Tips Accepted

George and I have become tour guides. The reason for the transition is that some of our children came to Chiang Mai to see us, and we wanted to show them around. I put together a few itineraries to highlight different parts of this city: the old and the new, as well as a little bit of Thai life, e.g., our neighborhood Santitham, touristy Nimmanahaeminda, the Old City (within the moat & walls circa 1300’s), the upscale Ping River area, Central Festival mega-mall, and others. We either walked, rode the public bus or took a GRAB. Sarah and her husband, both avid cyclists, warned us away from bicycling anymore (ref. our blog post Have Wheels. Will Travel). “Too dangerous, Mom!”

We showed them around Santitham and took them to our favorite restaurants which, since we cannot read the Thai names, we had renamed in English: “The Corner Couple”, “The Noodle Place”, “The Golden Wok or Guy with Two Wives”, and “The Coffee Kid”. We introduced them to the boba (“Bubble Tea”) couple who work their magic in a closet-size space, and to the Smoothie Girls in Siri Wattana market with whom George has fallen in love (he says it’s really they who are smitten with him and his man-bun). The highlight tour was the Women’s Correctional Institution Vocational Training Center (aka Women’s Prisoner Massage, ref our blog post The Massage is the Medium) where everyone took selfies under the “Welcome to Prison” sign. Add pickle ball, Muay Thai (boxing), a day with elephants, and the Miracle Cabaret (Lady boy musical review), and I think we all had a great time.

We thoroughly enjoyed showing them around this city we have grown to love. It should be noted that because Thai law does not allow foreigners to work here, we accepted their gratitude (no debit card needed to access the Bank of Mom) and unsolicited tips (“Dad, 2 wats max today.”)

Figures of Pra Ram (reincarnation of Vishnu) and his wife Nang Sida (reincarnation of Lakshmi) at Wat Ratcha Monthian from the Ramakien which is Thailand’s national epic derived from the Hindu Indian epic Ramayana. The epic spread to Thailand via Indian traders and scholars who came to the Sukhothai Kingdom (see our blog post Old Sukhothai).

I have visited this wat a half dozen times and it wasn’t until one of our “tours” that I noticed these figures.

Bells at Wat Phan Tao. The bell symbolizes Buddha's voice and the sound of the Dharma. Ringing the bells calls for the protection of heavenly deities and helps sustain cosmic law and order. Over each bell is the chatra (from Sanskrit meaning "umbrella" or “parasol”) which are auspicious symbols in both Buddhism and Hinduism.

Ton Lamyai is the flower market. It’s open 24hrs/day.

On the western bank of the Ping River, Warorot Market (or Kad Luang “Big Market”) started over 100 years ago as river trade grew between northern Thailand and Bangkok. Shops sell spices, prepared/dried/fresh food (sai ua (northern Thai sausage), cab moo and nam prik noom (pork rinds and green chili dip), and moo yor (steamed sausage loaf)), clothes, kitchenware, toys, cosmetics, temple goods, everything.

Central Festival mega mall has 5 floors for 300+ shops including global brands, luxury cars, ice skating rink, cinemas, and traditional markets.

in 1391 King Saen Muang Ma of the Lan Na Kingdom started the construction of Wat Chedi Luang to hold his father’s ashes. It used to hold the famous Emerald Buddha, the most revered religious artifact in Thailand (now at the Royal Palace in Bangkok). Once over 260 feet tall the spire was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1545. Some controversial reconstruction followed over the years.

One of the Buddhist realms of hell is called Maharaurava — hell of great screaming while being eaten by animals. It’s hard to imagine but the other hell realms are worse.

Wat Sri Suphan (the Silver Temple) was established in 1502 but only recently was the temple renovated to highlight the silver craft of the Lan Na Kingdom. Aluminum and nickel repoussé and chasing work create the intricate reliefs. Behind the image of the Buddha is the ordination hall (ubosot) for monks. Hence, women are not allowed to enter.

