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izzy's playlists!

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Jules of Nature

@theartofmadeline

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Xuebing Du
Sweet Seals For You, Always
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JVL
Game of Thrones Daily

roma★
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda

Kaledo Art
cherry valley forever
Show & Tell
YOU ARE THE REASON
todays bird
occasionally subtle
sheepfilms

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@sarahryue
父母 parents
SEA: 8/Pai: 2
Our last day in Pai was fairly adventurous! We got up early, ate breakfast, and took some photos of our resort. It was absolutely beautiful!
Afterwards, we went to this little coffee shop called Coffee In Love which was very photogenic for a place that sells coffee.
Afterwards we went to an elephant farm where we rode elephants into a river! The photos from riding are on a CD that I can't access but I got a few from afterwards!
I'm back in Chiang Mai now! Tomorrow will be my last full day in Thailand! Can't wait :)
SEA: 7/Pai: 1
Today we got up at 7:30 am to catch a minibus to take us from Chiang Mai to Pai. It was a 4 hour trip in total up a windy, steep road. There were 6 other Chinese tourists with us who ended up getting very car sick and throwing up. It was quite an experience.
Once we got to Pai, we dropped our stuff off at our resort, Pura Vida, and headed out to explore. We drove up to a lovely viewpoint where we could see all the mountains and land around Pai.
After enjoying our view from up above, we went to a local Indian restaurant where we ate so much food. It was really good!
Then we went to the Strawberry Fields, which just had huge statues of strawberries which was sort of weird. Then we went to the Memorial Bridge which is a historical bridge that the Thai fought on during World War II.
At around 6:00 pm we hiked up to the top of the mountain to the Pai Canyon to watch the sunset which was absolutely beautiful.
I had a great first day in Pai! Sad that I'm leaving here tomorrow but it's left me so many memories already!!
if you don't mind me asking, what camera do you use? the quality of your photos are amazing
I use a Nikon D3100 and have a 55-200 mm f/3.5-5.6GII zoom lens :)
SEA: 3-6/Bangkok: 3/Chiang Mai: 1-3
Bangkok: 3
The last day spent in Bangkok was going to a huge shopping mall and buying clothing and some non-tourist-y but very western things. One of the malls is called the Siem Paragon and it was the most instagrammed location of 2013. We took this pretty sketchy tuk tuk type of ride over to the location. It was pretty scary but the driver was sweet and the ride wasn't too bad.
The mall itself had a great selection of all different kinds of food. It was extremely westernized as all of the information/menus were in English, even though barely any of the employees actually spoke English.
It also had an interesting waterfall set up which seemed out of place but nonetheless very nice:
After we left Siem Paragon, we went to Central World which is another mall in the area. We walked over and saw Martial Law in Thailand. It was pretty intense but interesting as well.
After the malls we headed back to our hostel and loaded camp to go to Chiang Mai. We took a 14 hour sleeper train ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai which wasn't all that bad. Sergio, Pranay, and I had a mini movie night and watched Mean Girls on the train.
-----Bangkok --> Chiang Mai-----
Chiang Mai: 1
In Chiang Mai we stayed at the Banilah Hostel. We got here around 12 pm and decided to keep it local. We got a bite to eat at a local market where the food was AMAZING and so so so incredibly cheap. I was blown away by how authentic the food was and how nice the people were. I had mango sticky rice and pad thai. The mango sticky rice was honestly the best thing I've ever eaten. There was fresh coconut milk that was poured over the rice which really made the dish so much better. It's amazing that such a simple dish could be so complex. The pad thai was good but not amazing. It was a little under seasoned.
After we ate we explored the Old City. It was pretty uneventful, so we made our way over to the Night Bazaar. We were fairly early so they were just getting set up. They had so many things once the night got rolling! I got pants and some souvenirs. We ate at a place in the Bazaar and Sergio and I got quick massages that hurt SO much but felt pretty good once they were done.
Chiang Mai 2:
We got up bright and early to go see tigers!!! It was so much fun. The tigers were very tame and photogenic.
