The Travel Zen of Cai

writing

  • What Happened After Graduation 2019?

    Have you ever thought about where you might be now if the world hadn’t paused back in 2020? Not just in terms of places you could’ve gone, but the version of yourself you imagined becoming. The plans you made –… Continue reading

  • My First Taste of Pad Thai

    When it comes to food, I’ve always been a little cautious- sticking to what I know and love. My husband, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He’s the kind of person who gets excited about unfamiliar dishes, bold… Continue reading

  • Beneath the Mountains, Beside the Rice Fields

    Have you ever lived somewhere so remote, it feels like civilization is a distant hum on the horizon? A place where you wake up not to traffic or alarms, but to the sound of roosters crowing and the rustle of… Continue reading

  • More Than Dirt: A Mining Story

    One thing I’ll never forget is my experience going to the mines. My mom came from a family of miners- that’s actually where she met my dad. So in a way, mining is part of my story, part of who… Continue reading

  • Peace of Mind Isn’t Found- It’s Protected

    There’s a lesson life keeps teaching me over and over again: peace of mind is not something you find-  it’s something you PROTECT. I’ve seen just how easy it is to lose that peace. I’ve watched people let the world… Continue reading

  • Lessons & Life Between the Philippines, Thailand, and the U.S.

    Baguio was my beginning- a city wrapped in pine-scented air and early morning fog. I remember walking home as the sun came up, the streets quiet after another long night shift. On weekends, I swapped graveyard hours for exam rooms… Continue reading

  • The Stray and the Spirit House

    It was one of those slow, golden afternoons in Bangkok- the kind where everything feels suspended in heat and soft hums. I had just left Chatuchak Park, legs a little tired, brain mildly buzzing from sunlight and stillness. I wasn’t… Continue reading

  • Chasing My Younger Years: A Late Bloomer’s Reflection

    For the longest time, I thought I started late. Late to the trends.Late to the moments that were supposed to define “youth.”Late to the things everyone else seemed to figure out so easily. I didn’t wear lipstick until I was… Continue reading

  • Basking in the Misty Nook of บ้านสวนสาทร Baan Suan Sathorn

     As my feet touch the ground, I sniffed the air as if to imbibe the positive energy that this Land of Smiles radiates. I scanned my surroundings to see familiar faces but  was overwhelmed with the throng of people moving… Continue reading

  • “Be Like Water”

    There’s something about being near water that just calms the soul. Maybe it’s the sound-the way a river flows softly over rocks, or the sudden, powerful rush of a waterfall. Or maybe it’s the feeling when you touch it-cool, alive,… Continue reading