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.