It was a bit awkward standing behind a monk at Seven Eleven to buy a beer. But I didn’t care. I needed one. It was the first time I thought I was going to die, since walking down a Chinese sidewalk and almost getting plowed by a taxi. I was visiting an ancient temple in southern Thailand called . I know. […]
Praborommathatchiyaratchaworawihan (I can’t pronounce it either.)
Temples and Tastebuds
It’s the coconut capital of the world.That’s all I knew about Surat Thani and thought it would be worth spending a day. But I quickly found out this coastal Thai city has more than what Chicago has Starbucks. I visited several, each one having its own flavor. This one had a meals on wheels program. Another temple taught young […]
The Un-memorial
I couldn’t see the beach. The white sand, all of the beer bellied sunbathers in small speedos were all washed away. All I could see was the wave of the Tsunami of 2004 hitting the Patong beach of Phuket. My mind went back to December 26th, 2004. I was in a coffee shop in Amsterdam with my husband, doing what […]
Holiday Dare
The last few days have been filled with food indulgences but not your typical holiday fare. Our school celebrated the New Year’s at a Chinese version of the Four Seasons Sunday Buffet. Usually, a picture is worth a thousand words. But in China, sometimes the translations are better, like Baked Pumpkin Mud. Imagine a Crème brûlée made with a pumpkin […]