Sunday Night Walking Market, Chiang Mai

Thailand is FULL of markets. These markets usually sell souvenirs, fruity drinks, street food, etc. Many of the souvenir stands were the same throughout the entire country. In Koh Samui, they had a walking street in the fisherman's market and at Chewang Beach that we wandered around every night. Bangkok has a few walking streets as well, including China Town. One of the most well-known walking markets is the Sunday Night Walking Market in Old Town Chiang Mai. We thankfully were not burnt out on markets yet and were staying right by it, so we decided to walk around for awhile. It had a lot of the typical souvenirs, linen pants, Chang Beer T-shirts, vibrant colored purses and bags, and jewelry. Along with the typical souvenirs, there were stands with one-of-a-kind items such as paintings and carvings. There were also tons of street performers on the street. As always, there were lots of stands with street food, which was very fresh and good quality so we finally built up to courage to try it. We were hooked from then on! $2 Pad Thai?? Please and thank you!

We really enjoyed the walking market. I love to just wandered around and look at things, so it was right up my alley. The only problem we had was that it was SO crowded, especially because it was around New Year's and tons of tourists were in town. It was hard to even move forward or backward towards the end of the night and it took us forever just to walk the couple of blocks back to our hotel.

I never got around to buying a pair of these, but they are very popular among tourists. They are comfortable to travel in and perfect for covering up your legs to go inside of the temples. 

We saw tons of markets while we were in Thailand, but this was definitely one of my favorites. I loved that there were more unique items and that the street food was so fresh! My only regret is that we didn't get a painting or something unique to remember our trip by. We kept waiting and waiting and only ended up buying a few little souvenirs. 

Have you ever been to a walking market? Do you buy souvenirs when you travel? 

Linking up with Bonnie and Tina for Travel Tuesday!

Pizza and a Miracle

I miss shopping, like really miss it. I don't know, maybe it sounds shallow, but to me it's not as much about the buying part of shopping. I don't buy expensive clothes and most of the time I leave the store with absolutely nothing. To me, it is relaxing to wander around the aisles looking at things, getting ideas, and clearing my head. Hence my Target obsession.

This weekend, on the spur of the moment, we decided to head south with some friends and somehow ended up at the outlet mall. I had originally thought that it was going to be filled with the interesting Japanese stores I have been to at the malls with all the the trendy Asian clothes. I was surprised and ecstatic to find brands from all over the world, including some American stores. It was a beautiful outlet mall full of an assortment of great shops. I had been trying to have a no spend February, even though I did not buy one single item of clothing in January, but when I walked into the Gap outlet, I couldn't help myself. It felt so nice to wander around, pick things out, and try them on instead of just looking at pictures online. I was in heaven! The prices were also great! I got 4 shirts and a sweater for around $80. Jake and I joked that Gap was looking a lot like JCrew with it's patterned oxfords and chambrays, which I am definitely not complaining about. It was so great to get in our shopping fix, it felt like a miracle to find this wonderful shopping oasis! Maybe it's a good thing I hadn't found it sooner. And that it is not close to my house.

didn't buy anything in this beauty

After shopping and a quick snack, we headed to Kokusai Street to walk around. We forgot how interesting and vibrant Kokusai street is. We were still walking around when it started to get dark, and it is so pretty at night with all of the lights. 

We often get food cravings that we have to fix and we don't stop talking about it until we do. Like last week when we were craving southern food. This week our craving was pizza. I found a little pizza place on our favorite Okinawa website, aka the Okinawa Bible, and somehow navigated us through the side streets to the cutest little place ever, Bacar. It was crowded and we didn't have reservations, but they let us sit at the bar. There were only two pizzas on the menu and a couple of appetizers. The pizza was made in two minutes right in front of us. The guy pulled out a box of fresh dough, topped it with really fresh ingredients, and threw it in the giant wood-burning oven. The pizza was great, but very expensive, so Jake left still hungry. 

 The next day, Jake's pizza itch still had not been scratched, so after we went over to the beach to make reservations at a campsite for next weekend, we headed to a pizza buffet, Ocean's Pizza, we had been wanting to try. It was like Cicis, but 20x better! The salad bar was my favorite part. They had the Japanese salad dressing that I die over! The pizza was also really good. They had typical flavors, but also had some with squid and seaweed on it. It is also very common to find corn on the pizza here. We left feeling very satisfied.

taco pizza, pepperoni, and beef/broccoli 

We spent the rest of the day running errands. We got a bunch of camping gear and are so excited to camp as much as possible while we are here. There are some great camping spots right on the beach. A lot of the camping grounds have cute little cabins, but we like to rough it and sleep in a tent. They also have started to get their spring/summer items in stock at our store here, so we finally bought a grill! I had been using my stove top grill, and it worked well, but it was hard to clean and smoked up the entire house. Jake immediately went home to set it up so we could throw some pork chops on. We are so excited to be able to grill whenever we want!