This graffiti artist had just finished his mural and agreed to pose for me.

Many tourists who visit Chiang Mai spend a day or half day with elephants—the official national animal of Thailand— feeding them, walking with them, and bathing them. More than 80 farms around Chiang Mai keep elephants as a tourist attractions. This mom and baby (named Valentino) are carefully watched over by their mahout, or trainer.

What explains the eclipses of the moon and sun?

Rahu the demon greedily sought immortality by stealing and drinking the divine nectar Amrita. Chandra demigod of the Moon and Surya (the Sun) saw Rahu swallow and immediately informed Lord Vishnu who instantly cut Rahu in half (as the nectar almost reached the demon’s stomach) and flung the immortal upper half into the sky. Driven by eternal revenge Rahu tries repeatedly to devour Chandra and Surya. But because Rahu has no body, the Moon and the Sun always escape.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

George and I explore many wats here in Chiang Mai. Almost all are interesting because of the back-story, architecture, Buddha images, etc. But one really stands out: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep which is considered to be one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Thailand. Its name describes it well. “Phra” signifies an honorific Buddha image; “That” tells us there is a relic; and “Doi Suthep” references the name of the mountain where the Wat was built, circa 1383.

Legend has it that in the 1300’s a monk named Sumanathera had a dream that directed him where to find a magical relic of a bone from the Gautama Buddha. The monk eventually presented it to Chiang Mai’s King Nu Naone who wished to build a new temple for the relic. Desiring the optimal location, the Kind placed the relic on the back of a chang samkhan (holy white elephant) which was released into the jungle. The elephant climbed up Doi Suthep, made three counterclockwise circles, trumpeted three times, then dropped dead. The king considered this an omen and ordered the construction of a temple on the site.

Wat Doi Suthep is about 9.5 miles northwest of the Old City up a steep and winding road. With my daughter Sarah and her husband, we hired a GRAB car for the morning. Even before 9am the road was pulsing with activity. We passed Songthaews (red pick-up truck taxis), tut-tuts (motorcycle-style taxis), and people walking up the steep mountain. Monk Khruba Sriwichai (“The Engineer Monk”) led construction of the paved road up the mountain jungle in 1935 as a joint effort among communities, each of whom contributed 1,300-foot sections. 

At the base of the Wat, we then walked up the 306 steps with families, tourists, pilgrims, to the esplanade where we all removed our shoes before proceeding to the more sacred areas. On Visakha Bucha Day, pilgrims will camp overnight in the esplanade, to watch the sunrise and commemorate the birth of the Buddha in the morning.

Pilgrims earn merit by climbing the 306 steps guarded by giant snakes or nagas thus creating the longest naga balustrade in Thailand. The King of Nagas once protected Buddha from a terrible storm by using his cobra hood to shield Buddha and ever since the cobra has been an icon of protection. Here they protect pilgrims approaching the temple.

Atop the 52-foot tall Golden Pagoda is the crowning five-tiered umbrella that marks Chiang Mai’s freedom from 200 years of Burmese rule and its subsequent union with Siam in 1892.

The standing Buddha image with his hand upraised is in the abhāya mudrā position of fearlessness while facing adversity. He is draped with monastic robes, with the right shoulder bare, as symbol of humility (Gautama Buddha had been the powerful prince Siddhartha). The sitting Buddha images are in the Bhūmiśparṣa mudrā position - "Buddha subduing Māra" (the demon who tried to prevent him attaining enlightenment).

Wall murals tell the story of the Gautama Buddha. Above, as Prince Siddhartha, he gazes upon his sleeping wife and child before leaving on his journey to attain enlightenment. The temple bells symbolize wisdom and compassion which are the path to enlightenment. A bell also symbolizes the Buddha’s voice which can purify a holy place.

The elderly monk drew quite a crowd among the pilgrims. Thais as well as other Asian cultures highly respect the elders, not just in feeling and expressing respect but also with specific greetings and behaviors.

