i feel like my life isn't real these days...

Really. I keep finding myself in places and situations where I have to stop and remind myself that this is actually happening and I better be completely present mentally and physically to remember it all.

So, I haven't updated in a while, for which I apologize. I hadn't realized that I had so many readers until you all emailed or messaged me demanding updates. Sorry! Japan was crazy-busy, with full days of adventure and food, and not a lot of down time for blogging and writing. And during my brief break back in Manila, I went to Tarlac to visit my relatives and Lola. So those are my excuses. I hope they are acceptable to you, my surprisingly demanding readers. :)

I'm currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I'm taking a few hours to rest and take it easy at the hostel because I sort of/almost fainted earlier this afternoon in a Buddhist temple. I'm okay! I promise. I think I'm just tired still from Japan, not to mention the night bus I took last night from Bangkok, on which one of the passengers was a guy who insisted on thinking aloud for the entire trip. He was speaking in Thai, so it was a bit easier to zone him out, but every now and then he'd exclaim something, jolting me from my sleep. Le sigh. Other than that though, I did enjoy the bus ride, my favorite part being waking up to the sun rising over tree covered hills passing my window.

I really adore Chiang Mai, and I've only been here a few hours. I've discovered a pattern in my affection for cities- the smaller and more rural they are, the more love I have for them. Bangkok was nice, but I was tiring of it. I think I've had my fill of hectic, major cities. They certainly are interesting and have their charms, but visiting one after another after another after another... they start blurring together and you begin to wonder what your thoughts sounded like, or silence for that matter. While I do like being in the wild and exciting (I mean, I lived in New York City for 4 years), I have a deep appreciation for the peaceful and quaint, and I think I might prefer those types of places over the former. Perhaps it's from living in largely urban areas my entire life... the grass is always greener, as they say.

In Chiang Mai, it's easy to get anywhere just by walking, which I lovelovelove. The less I have to rely on motorized vehicles, the better! I spent the better part of the morning wandering around aimlessly, my favorite way to travel. There are so many shrines and temples here, each similar to the next but with their own individual character and beauty. I didn't quite keep track of names, as there are literally SO MANY, but I left a prayer at each of them and tried to pay my respects. Delicate and intricate patterns are everywhere in the temples, and in Thailand in general. I stood staring at a door for about half an hour today, tracing the design with my eyes and puzzling other tourists with my fascination over a seemingly ordinary door. This particular pattern was very fine, and it might have been a trick of the changing light shining off the gold paint, but it seemed to ebb and flow on the wood. It's all so so beautiful and I can't wait to upload and share the photos with you!

But anyway, enough resting. Time to get back in the world of Chiang Mai!

P.s. I promise to write more about Japan and Bangkok later!