Chiang Mai, Thailand - September 2012

Toward the end of our backpacking trip in Southeast Asia last year, Steve and I spent a week in Chiang Mai. Though there's plenty going on--jungle treks, rafting, mountain biking, and any number of other adventure excursions--we didn't really do anything. We wanted to save our money for our final stop, Hong Kong, and figured attractive, affordable Chiang Mai was a good place to enjoy the simple (and cheap) life. As anyone who has been to Thailand knows, you don't need to be on a constant adrenaline rush for the days to fly by.

We enjoyed browsing the various markets and sampling food, wandering among the multitude of temples, playing badminton in the park, and cruising around on bicycles. And, um, eating breakfast, according my picture of an adorable latte. I'm still pretty impressed by how much nothing we did without the aide of the Internet--wifi at our guesthouse was only turned on at night.

The Great Seattle Ice Cream Quest Round 4: Bluebird

Ever since I first walked by Bluebird, the adorable sign outside compelled me to sample their wares. It wasn't until recently that I actually went in. The first time, I got a scoop of peanut butter ice cream with hot fudge. The hot fudge was scooped out of a small fondue pot thing with a plastic spoon, and the spoon was then given to me. This is a wonderful thing to me; it signifies a special understanding between ice cream scooper and ice cream eater. They get it. They know extra hot fudge is more important to me than a slightly more visually appealing product. Who needs a pristine spoon? Not me. I need hot fudge and little else.

As a peanut butter fanatic, though, I didn't think the ice cream was peanut buttery enough. Don't you dare try to blame this on copious amounts of hot fudge--I won't stand for it! Another flavor on the menu, though, had caught my attention: snickerdoodle. Along with peanut butter dipped in chocolate, snickerdoodle is one of my favorite varieties of cookie--the doughier the better, which makes snickerdoodle ice cream a grand idea. So the next time I went, I tried it. Amazingly, it was everything I could ask for: thick and creamy with a buttery flavor and just the right amount of cinnamon. If cookie dough were ice cream, this would be it. I was on my way to meet a friend, and when I got there I naturally launched into a discussion of ice cream. It turns out he also was on a mission to go to all ice cream shops in Seattle (it's kind of the best mission) and Bluebird's snickerdoodle is one of his favorites. So, there are at least two people who love it.

Nong Khai, Thailand - September 2012

Sitting here in a suburban coffee shop after a day at work, it's hard to imagine that a year ago, my boyfriend and I were backpacking in Southeast Asia. I'd go back in a second, even if it means withstanding outrageous humidity, daily downpours, and instant ants whenever a certain someone gets cookie crumbs all over the bed. Instead, I'll have to settle for a little reminiscing.

The Great Seattle Ice Cream Quest Round 3: Cupcake Royale

Cupcake Royale, one of Seattle's most popular cupcake shops, does ice cream as well. There aren't any basic flavors here--the goal seems to be to combine as many types of dessert as possible into a single, efficient package. Nothing reflects this concept better than the cupcake ice cream sundae.

It's about as outrageous as it sounds: a cupcake is placed in a cup, ice cream is scooped on top, and it's finished up with whipped cream and a topping. It's sugar overload. I got July's cupcake of the month, the Blueberry Brown Betty, with honey snickerdoodle ice cream and caramel sauce for the topping.

My boyfriend helped me with it, and with great determination, we managed to finish it. I probably wouldn't get it again--and yet, I would happily get a cupcake with ice cream on the side. I guess something about ice cream on top of frosting was just a little too much. And, you know...the extra sugar drizzle and fluffy fat piles on top.

Up next: Bluebird

The Great Seattle Ice Cream Quest Round 2: Full Tilt

I've been doing a lot of overtime at work lately. It's terrible, it's mayhem. Really, it's just exhausting. It's also a great excuse to go to Full Tilt after work and get an enormous ice cream cone.

I'd never been to a Full Tilt location before, and the one I went to (University District) is apparently a mini-version, because the "full" shops are also arcades. Whatever, I don't care about arcades. I like a bit of nostalgia as much as the next person, but if I hear one more person say "barcade" with a straight face, I will poop my pants with annoyance (slight exaggeration).

The Great Seattle Ice Cream Quest Round 1: Molly Moon's

In Seattle, we take our summers very seriously. We like the outdoors, but the weather isn't always great. So, in that brief window of time called summer, people are desperate to lay in the grass, go swimming, hike Mount Si, and most importantly, eat ice cream.

