anything done is time-consuming and exhausting. It's been very humbling, that's for sure. And as soon as I'm done with my CELTA course, I'm definitely enrolling in Thai lessons!

Another thing I've noticed a lot, and that I find extremely frustrating, is how most of the Thais react to me. If I'm in the tourist sector it doesn't happen, but when I'm out & about grocery shopping, riding my scooter, and doing the things one does when they aren't just a tourist, I get stared at by people. All the time. OK, no big deal. But then lots of times I'm trying something for the first time, and naturally I do it wrong. And then people LAUGH at me!!! And it doesn't sound like nice laughter either, it seems rather mean-spirited. I think that's pretty fucked up, honestly. When I see a foreigner in the States, I don't stare and laugh at them! Seriously, What The Fuck. Maybe I eventually will get used to it, and will probably stop screwing up so much as I learn how to live here. I hope.

Tomorrow afternoon is orientation for my course, then we jump right into it on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.! (I think that's Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. for you West coasters, since I hear you're changing your clocks). I'm nervous for the course to start, because I know it'll be tough, but also it will be nice to have something to do every day. I can't go shopping at the market all the time, after all!



More pictures here.

Thailand: The Arrival

Arrived in Thailand a week ago. Sorry for the lack of updates; a few days spent visiting a traditional Thai family coupled with a totally traumatized world-traveling dog makes for a very stressed-out girl. Most of my communications have been in the form of angst-ridden skype sessions with my family, or short cheerful-sounding blurbs on Twitter and Facebook.

Sadie made it one piece, but she still hasn't recovered emotionally. Since we got to the hotel we've been spending a great deal of time in our room where she seems most comfortable. She doesn't like me to leave her alone and barks her head off when I try to leave, which complicates things each day! Luckily I've found a local animal hospital who not only groomed her for $3 USD, but they also babysat her free of charge for a few hours today while I signed the lease on my rental house. When we go on our walks she growls and barks at everyone we see, though at least she now seems to recognize the people we see everyday and doesn't bark at them so much. I feel like a real asshole for putting her on a plane and dragging her to the other side of the world - it's not like she asked to come! And we still have one more change of scenery ahead of us, to our rental house in North Chiang Mai. I think that we'll both be more comfortable there and can finally begin to relax.

And yes, I rented a house! I got a six-month lease on a tiny furnished Thai-style 2 bedroom 1 bathroom at the somewhat extravagant price of 7,500 baht, or about $227 USD/month. I think it cost more because I'm farang and will be taken advantage of everywhere I go, and also because it's furnished. And because I rented it for six months instead of one year. At least by US standards it's freakin cheap. There is a big walled-in yard (the Thais call it a garden), air conditioning in the bedroom, and internet is included. It's in a quiet neighborhood a few kilometers from my school, and close to some restaurants and a Tesco Lotus. I will be getting a scooter soon, and I'm pretty excited about that!

Stress levels are beginning to abate now that I'm nearly done with my odyssey. Phew! My stress coping skills have been over-used to the point of being worn threadbare, where the slightest new problem I confronted brought on tears and/or anxiety. Of course school starts on Monday, but I can't imagine that'll be more stressful than the journey I've already been through!

If selling off your life and moving around the world is difficult, doing it with a dog is at least ten times more difficult. If I can do this, I can do anything. And now you all have someone to come visit in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at least for the next six months!



More pictures here.

T Minus 7 Days - Check!

Eep.

What I've done:

• Repriced and relisted my china cabinet, dresser, and computer desk
• Taken carloads of stuff to Goodwill
• Set up the car donation
• Gave bookshelves and lots of kitchenwares to cousin Matty
• Sold my bed
• Took my bike and snowboard and related gear to my dad's house for storage
  
• Packed up my backpacking gear and 2 plastic tubs with things I want to keep for my mom to take home with her
• Received mypassport with travel visa from the Thai embassy in DC!