Then we tried this resort in the mountains called Proud Phu Fah for lunch but we left before even ordering. There was this annoying noise that apparently got rid of mosquitoes but was incredibly distracting. So we went to this place called Salad Concept that reminded me of a salad shop in the states. It was pretty good but pricy.
We're booking our trip to Pai for tomorrow later today. Then probably hanging around Old City for the night!
SEA: 2/Bangkok: 2
Today was great. We managed to hit the Amphawa Floating Market, the Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, and the Central World Mall.
We had a taxi driver pick us up from a main street near our hotel and literally drive us around Bangkok to visit all of these spots. It was very convenient. We almost got ripped off getting onto the boats for the floating market. Our driver took us to this place on the side of the highway where the market began, so we could either get on the boat and spend a ridiculous amount of money, or ask our driver to take us somewhere else. We ended up haggling down the price from $2000 baht per person to $500! It was absolutely amazing and really a once in a lifetime experience. The market was beautiful and so much fun. I bought a set of three photos that I plan to put in my room next semester. We then went to the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha. They were absolutely amazing. Next we went to the largest mall in Bangkok and ate there. The food was good and the stores were very western, it was a nice break from being on the hot streets all day. Some pictures and highlights of my favorite parts:
A sample of what the floating markets sold
Traffic jam!
Locals selling street (canal?) food
My favorite picture from the trip. The area around us was SO green and the air smelt amazing. (I'm definitely not the only one who can smell really fresh air right? It totally smells different from stale stuffy recycled AC air.)
Our boat driver yelled "crocodile!" to us and we all freaked out. Turned out it was just this little guy. (He's very terrifying)
Our driver totally ran out of gas 10 feet from the gas pump. The driver, Nicola, and Pranay pushed while Sergio and I stood back and laughed and took pictures.
We drove through Chinatown in Bangkok! It was so weird seeing these signs.
Grand Palace! The detail in every one of the buildings was absolutely amazing
Reclining Buddha!
I'm so in love with this city. It's amazing how many things there are. Tomorrow will be my last day here and then at night we'll be traveling to Chiang Mai in a sleeper train. Can't wait to explore Thailand more!
SEA: 1/Bangkok: 1
After a long 26 hours of traveling, we finally made it to our hostel at 2 am. It's this lovely place called Bodega Bangkok (it took forever for our driver to find but it is so nice and worth it). There was a mix up in the rooming situation since we're traveling with two guys and two girls, whereas the hostel thought we were all girls so the boys got two nights free! So considerate.
We got all settled in and went to bed, but me being super jetlagged simply could NOT fall asleep until 6 am, not the best way to start off the trip. We got up around 10 am and headed out to Chatuchak, a weened market north of us. It was a smooth journey and despite my groggy state I had so much fun! The market was a great look at the culture and street life of Bangkok, and we all had a little street food which was terrifying but so worth it (My friend who traveled here before said, if it's hot, you can eat it!)
Nicola and I came back to rest while the boys went to buy our train tickets to Chiang Mai. Nicola and I then went to this small restaurant called Bharani which had good cheap (and seemingly safe) food.
Some highlights from today:
Adorable lady selling mangoes...with one on her head!
Sergio getting street food!
Little puppy so cute
Bangkok Traffic
Berkeley International School?? Whaat
Flying
I've just landed in Japan after flying for 11 hours! It honestly only felt like I was on the plane for four hours max. Currently in a layover for about an hour until I head off to Bangkok!
My internal clock is so out of whack right now. My body says it's 12:30 am, but the time says its 4:30 pm, and I feel like it's 10:00 in the morning.
Hopefully this all sorts itself out by the time I get to Bangkok. The travels have officially begun!!
Post Finals, Pre Asia
In 48 hours my home for the past 9 months will be packed up and I'll be flying across the Pacific Ocean to Thailand. I'm in a state of limbo as one chapter of my life closes and the next begins. My finals are all over and I'm beginning to gather my things to move out of Unit 3, Norton (goodbye dorm showers!)
On going to Asia: The whole concept of trying something new is terrifying. The only set destination of life is death, so why hold yourself back and try to stop anything that keeps your time on Earth anything but changing? I've been trying to not become scared of trying new things, people are going to be wherever I'm going, they're living, so I will be okay.
