March 3rd

Jet lag got the best of me and I could not sleep through the night. After lying awake for a good three hours, it was finally breakfast time. We had sticky rice with a mushy topping consisting of pumpkin, milk, sugar, and egg all wrapped up in a banana peel. There was also a full plate of papaya to go along with this dish. It was delicious. After breakfast, I spoke with the creator of AFECT, A Too, about what I am going to be doing for the next three weeks.

Around 1:00 we had a big lunch- rice, soup with egg, egg plant, fresh vegetables, and some other plates that I don't know what they were, just that it was tasty. I slept for the next fourhours only to wake up and eat again ( I can't stop eating here, the food is amazing). After dinner, I met someone named Pearl who is making a documentary on AFECT and the Akha tribe which was really interesting to learn about.

Pearl and I went to the night market in the city, Chiang Rai, and had yet another dinner. In the courtyard where we sat, there was a show with singers and dancers. The dancers were beautiful and extremely talented; however, just five minutes after this thought, Pearl informed me that the performers were in fact what Thai people call "ladyboys". I thought to myself, wonderful, how am I going to even look at a girl and know if she is actually a woman? Pearl and I discussed the physical differences between Thai women and ladyboys. As we walked around the night market looking at all the useless yet cool souvenirs, I practiced spotting the ladyboys. My judgement, or lack therof, got better throughout the night, but it is still very difficult to distinguish ladyboys from women.

At the end of the night, I got an infamous Thai massage for an hour which cost me a whole $6. Afterwards, I took the Thai form of a Taxi, a Tuk Tuk, to go home. These tiny three wheeled cars are blue and decorated with a bunch of different photos and lights. The experience of taking the Tuk Tuk was unforgettable considering they are insane drivers that consistently come inches away from crashing.