christmas in khao yai

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful friends and family, Merry Christmas to the workers at 7/11 who always remember my coffee order, Merry Christmas to the motorbike drivers outside my condo who know where to take me without having to ask.

Merry Christmas!

To follow up to my Thanksgiving post, this was my first Christmas season away from family and away from the Western world. I don't think people truly understand how different the rest of the world can be. An American friend asked me about two weeks ago via Facebook if Thai Christmas music was better or worse than American Christmas music.

Haha, there is no Thai Christmas music. Lies, I think I heard ONE. But, that's it. This is a Buddhist culture, and in Buddhist culture they don't celebrate Christmas. First of all, it's hotter than balls still and the only Christmas decor you see is at huge malls where the only purpose is to tempt rich expats and affluent Thais to go spend their money on way-too-expensive stuff.

To continue reading, click below.

loy krathong

It was the day of my golden birthday. I turned 25 years old on the 25th of November, which happened to be the same day as the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, hence the Thai festival - Loy Krathong. Did you follow all of that?

It's a festival celebrated annually. Each year the date changes since it's based on the lunar calendar. The name Loy Krathong translates directly as "to float a basket" which comes from the tradition of making a krathong or a decorated basket which is floated on a river or any body of water nearby really. Traditionally, the floating baskets are made from a slice of a banana tree or a spider lily plant but in modern times they are mostly made of bread which adorably gets eaten up by fish in a number of minutes.

To see pictures and read more about this incredible holiday, click below

it is your birthday.

"Not even an exclamation mark?" "This way is more professional." Thank you Jim & Dwight, always.

Just kidding, guys. It was MY birthday! 

Last Wednesday, November 25 was the day I celebrated my golden birthday. 25 years young and I have to say that I am decently happy at where I'm at in life - living in Thailand with a boy in a nice condominium, proud cat mommy of two beautiful, annoying creatures and developing a life for myself as an "adult"... or whatever.

Thanks to all the new & old homies in my life, my birthday was - quite frankly - incredible. I'll let the pictures do the talking... but the key points are as follows

-Justin took me to dinner at the beautiful restaurant where we had our first date.

-He surprised me with a 'day at the spa' where I was indulged by three hours of amazing.

-I got my mouth on some craft brews with one of my new buds.

-A group of us celebrated the Thai holiday, Loy Khathong.

-All my friends and I ate dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Beautiful, beautiful. 

Thank you to everyone who made me feel special & most importantly, loved.

To see photos from my special day, click below!

friendsgiving

This was the first year being away from my family for Thanksgiving. This is the first year being in a country besides America for Thanksgiving. I was clueless and scared that my American traditions were going to fade away in Thailand. But, then it hit me.

I'm an adult, goddamnit! Now is the time I am allowed to create my own traditions, while doing my best to keep all the old ones. So, I grabbed Justin and put together a Friendsgiving, inviting all my close friends in Bangkok together in our home.

To continue reading about my Thanksgiving in Bangkok, click to read more.

bangkok stonehenge

To my understanding, Bangkok Stonehenge (real name being Hopewell Construction) was once a development project that began in 1990. The plan was to construct an elevated train system to take people to the airport. However, the funding was cut in 1992 and since then, these large pillars remain, overtaken by foliage and graffiti.

I gained interest in visiting this 'Stonehenge' when a fellow photographer mentioned to me these pillars will soon be torn down in order to make way for construction to begin over again. This easy trip cost about 23 baht in total (< one US dollar) and didn't take up much time.

So, you're interested in taking this trip because my descriptive words and beautiful imagery have convinced you?! Wow, that means a lot. If you do want to visit, start off at the Hua Lamphong Train Station which is connected directly to the Hua Lamphong MRT station. The train station is ornate and smells of cat urine. This combination is both confusing and concerning.

hong kong 香港

Since moving to Thailand, I've seen a lot. I worked for awhile as a travel journalist and photographer. It was my job to explore the city and document the places that tourists would like to see. This was such a terrific way to see things that maybe I wouldn't have seen on my own time. I ate at beautiful restaurants on the river, I got lost trying to find tiny Indian markets and sweated through so many clothes I was doing on the daily.

