Wat wat wat?
Someone told me a joke which is directions to anywhere is down the street from the Wat and across from the 7-11. This is strangely accruate. I remember begin told that Thailand is obsessed with 7-11s, but I guess I forgot that tidbit. I have to admit they are quite convenient. So those and Wats are everywhere! I walk down the street and check out at least 3 a day and pass up at least 5 others I see. Today I saw a particularly spectacular one.
I ventured out into the new city today and came across a wat with a tall gold buddha outside. There were all these animal statues faced towards the statue in reverence, just like the Lion King, complete with even a donald duck like figure. Even cooler was when you walked up the highly adorned stairs you could look out behind the buddha and feel like you were Simba looking down upon the adoring managare. Inside however was exquisite. Theree were 3 shrines, one on each direction. The left side had 2 center buddhas made of a green luminescent stone I can only guess was jade, and then a bunch of other smaller stone ones as well. Above this shrine was a manadala on the roof and beautiful vibrant paintings of the life of Buddha. The center and right side were gold. Everything was just so beautiful, detailed, vibrant and rich. I was shocked to see that there was no one there though, no monks or guards, just the buddhas. I once again felt inspired to just sit for a bit.
I can't get over how chill it is here. There is so much trust, people are so kind and smiling. The people at my guesthouse trust everyone to borrow the bikes and even motor bikes, we have full use of a kitchen and more.
Ok so now for the food part. Yesterday i took a full day cooking course which was awesome. I think it was really a great choice especially because yesterday morning it raining torrentially. Like the truck we were in had to wade through at least 2 rivers which used to be streets. When i was picked up i was greeted by a truck of European men and they all said "ah our token woman!" they were a fun a group. We all shared all our dishes so everyone got a taste of everything. I have to say I was really impressed at how simple and easy these dishes all were. The most complicated was the curry just because you have to make the paste, and the sticky rice because of the prep time. Everything else is just having he ingredients, which no doubt can be difficult, but I have hope in moving to California that I will able to find the awesome Asian markets.
So i learned how to make a really awesome Penang curry, a rich a vibrant red curry with surprisingly only a few ingredients: coriander seeds, cumin, white peppercorn, chili, shallots, galangal, kaffir lime, coriander root and shrimp paste. I also learned how to make pad Thai! However here they don't use any gooey red sauce, it was really just soy sauce garlic and sugar, and then of course the bean sprouts, garlic chives, peanuts, egg, tofu and prawns. But really you can throw whatever you want in,all done in one wok, 5 min. I also learned how to make spring rolls ( as well as the sauce), chicken and cashew, chicken and basil, an awesome coconut shrimp soup, mango and sticky rice, papaya salad, fried fish salad, toffee bananas, and more. Overall I feel like it was a day well spent. I didn't get the tour of the market cause of the rain, but this morning while wandering around I found the cooking school giving their tour to a new group and they invited me to join. When I get back, I hope to really get a stock of Thai ingredients together, because I love the food so much and it would be so cheap and easy to cook a lot of it if i have the ingredients, and then i can make a Thai feast for YOU as well!
I really love my little street. It is soi 6 off of moon muang road. Every day when I come out of mu guesthouse, there are new stalls or roadside stalls. This morning I found fried bananas, taro and sweet potatoes in a yummy batter that I snacked on for breakfast, I also found some fresh squeezed orange juice. Quick note about the mangos here- they are amazing! I love mangos anyways, but here they have almost no trace of fiber, they are just silky smooth, rich and sweet awesomeness.
I ventured out a little to see where the night market is. I have meant to go every night since i arrived, but I guess jet lag keeps winning the sleeping battle. However, after passing out again yesterday after cooking school, i forced myself to sleep again at 3 am and i slept until 9! So I hope I will solidify my adjustment today. I found the market, though in the day time it is pretty quiet. Maybe I will check out tonight before I go out for the Halloween eve party I was invited to.on today's day trip I found a nice french man at a noodle stall who encouraged me to try the noodles, he said he has been in thailand for 10 years and comes to this stall almost everyday. That was all the endorsement i needed, and indeed they were great, though I have to admit i think my little noodle stall I found near my guest house is better. In fact i am jut waiting to be hungry again so i can go on over and eat some of them again.