Buddhist pilgrims receiving blessing from the monk. In the time of Gautama Buddha, monks wore robes stitched of unwanted rag cloth, dyed with vegetable matter - here the yellow-orange color of saffron. To make merit pilgrims present monks with new robes (see the one still in the plastic wrap). At the end of the rainy season retreat for the monks (Buddha asked that monks not travel then so not to step on insects), Buddhists donate new robes for the Thod Kathina festival.

Here is a MOM - mythical guardians called Dtuwamaum who are amalgams of 8 animals: dragon eyes, sheep horn, snake tongue, crocodile teeth, fish scale & tail, elephant’s head, monkey body and bird’s legs. Of course, the human MOMs are also fierce and loving guardians.

Supporting this magnificently ornate viewing platform are these 4 massive teak pillars, carved with numerous Buddha iconography.

The golden pagoda (“chedi”) houses the holy relic. Based on Buddhist and Hindu architectural principles, the tiered and angular shape of the chedi and its tiers represent the level of heavens that one must ascend in order to achieve Nirvana as well as the hierarchy associated with a monarchy. According to Hindu mythology the 5-tiered umbrella (“chatra”) is a symbol of kingship. In Thailand the Nine-Tiered Great White Umbrella of State is considered the most sacred and ancient of the Thai royal regalia.

From a terrace at Wat Doi Suthep we have a beautiful view of Chiang Mai.

Temple of Supreme Bliss

Sometimes I need to get away from the chaos of city life. So, between meals in George Town, we decided to visit the Temple of Supreme Bliss also known as Kek Lok Si Temple. The name alone gets a spot on my must-see list. It is a huge complex covering 30 acres, high on what’s called Crane Hill (resembles a crane spreading its wings and has geomantically correct feng shui for a temple). In 1885, the priest Venerable Beow Lean arrived in Penang from China to raise donations for his own monastery. Instead, the Chinese in Penang convinced him to lead the construction of Kek Lok Si Temple. As the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, it is an important pilgrimage center for Buddhists across the world. George and I hired a GRAB (SE Asia’s version of Uber) for the 25 minute ride up the mountain and spent the morning walking the temple grounds, climbing the Pagoda stairs, and admiring the views of George Town and its seaport.

A landmark is the seven-story “Pagoda of King Rama VI of Thailand” who laid the foundation in 1891. It is a combination of architectural styles (the octagonal base is Chinese; the middle tiers are Thai; the spiral dome is the Burmese crown) designed to represent the blend of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, the remaining major schools of Buddhist teaching.

The other main attraction is this 99 ft. tall bronze statue of Kuan Yin (Guanyin) the Goddess of Mercy representing the compassion and Divine Mother aspect of Buddhism. She is the protector against all fears. The leading Chinese Hakka tycoons of Penang, including Cheong Fatt Tze who built the Blue Mansion, provided financial support. She stands high on the hill in a pavilion with 16 bronze columns. While it is the tallest statue of Kuan Yin in the world, its height was limited so it would not cast a shadow on the Penang State Mosque.

Sweeping views encompassing both the old and modern George Town.

This fierce guardian statue represents a Luohan (Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word Arhat "foe-destroyer") – Buddhist monks who achieved enlightenment and protect the Buddhist faith. Luohan are holy icons of the martial arts practiced in Shaolin Temples.

The Pagoda of King Rama VI is also known as the pagoda of 10,000 images of Buddha. 1,2,3,4,5,6…I was skeptical at first of the claim that there are 10,000. After a morning walking around the temple, I believe there are more than 10,000.

The Venerable Beow Lean wanted the Temple to serve also as a worldwide retreat and learning center for Buddhists. Here are monks receiving lessons in the Hall of Great Vows, which is a shrine honoring Bodhisattva Ti Tsang (Ksitigarbha, the Saviour of the Lost Souls). In 1904 the Manchu Emperor Guangxu bestowed 70,000 volumes of the Imperial Edition of the Buddhist Sutras. Other Chinese rulers, such as His Majesty Emperor Kuang Xi and Empress Cixi of the Ching Dynasty, also gave gifts. Chief Abbots of the Temple have been Chinese, but in 2002 the first Malaysian abbot was named.

