You know that scene in Cinderella when goes to wake her stepsisters and they have the vaulted ceiling rooms and she has to go clear across to room to draw open the ginormous drapes covering the windows? Ok, the guys have no clue what I’m talking about but I know at Leslie knows what I’m talking about. Well …
Everyone says traveling alone is hard, especially for women. So I decided I needed to keep a running list of this stuff as a young, independent, female traveler. This takes personal and other people’s experiences and talks about traveling with others as well. Some of it is funny, some of it is practical, some of it makes …
I wasn’t really prepared for India. I don’t think you ever could be. I was told to surrender all personal space, to get used to stares, harassment, and to be more careful than ever. I was told no matter how well you plan your time in India, it never goes according to plan (but I …
Probably the best 400 baht I’ve ever spent. Also because I didn’t have to paddle most of the time. 🙂 Let me introduce Dan to you. Dan is a true blue native of Nottingham, which I found greatly entertaining when I learned this. He teaches English in Korea with Nathan and decided to make a …
I wasn’t much of a fan of Krabi Town, so I was quite anxious to get to our New Year’s destination: The Bananas (or Bananas Bungalows). Located 2 km away from Tha Lane Pier, it has been the most remote location I’ve been to in Thailand. Not much is around, and even the Pier, which …
Railey vs Railay, vs Rai Leh, however you spell it, just pronounce it Ray-Lay Beach. I’ve seen it spelled quite a few different ways with the phonetic translations of Thai so I’m just going to Railay. Railey and Phrang Nga Cove are only accessible by boat. The closest pier from Krabi that would take me …
While I still yearned to be stargazing on my patio in Pai, swinging in the hammock of my new patio watching the waves crash and the stars peak out wasn’t so bad either. It’s been a while since I spent anytime near open water at night, and I was reminded how the salty sweet ocean …
When Nathan and I ended up at a new hotel called La Bateau Ivre (good deal 350-500 baht rooms, recommended if you are just stopping by or need a central place to start your exploration), I didn’t realize it was literally on the street where the infamous Chiang Mai Sunday Market is held. How lucky for …
Before Nathan and I even set food in Thailand we only knew where we were staying to square our visas away in Bangkok and we had a beach front bungalow booked up for Christmas in the northwest corner of an island called Koh Samui. Our sweet little bungalow wasn’t really in as much of a …
Waiting around all week to help Mink at the local farmers market wasn’t so terrible considering how much I loved Pai. I was so excited I even got up before the sun came up. It was the first morning I wasn’t woken up by the quacking ducks underneath my bungalow. I later found out it …
Pai has been a magical place for me. Everyone says you have to go to Pai, and even though what was once a small dirt road mountainside town 20 years ago has now turned into a nicely paved tourist destination, there is something in the air that still gives this place a laid back feel …
The past week has had a few random and (for me) almost embarrassingly flattering moments. I have never been able to accept compliments very well, despite what some may say about us Leos. I always find it embarrassing and I never know what to say. I’ve been working on saying thank you, but usually I just laugh …
I’ve had my fair share of full day feasts. I started practicing how to survive these events while growing up at any kind of Chinese family gathering. Copious amounts of food was required just as much as your presence. I thought I had perfected this skill while I was in Italy during the many – …
Parzival wanted some photos documenting his work in progress. It was a first for me and a fun afternoon! Thanks Parzival for sharing the afternoon with me!
It was just about as magical as it sounds. Quite possibly the best day of my life. I have definitely never experienced anything like this before but it’s an experience everyone needs to go through. To be completely honest, I’m actually shameful that I actually had to contemplate this idea. Before I came to Thailand …
As Nathan and I made our way to Chiang Mai we made some quick one night stops. The first was Lopburi, also known as monkey town. You can see monkeys roaming the streets everywhere and there’s even a monkey temple for them. It’s like watching ants on an ant hill…except with lots of old bananas …
I have always been a big fan of trains. There is something about riding the train that makes you feel like you are actually travelling. You can see everything that goes by you in between destinations and you feel like you’re covering more ground. When you fly you’re basically locked into an uncomfortable box with stale …
Our next main destination was Chiang Mai, but being that it’s about 700 km away from Bangkok, we figured there would be some things to see along the way. First stop: Ayutthaya. I had no idea what awaited us in Ayutthaya. Nathan mentioned something about ruins and I thought: “Cool”. It was a bit touristy …
Thailand represents many firsts for me. It’s been a while since I’ve done the whole touristy bit…I’ve become quite accustomed with settling down once I arrive in a country. I like getting to know locals and making new friends. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience as a solo traveler. Seeing the sights can …
Nathan and I wanted to check out a floating market, however we didn’t really want to make a whole day of it and since most of them were further out of town, we decided to check out the one closest to us. It was still an hour+ bus ride from our hotel, but we made …
Once Nathan and I got our visas sorted, it was on to some sight seeing. We decided that Wat Pho looked interesting enough as well as Wat Aran. Probably my favorite part of this experience was catching the bus to get there. The buses sort just roll to a California stop after you wave them down. We …
We stumbled upon this market our first night in Bangkok. It is quite possibly the most massive market I have ever seen. Rows upon rows of every type of ingredient used in asian cooking available. Fish filleted upon like they’re ready to be plattered shashimi style, still breathing, and fish still trying to make their …
If you know me at all, I am a terrible, awful, hopeless romantic. I tear up at any wedding I attend (even if I don’t know the bride and groom), Disney movies, and Christmas movies. For some reason Seattle doesn’t have an outdoor ice rink during the holidays, and I’ve always fantasized about a skating …
Once again, I spent an evening realizing how incredibly lucky I am to have met some amazing people during my time abroad. Steve and Dan took time out of their very busy schedules to meet with Tim and I. They say it’s because my arrival gave them an excuse to get together, but either way …
If you don’t like cauliflower, I strongly suggest you give this dish a chance. Personally, I’m not a big cauliflower fan. To me it’s a crunchy, tough, flavorless vegetable. I’m much happier with it’s sister: broccoli. But this pasta dish gave the vegetable a second chance for me. The key is slow cooking the cauliflower to …