So today I just putzed around, but i realize my time is getting short and I need to start doing more things. I found a nice little massage school nearby that i think i will start tomorrow. I am trying to decide if I should do head, foot, or back? I might do two of them, but i don't know if i can afford all 3. Any votes on which I should do? After all YOU will be the ones benefitting from this training, so let me know!
I am also debating whether i should go play with some baby tigers. I am so morally torn. I am just imagining that these poor animals are drugged or tortured like the elephants and i don't want to support any animal cruelty. However I did a little research online and found many reports from supposed European and American vets, zoologists and animal trainers who said that they were actually impressed with how well they were treated and that they showed no signs of being drugged. There are the few reports that claim otherwise as well. That being said...I could cuddle with a baby tiger! I think my compromise to myself is to wait until Tuesday and see how much money i have left, if i have enough without taking out more, i can blow it on the tigers, if not i will not spend an extra $5 service charge to do it. Again if you have any thoughts let me know. I just keep thinking of how cute my new Facebook picture would be cuddling with a baby tiger...
Ok so to recap dear readers: your homework is to let me know what kind of massage you would like/ I should study, and 2 should I go cuddle with some baby tigers and be a totally tourist indulgent? And my homework: to go check out the night market, flower market, and Wat doi soithep ( a beautiful wat overlooking chaing Mai that Keith and Abe studied at).
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Cloud 9
Wow! Just wow.....
So after my last entry I tried to take a nap, but really I just flopped around. I guess I was anxious or something. I tried to sleep because i knew I was tired, but I just couldn't. So, falling into old patterns when I couldn't fall asleep at school...I did some homework-- for that always put me to sleep. I was able to get my suitcase open, and it immediately fell apart. On the up side I discovered that I can easily fit everything into the trekking backpack, and there is still plenty of room for more so i can buy things. I even brought a little backpack lock, so I can still lock up my few valuables that i don't carry with me in the bottom compartment. Crisis averted! and an extra 800 bhat! I also found some thailand tour guides at my guesthouse, so i borrowed one and did some reading with some good ol' fashioned note taking.
After awhile of this, I felt some lethargy sinking in, my room and bed was just so comfortable and I have so many books to read and movies to watch...but I literally wrote to myself in my diary, "Tara. Get UP!" you know like Matrix style.
I got up and borrowed a bike from the guesthouse ( they are very nice and let you narrow them for free) and made my way to Wat Phra Singh, the most visited Buddhist temple here. It is at the end of "Sunday walk road" which is where the huge Sunday market is. Though I have to say, riding a bike is not like riding a bike...at least not for me, however this may have to do with the fact that my bike had no brakes. I got on, started to make my way to this big Wat ( temple ) and saw a small wat on the way. I turned into it, and promptly fell off as I tried to stop. Luckily no one saw me and I only got a little knee scrap. I did a little practicing around the parking lot like I was 6 again before I ventured out into the world again. I realize on this bike ride the city was so much more alive than it was when walked around at 8:45, I guess this is a sleepy town that wakes up late.
The temple was beautiful. At first I thought something special was going on, there were so many monks there. A sea of orange and turmeric crawled over the place. I wasn't sure if i was allowed to enter, but as I hesitantly tip toed up the stairs, a monk smiled at me and waved for me to come inside. I was the only non- monk in there, let alone tourist. I took some pictures of the beautiful gold buddhas, the paintings, and of the monks smiling and chatting to each other, as well as a few who were watching something on their cell phones. In exploring the grounds I found a beautiful room with a smaller Buddha and a woman in white meditating. I don't know what is was about this room, but I felt moved. I sat down and just sat for awhile. And then i heard the monks from the first room start to chant. All the difficulty and frustration from the prior days just melted away.