The color blue usually represents tranquility, purity and healing. It is believed that when meditating on the color blue, anger can be transformed into wisdom.

…a sampling of the 10,000 images of Buddha. The interior walls of each tier of the Pagoda are lined with images, some ceramic and some pressed metal. The photo, bottom left, are roof tiles which can be purchased by pilgrims for merit-making. Since at least 500 BC the swastika has been a symbol in Asia and India of divinity and spirituality.

The grounds of the temple complex are landscaped with gardens, ponds, and walkways.

Throughout the morning more and more visitors arrived and by noon the temple grounds were humming with activity. This fellow found a shaded and quiet spot to hide and check his messages. And a good time for us to depart the Temple of Supreme Bliss.

George Town, Penang, Malaysia

To re-validate our visas we have to leave/return Thailand every 60 days, so we just returned from the second border run. This time we went to George Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, on the island of Penang in Malaysia. I would like to say we chose George Town to learn about its history, study the eclectic architectures and immerse ourselves in the multiple cultures of Malaysia - sophisticated reasons. But the honest truth is (and I am not ashamed to admit it) we went there because we’re food-crazed. We intended to eat our way across this culinary mecca. We did just that, and along the way we visited churches, temples, mosques, triad clan houses, and historic mansions. As a bonus, we saw some of the world’s best street art.

What made George Town such a melting pot? Trade. Founded in 1789 by the British (and named after King George III) as their entrepot for SE Asia, propelled by its spice production, threatened by Burma, supported by the Sultan of a Siamese vassal state, visited often by Dutch traders, and built by Chinese and Indian labor, George Town is truly fascinating in its multi-ethic/cultural/religious/culinary splendors. We stayed in a family-owned 12-room historic hotel and excitedly ventured out each morning.

Although the UNESCO George Town is small enough to easily explore on foot, we needed 3 maps: living heritage sites, foodie delights, and street art.

This mural by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian artist, is so poplar that tourists queue up to sit on the real bicycle and have their pictures taken. The artist was commissioned by the city to paint/construct 6 murals for the George Town Festival in 2012, all depicting scenes of every day Malaysian life. The murals were so well-received that other muralists and street artists placed their creations around the city. The weather-worn stucco surfaces of the building make for an interesting canvas.

In the center of the city’s Tamal neighborhood is the Kapitan Keling Mosque established in 1801 by Indian Muslim traders called chulias. Nearby is Pitt Street which the locals call the “Street of Harmony” because Muslim, Taoist, Hindu, and Christian places exist together. And Penangites call the same street in tourist jargon, Malay, English, colonial names, and official designations, e.g., Pitt Street is also Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling! Thankfully, when we got lost, we just stopped at a food cart to drink teh tarik (“pulled tea”) or yeen mai soi or leong fun.

In the evenings, many already busy streets, become more energized with street hawkers, each one selling their specialty dish. You might grab a plate of mee goreng (fried noodles) at one stall, and a bowl of Penang Assam Laksa (a complex multi-flavored vermicelli dish), then stop in the dessert shop for bahulu (sponge cake). The auto and motor bike traffic never stops; it just slows for a moment as people go back and forth from stall to stall.

As we explored Little India, we walked into this wedding celebration in the 300 years old Arulmigu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Malaysia’s oldest Hindu temple. It strengthened the community of Indian merchants, laborers, former convicts, sepoys, stevedores and their families. The 24 ft tall tower (gopuram) has statues of Hindu gods and goddesses, their many reincarnations, animals, and floral decorations. Lord Ganesha and his brother Lord Muruga stand in the pillars. On another day, we went inside and saw devotees making offerings to (among other deities) the primary deity Goddess Mahamariammam, mother of Lords Ganesha and Muruga, reincarnation of Parvati, wife of Hindu god Shiva. Powerful stuff!

