Scalping doughnuts.......

This is Krispy Kreme in Bangkok:

 
 It just opened a few months ago, and well, Krispy Kreme chose the perfect place to open...because this is the line to buy doughnuts at Krispy Kreme:

Yes, that is outside of the store.  They called people in shifts to enter and buy doughnuts.  Once inside you have to choose if you are the "original glazed only" type or the "assorted" type.  Once you decide, that is the kind you will get...it doesn't matter how appealing a NY cheesecake doughnut sounds after you are in the original glazed line.

This is my happy husband, after we stood in that crazy line:

While in the line we were approached by this guy:

(The guy on the right of the picture, with the shifty eyes......)

to buy a dozen doughnuts from him for a higher price, so we could skip out on the line.

He is just one of what seems to be a million people who are trying to make a baht or two off of the brilliance that is Krispy Kreme, by selling dozens of doughnuts to salivating people passing by.

Literally across the street from Krispy Kreme in Bangkok I passed FIVE different stands selling dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts for prices 50 - 150 baht more than at the store. What that means in US dollars: a dozen glazed is 249 baht or $8.30, people on the street are selling them for anywhere from 300 baht ($10) to 400 baht ($13.30) RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE STORE!

Today I am proud to be a North Carolinian.

Dando gracias

I'm hanging up these laces for the next month, as I spend three weeks in flip flops and sandals and then two weeks in hiking boots. But wanted to express my sincere gratitude to my mom who bought these shoes for my birthday. They have been the perfect China shoes, waterproof and perfect for the cold and sometimes wet weather, as well as for all the walking around I have done in the last month. I have worn them everyday since December 6th. They were good to me while we were in America, and actually served the purpose they were made for a few times, but here instead of trails with roots and rocks, these shoes have been dodging puddles and tiles in the sidewalk that squirt up water all over my feet when I step on them.

Thank you, mom.

Mi casa es su casa

If they mated.....

       +

Result =

This is Asian Kate. I know you can see it. Don't lie.

This is me with Kate and her son, whose English name is coincidentally Jackie....probably after her father.

Our own cider house

This is our friend Albert

Albert is standing over a cider press that he made with his resourcefulness of being able to look at objects like lunch trays and cutting boards, and see useful parts of a cider press.

Albert is known for his love of apples and is famous for his applesauce. But this apple season he has gone beyond "Albert's World Famous Applesauce" to now "Albert's World Famous Apple Cider."  He invited us over to make cider at his house.

To make cider:

First you have smash the apples. Whole apples. Don't peel them, don't core them. Just smash them.

Once they are smashed, then you can fill the press:

And then just turn the knob and cider starts pouring out! Aaron did all the hard work of smashing the apples. I just watched the juice pour out.

Last step: Enjoy.

mint hot chocolate. egg nog. and now apple cider - things that normally leave us longing when we think of them. Thinking of them makes me want to curl up under a blanket in front of a fire with a hot cup (or cold cup) with a book or a movie. So far this asian winter we have enjoyed all of these drinks, no fire, lots of movies, and the occasional book. I would say it has been a great winter. AND the egg nog and cider that we have enjoyed here have been better than egg nog or cider I ever had in the US. Y'all want to move here now, don't you?

How to learn a new city

Aaron and I have recently realized that at this point in our moving in/learning a new city we have a choice. We don't start class until the end of February, and we don't leave for travel until January 13th. So that meant this week, we had a choice each morning to either not venture out into the cold, gray weather and staying warm and cozy at home, OR we could venture out, wearing layers and layers of clothes (I'm wearing long johns for the first time in my life) and learn our city, our new home.

But, how do you learn a new city? We are doing it by getting on every and any bus that comes by our house and ride it until it ends.

Our first bus ride was a 45 minute ride to the southwest of our city. We quickly went off of the map Aaron and I were using to track our route, and ended up here:

It's kind of hard to tell from this picture what exactly is out here, but let me tell you - it was nothing. This was it. This is where all the buses stop, and the bus drivers take their nap before their next bus route. On the way out here, we watched as our surroundings got dustier and dustier and the industrial parks increased. This is where the hard workers live. If I ever need to buy construction equipment, I now know which bus to ride.

Our second bus trip was a much more successful bus ride in my eyes, as this is where we ended up:

We ended up within walking distance to H&M, Sephora, Starbucks, Subway, Ikea, and a European sports store called Decathalon. Much better ending I would say. On this bus trip we stayed on the map, and discovered where to go in our city if we ever need anything computer related, or if we need to buy a new bike.

I'm sure the other buses have pretty good stops, but I think we've already hit the jackpot. Especially considering taxis to this area cost us at least $20 USD roundtrip, and just over $1 USD roundtrip on the bus.

for Auld Lang Syne, my dear