I started to make my way back to check out various things that I saw on the way to the wat. I got a huge 24 oz mango shake for less than $1, than checked out this massaging school where I stumbled upon a couple from Vermont who were getting a lesson in foot massage. I moved on to check out some paintings, and check out a little market. I can't get over how chill Thailand in comparison to the other Asian countries I have been to. No one has pressured me to do anything. I get an occasional "taxi?" but all i have to do is smile and shake my head! I don't have to raise my voice sternly, argue, or scurry away. When i look at merchandise i don't have merchants holding things to my face, asking me how much eagerly, or even remotely upset when I say i am just looking. In fact, at this little market all the merchants seemed to hardly notice i was there. I was almost surprised to see there was another girl also shopping around. I saw what she was buying and started a conversation. Turns out she is my age from Tennessee and has been teaching English here, but decided that though she loves it, traveling just wasn't for her and she is going home to be back with her family the same day I am leaving. We found some coffee and I made a friend! She invited me to a pre-Halloween party on Saturday with her roommate and some other friends.
We parted ways and I realized I still hadn't eaten much. So I found a little stall where a woman and her two children were playing that had a little sign "pad thai." I figured this was a good place to start. She made the padthai right in front of me, though I didn't know what was in all the unmarked bottles. Her daughter served me water and I wolfed down a whole plate of light, slightly sweet noodles, sprinkled with the light crunch of bean sprouts. It wasn't nearly as oily or saucy as a lot of the pad Thai I have in the US. Satisfied I went back to my hostel where I booked a full day cooking course so I can learn about these mysterious bottles.
After a little rest and cooling down, I decided my plan was to get a massage and then check out the daily night market. There are about 10 massage place just on my little street alone, so I randomly picked one and asked for a Thai massage. 1 hour, $5, not just priceless, heaven. I have never had one before. It was not like the massage we are used to in the US, it is like a full body work out for the masseuse! She was twisting me into all kinds of pretzels, bracing foot and pushing my hip, using her knees, feet, elbows, everything! It was like yoga done on me, and then adding some intense acupressure and a touch of chiropractic cracking. It was all completely clothed and full body. She spent a lot of time on my legs and moved to my arms, back and face! I think at first i was trying to mentally remember what she was doing, but by the time she moved on to my second leg I was in a different realm and abandoned any silly notions of conscious thought. I gotta learn me some of this. The courses are expensive, but maybe I can take a day in just one area like foot massage or head and face! Any requests?
When she was done I was jello. Like Diana recently said, I have never felt like I wanted to pay more than what i was asked, but I had 3 experiences of that in one day! This first being this massage. I sorta stumbled back in the direction of my guesthouse realizing there is no way i am making it to the night market, but decided I really wanted some mango sticky rice to snack on so like a zombie getting a whiff a brains turned around to find some. Like magic, on my road was a smiling boy that had a sign "mango sticky rice" which might as well said "perfection." He gently assessed each mango until he found the perfect one, peeled it, and gave me the whole mango sliced on a bed of fresh warm sticky rice, he then packaged the warm coconut milk in a puffed bag for me to add when I was ready to eat. Again, about $1.
On my way back to my room I stopped because I smelled something amazing. As I backtracked I saw a little stall with some signs like "breakfast" and "Thai food!" I asked for a khao soi, the curry noodle soup that chiang Mai is famous for for carry out. When I got home assembled this little master piece into a wide bowl. One bag had this light but creamy and fragrant yellow curry broth with chicken and spices. The next bag had some fresh pad Thai type rice noodles, booked and tossed in some spices or sauces. Then were some little bags of freshly sliced shallots and lime. After taking my first bite, I literally almost fell out of my chair in pleasure. If Mu is reading this, this should be on her menu. Again...$1. I would gladly pay $20 for this. I am slightly worried that i have found my daily routine...massage, khao soi, and mango sticky rice all for the indulgent $8, a price i am lucky to find a decent sandwich for in the US.
In my sublime stupor, I apparently passed out and just woke up (4:30am). In about three hours I will going to my all day cooking course to learn how to make some tasty treats, and I will see if i can find out how to make that soup!
