Farewell

This song pretty much sums it up if u switch a few of the words.

It's been a pretty emotional couple days, having to say goodbye to many of my friends.  Last night I went out for one final blowout.  Had a good turnout despite only giving about a 3 hour notice to all my friends.  The night seemed to fly by and I really didn't want it to end.  Here's a few pics

Me and Sammy

 The Lovely An

 Love this group shot (and the people in the group)

Apple and An

 Last photo I had in my camera

Today I've just been starting to pack up a bit.  Tonight will probably just relax and reminisce over the last year.  Then tomorrow I'll finish packing, hang out a bit, and head to the airport around 9pm.  My dad's picking me up at the airport in Chicago and it will be great to see him.  I think I actually have less stuff to pack then when I came here which is weird.  

It's been quite a year, probably the most fun I've had, but also one of the most challenging and trying.  It's been really hard being away from the support of my family.  I've talked with them via skype, but not having them around for an entire year has been rough, especially when things were difficult.  You're probably thinking "this kid is 26, doesn't work, and is living in Thailand, what could he possibly have to worry about?".    Yeah, kind of spot on actually, but things happen.

I met a lot of great people here and I'll miss them all.  I'm really hoping to return, but have no immediate plans.  I need to find some work and make a pile of money.  I'm thinking about 1-2 years before I do something like this again.  I may do one more blog when I'm bored at the Korean airport for my layover, otherwise this is pretty much it. Pz out!

Favorite Thai Foodz

Decided to take some pics of some of my favorite cuisine I eat around Chiang Mai.  There's a few I've left out that maybe I'll edit in later, but these are most of them.

Pad Thai Gai (fried thai style noodles with chicken): I'm guessing most of you are familiar with this, pretty tasty.  This was taken when I first arrived and the restaurant has since gone down hill, but i believe this used to go for 35 baht (bout $1.15)

 Chicken and Potatoes with yellow curry (don't remember how to say it in thai): This is probably my most eaten dish at Aroon Rai restaurant. It's right by Thapae Gate which is where a lot of my favorite hang out spots are.  It's a little spicy but not too intense, really good when poured over rice. Price 50 baht (~$1.60)

 Khaw Pad Khiaw Wan Gai, i think that's how u say it (green curry fried rice with chicken): this is at Organic restaurant right by my condo.  Little spicy, price 30 baht ($1)

 Pad Krapaw Gai (this is one version of it): this is a pretty spicy dish, I've also had it at another place and couldn't even finish it b/c my mouth was on fire (you can pretty much tell them how spicy you want it and they'll oblige).  This is from Jok Sompet and actually didn't discover it until recently.  It's basically just a big piece of chicken with basil and a bunch of chilli's over some rice. Price 65 baht (~$2.10), can find it for 35-40 baht most places, but not as big a serving.

 Khao Soy Muu (spicy yellow curry noodle soup with pork):  this is something i used to never eat when I first came, but learned to enjoy it.  This is taken at Khao Soy Nimman, which is about a 6 minute walk from me down the street.  I get it with a coke and it's 74 baht, so I think the dish by itself is around 59 baht (~$2).  Had it elsewhere for cheaper, but I've found this place to be the best and most consistent.

 Muu Nam Tok (spicy pork with other stuff): probably my favorite dish, can be super spicy if you ask for it.  I have it with sticky rice which is really good to dip in the left over sauce.  This is at Gai Yang (fried chicken) restaurant, which is about a 5 minute walk from me. Price 55 baht (~$1.75)

That's all I have for now.  The first 3 months I was here, I don't think there was a single item up there that I was excited to eat, but as my budget changed I adapted and learned to love all of them.  That's probably going to be about it for my Thailand blog.  I keep waking up too late to visit anywhere, or it just rains so I can't drive anywhere.  I'll probably do one or two sad goodbye/wrap up blogs and then it's back to the USA for a while until I can get some money together.

Perks of Being Penniless/Chasing Waterfalls

It's hard to believe I'll be leaving Thailand in 3 weeks.  It will be interesting trying to re-adjust to America.  I've changed quite a bit here, and hopefully I'll still like my friends :p .  I'll also be penniless which got me thinking:

advantages of being penniless
-don't have to carry a wallet (for what? u don't have any money and credit cards are maxed)
-no cell phone, so can be a man of mystery (no one knows where u are or how to get a hold of you)
-no fear of bank accounts and other financials being stolen (there's nothing to steal)
-good dieting (can't afford fast food, or overeating)
-exercise (no car, so u leg it everywhere... especially if performing a dine+dash)

disadvantages of being penniless
-being penniless

Since most people enjoy pictures, and very few actually read the words i write, I will talk about my latest excursion.  I went to a lake about 25 minutes away, don't remember the name of it, but i'm 90% sure it started with a "H".  We then went to see Huay Kaaw Waterfall which is less than 5 minutes from my apartment and I've never been there. Here are some pictures.

