During my 2 days of exploring the famous Angkor Wat and surrounding temples of Cambodia, I developed a subtle obsession with the unexpected—blocks. You see, these massive temples, carved from sandstone and volcanic rock, that’s all they are—just blocks of rock. After nearly a thousand years, nature made this obvious, revealing the stitch work in once seamless structures. When they finally gave way to the weather and tree roots, they simply tumbled down. Block over block…

Within a forest monastery, for four days and three nights, I plunged myself both physically and mentally into practicing meditation. I never once tried formal meditation before this. Maybe a few times a year I would close my eyes and try to “clear the mind”. I didn’t come back from this experience knowing how to bring about world peace, but I did come back with a new awareness, along with being incredibly relaxed. More importantly, I found a new tool for keeping myself focused.

I was originally lured to Pai, within the remote north of Thailand, to practice traditional Thai massage, but soon discovered a side of the town that I was never told about. The food, chai, and many other drinks here, are prepared so well, that they challenge the best of Penang, Malaysia, the widely accepted king of cuisine within South East Asia. I’ll be sharing the many dishes and drinks from Pai, that were able to awaken the dormant foodie within me.