Misc. + Wat Pa Lat

After a foot reflexology massage, yoga and dinner with Justin I decided not to continue massage learning for my last day and decided to spend the last day exploring Wat Pa Lat, a forest temple in theLue lisää
Wat Pa Lat with Ondrej

I met Ondrej at one of the temples, like the other guys who have become temporary travel companions. Ondrej is a highly funny czech journalist with whom I had lots of fun and laughs hiking to Wat PaLue lisää
Spirited away...

When we got to the main temple courtyard we found that there were lots of decorations and locals preparing a feast. Apparently we happened to go up there on the 650th celebration of the temple andLue lisää
Macha Budha

Not only were they celebrating the temple, but also the national Macha Budha day, a celebration which lasts 3 days.
Some of the foods we tried... Khao soi, Nam gniao (local chiang mai soups servedLue lisää
Magic in the temple in the sky

Lots of fun and laughs with Ondrej discovering and stuffing our faces like in Spirited Away. I did a little flower arrangement for the monks' offerings, and then we left the fairyland of bounty andLue lisää
Bangkok

Bye bye lovely Chiang Mai, hello Bangkok!
Hot and muggy, loud, busy and dirty... Bangkok is really a modern representation of urban survival of the fittest. I chose to stay near Chinatown area, notLue lisää
Chinatown - Yaowarat

Strolling around Chinatown...
Song Wat

Miles, a friend from Wat Tam Wua, got stranded in Bangkok after missing his flight. So I was happy to team up with this bold, spirited and happy person! A real buddy away from home.
We had a posh andLue lisää
More chinatown... Talat Noi

Chinese new year seems neverending in this part of the world. There are celebrations being held every day!
Roaming through Talat Noi there are lots of really cool metal workshops and chop shops.
Funzies...

After breakfast at tiffany's (more like asian grandma's) we headed over the murky Chao Phraya River on a taxi boat to the Hilton pool, and when the sun disappeared we relocated to the Sheraton.Lue lisää
Bangkok Skyline

We whizzed up to the 32nd floor of the Hilton to see the sunset and the awing Bangkok skyline at night. Also... the full moon in Virgo! Just the one which marked the beginning of the last year'sLue lisää
Misc...

Some photos of Bangkok's iconic huge shopping center IconSiam, and some more Chinatown shots...
Bangkok sendoff

After the usual breakfast, we hit the Hilton pool again, this time with a cheeky bottle of wine. The previous day was Macha Buddha, so no alcohol could be consumed.
We did some shopping in downtownLue lisää
Out with a bang!

Last meal, we made it a good one at a michelin star thai cuisine restaurant!
There's no one better to enjoy decadence with than Miles, in my new kimono, and the backdrop of the Bangkok skyline.
ByeLue lisää
Doha + Deltebre...

Back for some clarity, dumping, conciliation, acceptance, friendship and support, while getting over jet lag.
Psychoneuroimmuneendochrinology Congress

So off I went to the 35 year anniversary celebration of kPNI where some brilliant minds in the field were speaking. My main goal, to network. To get infected by positive, courageous, intelligent,Lue lisää
Antwerp

After an exhausting weekend of 300% cognitive activity, I took myself on a walking tour around Antwerp. I could feel my brain struggling to keep up with all the historic details being mentioned aboutLue lisää
Brussels

I couldn't got to Belgium and not see Mailys, so I did a pit stop in Brussels on the way to Paris. So I took the train from Antwerp central, a huge and historically beautiful station built by LeopoldLue lisää
Paris Jazzzzzz

I arrived in Paris just in time to reach the next home exchange in the 11e arrondissement, very conveniently situated near Finola's flat and the musician's hotel.
I stocked up on groceries and set offLue lisää
Paris avec Marco

Marco and I were able to spend a little time together walking around Île de Paris, between his radio interview and the next concert.
We walked past Notre Dame under construction and had a littleLue lisää
Jazz à Paris x 2

This time I was lucky enough to sit right next to them and almost be a part of the stage. There is nothing like feeling those vibrations moving through you and being infected by the musician's magicLue lisää
Paris walking tour

Sleep deprived but hungry for some culture I went on a walking tour where I made a new friend from Finland to roam around with.
As usual, it was amazing to get some historical context of ParisLue lisää
Jazz à Paris x3

Following the precious nights' connections I got us some cheeky invitations to Cyrille Aimée's album launching concert, which happened to be on international women's day. Not coincidentally, sheLue lisää
Finola + Montmartre

Finola is a poet and fiction writer, as well as a software programmer for Intel. She has been my idol since the age of 12, and it's so lovely to see our friendship still going strong. UnfortunatelyLue lisää
Montmartre

Our tour guide brought us along the Bateau Lavoir, a tongue in cheek name for the very poor, small, dark, dirty, housing place where many of the famous Montmartre artists lived, among them Picasso.Lue lisää