Another year older

Since moving to Asia, my birthday has always fallen during my company's annual conference. While some would be excited to celebrate with 600 of their closest friends, sitting in sessions all day, this setting is not really my venue of choice. This year I was excited to find out my birthday fell the day after conference ended. After the hustle and bustle of conference, a couple of friends and I headed up into the mountains around Chiang Mai for two days of quiet rest and reflection. I can't think of a better place to celebrate my birthday! After three weeks of being in the heart of Chiang Mai, in the midst of traffic, noise, and hordes of people, the stillness of a secluded mountain resort was incredibly refreshing. After sleeping, reading, and watching the sunset the first day, we headed to the nearby Queen's Botanic Gardens the second day. I spent my birthday hiking through the jungle, running into a grand total of one person (other than my hiking companions). We hiked, we laid on a bridge staring up at the trees, we sang songs to our creator. It was an absolutely perfect day, and probably one of my favorite birthdays ever. On the way to the airport that night, we stopped in a little chocolate shop to pick up some Belgium truffles for a sweet ending to a marvelous day. I'm now in Pakse, Laos, enjoying riding motorbikes around a city surrounded with rivers and mountains. I'll be spending a week with the team of teachers here before heading back home.