She traded her computer for a blender, and found the secret of success

Mrs. Pa is famous in Chiang Mai. Her little fruitshake stall stands shoulder to shoulder among the dozens of snack carts along the old city wall, but the lines of eager customers and happy faces sipping something delicious tell you that something special is pouring out of her blender.

We had heard through the backpacker grapevine about Mrs. Pa, and Chris-Ann had come across several travel blogs that raved about it being possibly the best juice in the world. So, of course, we had to find her.

She welcomed us like old friends, a huge smile and a curious "What would you like?" She was surrounded by fresh fruit - bananas, mangoes, watermelons, pineapples, dragon fruits...too many to choose! So we asked her to surprise us. With a giggle, she immediately got to work chopping up handfuls of mangoes, pineapples and carrots tossing them all into her busy blender and adding a dash of her home made syrup, "I always make it myself, no chemicals, no preservatives, just a little sugar."

The result was spectacular, Chris-Ann and I just couldn't hold back huge smiles, every sip was a luscious mouthful of fruity deliciousness.

When the line up had quieted down momentarily, I went up to speak to her, to ask her as I had with so many other cooks and food makers, around the world - how did she get so good? Her answer surprised me.

Mrs. Pa used to work in an office, she was an experienced food buyer for some of the busiest restaurants in Chiang Mai, Thailand's "second city". She said she found herself always busy, tired and unhappy and longing for something different.That "something different" came in the way of a free fruit stand, a gift from a friend who had met and married an American, and was leaving Thailand.

Mrs. Pa jumped at the opportunity, traded her computer for a new blender and started pursuing happiness. Her dream, as she says was "to make Chaing Mai smile" with fresh juice made with the freshest produce, "This was my chance to do something I love"

Her day starts at 430am, as she hurries to be the first to arrive at the local fruit sellers, get the best pick of the day, and be ready to serve all the locals by 6am. Tourists and foreigners start rolling in next after their morning yoga classes, and from then on till late in the evening her blender buzzes away. "I love what I do," she says happily "every customer is my guest, my new friend, every juice is a chance to make their day happier." I asked her if it was hard to give up the comforts of a steady paycheck, after all tourist season only lasts so long, and with a grin she replied, "This was a big risk, but every day I reminded myself that if I make one more person smile they will come back, and I will be successful. And this is what I have been doing for all these years, making everyone who comes to my fruit stand smile and they keep coming back, and I never have to worry. When you chase your passion, you find success." And with that, she gave us each a hug and went back to her stand as customers had already started lining up again.

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My wife and I traveled the world for 18 months, these are some of the stories which inspired us - and we hope inspire you too. Chase your dreams!

Shaun Jansen