CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • NATWAT HOME CAFÉ

Katie and I had discussed trying this place for months, she'd been driving by multiple times each week but never actually stopping. Once we tried the food, we were sold. Therefore, this year for my 25th birthday we sat down with the owners to discuss a special dinner (they're usually only open for lunch) menu and BAM: instant to-do.

The garden backyard of the restaurant is beautiful no matter the time of day, with hanging moss plants and plenty of beautiful greenery. It was just golden hour when we arrived, so we took advantage of the situation to take some very sit-com-esque pictures before we ate.

The interior of Natwat is simple, wood metal, but not too industrial. A blue cushioned bench lines one side of the dining room and the location where our dinner table was set. Katie bought orange flowers at the market to decorate and accent the sweet summer vibe perfectly.

The menu was nothing but delicious. There was chicken cordon bleu and a honey mustard chicken and brie burger to choose from for a main course, grilled vegetables or a walnut-arugula salad, and the freshest of sides: spinach parmesan mashed potatoes, homemade thyme gnocchi with sautéed tomatoes... And this comes after we'd already been blown away by their brunch menu and fancy drink selection.

We ate our fill (literally) before dessert: Emily (our fondant queen and cake decorating whiz) created a beautiful cake to look like a latté, art and all. There were little salted caramel brownie mugs for each guest to go along with the chocolate and caramel buttercream of the latté cake. I can't begin to describe how great this cake was and how sad I will be when the leftovers are finally gone from my refrigerator.

I have the best coworkers. It's obvious from these photos, no? Been fortunate enough to spend a year here with them, some gone already and maybe others to come soon, and they did a swell job of helping me kick off year twenty-five! Don't know what I did to deserve such a great little community here!

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • WOO CAFÉ

About a year ago, my sister-in-law's brother Matt visited, and I sent him to a pin I'd received from a friend for this "café you HAVE to try." Later Matt texted me with a resounding: "Yes. This place." So Katie and I joined shortly, with some notebooks in tow to plan our upcoming vacation. Ever since, Woo has been our home base for late night coffee hangs, a happy place when the days are long and annoying, and somewhere we can count on to have the best things: good drinks, fresh green food, and friendly staff.

The shop is constantly filled with fresh flowers and plants, like a garden is spilling out of each nook and cranny. The sunlight outside spills into the space as well, and at night the candle-like glow of the chandeliers and lamps make for a peaceful place to chat or work.

Woo serves just about every coffee drink you'll normally find at cafés in town, the art is done spectacularly, and the iced drinks come in giant glass jars, not to mention the delicious cookies that come with each drink. If that doesn't win you over, I don't know if anything will.

Woo also boasts a great food menu. The caesar salad and chicken sandwich never disappoint, and the Thai food is just as good, flavorful and spicy as any other place you'll find in Chiang Mai.

In a separate part of the building, you'll find a "lifestyle" shop, a beautiful and expensive boutique filled with ceramics, jewelry, funky art, and rich fabrics. I can't afford most things in that store even on payday, but it's a blast to walk through and browse the ever-changing items.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • SUNDAY NIGHT WALKING STREET

Chiang Mai is known by many has having some of the best markets in Thailand. I would definitely be one of the many, I can't count on two hands how many food, hand-made, pop-up, and tourist markets I've been to that all but changed my life. Of all of these, the one that stands out the most is the Sunday night market. There have been fewer Sundays that I didn't go to this market than I did. Nine times out of ten, you'll find me here, I'd go alone if I had to. This place is the perfect place to shop for friends, find new treasures for yourself, and to gorge on amazing food.

One of the great things about living in a city that sees as much tourism as Chiang Mai is the look on the locals' faces once they realize you're not leaving for a bit. There are so many vendors and musicians who know our faces, love to speak Thai with us and help us out in the bargaining department. It's definitely a whole new perspective when you aren't just breezing through once in a lifetime. You get to really take in all that the market (or whatever you're frequenting) has to offer, you get to notice the trends as they come and go (matching banana shirts, anyone?). And you become a little wiser about what foods to eat and not eat, what deals to jump or ignore, and you find the little booths that no one knows about or makes it to 'cause they're too distracted by the glitz of some other vendor.

The Walking Street goes directly through from one side of Old Town Chiang Mai to the other, with various sections clustered at different points. Wat Phan On, the first wat on the left along the street, is home to a "food court" of sorts. Though there are several areas that specialize in food and snacks, this is the largest of them all and has all of our favorites: chicken shwarma, gyoza, etc. There are places all over the market where you can find ice-cream, smoothies and tea, this wat is a good place to start. There's usually some sort of chanting going on, kids ringing bells in the temple and the band playing right outside the entrance never stops.

As you walk along the road, the booths get increasingly more interesting, the most unique items can be found in the center of the street and beyond. You'll also find little hidden sois with gardens and restaurants, don't let the craziness of the market let you forget that the street also has shops of its own that are open all week long, and thankfully, some of the pop-ups have shops of their own elsewhere in the city.

Chiang Mai Sunday Night Walking Street is a crowded, loud, nutso mess of people and stuff to buy. It's a great place to soak in all that Chiang Mai has to offer as far as souvenirs, but it's also a good dose of culture, or at least culture plus Chinese tourists and backpackers. Locals come to this market just as much as foreigners do, and that's how doggone good it is. Like most big markets, It gets hot, it gets close, but it's usually one of the highlights of my weekend. Markets like this will be one of the things I miss most about Southeast Asia. American state fairs can't compete.