Thailand – Life, the Universe, and Lani

Why you might NOT like Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Thailand has been touted as the “Rose of the North”. It’s the Hail Mary pass for tourists, English teachers, digital nomads, and barefoot hippies. But in recent years, it has changed a great deal which is causing a bit of a commotion. First of all, I’ve written about CM a lot: (2017) Chiang…

09/12

How the Thai diet has changed for the worse

When I first started working in Thailand back in 2010, I remember listening to a casual debate among my fellow teachers whether or not the Thai diet was a healthy one. Upon first glance it certainly appears so, as meals were smaller (farangs would joke about ordering two plates of food), and the people were…

25/1012/11

What no one ever tells you about eating out in Thailand

Eating out in Thailand requires a bit of patience, and knowledge regarding how things work (or don’t).

01/0912/10

The Changing Seasons – August

After July, August felt like I had something to prove. I plowed into teaching and writing projects as if all my New Year’s Resolutions depended on only this month. So, naturally, I got sick. It’s okay, I’ll live… (*flings herself on to the bed face down, and starts howling*)

31/0331/03

Let’s go to Khao Yai National Park

Despite my small role as a chaperone, the humidity, heat, and great fear of wild monkeys, I enjoyed our trip to Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO, includes rain and evergreen forests and grassland, and is home to “more than 800 fauna species, including 112 species of…

22/0303/06

What’s up with Asians and White Couples?

It’s weird, you know, being back in Thailand. There are enough White men with Asian women around for you to you raise your chopsticks and your eyebrows. Sometimes it’s the age difference that’s startling. Sometimes though you can’t really tell, as some men look older than their age, and the women look (and dress) younger…

11/0301/04

Thai Visa Run to Kuala Lumpur: A Practical Guide

First of all, let me congratulate you on making a good choice. Going to Vientiane Laos for your Thai visa run is like competing in the Hunger Games. By contrast, heading to Kuala Lumpur is like taking your dog on a walk through the park, sometimes there are unsure moments, but overall, it’s a breeze.

15/0521/12

What to do + what to buy when you get sick in SE Asia

What to do when you get sick in SE Asia. Tried and true natural remedies. Yup, even something for mosquito bites, too.

23/0409/05

Chiang Mai versus Siem Reap: an expat weighs in

I’ve compared the two cities via transportation, accommodation, shopping, visas and more.

09/0712/11

12 ways to enjoy Chiang Rai

There’s a lot more to Chiang Rai than meets the eye. Here’s a list to get you started…

Fish out of water expat bloggers interview series #1

26/0605/09

Fish out of water bloggers: expat interview series #1

Moving to Cambodia has gotten the blood flowing in both directions (is that good?) and it has gotten me thinking about other expat bloggers and the community we live in both on and off line. As a result, I’ve decided to do a carry-on size series on expats bloggers as a way to connect and…

16/0612/10

Tips for getting a good Thai massage

I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’ve been getting Thai massages for years and I’m always on the lookout for THE ONE. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve already talked about all the wrong ones you are likely to meet so I figured it was high time that I write about the practical and…

26/0503/06

What they never told you about bra shopping in Thailand

Ah, the joys of womanhood, eh? Every one of us ladies can remember our first visit from Uncle Payne and Auntie Flo. Or that time, you didn’t know you were going to have it and how you decided to wear light pink pants that day. Or that time in Bangkok, the city of grit and…

12/0427/04

When the power goes out in Thailand

I’m not entirely sure what causes a power line to catch on fire, in the rain, on the first day of a major Thai holiday, but it did right at our apartment.

06/0202/02

12 things I’ve learned from traveling around Thailand

*updated 2 Feb 2018 Recently I’ve been traveling around Thailand and it’s driving me batty because I’m such a homebody, but I love seeing new places, too. I know, I’m so complicated. And even though I no longer live in Chiang Mai, I’ve had to return there several times to go to Chiang Dao, Ubon…

30/1202/02

Happy New Year from Chiang Rai, Thailand.

I have been waiting in anticipation for the unveiling of Chiang Rai’s Flower Festival at the Flag and Lamp Park (which is located downtown on Thanalai Rd). For about a month, I want to say, they have blocked it off, surrounded it with a high green wall of tarp and have been digging away with…

12/1202/02

You catch my eye Chiang Rai (bugs and stuff)

I love it when bugs show up conveniently.

06/1227/02

You catch my eye Chiang Rai

There is nothing particularly beautiful about these pictures. They are merely what catches my eye while I am walking. I’m afraid I’m drawn to the mundane. Although, I think it’s a mistake to think something is boring.