Thank you for reading this long entry. I don't think all my entries will be this long, everything is just so exciting when it is brand new!
So after my last entry I tried to take a nap, but really I just flopped around. I guess I was anxious or something. I tried to sleep because i knew I was tired, but I just couldn't. So, falling into old patterns when I couldn't fall asleep at school...I did some homework-- for that always put me to sleep. I was able to get my suitcase open, and it immediately fell apart. On the up side I discovered that I can easily fit everything into the trekking backpack, and there is still plenty of room for more so i can buy things. I even brought a little backpack lock, so I can still lock up my few valuables that i don't carry with me in the bottom compartment. Crisis averted! and an extra 800 bhat! I also found some thailand tour guides at my guesthouse, so i borrowed one and did some reading with some good ol' fashioned note taking.
After awhile of this, I felt some lethargy sinking in, my room and bed was just so comfortable and I have so many books to read and movies to watch...but I literally wrote to myself in my diary, "Tara. Get UP!" you know like Matrix style.
I got up and borrowed a bike from the guesthouse ( they are very nice and let you narrow them for free) and made my way to Wat Phra Singh, the most visited Buddhist temple here. It is at the end of "Sunday walk road" which is where the huge Sunday market is. Though I have to say, riding a bike is not like riding a bike...at least not for me, however this may have to do with the fact that my bike had no brakes. I got on, started to make my way to this big Wat ( temple ) and saw a small wat on the way. I turned into it, and promptly fell off as I tried to stop. Luckily no one saw me and I only got a little knee scrap. I did a little practicing around the parking lot like I was 6 again before I ventured out into the world again. I realize on this bike ride the city was so much more alive than it was when walked around at 8:45, I guess this is a sleepy town that wakes up late.
The temple was beautiful. At first I thought something special was going on, there were so many monks there. A sea of orange and turmeric crawled over the place. I wasn't sure if i was allowed to enter, but as I hesitantly tip toed up the stairs, a monk smiled at me and waved for me to come inside. I was the only non- monk in there, let alone tourist. I took some pictures of the beautiful gold buddhas, the paintings, and of the monks smiling and chatting to each other, as well as a few who were watching something on their cell phones. In exploring the grounds I found a beautiful room with a smaller Buddha and a woman in white meditating. I don't know what is was about this room, but I felt moved. I sat down and just sat for awhile. And then i heard the monks from the first room start to chant. All the difficulty and frustration from the prior days just melted away.
I started to make my way back to check out various things that I saw on the way to the wat. I got a huge 24 oz mango shake for less than $1, than checked out this massaging school where I stumbled upon a couple from Vermont who were getting a lesson in foot massage. I moved on to check out some paintings, and check out a little market. I can't get over how chill Thailand in comparison to the other Asian countries I have been to. No one has pressured me to do anything. I get an occasional "taxi?" but all i have to do is smile and shake my head! I don't have to raise my voice sternly, argue, or scurry away. When i look at merchandise i don't have merchants holding things to my face, asking me how much eagerly, or even remotely upset when I say i am just looking. In fact, at this little market all the merchants seemed to hardly notice i was there. I was almost surprised to see there was another girl also shopping around. I saw what she was buying and started a conversation. Turns out she is my age from Tennessee and has been teaching English here, but decided that though she loves it, traveling just wasn't for her and she is going home to be back with her family the same day I am leaving. We found some coffee and I made a friend! She invited me to a pre-Halloween party on Saturday with her roommate and some other friends.
We parted ways and I realized I still hadn't eaten much. So I found a little stall where a woman and her two children were playing that had a little sign "pad thai." I figured this was a good place to start. She made the padthai right in front of me, though I didn't know what was in all the unmarked bottles. Her daughter served me water and I wolfed down a whole plate of light, slightly sweet noodles, sprinkled with the light crunch of bean sprouts. It wasn't nearly as oily or saucy as a lot of the pad Thai I have in the US. Satisfied I went back to my hostel where I booked a full day cooking course so I can learn about these mysterious bottles.