Now, I'm working at a more "regular" job. I'm the senior publicist at a public relations firm in central Bangkok called Midas PR. I have a flexible schedule and I'm enjoying it for the most part. But, I haven't traveled anywhere in a long time. It was time to see something new again. 

Hong Kong was not at the top of my list. Mostly because I knew how expensive it was and even though you may think from my extremely good looks and extravagant lifestyle (lol.) that I am made of moneys. I am not. This is not the case. My boyfriend's parents insisted - over and over - we see Hong Kong and finally pushed us to do so. And I'm so very happy. 

We visited for three short days - just enough to grab a taste of the city, enough to make me want to absolutely come back again to visit longer. It's an extremely dense - crowded city but it runs efficiently and everyone seems to speak English well. This is such a contrast from Bangkok, where I so often find myself in interactions with Thai people and we just can't communicate. It was nice to banter with people- to tell the waitress I like her ring and to ask for directions from a stranger.

bangkok art & culture centre

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) is a contemporary arts hub located in the center of Bangkok. Today, I had the pleasure of visiting and exploring the endless options of art, culture, design, theatre and film. Cultural and educational events alike take place in its exhibition areas and performance spaces. The BACC includes many art galleries, chic cafes, bookshops, unique craft stores and even an art library.

Construction for the BACC started in 2005 and was complete three years later. It is equipped with nine floors arranged around a beautiful atrium.

The BACC's mission states that it "visualizes itself as a centre of cultural diversity for a sustainable social development". Essentially, the centre hopes to create a meeting place for artists and to provide a culturally friendly environment for the community.

The art centre features new, creative art exhibitions each month. A calendar of all the upcoming exhibitions can be found on the BACC website or on the outside of the centre itself.

One of the exhibitions I visited today was called "Crow" The 1st Solo Exhibition. I had the pleasure of meeting the artist whose name is Ravi Gitsanalom. This exhibition runs until February 28 and can be found on the second floor.

Something really neat about the BACC is its mission to not only showcase artists' work but to encourage the community to get involved in artistic and cultural expression. As soon as you get into the BACC, centered around the atrium are creative craft shops, portrait artists ready to paint for you and even a self jewelry-making store. Walking around the BACC sets for you a feeling of creative inspiration.

A store called "happening" is what caught my attention first. Its a kind of crafty, artistic store featuring handmade journals, postcards, notebooks, etc from all around Thailand and more.

These portrait artists can complete beautiful drawings within minutes for customers.

The true highlight of my experience at the BACC was discovering the plethora of quaint coffee shops and small eateries. If I took photos of all of the different cafes in the BACC, we would be here all day. I picked out my favorite cafe named Gallery Drip Coffee and a small ice cream shop called IceDEA.

BACC is open from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. and closed on Mondays. Entry to the BACC is free unless you want to explore the seventh, eighth and ninth floors. In which that case you are asked to obtain a pass that requires you to deposit your belongings in a locker before entering. The fee for this is 100 baht. Photography is allowed in the BACC except on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors.

Getting to the BACC is very easy as it is right off of the BTS. It is a short walk off of the BTS stop National Stadium. From there you can take a bridge that connects the BACC with the BTS. You won't be able to miss it.

Overall, the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre is definitely a piece of the city to explore. It only takes an hour or so to see the centre. To find out more about the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, visit the website.

Here's to art!

a fellow wanderer | kathleen brandt

Having been traveling for awhile now, I have met many like-minded people. Travelers love sharing stories and have many of them. The world is such a big & beautiful place - differing so frequently.

This is the first in a series that gives me the chance to discuss & then share an in-depth look into a friend's travel experiences and how those experiences helped shaped and change them.

This first one is very special to me because it is for one of my dear friends who is still state-side. Today- is her birthday. What a better way to celebrate the life of a wonderful person than to share her wonderful tales (and beautiful writing) with the world.