01/1227/02

Cimelo: Antique shop and coffee

One could argue that Thailand’s coffee culture started in Chiang Rai with the original Doi Chaang Coffee shop and restaurant opening here. It certainly helps that coffee is grown locally. Lee’s Akha Ama Coffee is grown nearby, as is his apprentice’s – Tu’s from Nangnon Coffee. So it’s little wonder that interesting coffee shops have…

09/1105/11

12 things I’ve learned about Chiang Rai (food shopping edition)

When we first moved here and I took a look at our neighborhood, I thought, “Dear God, we are going to have to go far to look for food.” But as it turned out, this was not the case. Where ever you live in Thailand, a local market or store is never too far away.…

04/1127/02

Nong Khai’s Sala Keoku

Normally, I prefer to be sober. But for my latest trip outside the country, I wished I had better and heavier drugs than cough drops and cold medicine. Perhaps it would have made my visa run more enjoyable, then again, probably not. I stayed over in Nong Khai on my way back from Vientiane, and…

02/1101/04

I hate the Vientiane visa run.

UPDATE AS OF 2019, YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE THAI EMBASSY TO GET YOUR VISA BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS. I hate the Vientiane visa run. Even though I’ve done it a few times, and even experienced an unforeseen problem, I still endured a special kind of hell that is reserved…

23/1012/10

Don’t call Thais short.

In the US, if you call someone fat, it is considered insulting, even if it is true. It’s more polite to say “heavy” or “big”. But in Thailand, the word “fat” does not have the same weight because it’s the height that means the most.

06/1027/02

Downtown Chiang Rai (in pics)

I remember the first time I was turned on by poetry. I was in high school Freshman or Sophomore English, and the poem was Carl Sandburg’s Chicago. Generally speaking, I was greatly turned on by the poetry we were reading, but Sandburg’s Chicago was different, gritty, and decidedly real. It wasn’t about love, or love…

21/0905/11

12 things I’ve learned about Chiang Rai (List #2)

Updated Nov 2018 Have you missed list #1? Go here. Otherwise, read on…

16/0927/02

Just a view: Jet Yod Road Chiang Rai

Sitting next to someone’s empty Leo beer bottle, I uncomfortably rest on a tree trunk stool outside a closed Rasta bar on the seediest street in Chiang Rai. When I hear my geezer neighbors talk about how much they pay for women, I know they come to this street. Old white men roost themselves in…

19/0805/11

12 things I’ve learned about Chiang Rai…

Strangely enough, I have found other bloggers (that I like!) with the same name as me. I know, it seems horribly vain to start a blog post like this, but as you know, anyone with a blog is like, OMG, REALLY into themselves.

06/0827/02

Rai Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park

The day had already involved rescuing this little guy from our refrigerator, and getting bit on the lip by a bee on the way to Rai Mae Fah Luang (or Mae Fah Luang Art & Cultural Park), so why not add getting locked in the park?

24/0725/07

ESL teaching resources and observations about teaching in Thailand

I can’t believe I’ve been teaching in Thailand for almost 4 years now. And I’m rather pleased that I have had the experience of teaching in three different cities here: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. I’m not sure if I can count Bangkok since that is where I got my TESOL training, but I…

11/0702/02

Chiang Rai: First Impressions

I underestimated how much my life would change. Part of this had to do with not knowing how my life would change. Nevertheless, I tried to guess. Originally, I thought my biggest adjustment would be down-shifting from busy Chiang Mai to quiet Chiang Rai, and while that is true, there is so much more to…

30/0627/02

How has Thailand changed you?

My friend M and I were looking at new places to live when she whispered how she didn’t like the bars on windows. Many Thai homes have bars on the windows for security reasons.

@Baan Noi

I don’t like morning glory, but this is amazing.

@Chivit Tamada

@Doi Chaang

Food cart [Chiang Rai, Thailand, 2014]

@Fuji Restaurant

@The Golden Triangle

I love how coconut ice cream is the normal flavor.

Streetside khao soi

Neighborhood jok

06/0627/02

Food Addiction: Chiang Rai edition

There’s actually a site called Pictures of Asians Taking Pictures of Food and surprisingly I am not on there – yet. Most of my friends humor me when I take out my draconian Lumix, as I’m not cool enough to have one of those cameras with the big lens or a smart phone. I scream…

04/0602/02

What is Chiang Rai Beach?

Where to Songkran in Chiang Rai: // Chiang Rai Beach (aka Pattaya noi) // Sunday Walking Street (Sankhongnoi Rd) // Flag and Lamp Park (on Thanalai Rd)