After a little rest and cooling down, I decided my plan was to get a massage and then check out the daily night market. There are about 10 massage place just on my little street alone, so I randomly picked one and asked for a Thai massage. 1 hour, $5, not just priceless, heaven. I have never had one before. It was not like the massage we are used to in the US, it is like a full body work out for the masseuse! She was twisting me into all kinds of pretzels, bracing foot and pushing my hip, using her knees, feet, elbows, everything! It was like yoga done on me, and then adding some intense acupressure and a touch of chiropractic cracking. It was all completely clothed and full body. She spent a lot of time on my legs and moved to my arms, back and face! I think at first i was trying to mentally remember what she was doing, but by the time she moved on to my second leg I was in a different realm and abandoned any silly notions of conscious thought. I gotta learn me some of this. The courses are expensive, but maybe I can take a day in just one area like foot massage or head and face! Any requests?
When she was done I was jello. Like Diana recently said, I have never felt like I wanted to pay more than what i was asked, but I had 3 experiences of that in one day! This first being this massage. I sorta stumbled back in the direction of my guesthouse realizing there is no way i am making it to the night market, but decided I really wanted some mango sticky rice to snack on so like a zombie getting a whiff a brains turned around to find some. Like magic, on my road was a smiling boy that had a sign "mango sticky rice" which might as well said "perfection." He gently assessed each mango until he found the perfect one, peeled it, and gave me the whole mango sliced on a bed of fresh warm sticky rice, he then packaged the warm coconut milk in a puffed bag for me to add when I was ready to eat. Again, about $1.
On my way back to my room I stopped because I smelled something amazing. As I backtracked I saw a little stall with some signs like "breakfast" and "Thai food!" I asked for a khao soi, the curry noodle soup that chiang Mai is famous for for carry out. When I got home assembled this little master piece into a wide bowl. One bag had this light but creamy and fragrant yellow curry broth with chicken and spices. The next bag had some fresh pad Thai type rice noodles, booked and tossed in some spices or sauces. Then were some little bags of freshly sliced shallots and lime. After taking my first bite, I literally almost fell out of my chair in pleasure. If Mu is reading this, this should be on her menu. Again...$1. I would gladly pay $20 for this. I am slightly worried that i have found my daily routine...massage, khao soi, and mango sticky rice all for the indulgent $8, a price i am lucky to find a decent sandwich for in the US.
In my sublime stupor, I apparently passed out and just woke up (4:30am). In about three hours I will going to my all day cooking course to learn how to make some tasty treats, and I will see if i can find out how to make that soup!
Thank you for reading this long entry. I don't think all my entries will be this long, everything is just so exciting when it is brand new!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Finally arrived
So this was not the smoothest of expeditions, but I guess this is what happens sometimes when I try to get the absolute cheapest fare possible.
So I arrived at JFK in the afternoon of Oct 26th. Unlike Keith's awesome experience with Cathay Pacific (which I agree is a great airline) I have discovered that I hate Air China. I guess I have been spoiled the last 4 years of internationally traveling, but i guess I started to think that having individual screens to watch movies and listen to music in economy class was fairly standard. However on this 14 hour Air China flight, not only was there no individual screens to select what movie you would like to see, but only one movie the whole time--the new Alice in Wonderland. No music, no skymall to browse through, nothing. I suppose luckily I brought enough of my own entertainment, and I was lucky enough to sit next to a nice woman who shared an interest in photography and movies and had actually been to Chaing Mai many times. Conversation always seems to pass the time quickly. So for a very long and boring and journey, it actually went by fairly quick.
I always forget how crazy Chinese airports are. I had 45 min to change planes and was led through a maze of at least three different security checks. I made it just on time. I suppose Air China was cheap for a reason, they were both pretty empty flights, and the perk about that was I got to stretch out across 5 whole seats and at least get a bit of sleep, which I admit was really nice.