This was my favorite meal of the week. We sat at a table, and one waiter gave us each a banana leaf. Another came by and scooped out rice from a large pot. Then another came by and ladled out vegetables, followed by another with a tray of meats (lamb, chicken, or fish). They left a caddy of different dahl sauces on the table. Locals eat with their fingers, but thankfully, we were given forks and spoons. The food was so good, I wanted to lick my banana leaf when I finished.

This man is making teh tarik, a strong brew of black tea blended with condensed milk. The story behind the “pulled tea” is that the Tamal Indian Muslim rubber tree workers were given tea breaks during the day, but the breaks were never long enough for the tea to cool so the vendors began pouring the mixture from cup to cup, quickly repeating the process 7 times, and each time the distance between the cups grew. When the tea is served there is a little foam on the surface, and the temperature is perfect to start drinking!

This is a wonderful mural called “Indian Boatman” painted in 10 days by a 26 year-old Russian artist named Julia Volchkova.

This is Choo Chay Keong, the clan temple of the Lum Yeong Tong Yap Kongsi. Chinese clans (aka the secret societies) grew from the natural desire of families emigrating from China to congregate, worship common ancestors in their own temples, and form strong community and commercial bonds. Clans (kongsi) built their own ornate clan houses. Inevitably power struggles ensued. During the Penang Secret Societies Riot in 1867 the Hokkien Chinese attacked the Cantonese Chinese who aligned with the Malays and Indians. For escape and surprise, a secret passageway connects Cheah Kongsi and Khoo Kongsi houses.

After considerable research, George created a document detailing (rank-ordered by uniqueness) Malaysian food items, best hawker stands, and street corners for us. Is anybody surprised? But it was great so away we went! Mee Goreng, koay assam laksa, koay teow th’ng, hokkien mee, char koay teow, curry mee, fried oyster omelet, wan tan mee, and more!

The Boy on a Chair is another mural by Ernest Zacharevic. It’s tucked away in a corner near Cannon Square, and we almost missed it. On the left is the minaret of the Acheen Street Mosque, founded in 1808 by a wealthy Arab trader from Acheh. The locals call it Masjid Melaya, and it is located in the oldest Malay kampung (village) in George Town. The mosque is noteworthy for the Egyptian style (not Moorish) minaret built in 1808 which has a hole from a cannon ball fired during the clashes for power in 1867 among the Chinese triads (hence Cannon Square).

Buildings (many times renovated) on Armenian Street illustrate the “5-foot ways” covered walkways for shop houses. In 1822 Sir Stamford Raffles ordered the style in Singapore, with narrow 5’ fronts (taxed) and deep rears (for living quarters). Increasing prosperity allowed shop owners to have 3 or 4 stories. We see this shop house style all over SE Asia. Armenian Street was originally Malay Lane but renamed in 1808 with the influx of Armenians (who left in 1837). The Chinese took over. Sun Yat-Sen (China’s “George Washington”) started the revolution against the Chinese Qing dynasty from a shop house on this street. (note: we’re going next to Taipei so more about Sun Yat-Sen later).

We wanted to try some cendol, a lightly sweetened dish made with green jelly noodles, kidney beans, shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar. We asked where to find the best vendor, and we were directed to walk down the street, turn left, then walk until we saw a long line of people. That was it! The vendor sets up his stall around 4 pm under the mural and sells out within a few hours. No tables or chairs; people eat standing up in the street, dodging vehicles coming through.

There are about a dozen murals of cats, some large, some very small, throughout the city. Some have an obvious message, and others are simply whimsical. And of course the ubiquitous Chinese tourist!

This is the entry hall of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (aka the Blue Mansion because the outside is painted in expensive indigo blue), built by a wealthy merchant at the end of the 19th century. It is now a hotel and restaurant with just a few rooms open to tourists. The mansion has been used for movie sets, most recently as the set for the pivotal scene of ma jong in “Crazy Rich Asians”.

