Blogging as Avoidance Tactic

As much fun as entering receipts into a spreadsheet can be, I think I’ll post my last round of Thailand pics instead. And maybe if I sit in front of my computer for long enough, I’ll find the inner strength to fill out a travel insurance claim, too. What a super fun Sunday afternoon!

Market in Chiang Mai

Market traffic jam

So many delightful water installations to choose from!

View from the crazy bug museum

A very lumpy panda sculpture

Taking the songthaew to a temple

Another photo that tourists are legally required to take when visiting Thailand

At the temple

More temple

Snooping around

Gold!

Back to Bangkok. Wandering around by the river.

Despite being completely wrecked and utterly unprepared for zero degree weather, Dan and I dragged ourselves into Seoul via public transportation at the crack of dawn

After thirty minutes of wandering around and making a key purchase (gloves!), we settled into a delicious feast of my Korean food favorites before spending another 1.5 hours on public transport to get back to the airport in time for our flight

Blogging Break

Well, to be accurate, I’ve still been blogging but in my capacity as a Kiva Fellow. I just haven’t had much to say on the personal front, mostly because Richards Bay is without a doubt the most boring place I’ve ever lived and we’re still playing the waiting game when it comes to Dan’s continuing education this fall. Just doesn’t make for riveting dispatches. So, while Dan is forcing himself awake right now with some coffee, I’m going to post a few more Thailand pictures so at some point I can finally, officially move on to safaris pics and Mozambique.

First full day in Bangkok

Classic BKK pic. I think tourists are pretty much required to take a picture like this.

Wandering around by the train station

Waiting for our night train to Chiang Mai

Trains always have the best lighting schemes

Interior detail

It's so nice when everyone gets along...

Doesn't Dan look like he's having a great time?

Getting close to Chiang Mai. A few more pics coming soon.

This is why you don’t wait four months to post travel pics

You forget all the details. But at least with food pics, the deliciousness will hopefully speak for itself.

In Chiang Mai, we took a Thai cooking class that was super fun (even for someone like me who doesn't really like to cook)

Fortunately, I didn't burn anything when I took a break from cooking to snap this picture

Fish souffle (better than it sounds)

Yes, we made spring rolls. How could you not?

JP decided to fry an egg and place it atop his Pad Thai because he's a show-off like that

Back in Bangkok: A deep-fried street omelette at seven in the morning (long story)

One afternoon we stumbled across a corner of Bangkok with no street food (which I would have thought impossible!) but we were saved from hunger by a tucked-away bakery selling Portuguese cookies

One of those mornings

I’m having one of those mornings where technology and I are just not getting along. I’m hoping that after waiting 50 minutes for a driver to download I can finally print a few important things from my computer. Unfortunately, the website I’m using doesn’t re-render the pages for optimal printing so I’m not sure if it’s even worth the hassle. Ugh. At least we’re going away for the weekend to spend time with extended family. Planning to read and sleep and relax.

On an unrelated note, here are some pictures from a cute coffee shop in Chiang Mai. Nimmenkamen Road, Soi 13. Check it out.

The backyard of a cute, arty coffee shop

So many inviting places to sit

Still life

I want that fan

This reminds me of my friend Ashley for some reason

Not Packing But Should Be

Kuala Lumpur looking moody

Instead of packing for what feels like the millionth time in the past month, I am cleaning up the desktop on my computer. In doing so, I’ve come across a random assortment of Kuala Lumpur pics that I’m going to upload before I forget all about them. I also have a ridiculous number of Mt. Kinabalu, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, and Chiang Mai pics but that’s a whole other can of worms. Hopefully I get to those before the new crop of Southern Africa pics starts rolling in. Which reminds me, I never did a very good job of sharing the first batch from 2009. One of these days….

Waiting for the monorail

Visiting an artist's studio

Lush garden just off the artist's studio

Vanilla beans

Christmas decorations in KL were pretty ridiculous. Not only that, the worst Christmas music ever was piped through speakers in Bukit Bintang.

Our room at the YWCA was VERY bright. No sleeping in allowed.

Storm watching

Central Market in KL. The light and architecture reminded me of LA.

Walking down Jalan Hang Jebat

Loved the skyline in KL

Cambodia Pictures

Well, drawings. I did finally upload the pictures to my computer but I’m not ready to sort through them yet. The first I drew at Angkor Wat and the second I started drawing in our hotel in Siem Riep then finished up near the train station in Bangkok and on the night train to Chiang Mai. Enjoy.

Angkor Wat

Siem Reap, JP's haircut in Bangkok, Night Train