Love at First Bite: A delicious yet dangerous new bakery find, and, I thought, the perfect name for my long-overdue update on life in Chiang Mai. Every day is not all glitz and glamour. I am not just a traveler with an open agenda this time; I am actually going about real life here. My alarm goes off at 5:55am sharp…and then again at 6:02. Then the really annoying one from across the room begins to shrill at 6:10, informing me that is really IS time to get ...

See, the trouble with keeping an exciting adventure journal is that you have to stop having amazing adventures long enough to write about all the ones you have been experiencing! Clearly, I am having difficulties with this. Last time I wrote I was fresh off the bus from Vientienne, rosy-cheeked and ready to move to my new apartment and start my job. Now, I have clothes strewn all over, snacks in the cupboard, ice tea in the fridge, cleaning supplies, and a bro...

Hello All! Once again my fingers cannot keep up with the wealth of experiences I've been having! It has been over a week since I last posted and circumstances have changed dramatically. 1)I have a job! I had some interviews, turned in some resumes, and got mostly positive responses but no job offers. I then found out I only had 2.5 weeks left in the country on my visa! Eeek. I started thinking about other ways to stay in Chiang Mai, but I was getting pretty ...

Sawatdee Ka! This is Thai for "hello" with the feminine polite marker. A man would say, "Sawatdee Krap" (pronounced crop). My journey to speaking fluent Thai has begun! As of now I can pronounce only a few phrases, but having so many fluent speakers around (including the English speakers I know!) gives me lots of motivation to learn as quickly as possible. You could probably all sense my excitement at being in a new place in my last post,...

Well! This is just going to be a short blurb about my initial impressions of Asia in general and Chiang Mai in particular, because I just got here and I need a nap. The actual traveling part is always the most stressful, since once you get settled someplace everything else seems to come out alright (if not great!). This trip was no exception. It turns out they really want you to have a return ticket before they'll let you check in for your flight to Thailand. I...