I'm excited to try something completely different this summer. I think that it's unrealistic to be a part of "the real world" without any real experience outside of the bubble you were raised, even the bubble that you go to college in. Berkeley has given me something completely different: I'm 3,000 miles away from home and meet new people everyday, but it's more or less become a routine of classes, studying, and friends. I no longer feel like a stranger along Telegraph Ave and I've become comfortable enough to not explore things that I would have planned to explore before.
Not going home this summer and instead deciding to trek through Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia is a much needed break from structure and routine. The culture is something that I really hope to become a part of: both the local street food side, and the tourist-y backpacking side. I can't say that I expect anything besides being tired from all of the new things and sweaty from the ridiculous heat.
I really hope to take some great photos on my travels, meet interesting people, and try new foods (I'm SO excited to try real Pho and Pad Thai-- tourist side of me). I'm scared, but so so so ready.
My first year at Berkeley is embedded with the memory of these crazy kids. Thanks for two amazing semesters here. I'm so honored to have gotten to know all of you. We're graduating on from being babies to toddlers. Can't wait to welcome in the next baby class and spend the next three years with all of you! BMUN love.
Candid expressions
Smiles
First: Coming to an End, Second: Starting a New Chapter
As my first year as a college student comes to a close, I've begun to reflect on my growth, my experiences, and my goals. I was told that coming into college is about "change" and my freshman year was going to be a transition into a new place, but it would soon be my home. I was told that it would be hard, but I'd be okay. My classes would be hard, but manageable. In short, everything I was told about my freshman year was one huge paradox.
And surprisingly, it was all true.
My classes were incredibly hard, I struggled to keep up with the material and learn everything while still giving 100% to each of them (notice that 100% in each class adds up to ~400% in total. I am not four people). But, I learned so much and found myself actually interested in the material rather than cramming everything to get the grade.
I went to school 3,000 miles away from home. I've never been so far away for so long before. It was scary, but I wasn't scared. I had my fair share of panic attacks before embarking to this new place, and I definitely cried when my parents said goodbye, but I wasn't doubting my decision to come to this school. It soon became my home and I missed my little dorm room during breaks (and was often very bored during breaks). My bed is comfortable and having all of my friends within a 2 mile radius is definitely a plus. I became split between my real home, and where I was living. Homesick and nostalgic for a place that I left, but realizing that when I went back to visit, I was a different person that didn't fit quite right within my childhood room.
Now onto the change. I, and assuming most of my peers, were so preoccupied with adapting to college life, that our first year in college literally went right by us. I found myself on Thursday nights in disbelief that another week had gone by. Consuming so much information skews our perception of time and for me, I could not move fast enough to keep up with the ticking minute hand of my clock. Now that I have three weeks left of freshman year, I'm trying to quantify my experiences with mental updates of my life.
This summer I will be embarking to another unknown region of this world. South East Asia. I'm am beyond excited and terrified to explore Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. I have not spent enough time planning for this trip (I'm leaving in less than a month) so I am directing my attention to it for the next week until I get everything under control and prepared for my trip.
Following my expedition through Asia, I will be returning to the Hills of Berkeley to take the second half of Organic Chemistry: though not as exciting as traveling, I'm excited to be back in a familiar place and learning something new.
This year has been full of "new" things: learned and experienced. Hopefully it continues!
New School in WuXi, August 2012
New School in WuXi, August 2012
Full Moon, January 2012
Jiang Su Province Country Side, China, July 2012
*The lovely farmer showing me how to tell a ripe watermelon from a bad one.