babe wandering

fishing village in the caves!

beach selfie in action

blue heaven 

koh phi phi <3

“There’s New York, one of the goddamnedest perturbations ever to ride the shifting surface of the earth. It’s medieval, really, all ramparts and ziggurats and spikes and steeples, entirely possible to see a hunchback cloaked in a Hefty bag stumping along beside a woman carrying a twenty-thousand dollar purse. And at the same time, overlaid, is a vast nineteenth-century boomtown, raucously alive, eager for the future but nothing rubberized or air-conditioned about it, no hydraulic hush; trains rumbling the pavement, carved limestone women and men—not gods—looking heftily down from cornices as if from a heaven of work and hard-won prosperity, car horns bleating as some citizen in Dockers passes by telling his cell phone ‘that’s how they’re supposed to be.' We—we men—are the frightened ones, the blundering and nervous ones; if we act the skeptic or the bully sometimes it’s because we suspect we’re wrong in some deep incalculable way that women are not. Our impersonations are failing us and our vices and habits are ludicrous and when we present ourselves at the gates of heaven the enormous black woman who guards them will laugh at us not only because we aren’t innocent but because we have no idea about anything that actually matters.” - Michael Cunningham, By Nightfall

I’m not sure exactly why, but all the teen Thai guys on the islands dress in the same extremely un-beachy uniform of skinny jeans, vans, mohawks, and tattoos from head to toe. They do fire dancing and are so fucking cool and aloof that they probably won’t even talk to you, even if you try and ask them "WHERE IS THE BATHROOM?" with wild hand gestures. One of them might have also robbed me blind (uh just to be clear, it wasn’t a Thelma and Louise / Brad Pitt type of robbery…they’re all like 16 I think) or it might have been another tourist, who knows. Still, I’ve chosen to think about it this way: Would I pay $135, spend a few hours at the embassy, and hand over my phone in exchange for a trip to Thai islands that look like paradise? Yeaaayuh. Also, I have the kindest, calmest Buddha parents in the world who make any situation feel manageable and also canceled all my cards for me, which was a huge headache for them but they didn’t complain once. Also Chris (HI CHRIS!) Luke, and Nick helped me search forever and then entertained me with stories of their terrible lad behavior and that took my mind off what a careless baby I am. Also pretty much every person I’ve met on this trip messaged me in some form to say “how can I help?” Thanks you beautiful people.

***access denied.

"You look a lot like Rick Owens! Like a girl version! It's a good thing!"

Anyone who has ever been lucky enough to meet my Aunt Lucy will not soon forget her. Not only is she incredibly, stunningly beautiful in the light-eyed, dark-complexioned Italian way of my father and their other sister, Laura, but she's just a barrel of fun and kindness and good cheer. Any social event is better and more boisterous when Lucy is there (ask the staff at Bossa Nova if you don’t believe me.) Lucy is also famed for being ridiculously quick to fits of sentimental tears which—weirdly enough—I've also developed over here in Asia. Sometimes I just get so overwhelmed with ancient beauty, happiness, awe, and appreciation for the people I've met that I feel tears running down my face before I even realize I’m crying. It's pretty embarrassing, (so don't tell anyone four or five people who are probably the only ones reading this) but Aunt Lucy, I promise to never poke fun at you ever again when you weep along to a John Denver song. 

rowdy boys of yore looking exactly like rowdy boys of present day. 

concubines, back in the day. (Looking v classy but not thrilled, if you ask me.)