There are quite a few ice cream shops around for a place that's famous for raining most of the year, and it's my personal mission to visit them all (all the ones I deem worthy, anyway).

Molly Moon's is one of the most popular ice cream establishments in the city, with frequent lines out the door on sunny days. Okay, partly sunny days, too. Or maybe just non-rainy days. Any excuse for an ice cream! I first visited the Wallingford branch years ago while attending the UW and, after a long wait for an unmemorable sorbet, didn't bother going back. Until recently. I now live mere blocks from the Capitol Hill location, and in the haze of frozen dessert insanity that descends upon Seattle on those non-rainy days (okay, maybe just not-the-dead-of-winter days) and my own failing battle with uncontrollable sugarlust, I decided to give it another go.

And so my quest for the greatest of frozen treats has its first contender: earl grey ice cream. With vanilla bean caramel sauce. And walnuts. And whipped cream. Maraschino cherry optional.

My Favorite Places to Gain 10 Pounds

One of the most fun aspects of travel is the opportunity to try new, exciting, and strange foods. There's good eatin' to be found everywhere, EVERYWHERE! Here are a few places I've unashamedly crammed copious amounts of junk down my foodhole:

Indonesia

Rarely have I been so flustered by menus as I was in Indonesia. It seemed that everything contained my four favorite ingredients: chilies, lime, garlic, and tempeh. But the real reason I love Indonesian food is masakan padang. Padang food looks kind of gross and violates too many health code rules to ever exist in the US, but it is a truly wonderful creation. Various fried things, cooked vegetables, and sauces are displayed in a shop window behind a screen to keep flies out. You go in, point to what you want, and the shopkeeper puts on a plate for you. The first place I had padang was in Ubud, Bali, and it cost 70 cents for a plate of rice, tempeh, vegetables, and sauce. Don't mind if I do!

A Brief Break in San Francisco

The most recent trip I made was to San Francisco for four days in May 2013. My boyfriend was spending a week in Mountain View (about an hour south of SF) for his new job so I thought I would take advantage of his free hotel room.

It Began in Budapest

I recently purchased a book on my trip to San Francisco called The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Noemi Szecsi, translated into English from Hungarian. The cover makes it look like some kind of vampire Sex in the City, but I promise it's not. Anyway, it's set in Budapest, with the main character living near City Park, and it got me reminiscing about my time in one of my favorite cities ever.

Castle Hill in Buda

In March of 2011, I traveled alone for the first time, and it all started in Budapest. After a week of driving around England with my uncle, I flew in from London-Luton Airport and, upon arrival, shut myself in a bathroom stall and hyperventilated into the pages of my Lonely Planet book. Eventually, I made it onto a bus into the city and found my hostel without issue. I had rapidly come down with a cold that all the gummy vitamins in Boots couldn't alleviate, so after a walk to Margaret Island and a stroll around a grocery store, I went to sleep at the unthinkable hour of eight. Yes, PM.

Top 7 Old Towns in Eastern Europe

Europe's beautiful architecture and the history it reflects is one of the main reasons people visit. Most tourists head to Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, and the other usual suspects without leaving any room in their itinerary for the more easterly destinations, although this is changing. Since I love eastern Europe with the fiery passion of a creeper writing Doctor Who fan fiction, I decided to compile a list of a few of my favorite old towns.

7. Sighisoara, Romania

Centered on the imposing Clock Tower and 12th century Citadel, Sighisoara's compact, brightly-colored old town is a delight to explore. What makes it most intriguing, though, is that it's the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, who was the inspiration for Dracula.

Why Travel?

A road through Albania

Like many young people going to university, I had an idea of how my life would go: I'd graduate, get an entry-level job, gradually increase my income with each passing year, get married at some point, have some kids, and live a stable, if uneventful life with two weeks of vacation a year. Looking back, it's scary to think that could have happened if the economy hadn't crashed right before I graduated. Fresh out of school, the only job I could get was working as a barista. I couldn't afford to move out of my parents' house, but as a result, I didn't have many expenses. 

Starting Anew with a Fresh Travel Blog

The other night, as we were lying in bed trying to go to sleep, my boyfriend said to me, "Where was it that we were staying in a pretty nice hotel, and there wasn't much there, and we tried to go to a restaurant on the waterfront but they only served pork--"

"Nong Khai," I interjected, but he continued as if I hadn't said anything, and I wasn't sure if it was because he was simply trying to reminisce uninterrupted or because he has a terrible memory and the name "Nong Khai" didn't ring any bells.