CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • OLD TOWN, PART 3

So, obviously we took a little break from the moat hopping. What can we say, things got busy, fast. This past weekeng Becca stayed the night with us and since she's been short on photos of downtown, we picked it back up, this time venturing to the east side of the moat and starting at Wat Phra Singh.

Wat Phra Singh was one of the first Buddhist temples that I visited when I moved here. I hadn't been back since, and this time there was more time to spare. Of all the temples I've seen, I would say this one has the best gardens and the most color around its grounds. We saw so much orange that our eyes hurt, and so much green that I felt like I was hiking.

After the temple tour, we headed down the main street and stopped at Akha Ama café for a pick me up and some A/C. I'd heard about this place as the best place to go in Chiang Mai for coffee, and of course, I didn't even order coffee. Becca's macchiato was good, but I had a peach tea. Either way, there's motivation to go again.

We wandered tither and thither, passing the Chiang Mai police station, seeing plenty of pretty homes and cool patterns. The moat is full of 'em. We checked out another wat, a few hipster stores and discovered a beautiful little guesthouse called Inn Oon Chiang Mai. I may be booking a room there soon. Absolutely adorable, affordable, and the owner loves to speak Thai with foreigners. Check!

We finally stopped for lunch at Jane's Kitchen, a healthy restaurant about a block in from the moat. Jane's was cute and fresh, the owner had switched summers with a friend and was covering her restaurant in NYC while her friend relaxingly ran her café in Chiang Mai. Talk about a set up. This place was simple. Becca ordered the Green Goddess juice and a panini, and I had the Funky Monkey smoothie (SO much peanut butter) and "The Special," a delicious plate of fresh vegetables and soft-boiled eggs. We then proceeded to haggle a songtaew driver down to 30 baht for a cross-town ride. All in all a pretty good hop, and it didn't rain until we were through!

COOKOUT: JULY 4TH

Just because we're in Thailand doesn't mean we don't celebrate our home's birth! This year Katie and I threw a Fourth of July party to end all Fourth of July parties. We began the day going to the pool to get in some sun and swim a little, but when we got back to our house, the real Americans in us came out.

A few friends of ours were getting ready to head home, so Katie went all out and made home made Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. We'd had a friend bring the sauce from America, so we were good to go on that end. We set up a few tables in our car park, unstacked a lot of chairs and had the works: burgers straight off the grill, hotdogs, watermelon, all the fixin's and all the sides.

More Rollaroasters made it for later, when we tried to roast marshmallows over the dying grill coals. Katelyn set up an archery range for entertainment, and we still have the target hanging with our laundry.

We miss you America, but we're really glad you've been able to reach plenty of the world. Wouldn't be fourth of july without hamburgers and red, white and blue. We may have missed the fireworks, but freedom was ringing here in Chiang Mai.

DINNER PARTY: SHRIMP & GRITS

So when it comes to expatriates in Chiang Mai, you've got people from all over. Europe, North America, Australia, you name it. Of those from The U.S.A., you've got two groups: those from California and everybody else. I say all of this to make it very clear that it is hard to come by people from your home, your true home. I'm lucky to be living with another South Carolinian of sorts, and when we connected with another couple from our state, sparks just flew (let me go ahead and apologize for all the ridiculous descriptions to come in this post).

Pam and Glenn invited us over to their beautiful home, which felt like just that the moment we walked in. Watercolor paintings of Charleston and other pieces by our host lined the walls of their quaint, airy home. The night started out simple enough, a bleu cheese salad with cranberries and a vinaigrettete dressing.

As our conversation tilted toward the South, the next course arrived: Meeting Street Crab. This dip was to die for, a cheesy, seafood-y goodness on croutons. This was my first time to try a dish of its kind. The flavors were impeccable, and I swear I could hear the sound of waves at the Battery.

As the sun set and the candlelight glistened through our glasses of sweet tea, Glenn brought out the main course, the whole reason we gathered: shrimp and grits. With bacon as an alternative to the traditional sausage, a flavorful gravy with mushrooms and greens accompanying the grits, this may have been the best rendition of shrimp and grits that I have tasted. Glenn mentioned that this recipe was a first for them, different from what they've put together on the dish in the past. Even so, there weren't any leftovers on my end.

We finished off our four-course with a banana pudding dessert. This one had a bit more class than I was used to, served in a martini glass with a thin waffle instead of Nilla wafers. A huge thanks to Pam and Glenn for making us girls feel at home away from home. I'm ready for the second round of SC in Asia: low country boil.