What I still need to do:

• Sell those final three pieces of furniture
• Final goodwill trips
• Cancel car, home, health insurance
  
• Cancel gym membership
• Jailbreak iPhone & break AT&T contract
• Take Sadie's vet paperwork to Olympia for endorsement by the USDA (yes, really)
• Figure out if all these clothes and things I plan to take with me will fit in my backpack
  
• Probably something else that I'm totally forgetting

Looking at this list I actually can't believe I've gotten so much done, because I feel like I've doing really well at procrastinating and completely ignoring the problem. Actually, I do still have quite a bit to do, given that I only have 7 days, and only 5 business days, left. Eek! Fortunately my mom and sister are coming on Sunday and Monday to help me finish the job, and to provide moral support - yay! My next 7 days are meticulously planned out. I'm even working at the farmers markets on Thursday and Sunday. I'd rather not, but the $$ always helps. I wish I had time to go to the zoo one last time, but I don't think I'll have time :(

Needless to say, I've gotten rid of all the boys. Who has time for such things during a time like this? Not me. For the next couple months I'll be traveling, resting, traveling, looking for an apartment, going through a pretty intense certificate program for 5 weeks, then looking for a job. And them moving again and starting a new job, sometime in December or January, or whenever I get hired. All of this while trying to be the constant for my high-strung dog who is about to have her world and her routine turned upside down. Crikey! I quail with fear at the prospect, especially given that I haven't done shit in the last 9 months. What if I've lost my edge? What if I forgot how to go to work at a regular job? (Not that this will be a regular job, really.) And, oh god, the big one - WHAT IF I HATE TEACHING??? I never saw myself as a teacher. I do think I'll be good at teaching the English language, but will I enjoy it? Time will tell.

Wish me luck...

Check

What I've done:

• Sell couch, TV, DVD, microwave, ottoman
• Accepted an offer to buy my bed in mid-October, right before I leave
• Promised my bookshelves to my cousin (not the crazy one)
• Found homes-away-from-home for my bike, snowboard and gear, backpacking gear, and a few other odds & ends I don't want to part with
• Took Sadie to the vet for her Thailand-required checkup
• FedExed my visa application to the Thai embassy in DC
• Cancelled my Comcast internet & cable

Still need to do:

• Reprice and sell items that haven't sold yet, like the china cabinet & dresser, and a few other things
• Take lots of stuff to Goodwill
• Cancel gym membership & setup cancellation of electric account
• Jailbreak iPhone
• End AT&T contract
• Research car donation process
• Get water bowls for Sadie's travel crate
• Take bookshelves to Matty's house, and some kitchen stuff too
• Probably something else that I'm totally forgetting

Maybe it doesn't seem like a long list, but I look around my house and it sure doesn't look like I'm moving to another country in less than four weeks! Actually I think putting it in list form like this will help me tackle what's left. And the closer I get to T-day, October 21 (that's Thailand-day or Travel-day, I'm not sure which), the more stuff I can get rid of, cause I won't need them anymore, of course. No rest for the wicked!

Also, in bizarre, unrelated news, it's raining men. Seriously, WTF?! A family I know recently set me up with a good friend of theirs. He turned out to be really cool and we had a lot in common, and we went out a couple times and had an awesome time. He's just left for a six-week stint in Madison, Wisconsin though, so that effectively ends that budding situation, since I'll be gone by the time he returns. He's a doctor who travels around the country filling in for other doctors, but his home base is Seattle. Then on Wednesday, I met not one but two guys, both of whom asked me out. I met guy #2 at the farmers market during the day and guy #1 later that night at a show at the Sunset Tavern. This is kind of unusual for me, so I'm stoked but mystified. Anyway, I have a date with guy #1 tonight and a date with guy #2 tomorrow.

So, busy busy busy is the word(s) of the day, and every day till I leave. Time is flying!

The Decider

Someone whose opinion I greatly value said to me, "I shouldn't have an opinion, but I do. Sell everything you own, it's not worth keeping. Move to Thailand. I think it's a creative solution to your current job situation (or lack thereof). And what a great adventure!"

It helps that I've started thinking about Thailand as a 1-2 year plan instead of a 5-10-year plan. The mystery city from my last post will be there, whenever I'm ready for it. I'm excited for my Thai adventure once again. It's gonna be tough and it's gonna be scary, but I'm tough and scary and I can handle it. I'm going to buy a scooter, it will be awesome! (And maybe someday a motorcycle, but I don't want to get ahead of myself at this point.) The flight is booked. Now I just need to sell my stuff - ugh!

Sea Change

Fall creeps slowly toward the Pacific Northwest. The shadows grow longer and show themselves earlier, and though most days are still pretty hot, the nights have been getting downright chilly. I'm still doing some part-time work on the side while successfully avoiding getting a day job. Texas and I aren't friends anymore, and that's probably a permanent situation, unfortunately. But life goes on.

