Bangkok Archives • Choosing Figs

Hostel cat on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua.

March 1, 2018

in Asia, Bangkok, Cali, Cambodia, Cats, Chiang Mai, Colombia, Cusco, Darjeeling, El Nido, Ephesus, Europe, Flores, Gili Trawangan, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Isla de Ometepe, Istanbul, Koh Phi Phi, Lago de Yajoa, Laos, Latin American Adventure, Leon, Lima, Luang Prabang, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Round the World, San Blas Islands, Sihanoukville, South America, Thailand, travel, Turkey, Vang Vieng

Cats Around the World

Last year, I went on date to see the movie Kedi at The Music Box here in Chicago. Kedi, in Turkish, simply means "cat," and the film documents the cats in Istanbul who rule the streets and seem, all at once, to belong to everyone...

Me and the boys. They were pretty much the reason I went to Thailand.

February 9, 2016

in Asia, Bangkok, TBEX, Thailand, travel

Same Same, But Different: Returning to Bangkok.

There's a smell to Asia. A mix of lemongrass and coriander and durian and mango. A mix of incense and sweat and fermented meat. Something like that. It's a scent that's enhanced with the sticky humidity. Intensified. It's a scent that's just there, saturating the...

Pad Thai with Prawn - because you absolutely can not visit Thailand without getting at least one Pad Thai.

November 6, 2015

in Asia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, food, Koh Samui, Thailand, travel

Two weeks of Thai food in Thailand.

I have a lot to say about my two week vacation in Thailand. I just haven't yet found all the right words. So instead, for now, I'm just going to share with you all the Thai food I ate. Because, really, food was one of...

November 1, 2015

in Asia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Thailand, travel

October in Thailand.

I've been trying to recap my months, every month, in Instagrams, a platform I've been at least somewhat diligent in keeping up to date (follow me here), so I can collect for you all the things I haven't gotten a chance to blog about yet....

October 7, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, food, Round the World, Thailand, travel

I will miss you, $1 Pad Thai: What I ate in Thailand.

On my last stint in Thailand, my last stint in Asia, before heading home after 15 months of travel abroad, I spent a month in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. And I ate. A lot. $1 in Thailand goes far, with most of my meals costing...

September 28, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Round the World, Thailand, travel

We got low.

I took a quick weekend detour from Chiang Mai back to Bangkok to meet up with Jodie — an Australian girl I had met four years ago in Amsterdam and hadn't seen since. I had been looking forward to catching up with her in Australia,...

July 16, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, food, Pai, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Obligatory what I ate (this time) in Thailand post.

Photos of what I ate in Thailand....

Reverse Culture Shock in Bangkok, Thailand.

June 7, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Round the World, Thailand, travel

How are you tomorrow? Reverse culture shock in Bangkok.

There's a particular phenomenon that travelers often allude to: "reverse culture shock." It happens when you return home from long term travel. You get so used to being immersed a different cultures that when you arrive back home it no longer feels right. It feels...

Stir fry (and corn) at the night market in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

March 6, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, food, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Round the World, Thailand, travel

The world’s your oyster.

In Thailand I ate a lot of pad thai. A. Lot. Of. Pad. Thai....

March 5, 2012

in Asia, Bangkok, Round the World, Thailand, travel

Feet first. I’ve done this before.

I wish my Thailand, and my Southeast Asia, journey ended there. It would have been a nice little final note, a nice little end to this chapter of my trip. It shows a lot of how this lifestyle works, of how I've grown, to sit...

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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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Cats Around the World

Same Same, But Different: Returning to Bangkok.

Two weeks of Thai food in Thailand.

October in Thailand.

I will miss you, $1 Pad Thai: What I ate in Thailand.

We got low.

Obligatory what I ate (this time) in Thailand post.

How are you tomorrow? Reverse culture shock in Bangkok.

The world’s your oyster.

Feet first. I’ve done this before.

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