Yes, Jake is grilling in the rain. It has been raining nonstop here. I think it might be rainy season, which I am not excited for. And yes, I put my rain boots on just to take this picture. Dedicated blogger right here. 

It may just be that the weekend is my only free time now, but they seem to be really good lately. This place has taught me a lot about the simplicity of life. I have learned to really enjoy the little things in life and treasure each moment. It is so much fun to find new restaurants, learn new things, and discover the little things about the culture here. And it sure has taught us to not take for granted the things we have back in the States.

Linking up with Monday Morning Gossip 

Why I Hate Christmas Shopping

High School Jake and Mackenzie. You're Welcome

Ok, I know I sound like a total scrooge, but hear me out. I love giving. I love giving a gift that I know the person is going to love and that is a complete surprise. Sent each other emails of exactly what we wanted or just buying it ourselves, Jake and I used to be so good at giving each other presents. We used to buy each other things that were a total surprise and that we would really love. One year Jake got me this beautiful peacoat from Banana Republic. I hadn't ever mentioned wanting a coat, but I loved it. He picked it out himself. It is something that I will have in my wardrobe for years and years.

The hard part is that we can't always give gifts in this manner. I wish I could be one of those people who remembers exactly what everyone mentioned they wanted throughout the year, but I never do. When the time comes, I draw a complete blank. These days, most people buy things they want when they want it, which leaves their Christmas lists short or unattainable. It is fun to buy people stuff they may not ordinarily buy themselves, like cutesy jewelry or housewares. My problem is, I am super practical and like giving people something they will use.

I'm not blaming other people, because I am usually the same way. If I want something smallish, I usually buy it myself. That leaves my "want" list full of things like a DSLR camera and Frye riding boots. Do I expect people to buy that stuff for me? No, especially not as an adult. I don't even expect my husband to get me that stuff (I think a trip to Thailand is way more than enough). I find myself wanting things throughout the year, but when someone asks, I have nothing to tell them. This leaves them giving me money, which is a great gift in my book, but makes them feel like they aren't getting me anything fun or exciting.

Christmas is so over the top these days. I know people who get tons and tons of presents for their family members. Kids are getting more presents than they should own in their entire childhood. I hate this Christmas ideal that we should be getting all of these material things. It leaves everyone feeling that if they are not giving a lot of things or expensive things, it isn't a good present.

Every year I try to remember what really matters this time of year. I want my presents to be from the heart and something that people will treasure and appreciate. Thankfully, I have had a lot easier time this year being in a place full of tons of interesting things I want to share with others. Thanks to that, I am feeling a bit less "scroogish" this year. I am looking forward to this season of giving, even if we are far away from loved ones.

Do you enjoy Christmas shopping? Are you hard to buy for? When do you get your Christmas shopping done by?

High Five For Friday 11/22

I had a great week this week! It was pretty busy, which I enjoy. It was filled with shopping, field trips, lunch dates, and getting ready for the holidays!

{ONE}

I have been having the urge to shop lately so I thought I would go to the mall and walk around and check out some stores. I tried on a few things, but I really didn't like anything. The trend here right now is really long, baggy sweaters. It is 70 degrees, way too hot for full body sweaters. I did find one store I liked and bought a shirt. I really miss American stores, especially boutiques and J. Crew!

While I was trying stuff on, I was handed a paper mask to wear. It helps keep the clothes clean, which is super smart. Count on Japanese culture to do everything the smart way. I couldn't stop laughing every time I saw myself in the mirror, though.

Ignore the ugly sweater and check out my cute mask

My favorite store, A.V.V

{TWO}

I also did some shopping for our guest room. It is coming along nicely and I can't wait to get it finished. The store like Ikea here has some great stuff for good prices. I also discovered a new home store, called Living Design Square. It is an entire shopping center of furniture and home stores. I didn't find much, since most of the stuff was pricey, but it was fun to look!

I really wanted this, but at $700 it wasn't going to happen

Living Design Square

{THREE}

I met my friend for lunch at Transit Cafe on the seawall for lunch. It was a such a cute cafe and had a great view. The food was so good. I had been craving a salad since not many places have them here. 

Cheese Fondue

View from lunch

{FOUR}

After lunch, we got pedicures at a famous salon, Cocok. You sit in big, comfy recliners that look out onto the ocean. They give you the most incredible massage for about 30 minutes. I did not want it to stop! Then, you pick a nail design from hundreds of pictures and sample nails. You can get flowers, shapes, jewels, sparkles, animal print, you name it. They free hand everything, which is incredible. It was totally worth $40! 

Just a few of the hundreds of options

{FIVE}

My friend found flavored KitKats for me! She found me strawberry and purple sweet potato. They are SO good. I may or may not be eating some as we speak. Now I just need to find the passionfruit and mango. I love finding interesting treats here!

What a wonderful week! I have a fun weekend scheduled and exciting things happening, which I can't wait to share on Monday. Have a good one!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, and Jennie