As most of you know, for the last few months I have been preparing for one of the largest changes in my life: moving to Thailand. The plan right now is to fly to Chiang Mai on October 21, go to school to learn how to teach English as a foreign language (TEFL), then get a job in Thailand doing just that. I was looking forward to shedding my possessions and my life as I know it and plunging feetfirst into a new experience.

The last week or so, I've been starting to have some serious doubts about this plan. Maybe I don't want to get rid of everything I own just yet. Maybe I don't want to go around the world from everyone and everything I know. And I'm seriously fretting about the effect the 19-hour plane ride will have on my poor little dog, stuck in her crate alone the entire time.

The one thing I do know is that I don't want to remain in Seattle. I am adamant about that! I'm sick of the cold weather, the dark winters, the passive aggressive people. Not to mention it seems like I run into an ex-boyfriend or somebody I've dated at least once a week. Enough already!

I'm currently kicking around a new idea...I'm not prepared to reveal all yet, but it's someplace warmer than Seattle, with a lower unemployment rate and a lower cost-of-living. I'm scoping around there for job opportunities, and I've made plans to go there to visit a friend in the near future.

My mother asked me, Is this a sea change or just cold feet? At this point I don't know. I'm going to sit with this decision for a bit, and talk with my therapist next week to get her insight. Whatever happens, I will of course keep you posted!

Pictures

I'm home, I'm exhausted, here are some pictures. Cut me some slack, I'm at the end of my second Saturday in a row! That's right, yesterday was Saturday for me. And so is today, of course. Chalk it up to a 15-hour time difference and a 10-hour layover in Seoul. It's like Groundhog Day. Very fun, but sooo exhausting. Now I am home with my own computer and peripherals so I can take the time to fix up my blog and photos.

Thailand - Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

Today I took the 1.5 hour boat ride to Koh Phi Phi, which is famous for being one of the most beautiful places on earth, and also for being the setting of the 2000 Leo diCaprio movie The Beach. I've wanted to come here ever since I saw that movie. Of course on Christmas Eve 2006, Koh Phi Phi gained worldwide fame as ground zero for the tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people. I can't believe I'm standing in the place that was flattened by such an amazing force of nature. And even now, more than 4 years after the fact, there are still piles of rubble here and there that have yet to be cleared.

The village itself is pretty disappointing - it's a total party scene. I'm surrounded by hordes of tanned 20-something Eurotrash, and the village walkways (there are no roads) are lined with Thais all trying to get our attention to sell things, or rent a room to us, or whatever. I finally had to put the iPod on to drown it all out. I was all set to pack up and head to Koh Lanta or Krabi tomorrow, but I've decided to give this place a fair shake. It's actually quite beautiful when you get away from the madness, after all. Tomorrow afternoon I'm doing a 1/2 day snorkelling trip to Koh Phi Phi Leh, which is the uninhabited "little sister" island to this one.

For now, tho, later taters. It's 10:30 p.m. and I was up till 2 a.m. last night in Phuket!

Thailand - Phuket to Koh Phi Phi

Thailand - Phuket and the Best Valentine's Day EVER

What a day. Started with me dashing all over Chiang Mai in the early morning, buying more fabric for Mom and silk for Kristine. Done. Phew! Then it was off to the airport to catch my plane to Phuket to start the final leg of my journey. That would be the hedonist beach bum leg.

I was feeling a bit blue because it was Valentine's Day, and I just saw my ex boyfriend with another girl a few weeks ago so my overactive imagination was torturing me as it often does. Then the airline told me they didn't have a seat for me on the plane! I bought a ticket dammit, I better have a seat. "You're lucky," said the checkin lady. Phew, I thought, I get a seat. "We're upgrading you to business class because we don't have a seat for you in economy." YESSS! This kind of stuff never happens to me, and I was pumped. I enjoyed a nice 2-hour ride in the lap of luxury, or at least in the lap of business class.

I'm going to wrap this up for now, but the magical night I had consisted of a great restaurant, sharing a table with a German guy, dancing, a drag show, dancing on tabletops with the drag queen, shimmying with cute Thai boys, getting a scooter ride home from 1 of them. It was such a great night :) "What happens in Phuket, stays in Phuket."

