I haven’t been posting blogs as much as when I first got here. This is mostly because I already feel comfortable here. I guess I’m kind of taking it for granted, and daily life doesn’t seem quite as interesting anymore. Another day, another tuk-tuk ride, another durian. I realize this stuff is all still pretty awesome and weird, but to me it just feels normal. What can I do? Maybe it’s time to take another vacation within this vacation.

In the meantime, here are some recent photos. If you want to see my photos soon after I post them, rather than waiting for me to blog them, please follow me on instagram. (username anamanae)

A lovely, newly-wed fruitarian couple arrived in Chiang Mai this week. The three of us met up for lunch at a vegetarian buffet, where we ate far more than our fair share of salad. Afterwards, they showed me where to buy organic celery and lettuce that actually looks like lettuce. I was so excited, as most of the greens I had found prior to that didn’t look anything like any greens I had ever seen before. And frankly, I was always a little skeptical.

Even though they had just arrived, my new friends knew where a lot of stuff was. They had the foresight to buy a magical tourist map on amazon before they left home. I thought I could get by just fine with my iPhone, and it never occurred to me to buy a paper map. When I arrived, I struggled to find things. In the future, I will definitely be purchasing one of these maps of my destinations ahead of time. It obviously makes a huge difference.

I spent most of my third day in Chiang Mai resting, meditating, doing a little computer work, and eating raw fruits and veggies from the fridge. I made a raw carrot ginger soup in the blender which was nice, but not good enough to share the recipe. I may try to perfect it today or tomorrow. I’ll let you know.

Towards the end of the day, I decided I should get outside, get some exercise, and explore a little. Before long, I found myself in a walking street, full of tourists and vendors of all kinds. The purse I brought with me to Chiang Mai had begun falling apart, so I was very happy to find a sturdy and beautiful replacement within these streets. I also had the privilege of tasting the most delicious juice in the universe: passion fruit juice. It was even better than the mulberry juice.

I thought this would last for a few blocks at most, but about 2 hours later I checked my GPS location on my phone and I had apparently walked clear to the other side of the city. Still, there was no end in sight, and I started to wonder if the entire world had turned into one giant, inescapable walking street. I made a few turns, following my intuition, and managed to find an exit where an army of tuk-tuks were waiting to take me home. The walking street experience was amazing, but it was really nice to be home afterwards.

Today I think I will investigate one of the many foot massage places I keep seeing around.

In the morning I visited JJ Market. There was a tiny area where various vendors were selling food. The only thing I found there that I wanted was a small bottle of mulberry juice. The vendor who sold it to me promised it was “aroy” which means delicious. He did not lie, that stuff was amazing and I drank it in about two seconds.

It was a little rainy, and a few snails were out. There were some beautiful and fragrant flowers growing on bushes. JJ Market seemed to also be a place where wooden furniture is sold, probably later in the day. There were lots of interesting benches, cabinets, and statues lying around, but no one seemed to be there to sell them. The weather added to the creepy, deserted atmosphere. These were my favorite parts about visiting JJ Market; even better than the juice.

Afterwards, I walked to Tesco Lotus, which I thought was going to be a normal supermarket, but turned out to be something like a Target inside of a shopping mall. I grabbed a mango and a few other things, then walked outside and found a street vendor selling cut up fruits. I bought some jicama and some watermelon, then caught a tuk-tuk back to the condo.

After resting a while, I decided to check out a nearby vegetarian restaurant called Anchan that I’ve heard really good things about. I ordered a dessert: pumpkin in coconut milk, which was crazy delicious. The waitresses were extremely young. I think the youngest one may have been about 6 years old. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, which afforded the staff lots of time to run around and play and squeal. I found it very charming.

I wanted to do some clothes shopping, so I walked to a shopping mall that was about 15 minutes away by foot. By the time I got there, jet lag was setting in more than ever and I was absolutely delirious. The shopping mall is huge and confusing, and I was extremely disoriented. I did manage to pick up two dresses and a shirt, and I found a supermarket that sells organic lettuce, packages of jackfruit, and whole coconuts. Score!

I finally have enough food in the condo that I can take it easy for a day without feeling like I must go out and find things, so I am doing just that. Perhaps I will go out for a walk later and find some grass to put my feet in.