The (Fifth) First Week of School

Well, I'm back in Thailand for a new school year! Things are going well, but have been so busy, so this post is a little bit late.

Things have changed a lot at my school. We have a new school director, and she's made a lot of changes. For one, all classes are now double periods with a ten-minute passing period in between. I really like that!

I'm teaching a lot more hours this year than I ever have before, but I'm tutoring less, so it balances out. I'm not tutoring on the weekends anymore, so I'll have full two-day weekends for my first time since my first year in Thailand!

Not much to report! Bangkok is sunny and hot as ever. We'll be getting into the rainy season soon! I'll be looking forward to taking a trip out of the city sometime soon.

 

Besides that, I've been working hard on the release of my second book, and on my other blog, lastbaht.blogspot.com, which is all about travel and life in Thailand and throughout Asia.

My Second Book: Across a Golden Land

Hello, friends!

I'm very proud to announce my second book, Across a Golden Land: A Journey Through Burma!

Once again, I open the pages of my ever-present travel journal to bring to life the story of one of my greatest adventures; my incredible journey across the mysterious, golden land of Burma.

 

I didn’t know much about Burma before my first visit. I knew it sat at the geographic and cultural crossroads between Thailand, India, and China. I knew it had been closed off to foreigners for about fifty years. For some reason I knew Burma was one of three remaining countries to still use Imperial measurements, and that it was one of only two countries where (until recently) Coca-Cola was not sold. Besides these trivial facts, I knew very little. When I learned it was possible to get a visa easily from the embassy in Bangkok, I knew I had to see for myself.

By train, boat, and horse cart, from the haunted colonial ruins of old Rangoon to the mysterious temples dotting the fields of Bagan, cross Burma on an adventure of mystery and discovery.

In his latest travelogue, Michael Desrosiers describes the fascinating and elusive Burma as one of the first wave of visitors to the country after half a century of virtual isolation.

With the backdrop of the country's first democratic elections looming just on the horizon, two travelers set out to see a country that is set to change rapidly. Enter the land of the unknown, the legendary "Golden Land".
 

CLICK HERE: You can download Across a Golden land TODAY for $2.99 on Amazon.com!

Eleven Things I Miss About Texas

I love Bangkok, don't get me wrong, but being back home in Texas on my annual vacation is a breath of fresh air. There are tons of things I love about Thailand, but just as many things that I miss about Texas. No matter how far away I go or where I end up living, Texas will always be "home". These are some of the little things that being away makes me realize that I miss about the Lone Star State:

1. Wide Open Spaces

morning at the park

They say everything is bigger and better here! One of the very first things that I notice every year after landing at DFW is how big the sky looks. Texas is huge. The state alone is bigger than Thailand! I like feeling like I have space. In Bangkok, everything is a little bit cramped. It's a big city, after all, but even when I get away, the countryside of Thailand just doesn't feel as big as Texas. Maybe it's just because the planes of North Texas are so wide and flat, whereas Thailand has mountains, hills, and thick jungle on all sides. Whatever the reason, I like feeling that I have room to breathe.

2. Decent Beer

Shiner!

Thailand's beer selection is depressing. At any given 7-11, you have the choice between three or four nearly identical and equally bland beers. Singha, Chang, and Leo - the "big three" - are all mostly the same; cheap, light, and forgettable. Other than that, you've got the generic Heinaken and Carlsberg for a few more baht. The tiny craft beer scene in Bangkok is slowly growing, but for now strict brewing laws require the beer to be brewed outside of the country, bottled, and imported, making it really niche, hard to find, and expensive.

Back here in Texas, craft beer is booming, and even the macrobrews have tons of cool flavors. I love the concept of a "build-your-own-sixpack" which I can fill with all sorts of cool stuff: Shiner Ruby Redbird, Blue Moon Horchata Ale, and much more! I love the options and selection available here.

3. Tex-Mex

restaurants along the Riverwalk

Ok, yes, we can get Mexican food in Bangkok... but it's not quite the same! Tex-Mex is completely unique. After growing up having Mexican food at least a couple times each month, it's hard not to have it. I miss cheese a lot in Thailand! Tex-Mex is usually one of the first meals I have when I'm back home each year.

4. Barbecue

my first barbecue meal back in Texas!

Likewise, we can get barbecue in Bangkok, but it just feels right to eat it in Texas. Nothing can beat a big plate loaded up with beans, potatoes, mac and cheese, hot rolls. and any sort of delicious barbecued meat. Wash it down with an ice-cold Texas beer like Shiner!

5. Baseball

The Ballpark in Arlington

I love me some baseball! Specifically, I love my Texas Rangers!

