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Falling for a guy in Pai, Thailand
July 7, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Pai, relationships, Round the World, sex, Thailand, travel

Falling.

All I wanted was dinner. Scratch. Dinner and wifi. That was my plan. My mission. That was what I was looking for when I was walking down the street on one of my first nights in Pai. I certainly wasn't looking to meet a guy. In...

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Almost Famous in Pai, Thailand
July 6, 2012
in Asia, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Pai, Thailand.

I spent two and a half weeks in Pai. Doing nothing....

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Pai, Thailand
July 5, 2012
in Asia, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

You’re not beautiful. You’re not sexy.

Johnny came into the bar one night. He was older, Thai, with thick black dreadlocks. He sat next to me and took out his guitar, playing with a cigarette perched between the strings. It was, maybe, 1 or so in the morning. I hadn't been drinking...

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Getting Engaged in Pai, Thailand
June 29, 2012
in Asia, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

I’m engaged! (Again…)

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for my entire life happened (for the third time on this trip...

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Mor Paeng Waterfall in Pai, Thailand
June 27, 2012
in Asia, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Bicycling to Mor Paeng Waterfall in Pai, Thailand.

Renting a bicycle to visit Mor Paeng Waterfall in Pai, Thailand, seems, in theory, like a pleasant way to spend a day. Until, after maybe ten minutes of peddling, when you realize that you'll be traveling uphill the entire way. Until your ass hurts so much...

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Rainbow from my bungalow in Pai, Thailand
June 25, 2012
in Asia, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.

I still wasn't quite sure where I wanted to stay when my minibus pulled up in Pai. I knew that I kind of didn't want to stay at the big party hostel. I wanted to drink when I wanted to drink and sleep when I...

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Chiang Mai
June 20, 2012
in Asia, Chiang Mai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

You can’t have a red curry but you can piss on the gate.

Almost every day in Chiang Mai I said, "tomorrow I'm going to Pai." It was the same thing that happened last time I got there five months ago. It seems to be where I end up going, and staying, when I need to recover. The...

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Learning to ride a motorbike in Thailand
June 17, 2012
in Asia, Chiang Mai, Learn Something New, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Accomplished.

In 2009, I mounted a motorcycle for the first time. I made Mat take me. I was screaming before I even got on. 40 feet later I yelled at him to pull over, jumped off, and ran away. Jenny remarked the other day that I seemed...

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Party in Chiang Mai, Thailand
June 15, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Chiang Mai, relationships, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Of cows and milk. (Or how i suck at boys.) (Or please don’t misread that subtitle.)

I want to throw out there this idiom (or whatever it is, The Google seems to think it's an idiom) that I'm sure you're all familiar with: "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." Really, I never understood the quote....

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Muay Thai in Chiang Mai
June 11, 2012
in Asia, Chiang Mai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Chiang Mai Muay Thai in the middle of nowhere.

We kept getting lost on the way, wherever the way was, to watch some Chiang Mai Muay Thai in, seemingly, the middle of nowhere Thailand. Jenny and I were piled in the back of a pick up truck with about 10 other people. We were following...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

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2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?