This iron work sculpture is one of 52 sculptures called Marking George Town, a street art exhibition commissioned by the Penang State Government in 2009 to celebrate the recent (2008) status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The government held a worldwide competition which was won my a Malaysian sculpture studio SCULPTUREATWORK. Made locally, each one gives a little history of the street with a bit of whimsy. This one titled Rope Style is located on Jalan Pintal Tali where traditional spinners used coconut husk fibers to make ropes for bullock carts and ship mooring during the 1800’s.

This sweet man made me a tasty bowl of hokkien mee, a noodle based dish steeped in an aromatic stock made from pork bones and prawn heads. His cart banner declared that he recently won a Penang competition. He gave me blue chop sticks and soup spoon (blue is assigned to his cart by the street dish washers) for eating next to his cart, and he ties up take-away bags with the bright pink plastic strings by his head.

King Fu Girl (aka Little Girl in Blue) by Ernest Zacharevic.

George Town is the center of Peranakan culture. Chinese traders to Malaysia (particularly in the early 1800’s) who married local Malay brides created a unique intermingling of the two cultures. Moreover the British (who favored George Town) encouraged wealthy merchants from Malacca (southern Malaysia) to relocate to George Town. Their children (and Chinese men had several wives) became known as Pernakan (derived from Malay anak "child" and means "descendant") and called themselves Baba Nyonya - Baba is an honorific for the men and Nyonya is an honorific for a foreign married lady (interestingly based on an old Portuguese word). Often wealthy and well-educated & connected, the Baba-Nyonya strongly influenced Malaysian culture, built beautiful mansions, created fusion fashion, and invented new cuisine.

This montage of pictures is from the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. The ornate bed is for the wedding night: the groom would view the bride’s face for the first time on their wedding night. The woven basket in front of the wedding bed contained 2 chickens: the next morning, if the larger chicken jumped out first, then the child would be a boy. The large dining table is for the many children (good fortune).

These three Muslim girls are touring the city on their rental bicycles. We saw so many variations on “the veil”, from a loose scarf to complete coverings. Many, many women were out and about, shopping and eating on their own, veiled and unveiled.

George Town is a modern city within an old city of traditions, stories, cultures, and perspectives. We set out to explore, experience, and extend ourselves, and we did!

Ode to the Neighborhood

George and I are still enamored with our neighborhood of Santitham and continue to discover new streets and places. Once or twice a week we have dinner in a restaurant across the street from a 7-Eleven, and we will spend an hour eating and watching the comings and goings. And the shop owners wave to us as we bicycle around.

We have a small list of coffee houses we like, and the newest one opens at 7 a.m. George found a small boba tea shop which fits only 3 people. And for fruit smoothies we are willing to wait in a long line because the 2 young ladies behind the counter are so cute and cheerful. We continue to find new and different places to eat. Yesterday we ate Japanese ramen, and today we had Taiwanese dumplings. I also found a yarn shop nearby with a surprisingly good selection.

There are about 10,000 7-Elevens in Bangkok alone. Here in Chiang Mai, there is one on almost every block. Ours, just around the corner, is busy all day and all evening. As well as the usual necessities like water and toilet paper, the store also carries a large selection of ready to eat meals. One entire isle is devoted to over 20 varieties of instant noodles, a food staple for nearby Chiang Mai University students. People use the ATM and top off their phone plans at the kiosks by the door. And most people pay their household bills (electricity, water, internet, etc.) at the counter.

Hard liquor and beer are sold only between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

We found a restaurant that specializes in Thai green papaya salad (lower right) called som tam. It is often eaten with sticky rice (in the baskets) or cold rice noodles. And we found a fun shortcut to the restaurant, through what we call karaoke alley which we think is a red light area.