I go to at least one Rangers game each year while I'm home. Baseball may be popular in Japan, but it's almost unknown in Thailand. Football (soccer) is the name of the game there. Basketball, badminton, even chairball are all popular sports, but baseball, not at all.

I'll for sure go to a game again this year. Even if they haven't won a World Series, I'll always be loyal to my team!

6. Wildflowers

Bluebonnets

Bluebonnets - the official state flower

I'm glad I get to come back to Texas in the springtime. I always get to see the beautiful wildflowers; bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes lining the roadside.

7. Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper

I don't even really drink soda, but I won't pass up the chance to have at least one Dr Pepper each year while I'm back home. Besides, it's the official drink of Baylor University!

You can't find Dr Pepper anywhere in Thailand. I've only been able to find a can of Dr Pepper once in the past year - at a vending machine in a tiny hotel in Tokyo, of all places.

8. Bluebell Ice Cream

a freezer full of ice cream

Nothing tastes like home quite like Bluebell! After the recall a few years ago, I'm thrilled that it's back. You can't get Bluebell in Thailand!

9. Kolaches

Czech Stop

Driving down I-35 from Dallas to Waco, you'll pass through West, a small Czech settlement in Central Texas just before Waco. West is home to the world-famous Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery with some of the most delicious hot kolache pastries you'll ever have. Open 24 hours! I made many a late-night kolache run with my roommates back in college.

10.The Weather

I know, I know... Texas has a reputation for its bad weather. Hot, humid summers... tornadoes... thunderstorms... hail storms... icy cold winters...

But I miss it.

In Thailand, we have three seasons: the hot season, the dry season, and the rainy season. All three are relatively miserable. Maybe it's not so much the weather I miss as it is the variety in seasons.


I miss the seasons, and Texas sure does have vastly different seasons. Each year I only get to experience springtime, and I think I'm pretty lucky that I do. There is nothing quite like early spring in Texas.

11. H.E.B.

HEB

The greatest grocery store ever! HEB rules! It has everything, and it's a Texas institution. Yes, there are grocery stores in Bangkok, some really great ones in fact, but like everything else on this list, it's just not the same.

HEB has a fantastic selection, and even if it seems silly, it feels good to shop in an American grocery store. I can't quite describe it... it's just different. It just feels like home.

Palo Duro Canyon

On the last weekend before I flew back to Thailand, I took a road trip with my dad up to Amarillo, in the panhandle of Texas.

We went to go hiking in Palo Duro Canyon, a Texas state park, and the second biggest canyon in the country (after the Grand Canyon).

We left in the morning and arrived six hours later in Amarillo. Throughout the drive, we kept seeing signs advertising The Big Texan Steak Ranch, a restaurant that offers a 72oz steak free for anyone who can finish the meal in an hour.

As it turned out, The Big Texan was just next door to our hotel! We didn't attempt the steak challenge, but we did eat there for dinner, and the food was really great!

The next morning, we headed out early to the state park, which is about half an hour away from Amarillo. It was funny approaching it, because the ground was so flat that we couldn't help thinking, where on Earth is this canyon!?

But then, there it was!

It was still early spring, and the air in the morning was a little chilly; perfect for hiking!

We started out on the park's most famous trail, to a formation called "The Lighthouse".

The trail itself was pretty flat, taking us through the canyon. At the end, another trail climbed suddenly steeply upwards to the Lighthouse itself. We began to climb, determined to get to the rock.

It's pretty amazing how nature can form something like the Lighthouse with just wind, water, and time. We were able to climb all the way to the flat part between the two "towers" of rock. Success!

We had packed a lunch, and in the afternoon, we hiked the Juniper Trail along the river, which I guess must have carved the canyon over millions of years. It wasn't flowing very much at that time, though.

In the evening we were exhausted after a fun day outdoors. We picked up a few Shiner beers and snuck them down to the hotel's hot tub, where we soaked our tired legs. It was an awesome trip, and another thing in my home state that I've never seen before!

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Leaving Carlsbad early in the morning, we took a half-hour detour to visit another nearby national park: Guadalupe Mountains. It's one of two national parks in Texas, and not far from the New Mexico border.

Guadalupe Mountains

We arrived just as the visitor center opened, in time to collect a new stamp in our national park passport books and look around a little bit.

highest peak in Texas

Besides being home to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in the state of Texas, there is also the ruins of a small 19th century stagecoach stop just off a short trail from the visitor's center. We decided to walk to it, but the wind was so frigid and cold that we only took a few pictures and hurried back to the warmth of the visitor center.

the old stagecoach stop

very strange desert landscape

It takes all day to climb the trail to the top of the mountain, but we just stayed long enough to look around before driving the seven hours back to Dallas.

so cold out there!

Maybe next time I'll hike the trail to the top!

Guadalupe Peak