MARRIED: FON + BEE

Just a few days after I returned to Chiang Mai from Myanmar, I got a call from my friend Kelly telling me that our friend Nong Fon was getting married, that night. N. Fon lives in a small village near us and we travelled to see her before the Buddhist ceremony. 

Traditionally, well-wishers and friends come to a wedding and sprinkle perfumed water on the couple and tie money to their wrists as a sign of good fortune in their marriage. We arrived soon enough to pray for N. Fon and Bee, to witness and share in the happiness of the villagers as they arrived to participate in their wedding celebration. The event took place in the room that the two will call their home, gifts already lay already opened behind them from earlier in the day.

We left the village before the Buddhist ceremony began, loving the fact that we were invited to such an important part of their lives after only being a part of theirs for a short time. I am so incredibly glad I brought my camera to this night and I could deliver a set of the photos to the bride just last week! Keep praying for these two, that their hearts would be open and their lives changed.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • RUSTIC & BLUE

A little while ago I had a birthday. It seems that the trend for my birthday (which I am by no means complaining about) is dinner and a movie. That happened again this year, but in a new country, with friends I had met all in the past twelve months, and fresh everything. Fresh food, fresh fruit, fresh flowers. You betcha.

Katie did a lot of the planning so that much of this was a surprise to me. We headed to Rustic & Blue for dinner, enjoying the beautiful flower arrangement they provided for our table. The place was airy and bright, the backyard filled with cute tables and teepees. Yes, teepees. This place does all of it's food farm-to-table so you know it's local and it's fresh.

To start off I ordered a mocktail and some others followed suit. Katie's was a fruity thing, I think it was cranberry? Mine was kinda like a mint frappe. Any drink is always better in a stemmed glass, and you only turn 24 once, right? Then the ordering of food began. I took a few pictures, but Rustic & Blue's extensive menu changes on the reg, so I couldn't even begin to capture all that they offer. There was the Rustic Warm Brie Salad, the Duck Fries and the Waffle Bacon Burger. I ordered and aboslutely adored the Pumpkin Gnocchi with Local Sausage. I hope they bring that one back soon. Spicy and delicious.

Not only did the staff arrange flowers for us, but once we had finished eating, one of our servers headed to the fridge to bring out the flower crown they gave me as well as a beautiful creme tart with fresh fruit and nuts.

This place was the perfect birthday spot, and I am looking forward to going back sooner than my 25th birthday. It's a bit of a ways across town from us, but worth it! We left to go back home to watch Leonardo and eat more cake. My thought process: It's my birthday. And we're gonna eat more cake.

CHIANG RAI, THAILAND

Chiang Rai is about three and a half (or so) hours away from Chiang Mai by car. My roommate happens to have Agoda down to a science, so when she finds amazing deals, we jump on 'em. A new resort opened this past year in Chiang Rai, overlooking mountains yet not so far away from the farang-less bustle of the little city. We stayed at A-Star Phulare Valley Resort during this long weekend, thankful for the chillest few days known to man.

Though the road was long and we couldn't wait to get to the hotel and crash for a second, we stopped by one of the main attractions near Chiang Rai, Wat Rong Khun. Also known as the White Temple, it is a contemporary take on buddhist art in the form of a temple. In the recent earthquake it was damaged quite a bit, thus the scaffolding. The darkness and hopelessness that surrounded this place was unreal. If you get closer in person you can see that the etchings in certain places resemble arms reaching out of a river to grasp for anything that might bring them satisfaction. The effort taken to build this temple is incredible, the meaning disputed for the entire time it's been around. Travelers come from all around the world to see it, most just in awe of the beauty of the temple's exterior.

To wrap up the night spent driving we plopped our bags down at the resort and headed out to the main road to grab what might be the best noodle soup I've ever tasted in Thailand. I'd drive back to Chiang Rai just for that. The beautiful infinity pool was our final stop for the evening.

In the morning we took full advantage of all that A-Star had to offer. Mainly, we gawked at the beautiful scenery, fed some (rather dirty) sheep, etc. Katie had the pool to herself all morning because Asians don't like getting lots of sun, and I lounged around so sabaai in our villa suite. We left the resort in the afternoon for some fresh air, and to visit a café recommended by some Chiang Mai friends, Chivit Thamma Da. The restaurant/coffee shop has recently added a spa, and we were lucky enough to find a cute Thai hostess to show us around. This place took the cake for our favorite thing in Chiang Rai, the noodle soup from the first night forgotten.

After visiting and falling in love with this place, we went to the Saturday Night Walking Street, which was much cooler (in the spread of activities) than our own weekly walking street. Think group dancing (as close to contra as I'll get in Thailand) and performers, BMX parks and a food court that could be it's own walking street. No good photos from that part of the trip, but I did get out of the market with some cheap playdough that smelled like blue raspberry.

It's true that I am a complete loser, seeing as I forgot my DSLR for practically every cool part of this weekend. However, the likelihood I head back to this place with friends before the end is promising. Chiang Rai is a winner, for sure.