December 15, 2015. I remind myself regularly of this date. When I’m up at night, my brain whirrs as I count the days, weeks, months and now years since I turned my back on expat life. It seems like no time has passed at all, and yet all the time in the world has passed. DecemberContinue reading “Two Years of Home”
Tag Archives: chiang mai
True Story: I’m a Recovering Expat
Editor’s Note: This should have been published on Dec. 15, 2016. I was hella sick so never published it on the actual one-year anniversary of surrendering my status as an expatriate. Better late than never, right? Hi. My name is Diana. I used to be an expat. For almost four years, it was how IContinue reading “True Story: I’m a Recovering Expat”
What Being an Expat Taught Me About Life
The photos flood my Facebook feed. They’ve been doing it for ages now, thanks to all the different ways memories are shared. Typically, I look at them, let my mind linger and then move on. But, there’s something different about the photos and moments popping up now: they’re no longer tangible. Let me explain.
Midnight in the Garden of Good
There’s a cacophony of crickets, frogs and dogs barking that wake me before my friend, Jodi, does. Laying on the bamboo floor in her hut constructed of the same at Elephant Nature Park, I am still. Present in the total darkness as the world softly whispers outside the slats in her walls. Her soft footfallsContinue reading “Midnight in the Garden of Good”
Guide to Nightlife in Chiang Mai
Compared to the thumping and thriving nightlife in Bangkok, Chiang Mai at night is sleepy and reserved. But, sleepy and reserved in a way that isn’t really sleepy or reserved at all. From backpacker enclaves to seedier lady bars, to local dives and the places where the hip and fabulous hang out, there’s something forContinue reading “Guide to Nightlife in Chiang Mai”
Because Sometimes You Don’t Realize It’s Love Until It’s Gone
My heart races as the cab driver pulls up to the International Terminal at Madrid. I’ve been here before, but this time, it’s different. This time, I’m not hopping on a short flight to London, or heading to the States to procure my Spanish Visa. This time, I’m going back to Thailand. The longest placeContinue reading “Because Sometimes You Don’t Realize It’s Love Until It’s Gone”
Thailand: That Old, Familiar Smell
“There’s a smell,” the man seated next to me explains as we circle the airspace above Bangkok. “I can’t describe it … but … it’s this smell. It’s distinct. It’s Thailand.” I smile at him, weary from traveling for 24 hours and not looking forward to an overnight at the airport. “Ah,” I remark half-heartedly.Continue reading “Thailand: That Old, Familiar Smell”
Chiang Mai health and beauty guide
When I first arrived in Chiang Mai, I had no idea where to start in terms of becoming a healthier person (and a well-coiffed one, too). It isn’t difficult to find places which cater to expats or western travelers in Chiang Mai, thanks to its ridiculously huge digital nomad scene, and its unending supply ofContinue reading “Chiang Mai health and beauty guide”
The House Hunters International experience
If you haven’t been following along lately, I recently filmed an episode for House Hunters International — Chiang Mai Fair Lady — which airs tonight. If you’re new to d travels ’round, welcome! I hope you find this as the place to motivate you to get up, follow your dreams and see the world (or atContinue reading “The House Hunters International experience”
The year of living for me
Big droplets of rain pummel the tar as we sit under the cover of a metal roof, watching the late-season storm cleanse Chiang Mai. Over icy glasses of Sangsom and Coke, and boozy chat about how to not get sucked into the abyss of Chiang Mai Expat-ness, an idea is born: 2014 is going toContinue reading “The year of living for me”
D Travels 'Round 