Thailand - Phuket and the Best Valentine's Day EVER

Thailand - Chiang Mai Part 2

Sorry for the long radio silence... I've actually been doing fun things at night when I usually update blog and photos. And now I'm on Koh Phi Phi where the internet is expensive and really freakin' slow, so I'm just going to put placeholders in for now. (We know how that goes when I do that.) Anyway. In a nutshell:

Chiang Mai the 2nd time around was great fun. I rented a scooter, my new favorite form of transport, and headed around town then into the mountains to see some Wats. Then later that night met my new friend, Mimi, to go to the Night Bazaar to do my shopping. Mimi lives in CM and I met her the first time I was there a few days ago. Wats: done. Shopping: done. We went to a really cool restaurant called the Riverside, and that's where everyone hangs out apparently, cause it was jumpin.

Thailand - Chiang Mai Part 2

Thailand - Pai to Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai

No blog entry till now because I didn't upload yesterday's pictures till now. Not much of a blog entry at the moment, because it's 9:15 a.m. and I'm heading out to see the sights in a few minutes. But I will write more when I get back.

I'm staying at a lovely guesthouse, Awana House. It's awesome so far, the people are very helpful (they gave me their business card to show to taxi drivers so they can get me home), and it's in a great location. I highly recommend it.

Here are yesterday's pictures. Enjoy.

Thailand - Pai to Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai

Thailand - Pai

Alternate title: Dogs and Chickens and Water Buffalo, Oh My!

The day started as it always does, with a double mocha and Thai food. Delicious as usual. Then I set out on foot for Wat Phra That Mae Yen, which is 1km out of town. It was a beautiful walk, and after stopping for more coffee I ascended the many steps to the Wat. After the Wat I had planned to go to Mae Hong Son today, because honestly Pai wasn't really doing it for me. Seriously, I can go to Port Townsend to see this action! But before I caught the bus out of town I decided to rent a scooter and check out the countryside and see a waterfall. And riding around out there in the countryside, I decided to stay here another night. There's so much more to Pai than just the little town. It's the country out here! I saw many creatures, pictures of which you'll find on my photo page.

Up to now I've resisted taking pictures of dogs because, well, I know not everyone is as obsessed with them as I am (believe it or not). But the fact is, Thailand is full of dogs. Some with homes, many homeless. They're not like U.S. dogs either...they don't live inside the house, they wander around the neighborhood, and they are really skinny. The homeless dogs wander anywhere they want to. I just saw a dog sleeping under a bench that I saw last night near my guesthouse on the other side of town. Last night it wanted to be my best friend, tonight it was napping and wanted nothing to do with me. Hmph. Many Thais are Buddhist, and I guess that's why they leave the dogs alone. If a dog wanders out into the road, cars go around it. If it wanders into a restaurant, all of which are open-air, it's allowed. Dogs lounge around everywhere. I, of course, love it. There are several pictures of dogs in today's photo album so you can see what I'm talking about.

After the walk to the Wat, I took the scooter to Pai Canyon. This is a large canyon that has raised, naturally-formed narrow trails throughout. It's pretty amazing. After the canyon I came back to town to find a new place to stay and have some lunch. I ended up in a cute, tiny bungalow at Golden House guesthouse for 400 bhat, or about $12 US. Then it was back on the scooter to Pam Bok Waterfall. A short dusty trail led to the falls, which were actually not that overwhelming compared to falls in Washington State. But the water was warm and I waded a bit. It was fun. Then I rode to Tha Pai Hotsprings, which are in a national park. I paid 200 bhat to get in. This is the farang (foreigner) price. Ashley told me that Thailand residents get in for 20 bhat, one tenth of the price. She is pretty bothered by this, even though she gets the Thai price. I don't mind, because it's still only $6 US. After my soak (going in a hot, hot spring in Thailand? I must be crazy), I dressed and came back to my bungalow. By this time it was 4 p.m., so I rested for awhile and went through the pictures in my camera in preparation for tonight's blog entry.

After a brief rest, and a thorough reapplication of DEET, I headed out to the Sanctuary Restaurant for some dinner. It turned out to be only a snack though, because they were out of green papaya salad. Bummer. But that means I get to eat more tonight at yet another delicious restaurant or street cart! No complaints there.