Lake "H" something or another

little huts we chilled in 

 waterfall pic

 the only picture of me on this trip

 food we ate while at the lake

The food in that last picture was delicious and very spicy.  I started out in Thailand disliking most of the food, but now I think I will miss it.  Pictured from what I can remember is: Muu Manaaw (lemon pork, very spicy) Muu nam tok (spicy pork dish), gai yang (fried chicken, bout the only non spicy thing on the table), spicy salad (i think called sum tom or something in thai), rice (rice), and i'm not sure what that soup stuff was or the shell things.  We had more dishes brought out that I don't remember.

I'm looking at cheap things to do around Chiang Mai.  I will likely visit all the temples I haven't seen yet, and motorbike around. I will go against TLC's warning and go chase waterfalls, although I think I've seen just about all of them around here now.  That's about all I got for now.  Shoulder is getting better, but still fairly stiff.  At least now my arm swings normal when I walk so I don't look weird (or as weird).

Flight Booked/Pin Out/Pictures

I did a video blog about a week ago, but didn't post it for reasons unknown (still on my youtube channel for those that just can't get enough robbyd).  A lot has happened recently, so it's about that time to update.

I booked my flight to Chicago a couple weeks ago.  I'll be in the U.S August 30th, and probably stick around for a while.  I'm not too happy about going home, but you can't always have things your way (so i'm told).  The ticket was fairly expensive, but I did manage to get the same airline which I'm happy about.  Decent amount of leg room, wide selection of movie/tv options, and usb port for charging my devices.  I still have no idea what I'm going to do when I go back.

I got my pin successfully removed from my shoulder which was nice.  However, I had to be in a sling again, and had some pain.  It's feeling a little better now, but will still be a while til I'm 100% (maybe a couple months).  I get the stitches out on July 24th, then I can start doing some rehab (not for drugs, but my shoulder).  My rehab coach is me and youtube, I think that's good enough.

the pin

I saw The Dark Knight Rises yesterday which was way before anyone else I know.  In Thailand it came out July 19th instead of the 20th and it's also 12hrs ahead here.  I won't ruin it in case you haven't seen it, I just like how I can see big movies before everyone else out here (was the same with Avengers).

That's about it really, just been getting out and about trying to enjoy my last days of freedom.  I'll leave you with a few pics from Doi Suthep, which is a temple up on a mountain here, as well as a nice sunset photo.

stairs on the way up to the temple

inside the temple

view from the top

sunset by the Ping River, on my way back from dinner

Back To Blogging/Isarn Trip w/ Pics

Hi, it's been a while.  This will actually be my first written blog in a long time.  I've been able to type for a while, but haven't done too much new.  I think doing video blogs about which tv shows I was watching were starting to get old (i'm on Soprano's now, in case you were interested).  Anyways, I'm back in blogville, and will try to do something exciting once in a while so I have something to write about.

A little over a week ago I went to Isarn.  I stayed in a little town called Phon Thong which is near Roi Et (which is near pretty much nowhere).  The town I was staying in was fairly small.  It had a handful of restaurants, a couple banks, repair shops, and a 7/11.  I went to a village nearby and learned about rice farming among other things.  The people were very friendly and welcoming.  

getting on the bus from Chiang Mai, 14hrs

just relaxing on a hammock

 some rice fields, lil shelter to the right

 driving back from the village, lil doggy chilling on the sidecar

they use this machine for fishing, not sure exactly how it works, but i guess it makes the fish come up and then they grab it and throw it in a net

 little eel or worm looking thing that was caught while i was watching.  yes they eat this stuff, saw piles of them at the local market among other fish i didn't try.

It was a neat experience, very different from the city life or even the short time I saw the island life.  It seemed very slow paced and relaxing.... then again that's because I didn't have to do any farming :p.  I never knew what day it was, what time it was, and never seemed to care.  Although I experience that a little bit in Chiang Mai, i occasionally still think about it.

I get my pin taken out in 1 week.  I don't have any immediate plans other than that.  I will likely go for a ride in the mountains soon because I really miss doing that.  I will wear a helmet and drive safe, so don't worry ;)

Update/Answering Survey

I update on my shoulder, talk about how good I look, and my hair looks a bit fun

Vlog May 2nd

This time I talk about what TV shows I'm watching and go off on a tangent about how people don't think sometimes.

