Thailand

(Hanging out w/ the guys as they venture for their first foot massage)
Chiang Mai, the city of Great food, cool markets and $5 dollar massages on every street corner. I know that everytime I go to Thailand it's like a vacation, so it would be different living there, but it really is an amazing place! I ate more meat in this past week, than I think I have my entire time living overseas, and it was GOOD! (April sporting her cute new haircut)
This trip was involved a lot of new experiences. We arrived, and quickly went to the hair salon for a cut and style. April got a bunch of her hair lopped off, and it looks GREAT. I got some highlights done (purple and red), not that you can see them at all, but it was fun nonetheless, and it was the first time I've ever had highlights! Then we went to eat at a place called Mike's. I've been to Thailand 4 times now, and Everyone ALWAYS eats at Mike's, but it was my first time. The food was OK- hamburgers, fries etc...not my favorite though! Of course after eating I went to get a massage and sleep for a little while.
The following week consisted of eating, hanging out, going to meetings, eating, and hanging out. It was GReat to spend time with friends around the region, and rest a little.(Haley, checking out the mosquito that landed on her pancake one morning) About half way through the week a couple guys and I took a Sung Tao (flat bed truck with benches in the back) to Tesco. For those of you who have been to Britain, you know what Tesco is, for the Americans, Tesco is the equivalent of Walmart!!!!! It is a pretty amazing place, especially after you've lived in the land of grocery stores smaller than my bedroom. I picked up some things like, bic pens and gum, as well as some Durian. I have never tried durian before, but I've heard stories...it is a fruit, banned from most hotels in Thailand, and I have been told you either love it or hate it, and it smells really bad. Of course, being a Barreth, and up for trying anything new, we open up the cling wrap it's packaged in, and overwhelmed by a smell that I can only describe as a combination of raw sewage, gym socks, and B.O. After we get over the smell, we take the first bite....I have to say, if two tastes could co-exist, one being really sweet fruit and the other being raw sewage, that's what Durian tastes like. I found that if i focused on the first, good taste, I really liked it, however, thinking about the second taste, well yeah, that's just gross. Who wants to eat raw sewage!? This is just a brief overview of the week and looking back, I've realised that I didn't take that many pictures, so once my room mates get back, I will steal some of their pictures and post them.