Chiang Mai (Day 1)

Everytime I run into someone who's been to Chiang Mai, Thailand's "second city," they sigh. "Oh, Chiang Mai." They tell me about the markets, amazing restaurants, cool people, beautiful buildings, moderate climate ... and it drove me freakin' bonkers.

I tried to get to Chiang Mai several times, unsuccessfully. And now that I'm done with my internship, with a few days left before my flight, I'm finally here to see whether it's as amazing as everyone said it is.

It is. It's a traveller's paradise. It's got everything that a big city should have, but it's really small and compact. With a very chill vibe. The old city is even surrounded by a cute little moat. There are mountains surrounding the city. And it's even nice and cool (temperature-wise).

I rolled into town on the bus Friday evening, checked into Daret's House, a favorite among back-packers. 100 baht ($2.50) per night for my own room and bathroom. Clean and friendly, centrally located, and a short walk to the famous night market.

The next morning, I joined Eric and Yarrow (Eric's wife) for a workshop given by IU Law's very own Susan Williams. Prof. Williams graduated No. 2 at Harvard Law (her husband was No. 1) -- and is frighteningly smart. A challenging, engaging professor with incredibly high standards.

Several groups have asked that Burma's new constitution include a minimum 30% quota for women (and men) in all branches of the federal government. This group asked Prof. Williams to teach them about different quota systems, so they could develop responses and arguments to challenge the criticism they faced.

Watching her, I was so incredibly proud to go to IU Law. To be in law school. To have met her. To breathe the same air. You get the picture.

Also, I was quite thrilled to enjoy watching her teach without having to read, outline and prepare insightful comments for 60 pages of dense property law cases beforehand. Anyone who's taken one of her classes will understand.

Afterward, I chatted with Yarrow's co-worker, Aleda, who has her own private tuk-tuk driver here in Chiang Mai. And he recommended a great tailor. So I bid farewell to Prof. Williams, made plans to see Eric and Yarrow that evening, and hopped on my motorbike to the tailor's.

I spent the rest of the afternoon tooling around town on the motorbike, feeling quite proud of myself and quite cool. No accidents, no close calls. I even got complimented on my handling of the bike. I am seriously considering buying a motorcycle to replace my car.

At night, I met Eric, Yarrow and Aleda at The Riverside, a bar with a reputation for great music. The band was AWESOME -- lots of fantastic songs, all in English. Natalie Imbruglia, U2, Black Eyed Peas, and loads of other favorites. And there were no westerners except us -- lots of cool Thai people. Aleda and I bonded over beers. And shots of Absolut Rasperry. And sips of Thai whiskey. And dancing.

There are even pictures of me dancing. I can't upload them because I can't find a computer that's fast enough, but this is a first.

Eric and Yarrow came. Eric dazzled the Thai people with his dance moves. People were pointing and staring. He's a rock star, no question.

I finished the evening FAR too drunk to drive home. Luckily, the guest house was a short walk away. I did not know this when I started walking, and it was a VERY pleasant surprise to find it just when I was ready to break down and get a tuk-tuk.