Post #2 by Tom Lonergan

After a few days getting settled in Chiang Mai, I'm finally starting to get the feel of Thailand. Multiple trips to the night markets have shown me hundreds of booths but not a lot of variety in the products they sell. Riding to the market hanging off the back of a truck full of people made me feel like a little kid again. The experience of both the market and the ride to the market makes me wish laws back in the U.S. were more lax, it makes things more fun. Cooking class brought me back to my very first job cooking at a Mongolian grill, and the food was very good. The monk chat was very interesting to me as someone who is not religious at all. The Buddhist philosophy is something I can see myself looking into a lot more and meditation is a practice that has interested me for a long time. I cannot wait to experience the new year here in Chiang Mai and am beyond excited for all the activities that lie ahead in 2014 here in Thailand.