All posts tagged: business trips

The Land of a Thousand Smiles — Chiang Mai, Thailand (Day 1)

In the 9 weeks that we’re in India, we’ve received one 4-day weekend off to travel and/or relax and of course, I chose travel (which relaxes me) so it all worked out. I was joined by 5 other co-workers for a jam-packed weekend of culture, delicious foods, wild personalities, and gut-wrenching adventure..literally! We arrived Saturday morning, July 26 to the Chiang Mai airport and immediately went to our hostel, the Green Tulip House, where were we greeted by our super enthusiastic host, Stella. Our day was supposed to be a very casual, laid-back day — starting with a traditional Thai massage, then a trip to up to Wat Doi Suithep, and ending with a 7 course Thai dinner cooking class. My first Thai massage was in Bangkok, January 2013, and I’ve been missing them since! Thai massages are a bit different from other massages, as the masseur or masseuse will use his or her whole body in massaging yours. They’ll massage you with their feet, elbows, forearms, and even knees — sounds bizarre, and it’ll …

10 (Must-Bring) Things to Bring to India

I’ve been in India for about 10 days now, and what I’m realizing there are some things I’m really glad I brought, and some things that I really wish I thought to bring. After all, 10 weeks is a long time to be in India. If I were just backpacking through SE Asia, this would be a different list, but this is for being in one place for a long time. Disclaimer: this is just a personal list! I’m sure it changes for everyone, but if I were to go back and repack, I’d hold this list in very high regard. 1. Purell Hand Sanitizer/Wet Ones + toilet paper! These little nuggets make me feel a lot better being in India, especially on road trips where you have to do your business in an alleyway behind some trash. Even in Bangalore, I’ve found them very useful after handling cash, holding on for dear life on a tuk tuk (rickshaw) or just after using gym equipment — they don’t clean the equipment like they do in …