Land of Smiles

So.. this was how I spent my holidays this year. It's been a while since I decided to take some time off for myself. Ever since I ended Junior College, I have never had the chance to take a holiday for such an extended period of time, without having to worry about when my next internship starts, or when do I have to go back to work again. 

This year for my December sem break, I decided to meet some good friends in Thailand, while also taking the opportunity to head up to the northern part of the country since I've never been there. 

I am still in Pai right now, and I spent my New Year here. I've been to Chiang Mai and Mae-Rim. City and the countryside. Chiang Mai as a city is incredibly charming and modern, but its countryside is simply spectacular. 

Evidently, a great component of my trip is.. feasting. I ate at every moment or opportunity I had. Thai food is not only insanely cheap, but insanely delicious. I did my best to avoid the typical Tom Yums, Green Curries and Pad Thais. Sometimes the best way to explore a country's cuisine is to look.. and point. 

As a city girl coming from Singapore, the mountains and scenery in Thailand is such a luxury. The air was so fresh in the countryside, and the night sky so, so clear. I felt a great sense of calm. The whole world looks at the same night sky - somehow that filled me with such awe. 

But this trip was very much what I dub a "hipster pilgrimage". I wanted to see for myself the extent of Thailand's hipster/cafe culture and I was very pleasantly surprised! 

And of course, I am very happy to be spending my holidays with people I love and care about. I have the greatest friends in the world, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. The whole trip has been wonderful, and I do wish I can bring my parents here some day. 

On New Year's Eve, I lit a lantern, made a wish and set it off to the skies. It's part of their culture here, and I feel that it's something the Thais got right, something we're missing in Singapore. It was beautiful to see thousands of people's wishes lifting into the skies, fireworks going off as people welcomed the New Year.

2013 has treated me well, which I am thankful for. In my father's words, "May your best day in 2013 be your worst in 2014."