The papaya salad and the mango salad (top photo) are made by pounding red peppers, garlic, chili paste, and fish sauce in a large mortar. Green beans are added and pounded a bit then the julienned green papaya is thrown in for some more pounding. The salad is topped with roasted peanuts and dried shrimp.

Somehow the Chinese cemetery made it to our “must-see” list. Rows and rows of elegant Chinese gravestones provide a good indication of the former wealth of the Chinese who settled in the area.

Eggs are an inexpensive protein, and the Thai use a lot of them. For an extra 5 THB (15 cents) one can add a fried, hard or semi-soft boiled egg to any dish including soup. One of my favorite desserts is made with tapioca, sweetened coconut milk, and a poached egg.

The red pick-up truck whizzing by is a traditional songthaew (meaning two rows of bench seats) - shared transportation if you’re going in the same general direction. Songthaew and GRAB (basically Uber) drivers compete fiercely.

Wat Rajamontean is just a few blocks away from us.

The Thai government has made a concerted effort to improve the nation’s waste management infrastructure. Policies include incentives to both local governments and private industry to increase the country’s recycling rate to 22%. Our condo complex encourages recycling, and a fellow comes by at least once a week to load up his trailer with bottles, cans, and plastics. I hope he does not have to go far with his load.

The broom man pedals his wares around to the different neighborhoods. If you buy a broom from him he will trim it according to its purpose (indoor tile floors, sidewalk or street).

The local Siriwattana market always has a big selection of ready to eat foods for take-away.

We see this man all over the city. He walks his coconut ice cream cart from morning until night, 7 days a week. The ice cream, which he serves with chocolate sauce and condensed milk, is pretty good. He had to take a call while posing with me.

This fellow in our neighborhood prepares his food outside his house and sells it later on the street behind our condo building. He always has a smile and a Thai “hello” for us. The other day he sold us some fish just off the grill, and it was delicious. Also on the grill are sai oua (Thai pork sausage), pork small intestines, and aeb ong aw (spiced pork brain with herbs wrapped in banana leaves). He always wears several layers of clothes not matter how hot the day is.

This is one way to relocate.

It’s Saturday morning, and these neighborhood boys are going fishing in the Ping River.

Old Sukhothai

My friends know that I like a good road trip, either by car or by bus. So George put together a bus trip to Old Sukhothai about 6 hours south of Chiang Mai. It’s the site of the ruins from the ancient capital of Siam. None of our expat friends has taken the bus to Old Sukhothai. Instead they have either hired a car or joined a tour. We wanted to make this trip on our own.

The website for the bus company was not helpful - in Thai and vague timetables - a few bloggers described ominous experiences. So a few days before our planned trip, we took the city bus to the Main Bus Terminal to buy tickets. The nice agent sold us one-way tickets. George does not like one-way tickets (“things could happen!”). The agent informed us that the buses are air-conditioned, but there is no toilet on board (and the trip is 6 hours!).

A few days later we packed some tasty treats and off we went. The bus ride was uneventful and stopped every 90 minutes at a rest stop. These rest stops were usually local bus stops which offered packaged snacks and relatively clean toilets. We arrived in Old Sukhothai and were able to buy our return tickets right away at that bus stop. Phew!

Our hotel was a 10 minute walk from the Old Sukhothai bus stop, and away from the busy main street. After a good night’s sleep, we rose before dawn (the park opens at 6:30a.m.), hopped on our rented bicycles, and headed for the Sukhothai Historical Park.

We had 2 full days to visit the park where the remains of the ancient kingdom spread out over 17 sq. miles. Some ruins are partially rebuilt, others hint at a great past, and others are simply mounds of bricks. Time and erosion have taken their toll.

The Sukhothai kingdom flourished from the mid 13th century to the late 14th century and that time period is thought of as the golden age of Thai civilization. It is during that time that King Ramkhamhaeng the Great developed the Thai script. Unfortunately Sukhothai was eventually absorbed around 1350 by the Ayuthaya Kingdom.

