Author Archives: dtravelsround

Sunday Night Market madness

The Sunday Night Market, in theory, sounds awesome. Cheap shopping. Cheap eats. Stall after stall of items you don’t need, but suddenly have to have. My kinda market. I should have known better. Crowds and D never mix. And yet, there I was, being the cheerleader for Katie, Isabelle and I heading out into theContinue reading “Sunday Night Market madness”

Escape of the Week: The Japanese Toilet Controls

When I landed in Narita for my (surprisingly long, thank you United) stopover, the first thing I did was head to the bathroom. Nine-plus hours on a plane will do that to you. I wanted to take a look at myself in the mirror, see how haggard more than 12 hours of traveling had madeContinue reading “Escape of the Week: The Japanese Toilet Controls”

Hangovers and headaches

I woke up in the morning, curled up in a ball on my bed. I looked to my right, Katie and Isabelle were just waking up, too. My head. I sought to put together the pieces from the previous night. Whiskey and Coke bucket. Chang Beer. Which, apparently, is super strong. Dancing at the reggae bar. AContinue reading “Hangovers and headaches”

Fight the jet lag, drink whiskey

I rubbed my eyes. Holy. Crap. Katie had just walked into the room. Suddenly, the exhaustion which had overcome my body melted effortlessly away. “KATIE!!” I jumped out of bed and ran to her. “Oh my god!!” “Surprise!” She said, smiling as we wrapped our arms around each other. I held onto her for a momentContinue reading “Fight the jet lag, drink whiskey”

Sleep? Not in Chiang Mai

Checking in to Little Bird was easy. I gave my name and showed my passport. Then, I was shown my room, a small thing with two bunk beds, a little wooden dresser and a chest-high locker unit. It was cute, with the mis-matched paint on the walls. And, the doors. The doors at Little BirdContinue reading “Sleep? Not in Chiang Mai”

Speaking for the Elephants … in memory of Mae Sai Roong

Yesterday morning, when I turned on my computer after a night of restlessness, my heart sank. There, on the screen, were two Facebook status updates. One from the Elephant Nature Park & Foundation page stating Mae Sai Roong, an elephant our volunteer group had taken care of when she fell ill on Sept. 10, hadContinue reading “Speaking for the Elephants … in memory of Mae Sai Roong”

Hello, Chiang Mai

“There’s a smell to Thailand,” my seatmate from Narita to Bangkok had explained to me upon our arrival to the country, and before we walked off of the plane and down the stairs to the tarmac. “I don’t know what it is, but it is distinct. And I love it.” We walked towards the doorContinue reading “Hello, Chiang Mai”

Crossing the Pacific

The itinerary I had printed a day earlier from UNITED was becoming worn before I even boarded my flight from SFO to Narita, Japan. Yes. Narita. I had learned the day before my trip that the flight that was booked for me from San Francisco to Bangkok was not actually a flight from San FranciscoContinue reading “Crossing the Pacific”

Escape of the Week: An Ele Family

Yes, another elephant Escape of the Week. Here’s the deal: I took about 500 photos of elephants, which is more than I took of any one city while I was traveling. Therefore, there is an obscene amount of elephant cuteness sitting on my laptop, begging to be shared with the world. But first, a noteContinue reading “Escape of the Week: An Ele Family”