Thailand

2008: I spent a crazy month in Thailand. My arrival to Bangkok was an embarrassing exercise in culture shock. I later got my wits about me in Chiang Mai, and took an incredible 3-day cooking class in the countryside north of the city.
Things took a dramatic turn when I returned to Chiang Mai and ended up accidentally setting up an international NGO on the fly(!), and then spent a week in hospital nursing my partner at the time who almost died from dengue fever.

2017: 10 years later, some full-circle poetry led me back to Chiang Mai Thailand. This time in Chiang Mai, I was on a very special mission to find a very important person.
Despite many similarities, there were also many (many) differences, including Nimman – the Digital Nomad Centre of the Universe, and a new installation since my last visit.

All Life is Suffering: A Month in Koh Phangan, Thailand

all life is suffering....in Koh Phangan Thailand

While pampering, starving, shitting, and massaging myself into wellness on the idyllic island of Koh Phangan in Thailand, I embraced the first noble truth of Buddhism with great irony: All Life is Suffering. This gripping story has three parts: The Irony, The Agony, and The Ecstacy (scratch that: The Massage).

Chiang Mai’s Nimman: The Unapologetic Bubble

Nimman, in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the Digital Nomad Centre of the Universe, and the neighbourhood of Nimman is the capital thereof. In two months of living in Nimman, I explored what makes Nimman the thriving bubble that it is today, for better or worse.

Chiang Mai, 10 Years Later: The Impossible Search

CHIANG MAI, 10 years later

10 years later, some full-circle poetry led me back to Chiang Mai Thailand – where I started an international NGO and nursed my boyfriend through dengue fever. This time in Chiang Mai, I was on a very special mission to find a very important person.

Eating in Asia

After six weeks of solid eating in Asia, we satisfied our hunger for Asian food to be sure! Satisfied it, and then some. Here are some highlights (and otherwise) of our culinary adventures: This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and … Read More

Hospital Life with Dengue Fever

Hospital Update May 30th – GOOD NEWS! Kelly is on the mend. The dengue fever has broken, and the blood tests are starting to move in the right direction. We will be released tomorrow (Saturday), in time to board the train for the 4-day ride to Singapore, with one day … Read More

Cooking In Thailand Paradise

We sit in the stifling heat, beating off the flies and bees. Cicadas and crickets chirp in the hills all around, and a chorus of laughing children drifts up to us from the valley below. Fields of rice and citrus form the vast expanse in front of us, and the … Read More

Thai Hospitality: A Fine Specimen

Until recently, travelers from all over have hailed Thailand as one of the friendliest places in the world. However I have received increasing reports that Thailand’s tourism industry is eating away at Thai hospitality and the friendly nature of the people and the land. And our first few days in … Read More

Muay Thai Boxing, and Why I’ll Never Drink Again

I am in the back of a pick-up truck on one of the hottest days I’ve ever endured. I am drenched in sweat, and yet am shivering. I have vomited eight times in the last two hours; behind bushes, in filthy bathrooms, and in plastic bags when no alternatives present … Read More

What Makes Thailand Unique

Thailand(or at least what we have seen of it, being Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and surrounding areas) has a unique character and flavour. And of course, there are a number of idiosyncrasies – large and small – that lend a certain personality to Thailand that makes it what it is. Here’s … Read More

Burma Fundraising: Monday Update

This post about our Burma Fundraising project was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.  As the world back home in Canada wakes up to the beginning of a new week, we are winding down on a Monday night. We are very … Read More

Cyclone Nargis Relief Update

This post about our Cyclone Nargis relief efforts was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Click here for the full collection of articles and updates; a story grows to epic proportions. It has been a busy day, and tomorrow promises to be … Read More

Disaster Relief for Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma)

This inaugural post detailing our efforts to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma (Myanmar) was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Read the full collection of articles here….it takes a bunch of turns you would never anticipate. Hello everyone. I … Read More

Culture Shock in Bangkok

I sit at the edge of the bed, in tears. My head is pounding with the likes of a migraine that has not left me in two days. My eyes are closed, and I fear to open them for having to deal with my surroundings; I am in a dingy … Read More