Endless Journey

And the pilgrim walks and walks knowing that the goal is never clear nor important, but the journey is endless and enlightening.

Many of these pilgrims (now good friends) that I have come across keep on walking, again and again, either physically or spiritually. Many don't really know where they are heading, but all know that the journey is what makes us grow and gives us the strength to carry on with our dreams.

"Caminante, no hay camino... Se hace el camino al andar".

"Traveler, there is no path... the path is made by walking".

Sunday Market Dance - Chiang Mai

Every Sunday starting around 4pm, the main street of the "Old city" in Chiang Mai (Th Ratchadamnoen) is closed to vehicles and a huge market is set up extending the entire length up to Wat Phra Singh until midnight.

Anything can be found in there, from clothing to music, souvenirs, hill-tribe products and of course.. Street Food!

I always notice this little girl in hill-tribe costume (I think from the Hmong tribe if not mistaken) dancing on the Sunday market as well as the Saturday walking market, since February!
It saddens me to see poor or visually impaired people and especially children being used for begging or tourist traps. Those young girls have their childhood stolen from them to be able to attract money and it can be felt in their sad eyes.

Unfortunately it's the same in most countries of the world.

Free Travel Secret Ebooks + Clean Water Charity Project

We all have our little secrets, tips or special places while traveling.

Months ago, Tripbase, the big online travel website, started a collaborative project with over 200 travel bloggers (I'm in too!) to gather 500 travel secrets and compile them into ebooks. From travel destinations, beaches, family travel to general tips, these books are available for free download!

But there's more to it than just sharing travel tips.

For every book downloaded, Tripbase will donate 1$ to provide clean water to people in developing nations.
The target is to provide 4 freshwater wells to provide drinking water to an entire school for 20 years.

Therefore, your help would be appreciated to make this campaign a huge success. Please follow the link below and download as many books as you want (there are 7 different) and help Tripbase accomplish their mission to provide fresh clean water.

I would also appreciate if you share this blog link to your friends so we could reach more people!

Thank you!

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Download Free eBooks

led by Tripbase

Street Food

I have to admit, one of my biggest pleasures while traveling is: Tasting new food!
Especially street food.

Street food is obtained from a streetside vendor, a portable stall or small stand (like a hot dog stand in the US, or "kitchen carts" in Asia). It is often "fast food" to take away, although some vendors also put up stools and small tables on the sidewalk for clients to sit and eat.
It is mostly regional or local food. Prepared on the go, in 2 minutes, it's the best way to taste local flavors and mix in with the crowd.

Unfortunately, in "civilized" countries, it's becoming less frequent to find street food vendors, mostly because of safety and health concern. Many people still doubt the cleanliness of these stalls.

In my case, I'd rather focus on the benefits of street food:

• It gives you a taste of local flavors, makes you discover new dishes. Why would you want to travel across the world to a foreign country and eat the same food you ate at home?
• It's quick and cheap. 
• It gets people out! Adds life to the streets and boosts local economy.
• Concerning Health safety, It actually makes you healthier than all the germ-less bland food served in restaurants. No I am not crazy: We fall sick in foreign countries because of germ exposure. We are not used to the same germs and bacterias in different countries. Our body just needs to adapt and a fast way to do so is to eat street food! What's the worse that can happen? An extended stay in your bathroom?

Anyway, I'm just going to get myself a pad thai with some spring rolls.. Cheers!