When I arrived in Bangkok it was 11:30pm, and I was actually quite amazed at how busy it was. My flight to Chaing Mai wasn't until 6:45 in the morning, so I was expecting to putz around the airport or find a nice place to stretch out and sleep some more. However, because my next flight was on Air Asia and their counter was closed, I found that I had to kill 5 hours around the check-in counters, and I wasn't alone. All the chairs and benches had already been claimed by apparently the hoards of other travelers in the same position. I found a little corner that looked cozy enough for a florescent lit terminal, and realized that the clasp on my suitcase was broken! I tried to open it but to no avail. I rushed over to the Air China desk and complained. It became a rather annoying wild goose chase, where they told me to go complain to some desk on some other floor, and when I went no one was there...rinse and repeat. At first I was very calm and thought to myself "at least this is a way to kill some time." But as the chase continued to more dead-ends, and more people who couldn't tell me what was going on, I started to get frustrated. By 3 am I finally got some attention. They offered to fix it for me, but I needed to be in Bangkok for 10 days, when I told them I was going to Chaing Mai in a couple of hours, they offered to pay me 300 bhat (about $10). I told them that wasn't enough and they eventually gave me 800 bhat. I guess it is lucky I brought my hiking backpack as padding. I will see if I can fit everything in there before I look for a new bag...but it was my favorite yellow suitcase :(. RIP
Anyways, I finally arrived in Chaing Mai perhaps 2 hours ago. I found this lovely guest house that Abe recommended called Giant Guest house. They greeted me with hugs, a nice clean room with a fan, drinking water, hot tea, and free internet. I took a little stroll to stretch my legs. Tried some random things wrapped in a banana leaf that was delicious, but I failed in figuring out what it was called. I kept pointing at it asking, "name?" "called?" she replied "pork" over and over again. I nodded, trying to convey that i understood there was pork inside. I pointed to things I thought I knew like "rice" "curry" then pointing to the banana leaf with a quizzical look...but she just put the curry and rice in the bag as well. I said nevermind and paid for the thai tamale and continued my walk.
I think I actually need a nap. Landing is always rough and my body is confused what time it is and where I am. So time for nap, maybe some more walking exploring today, maybe try to figure out my luggage deal, and then...I have no idea.
So I arrived at JFK in the afternoon of Oct 26th. Unlike Keith's awesome experience with Cathay Pacific (which I agree is a great airline) I have discovered that I hate Air China. I guess I have been spoiled the last 4 years of internationally traveling, but i guess I started to think that having individual screens to watch movies and listen to music in economy class was fairly standard. However on this 14 hour Air China flight, not only was there no individual screens to select what movie you would like to see, but only one movie the whole time--the new Alice in Wonderland. No music, no skymall to browse through, nothing. I suppose luckily I brought enough of my own entertainment, and I was lucky enough to sit next to a nice woman who shared an interest in photography and movies and had actually been to Chaing Mai many times. Conversation always seems to pass the time quickly. So for a very long and boring and journey, it actually went by fairly quick.
I always forget how crazy Chinese airports are. I had 45 min to change planes and was led through a maze of at least three different security checks. I made it just on time. I suppose Air China was cheap for a reason, they were both pretty empty flights, and the perk about that was I got to stretch out across 5 whole seats and at least get a bit of sleep, which I admit was really nice.
