In the early days of A Little Adrift I used to have a page on the site completely dedicated to the fun facts and tidbits I discovered in each new country. I called the page “Strangeness” and it hosted the raw, unfiltered and seemingly meaningless quirky facts that rarely make it into my travel stories. …
The pulse of traffic hummed behind us on the busy streets of Bangkok, Thailand. Pedestrians and motorbikes split and converged on the other side of our trio as we negotiated the terms for Laura’s highly coveted shiny green guitar. “Okay, maybe you’ll take 800 baht and a really fun monkey mask?” my friend Laura replied …
Chiang Mai remains one of the most livable cities in Southeast Asia—especially for slow travelers and digital nomads. I loved the year I spent living as an expat there—the culture, food, and history. So good. There were spots in and around Chiang Mai that I returned to time and again. Some of the spots mentioned …
Like a warrior prepping for battle, I cranked the faucet on the sink of my apartment in Chiang Mai, Thailand and listened impatiently to the glugging sounds as tap water slowly filled my water gun’s reservoir. Day one of Songkran festivities were ramping up, (and a day ahead of schedule I might add!) and celebratory …
Last week I was complacent. I like my brief expat life here in Chiang Mai. It’s been comfortable, a good social life with the other expats, and it’s been easy more than anything else. I know where I’m going to sleep every night. I know enough Thai that my vegetarian foodie worries in new countries …
I wrote this post two weeks ago as I was sitting on the airplane on my way to China and feel like it’s a great way to kick off the coming posts about my whirlwind travels through Beijing, Yangshuo, and Shanghai. Groggy from the rude awakening blaring out of my alarm clock at 4:30am it …
As is the norm in North America and Europe, I drink milk. In fact, my dad is the poster parent for the National Dairy Council because I drank at least two glasses a day well into my twenties. Then I went to Southeast Asia. And stopped drinking milk. Outside of Western countries, dairy consumption often drops down …
Last month’s Chinese New Year celebrations embraced Chiang Mai’s small Chinatown section with wholehearted enthusiasm. The signature red Chinese lanterns adorned every doorway in this lovely city in Northern Thailand. Every shop entrance strung crimson bulbs from end to end. And the effect, as evening settled over Little China, was faintly magical. The tinted light …