.um.

The minibus is picking me up any minute now for a 20 hour bus ride to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO protected site in northern Laos. I opted for the bus ride as it’s only 1400B, about 50 dollars. The hour flight would have costed me over 200 dollars!

I arrive in LP at 6am Sunday. Circus pickup is at 2PM which will give me a bit of time to get situated and check out the city.

• Bed at midnight
• Up at 5am
• Take tuk tuk to Crossfit Chiang Mai
• Get lost and walk around the back alley of CM for an hour, buy a snack wrapped in banana leaves
• Finally find the site after traversing the superhighway 3 times. I got this down like a local monk
• Workout!
• Walk 45 min back to guesthouse
• Shower, Skype
• Walk around CM for lunch. Order double.. Yes I’m this hungry.
• Iced Thai green tea, so yum! Play with my iPhone and make plans for this week
• Walk to yoga to check it out.
• Decide on taking yoga and must walk back to guesthouse to get clothes
• Take a 1 1/2 hour Anusara class
• Decide to soak in the Yoga community and stay for sauna and body scrub
• Watch a beautiful rendition of Falling Slowly
• Skin has never felt so smooth from the scrub
• Walk back to guesthouse, eat the mango sticky rice bought earlier
• Passout!

.reminds me of shanghai; families eating together outside in front of the television, small alleyways, food stalls galore, the overuse of plastic everywhere.

.warm and loving it

.how I cringe when I see an older white male with a young asian woman. But then, perhaps he treats her well and provides her a better life than before. What do I know and who am I to judge?

.thai dogs are cuuuuute! Even the one that almost jumped on me.

.already 3 mosquito bites and I forgot to take my malaria medicine. Must start today.

.thai folks are fiercely stylish, especially in Bangkok. Im talking full on harem pants, high heels, dean and deluca bags.

.not even 7 hours in Chiang Mai I already jaywalked the “superhighway” 3 times in search of Crossfit CM. Found it an hour later and worked on an AMRAP of 10 60# front squat/20 pullups/30 sit-ups

.first sit down meal was at a cantonese style pork bbq place; I stopped there because I saw a grandma chopping vegetables. I’m a sucker for Asian grandmas! She took a liking to me and started talking in Cantonese with me. After explaining (in my pathetic canton) to her that I’m from shanghai, she immediately asked me if I wanted some wonton soup. Umm can’t say no to a Chinese, smiling grandma. She kept slapping me on my back like she’s known me for years. Yes I ate 2 orders of lunch here… Total 60b, or $2. I promised to come back on Monday for siu mai.

Snowshoeing with M&D in Afton

Snowboarding and losing my keys in Hyland

Taught my first partner yoga workshop for V-day

Todd Norian Therapeutics with Anusara workshops

Finished Devanadi 200 hour yoga teacher training

Sianna Sherman’s yoga workshops in Madison

Janelle Monae with my favorite peeps (Greg/Amanda/etc)

HAWAII 2010!  Surf-chicken sightings-beach finding-biking-kale salad x3-salmon jerky-poke galore-new swimsuits-tippy top with Clair-making brazilian feast for new friends-

Bought my first bike.. celeste bianchi auto-milano

First date with Laura.. Thai food, art show, cocktails at LBV, attempted house party, dancing at Jager, and chicken wings at Azia.

Last breakfast with David before he departed for LA.. granola pancakes at BLB

Hanging out with Ray, having a beer outside at Barbette

Making dumplings and cioppino with Mali

Met my Crossfit family at Twintown

Denver trip with Laura to visit Joe/Greg.  Playing Temper Trap super loud in our rental, driving the wrong way to get to the airport, Had way too many Bhakti Chais, and again, making a feast with bloody marys. 

Weddings galore.  planning flowers for Jillia’s

Jillia’s party and wedding in Duluth, skinny dipping in Lake Superior

Rediscovering photography

Clair’s wedding in August, dance party x100000 at Jager, amazing friends.

Fight Gone Bad, raising money and killing the wod

July 4th with Giao in wine country.  Drinking so much delicious wine, and amazing food at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market.  The best food we had in wine country.

Rekindled my loving obsession with coffee (Stumptown, Blue Bottle, etc)

Bike Me Babes

Bison burgers at Busters

Many blanket times at Thomas Lowry Park, Picnics at the hill on top of Lake Harriet

Planning planning and playing at Kelly’s wedding.  Loved every minute of witnessing a best friend marrying her best friend. 

Concerts galore: Flaming Lips, The Nationals, Arcade Fire/Calexico, LCD Soundsystems/Hot Chip, Broken Bells, Broken Social Scene, DJ Z-trip

NY 2010!  Met so many amazing people at the Kula yoga retreat in the Catskills, spending time with Holly, delicious coffees, getting sloshed with Andy.  Had a great time with Amy and Phil.

So many fun dance nights at Jager, 3rock and First Ave thanks to talented local djs, especially mike2600

Driving away from 809 Douglas with “home” on full blast from the Current.  Cry-laughing with gratitude.

Ringing in the new years with my dearest, toasting to a new year over a homemade feast.