Feasting on red chili shrimp on the beach at night – feet in the sand.
Returning to the same “on the beach restaurant” the next day for lunch to sample their curry
Getting bent, beat up, and contorted in a Thai massage, but it felt so good
Seeing that the bar girl culture is unfortunately just as strong as what I read
Riding on the back of a scooter
Eating dinner with an ex-mobster
Cave canoeing under sleeping bats
Boating around the 42 islands of Phong Ma Bay
Drinking more Chiang beer than I should
Watching the sunset from our balcony over the Andaman Sea
Overflowing our balcony Jacuzzi
Dining on whole fried red snapper with three flavors (Yum, yum, and yum)
Wasting away on Kamala Beach as complete beach bums
Eating lousy Pad Thai
Eating really good Pad Thai
Checking out the Lady Boy scene in Pa Tong
Seeing more bar girls, everywhere!
Getting stuck at a bar in a monsoon for over an hour and watching a man dry hump a “lady boy” on the bar across the street
Missing the free shuttle to the hotel during said monsoon and having to catch a ride in a cab through winding narrow lanes in the chaos of Thai traffic – all while the cabbie belted out Lady Gaga at the top of his lungs
Crisping at the pool overlooking the Andaman Sea
Feeding, bathing, and jumping out of the way of elephants
Drinking Black Label while writing
Getting pinched by the hostess at a bar in that playful Thai manner – The Land of Smiles
Having the Elephant Nature Park tour guide take a picture of me in my swimsuit and joking that she wished it was a “mankini”
Going to a popular night spot in Chiang Mai for dinner and sticking around after all the white people left to dance to an all Thai band playing American pop songs
Eating an amazing Thai dinner at Lemongrass for less than $10. We’re talking tantalizingly good.
Learning to cook Thai at an organic farm. “Learning” is used lightly.
Getting annoyed by chefs not making my food spicy enough
Temple hopping until my feet were ready to fall off and I was tired of seeing Buddhas
Bartering at the Chinese market for knock-off Berks
