Water, Water, Water!

Sun 10 July 2016

On Sunday we decided to explore the 10 level waterfalls. We took a songthaew to the falls and before embarking on our climb, I needed to use the toilets. Mom and Candace took one look and opted out, due to the fact that shoes had to be removed and the toilets were squatties. Not to mention the fact that they were outside in very, very close proximity to a spider bigger than all three of our heads combined. Luckily I wasn't eaten by the spider, or swallowed by the toilet, so we were able to start our climb toward the falls.

The falls were beautiful and very secluded. We only saw a few other groups of people while climbing so we were able to take our time and enjoy each tier. Thankfully the climb included mostly stairs as opposed to rock scaling and vine clutching. During our descent, the rains started so we had a nice shower to cool us off.

After leaving the falls we decided to get lunch in town at a local thai bar.

Dad and I decided we'd go for another massage but because of mom's recently acquired thai massage complex she and Candace opted to go to the grocery store instead. When dad and I finished our massages it was pouring rain, so much so that the massage shop owner lent me an umbrella so I could go down the street to Sev to purchase ponchos for dad and I. We then wandered the streets in a sideways downpour trying to flag down a tuk tuk. We arrived home to find mom and Candace, equally as soaked, from their journey home.

The Sunday Night Market is one of the biggest, and most famous markets in Northern Thailand. I looked up the market on the map and saw it would be a ten minute ride. I flagged down a songthaew for us and negotiated a price. Less than 50 feet later, the driver was stopping, ushering us out and asking for his pay. What? This was the market? How could it be this close? I would not pay 100 baht for this. I wasn't a tourist. I lived in Thailand. I couldn't be taken like that. Three minutes later and what did I have to show for myself? a whole lot less pride and a whole lot less baht.

Walking around at the market made up for my earlier faux-pas. There were so many things to eat, see, do and buy. Candace, mom and I stopped at a stall selling hand carved painted soaps- an incredibly popular thai gift. Here we were able to get beautiful souvenirs for ourselves and our family and friends :)

It was also close enough that dad could walk home and leave us to our shopping. Win, win for everyone!

Bye Bye Bangkok

Sat 9 July 2016

Today was the big day. We were heading to Chiang Mai, a town located in the mountains of northern Thailand. We hopped on an hour flight and were greeted at the airport by Charles, our AirBnb host. He gave us a driving tour of the small town and then showed us his movie collection and how to work his big screen tv. The afternoon was filled with delivery food, movies and naps on the couch. After resting up, we did some exploring of Chiang Mai. I brought mom, dad and Candace to the first hostel I ever stayed in, baan kuhn 2. They got to meet New, the woman who befriended my friends and I when we first arrived in Thailand and helped us to have one of the best christmases ever (as far as Christmases away from home are concerned). She was so happy to meet my family that she gave all of us traditional elephant tunics and handmade bags.

For dinner we enjoyed some street food dishes, including mango sticky rice, banana nutella pancakes and pulled pork from the infamous cowboy hat lady. Everyone enjoyed it, and no one got sick :)

After, we headed to the bar scene and sat at a popup truck bar that served up cold beers and a pretty decent music selection. How did we get home you ask? We took our very first tuk-tuk ride as a family :)

Last day in Bangkok

Fri 8 July 2016

Bangkok is famous for many things, one of which is the absurdness of its shopping malls. We decided to spend the day inside the A/C and visit MBK, one of the biggest, and best known for for its tech selection. MBK is great because they bring the outdoors inside: the basement floor includes market vendors and bargain prices. The upstairs includes a food court with foods from around the world (even Chicago was featured!) and areas for thai cultural events. We got to watch girls in traditional clothing make dessert cups (we then got to try them!)

That evening, we met my friend Jenna for dinner on the Wine Connection patio. Wine Connection is a favorite spot of ours because it is close to school, my apartment and has great deals on wine. Wine is usually very expensive in Thailand because it's all imported, so it's great to have a cheaper option.

After dinner I took Candace to a favorite going out spot of my friends and I, Bombay Blues. It's an Indian Restaurant with a swanky vibe- tables are close to the ground, seats are floor pillows and shoes are left outside. Although we happen to love the place, Candace didn't seem to think it had quite the same appeal. The best part though? Taking Candace on her first motor bike ride. We managed to get a two for one deal, so Candace got to be sandwiched between me and our thai driver while enjoying the sights and sounds of Bangkok nightlife.