In comparison to Thailand, Laos seems to shut down shockingly early at night. Many guesthouses have curfews, the latest of which seems to be 12 AM (as ours was), though some are as early as 10:30 PM. The waitstaff at seemingly hip little bars and restaurants in Luang Prabang start making gestures of closing as early as 10:30 and 11. I was concerned about this situation. It's not that I like to go out every night by any means, but every once in a while I do like to go out to the bars or better yet, dancing, til late and [View Full Entry]

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In trying to get more insights about what differentiates the cuisine in Laos from Thai food, I hit a little goldmine of information on my first full day in Luang Prabang (solo since Courtney had left for her overnight trek). The goldmine's name was Tamarind Cafe and I found it to be so delightful and informative that I knew I had to take Courtney there when she got back. A Laos man and Australian woman started the little restaurant and also offer family-style dinners on Friday nights and cooking lessons. The menu is really nicely done and provides a good first [View Full Entry]

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I spent my first day in Luang Prabang wandering aimlessly around the streets, just taking in the French(ish) architecture and taking it easy for the most part. I popped into a few of the wats (of which there are a ton) for good measure and marveled at all the orange-robed monks walking around. [Incidentally, I've realized that while it still strikes me as a neat thing to see, I've become really accustomed to seeing monks all over the place since I first came over. I remember at first that every time I saw a monk doing anything I felt a sometimes [View Full Entry]

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I took the much-recommended (at least by the guidebooks) 2-day boat slow boat ride down the Mekong River to get from the border with Thailand down to Luang Prabang to meet up with Courtney for our 'last hurrah' in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. It was . . . SLOW. But it was also fun and from, and, from what I hear from others who've already been to Laos, a much cosier way to travel Laos than the buses, despite the fact that we were on small, hard wooden benches for two days straight. The day started off with breakfast in [View Full Entry]

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Thailand is about 95% Buddhist according to the sources I've seen. There is a small Muslim minority and an even smaller group of Christians. Officially the form of Buddhism here is called Theravada Buddhism, which is the oldest form of Buddhism, preceding Mahayana, Tantric, and Tibetan Buddhism. I was confused when I first got here, however, about all of the offerings I would see in various places. It seems that Buddhism here is actually greatly influenced by Hinduism, as well as by ancient animist beliefs and ancestor worship. I remember being surprised when I first saw the shrine on [View Full Entry]

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Before I hop over the border to Laos tomorrow morning (well, not hop so much as take a ferry since the border is the river here), I am making a stop in the northernmost part of Thailand. Yesterday I was in Chiang Saen, which is close to the infamous opium-poppy growing region at the convergence of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos known as the Golden Triangle. From Chiang Saen it was a pleasant little bike ride to Ban Sop Ruak where signs everywhere let you know that you have arrived at the Golden Triangle. Tour buses and minivans arrive from Chiang [View Full Entry]

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Ko Phangan is well-known on the backpacker circuit as a huge party island and home of the (in)famous Full Moon Party. The timing was just a little off for Stephanie and Kari to experience the drunken, drug-induced (for some!) debauchery of that monthly rave-like beach party, but I've already had my one and only experience with it with Fiona and Virginia this past July. Don't get me wrong, the Full Moon party was worth experiencing and I actually had a fabulous time dancing the night away and splashing in the ocean like a seal pup, but I don't need to repeat [View Full Entry]

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The much-anticipated visit from Boulder(/Denver) friends Stephanie and Kari has arrived! They bought their tickets to come over here back in August, after I was accepted to do the TEFL program, but before I had even booked my ticket back to Thailand. Although I was sad to leave the students, it was great that I was racing off to Bangkok to meet up with the girls, something I was really looking forward to! I couldn't seem to get there fast enough-- traffic was the worst I have ever seen it and it seemed to take absolutely forever to reach them. But [View Full Entry]

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While Stephanie and Kari spent their day at cooking school, I decided to head to Wat Doi Suthep, which out of the seemingly billions of wats in Chiang Mai, is supposed to be one of the most 'important' to see. The wat is about 15 kilometers outside of the center of the city, up a winding, mountainous road. Songthaews leave from the north gate of the moat when they are full. As I headed toward that area, a tuk-tuk driver offered to take me to the wat for quadruple the songthaew price. When I politely refused and said I wanted to [View Full Entry]

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The clock seemed to tick faster than usual as I tried to tie up all my loose ends in Chonburi. I was scrambling to make last-minute changes to the 'final exams' I had prepared for all the students and was also trying to pack and give away/sell the things in my apartment that I wasn't taking with me. I wanted to buy some small gifts for my one-on-one students and for the ladies in the office. There was so much to do and suddenly so little time left! I sold my refrigerator to the lady who manages the apartment building. Though [View Full Entry]

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