Motorbike Crash Update

Birthday Pai And Other Updates

I decided to go to Pai for my birthday.  It's been a weird few months and I just wanted to get away for a while. I also thought going to Pai would get me out of the smog, but it is even more smoggy. It wasn't the best of timing because my friends Matt and Jordan were leaving on April 4th, and I was going to be gone until the 3rd.  I was able to say goodbye to them at least.  They were 2 of my best friends out here and will definitely be missed.

I still had a lot of fun though.  I got a place right on the river and it was excellent.  I left my computer at home so I would be forced to go out and do stuff.  I revisited Pai Canyon and the waterfall, but I also went to the hot springs which was fun.  Most of the time I spent just lounging outside by the river, or walking around town eating ice cream (somehow still managed to lose 3lbs).  It was very relaxing and I'm glad I went.

backyard of my room

 did a lot of this

 up close and personal

 Hot Springs, sat in there for a good 30min

 176 degrees Fahrenheit.... pretty hot (apologies to Matt, i know it's not the best picture, but wanted to show how hot it was)

When I came back I started going over my finances and figuring out when I should go back to America.  It makes me sad to know that I have to leave soon.  It will be nice to see friends, family, and good pizza again, but I've lived an amazing life the last seven months and don't want to let that go.  I'm not sure what will happen in the future, but it seems likely I will visit here again.  They're many other places on my list as well, it just seems stupid that I can't do whatever I want ALL the time.  They say money doesn't buy happiness, but I strongly disagree.  They obviously did it wrong and should hang out with me.  I'm sure I'll figure something out, money is always laying around somewhere.

I'd say it's about 95% that I'll be home in May, and a good chance that will be in the first half of May.  I still haven't booked a ticket yet because I'm still holding on for a miracle :) .  Right now I'm just laying low.  I'm downloading everything I can since my connection is much faster here.  My goal is to fill up my 1TB hard drive, but it's hard to do.  So far  I've only got 350GB.  That's really all I have to say, will update again when I feel like it ;)

Vlog: March 19th

In my video blog debut I talk about St Patrik's Day, upcoming plans/events, and other random things.

Smog And A Waterfall Visit

Today I went on another motorbike ride with my friends Matt and Jordan.  We haven't done one in a while so it was nice to get out on the road.  We did a short trip to Doi Suthep, which is a temple up the mountain a ways.  I've been there once before, but it's a gorgeous ride and worth doing again.  It was also nice because up in the mountains the air is cleaner, and the temperature is cooler.  It's been in the mid 90's and smoggy lately in the city.

You can see just how much smog there is by comparing these two pics.  The top was taken today, and the bottom about 5 months ago when I first arrived.

I think it's only supposed to get worse in March.  It's not a big deal though, it's always pleasant inside.  We stopped by a waterfall on the way back which I hadn't seen before.  I was able to hike up the side of it a little bit, which was fun.

 View from the top

 As far up as I went

It was hard to get in position for pictures up there.  The "path" wasn't very big and a lot of trees/bushes were in the way.  I actually fell on the way back down, but luckily didn't hurt anything.  Sometimes when Mom and Dad aren't around to say "be careful" you forget to be careful I guess :) .  On top of that I'm terrible at balance, so it's bound to happen from time to time.

Not too much else to report.  I'm considering a short trip soon, but not sure where.  Pai was lovely and close by, so I might go back there a couple days.  They're a few other places I have to read up on and decide if I want to go.  One of the few regions I haven't been to is Isarn (northeast Thailand), which I think might be boring, but possibly going to check it out in April.

February 21st update

It's been a while since my last update so I figured I'd do a quick write up. Since my little trip around Thailand, I've just been relaxing back in Chiang Mai. I rented a motorbike which makes it a lot easier to get around. After 11pm it's hard to get a cheap ride, or any ride. It also gets me places in half the time since you can go right down the middle of lanes thru traffic, or anywhere you can fit basically.

Most of my days are spent going on motorbike rides, playing pool, watching basketball, and just having good times.  I've also found a number of new restaurants I like.  I'm enjoying life and it's hard to imagine going back to the U.S even though I miss a lot of people.  It looks like I'll be here for at least another 3 months.... I know I keep saying that :) .

I don't have any travel plans, although I'm thinking about the possibility of maybe doing something sometime down the road.  I was invited to spend a couple days in Phuket, but I think it's too expensive and seems a little blah to me.  Bangkok seems worth another try, since I've been given some constructive criticism on what to do and see there.  Hanging around Chiang Mai isn't a bad option though, it's probably my favorite city in Thailand (so far) and it's no coincidence why all my friends told me to move here.

Not too much else happening.  I'm going to about 70% of my scheduled Thai classes which is good.  I'm still really terrible at the language, but know enough to get around.  My street was blocked off tonight because the princess was passing through.  I snapped some photos with my phone, but they didn't turn out too good.  Wasn't that exciting, just a lot of police cars escorting a group of 7-8 nice looking cars.  I will update again the next time I think I have something interesting to say.