I just got done with a facial, which I opted to do tonight instead of another brutal Thai massage. I thought the price was a little outrageous at 350 bhat (about $11.75 US), but the heat & humidity, mosquitos, and DEET applications created an emergency situation. I think tomorrow I will get a reflexology massage.

Tomorrow I take the bus to Mae Hong Son, then fly back to Chiang Mai in the afternoon. Yes, I am a major wuss - I booked a plane ticket because I refuse to sit through 2 hours of carsickness on the way back. And I'm taking a dramamine for the bus ride to Mae Hong Son, just in case. I will be in Chiang Mai for 2 days and I plan to do lots of shopping at the Night Bazaar.

Thailand - Pai

Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Today I made the journey from Chiang Mai to Pai. I know I said I was going to Mae Hong Son first, but I'm going there tomorrow.

After a lovely coffee this morning and picking up my laundry, I headed off to Pai in a minivan along with 9 other intrepid souls. I'd been warned by Erin and by Lonely Planet that the long and winding road could make you feel carsick. But holy mother of GOD, I was not prepared for 2 hours of winding carsick HELL. You've been carsick I'm sure. Now imagine it for 2 freakin' hours. I managed to hang onto my cookies, barely. Ugh. I made a video so you can see what it was like. Enjoy, and hold onto your cookies.

From Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Upon arriving in Pai and checking into the Breeze of Pai Guesthouse, I laid on the bed for a few minutes until my tummy calmed down. Then it was off to explore the streets of Pai. And there are hippies as far as the eye can see. Lots of white hippies, but also... Thai hippies. I've never seen such a think. We're talking dreadlocks, hemp clothing, and the whole hippie shebang. It's fascinating. How narrowminded of me to think that hippie-dom was strictly an American phenomenon. Speaking of Americans, I hadn't run into a single one in Thailand...until I got to Pai, where there are tons of them. I'm not sure why that is.

After walking around and exploring, and stopping for dinner, it was time for another Thai massage. This lady was completely different from the one I got yesterday. Today the massage hurt. Lots of pressure points were pressed. It was painful throughout, but I felt much better after. I could get used to this. I could get used to a lot about Thailand.

The mosquitos seem to be getting worse the further North I get. Despite constantly bathing myself in DEET, they are making a meal of me. I guess I will have to get a higher concentration of bug spray at the drugstore tomorrow. I spend my days covered in a mixture of sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray. No wonder my arms are developing a bumpy little rash. But it's a small price to pay for the awesomeness that is Thailand (did I mention that it's 9 p.m. and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt?).

Tomorrow morning I am walking 1 km out of town to see a Wat that is several names long. After that I may go to the Pai hot springs, then it's off to Mae Hong Son via a 3-hour bus ride in the afternoon/evening. More updates later!

Thailand - Chiang Mai to Pai

Thailand - Rayong, etc.

Don't feel too much like blogging, oddly enough. But in a nutshell,

• I had a nice uneventful flight(s) to Thailand on Wednesday.
• My friend Ashley got my arrival day mixed up, and fortunately I had her number so was able to roust her from her bed to come pick me up.
• It took 2 days to get over the jet lag. Those 2 days really sucked, because I would start to get tired at noon (9 p.m. PST), and get progressively worse until I fell into bed at 8 p.m., then wake up at 5:00 a.m. Yesterday I finally made it through the day without feeling tired. Yay!
• I arrived in Chiang Mai today after 3 days with Ashley and her adorable daughters, and I'm travelling to Mae Hong Son tomorrow. From there to Pai, from Pai back to Chiang Mai, where I will stay for a couple days till I fly to Phuket on the 14th.
• Valentine's Day can suck itself.
• Thai food is so amazing. I may never eat Thai food in the states again, because it doesn't compare to this. After a couple painful and embarrassing episodes, Ash taught me a useful phrase: "Mai phet!" which means "not hot!" I have used it many times since then with great success.
• I got a cell phone for $15. All cells in Thailand are prepaid, and I thought it was a good idea for emergencies. Of course it's also helpful for calling the folks back home, also very cheap.
• There are internet cafes and laundry places on every corner. Both are cheap. When I finish up at this internet cafe, I am going to sleep at my guest house and picking up my laundry in the morning.

I don't even want to attempt to add pictures to this post - who knows how long it'll take. So here you go: Pictures here. Sawatee kha.