When I arrived in Bangkok it was 11:30pm, and I was actually quite amazed at how busy it was. My flight to Chaing Mai wasn't until 6:45 in the morning, so I was expecting to putz around the airport or find a nice place to stretch out and sleep some more. However, because my next flight was on Air Asia and their counter was closed, I found that I had to kill 5 hours around the check-in counters, and I wasn't alone. All the chairs and benches had already been claimed by apparently the hoards of other travelers in the same position. I found a little corner that looked cozy enough for a florescent lit terminal, and realized that the clasp on my suitcase was broken! I tried to open it but to no avail. I rushed over to the Air China desk and complained. It became a rather annoying wild goose chase, where they told me to go complain to some desk on some other floor, and when I went no one was there...rinse and repeat. At first I was very calm and thought to myself "at least this is a way to kill some time." But as the chase continued to more dead-ends, and more people who couldn't tell me what was going on, I started to get frustrated. By 3 am I finally got some attention. They offered to fix it for me, but I needed to be in Bangkok for 10 days, when I told them I was going to Chaing Mai in a couple of hours, they offered to pay me 300 bhat (about $10). I told them that wasn't enough and they eventually gave me 800 bhat. I guess it is lucky I brought my hiking backpack as padding. I will see if I can fit everything in there before I look for a new bag...but it was my favorite yellow suitcase :(. RIP
Anyways, I finally arrived in Chaing Mai perhaps 2 hours ago. I found this lovely guest house that Abe recommended called Giant Guest house. They greeted me with hugs, a nice clean room with a fan, drinking water, hot tea, and free internet. I took a little stroll to stretch my legs. Tried some random things wrapped in a banana leaf that was delicious, but I failed in figuring out what it was called. I kept pointing at it asking, "name?" "called?" she replied "pork" over and over again. I nodded, trying to convey that i understood there was pork inside. I pointed to things I thought I knew like "rice" "curry" then pointing to the banana leaf with a quizzical look...but she just put the curry and rice in the bag as well. I said nevermind and paid for the thai tamale and continued my walk.
I think I actually need a nap. Landing is always rough and my body is confused what time it is and where I am. So time for nap, maybe some more walking exploring today, maybe try to figure out my luggage deal, and then...I have no idea.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Off to Asia once again!
So I am once again off to Asia, back to India in fact! With a quick detour to Thailand first. So I am starting this blog again for all those interested in my adventures.
Some basics to start with:
I will be leaving this Tuesday October 26th and will arrive in Chiang Mai in the morning of October 28th to spend a week in Thailand! Then I am off to India for Diwali on November 4th, the festival of lights. I will spend two months there ending with the wedding of my roommate last year. Then I come back to the states on January 5th when I will start the process of relocating to The City of Angels, California.
While I am in India I will have phone numbers and ways I can be reached, however in the meantime I also have a google voice number that you can call and leave me a message that I can get in my e-mail! This will eventually be my "professional" number and it is based in LA. That number is: (424) 226-8272 (which is also 226-TARA)
I love comments but I also love hearing your voice! So feel free to contact me that way.
So just a brief update for those of you I haven't seen in awhile. After graduation I spent the summer working at camp for children and adults with various different abilities (hemophilia, autism, Deaf, Traumatic Brain Injuries, etc). I was hired as the Photographer, but I also made a documentary about it.
Then I traveled to California where I became a wedding planner for a week and attended the wonderful union of Amanda and Pete! As well as had a wonderful time with Rick, Lisa, and miraculously my entire Santa Cruz crew happened to be there at the same time, which was amazing. It was a great and interesting trip. Throughout my adolescence, Santa Cruz has always been a wonderful safe haven where my friends have provided with support and comfort. However this time, all my friends were in various states of flux, and so felt wonderful to give back some of that support I have been so lucky to have for so many years.
Then I was in New Mexico which just completely flew by. I basked in the beautiful aspens changing to gold and the smell of green chile roasting in the air. I caught up with some old friends and even found some Wes friends who had relocated to Santa Fe! I volunteered for a bit with Organizing for America to help support electing a Democratic Governor instead of a Tea Party Governor. And I also made a lovely side-trip to Denver to see yet another Wes friend and the amazing Margret Cho.
I got to New York just in time for homecoming at Wes which I just got back from today. It was so lovely to see so many smiling and familiar faces. I think one of the saddest parts about leaving Wesleyan was realizing that there are so many acquaintances who I never spent a ton of time with but who I loved seeing around, hearing their comments in class, smiling and waving to as we walked by each other or inviting into my house, and that those are the people I won't stay in touch with, but that I sorely miss. Also after being in the "real world" for a bit (or avoiding the real world by traveling), I am once again reminded how convenient college is, everything is just THERE and in WALKING distance. Wesleyan also has some voodoo magic where every homecoming weekend is just gorgeous, the colors were spectacular.
So other than that, I have been gearing up for my travels and for my relocation to Los Angeles! Thanks for reading, and my next post should be from somewhere across the ocean!
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