Phi Phi/Railay

I flew from Bangkok to Phuket Airport in the late evening. Since I was just passing through, I stayed at the airport hotel and left early morning (errrr 11am) for Phi Phi. It was about a 2hr boat ride to the island.

I arrived and was immediately surrounded by beautiful scenery. It’s a pretty small island, but also quite confusing and was easy to get lost. I found a little guest house which surprisingly had good internet. I then ventured out and found a sign that said “view point -à”. I decided to follow it and hiked up the mountain for about 20-30 minutes. I was rewarded with one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen, and decided to stick around for the sunset.

Walking back down to the village I figured I should book a tour for the next day. I had to check out of my room at 11am, but my next boat wasn’t until 3pm. I found a snorkeling/Island hop tour and it was the best 250 baht (~$8) I ever spent. Took us (me and people I never met before) to a few different spots for snorkeling, swimming, and pictures. The tour concluded at Maya Bay where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. This is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I always wanted to go.

We docked back at Phi Phi and I only had a short time to catch my boat to Railay Beach. Luckily no one stole my computer/luggage, which I left with the travel agent people. It was another 1.5 hour boat ride to Railay. There is no pier at the island so we were carried by longboat to about knee level water.

I could see why my friends recommended Railay, it was quite gorgeous. I quickly found a bungalow on Railay East beach (the poor person side), and rushed back to the Westside to snap some sunset photos.

I walked back in the dark thinking it would be fine, but there weren’t too many lights and I got a little lost. My iphone “flashlight” app wasn’t working for some reason, so I was just walking straight and hoping not to get eaten by a snake. I eventually found my place and slept for 12hrs uninterrupted. It was so nice and quiet, and I had been averaging ~5hrs/night, so I woke up feeling refreshed.

I decided to just have a relaxing beach day, and headed back to west beach. On the way I was surrounded by monkeys climbing on fences, power lines, and trees. It was amazing being that close to the wildlife.

I took a small excursion around the island and found some fascinating caves. There were a few other view points to go to, but I was in relax mode and didn’t feel like doing much.

I spent the rest of the day drinking fruit shakes and eating. Slept pretty good, and caught a boat back to Phuket.  That brings us to now.  I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to leave, which is supposed to be at 7:20pm.  I've been here since 2pm uploading pics to Facebook and writing up these blogs.  I can't wait to get back home.  So far all my flights have been delayed, I'm hoping to run good today and be back in Chiang Mai at the scheduled time.

Bangkok

I decided to fly to Bangkok instead of taking the 10hr bus ride as planned.  I just figured I work too hard to be ballin on a budget (quote Big Sean).  My 1hr flight was delayed 2hrs, and I was operating on 5hrs of sleep so I wasn’t a happy camper.  I guess it beats the bus though.  I took a cab from the airport and it cost me ~$14 to get to my hotel.  I came to find that everything was super expensive compared to Chiang Mai (cost me $3-5 max to get anywhere… and usually only 60 cents).  I stayed a few nights on Khao San road which is a big tourist place.  It was packed with people 24hrs a day.

Khao San Rd

My hotel was pretty noisy.  I woke up around 7am thanks to some crying babies and whiny kids who thought it would be cool to play in the hallways for an hour.  I decided to explore a bit, so I walked around Khao San area for an hour or so.

Found this fort

Most my trip I spent trying to get away from Khao San.  During the day there were Indian men grabbing me and literally trying to pull me into their shop to buy a suit.  At night ladyboi’s would walk next to me and offer massages which I respectfully declined.  My personal bubble was violated too often to stay there.


I eventually got a hotel room on Sukhumvit rd which was still busy, but I found to be much nicer.  The hotel was a lot quieter.  Some of the shopping centers there were amazing.  Seven floors of a shoppers paradise.  I’m not a huge shopper, but I enjoy walking around in air conditioning instead of the muggy, hot, and polluted outside air.

MBK Mall

 Central World

 Siam Paragon

One of the highlights of my trip was a water taxi ride down the river.  For 15 baht (~50 cents) it was by far the best “tour” for the money.

Other than that I made a couple new friends, and hung out with my friend Justin from Chiang Mai.  He’s from my language school and was in Bangkok on business a couple days.

Overall I wasn’t overly impressed with Bangkok.  I had fun, but it just seemed like any other big city.  Obviously it had temples, markets, and other things you couldn’t find elsewhere, but I’m used to all that in Chiang Mai.  I was ready to get out of there and head to the islands, which did not disappoint!  I will write up a separate blog for that.