Wat Mahathat is surrounded by a moat that represents the outer wall of the universe in Buddhist belief. The Kingdom had important contacts with Sri Lanka, and a specific style of Buddha images. Many are in the posture “mudra” of Subduing Mara - the right hand touching Mother Earth to be his witness and help defend him from the attack of Mara the demon tempting Buddha away from the path of enlightenment.

Wat Si Chum has a 50 feet tall Buddha Image (called Phra Achana “He who is not frightened”) seated within a massive brick mondop structure. We arrived just at sunrise - what an experience! Exhilarating. Profound. Truly breathtaking to approach the Buddha with its aura of serenity.

We spent a good 20 minutes sticking our cameras between the slats, trying to capture an image that would remind us of this extraordinary Wat. It was a “duh” moment for us when the staff arrived minutes later and opened the gate for us to enter the mondop.

Many of the Wats are active with Buddhists who approach the images with great reverence. Devotees applied gold leaf to the hand of the Buddha to honor his teachings.

Floral arrangements with marigolds are symbols of trust and faith. The arrangements can be just a few marigolds strung on a ribbon or an intricate arrangement including lotus buds and folded banana leaves. These lower figures represent pilgrims at Wat Mahathat “Temple of the Great Relic”.

Wat Si Sawai. Three Khmer-style towers (prang) and a temple dog.

King Ramkhamhaeng the Great on the right.

Wat Chang Lom, noted for its bell shaped chedi and the 24 elephants (restored in 1980’s).

Wat Mahathat

Wat Traphang Thong, the "temple of the golden pond." It was originally built around the fourteenth century.

Notice the full moon behind the spires of Wat Mahathat. Loi Krothong had just been celebrated at Sukhothai. According to legends, Loi Krothong started at Sukhothai when Nang Noppamas, a royal consort of the King of Sukhothai, gave him a krathong she had made. He lit a candle in it and floated the krathong on the waterway surrounding the ancient city. Today Thai beauty pageants select the young lady to receive the title “Nang Noppamas”.

The bus station in Old Sukhothai is also a tailor shop and a restaurant. Since the Historic Park is a popular tourist spot, many signs and menus around town were in English as well as Thai. That said, many of the restaurants simplify their food for the Western tourists, and a good meal is hard to find. George did his homework and found a few good places for us. We were lucky to get a modern bus for the trip back to Chiang Mai, a relaxing time to dream about the wonderful sights of Sukhothai.

Festivals!

Last week Chiang Mai celebrated not one, but two festivals at once. Loi Krathong is known as the festival of floating baskets and Yi Peng is the festival of lanterns. Both begin a few days before the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar. The evening of the full moon is the climax of the celebrations and the city puts on a terrific show.

Yi Peng is a Lanna festival and in the days leading up to the day of the full moon, the city sets up lantern displays along the streets and in public spaces. The festival is a time for Buddhists to make merit, so the wats put on a big show, decorating and fund raising. Colorful lanterns are hung along streets, and across doorways. Large lantern structures are set up around the city’s gates and monuments. On the evening of the full moon, people purchase what looks like a large lampshade with a candle at the base. Some write prayers or wishes on the lantern. The candle is lit—the lantern is filled with hot air and off it goes into the air. Thousands of lanterns dot the sky throughout the evening.

Loi Krathong is celebrated throughout Southeast Asia in similar fashion. At the close of the rice harvest it is time to pay one’s respects to the Goddess of Water, to show gratitude, and to ask forgiveness. It’s also a time to leave bad thoughts and misfortunes behind and to ask for good luck in the future. Baskets made of banana leaf, flowers (marigolds in particular), 3 incense sticks, a coin, some bread and a candle are set out to float down the Ping river.

Wat Lok Mali

Square at the Chang Puak Gate, on the north side of the moat.

Several hundred dancers performed at the Three Kings Monument in the center of the old city.

Where’s Waldo?

…the parade along the Ping River

Thousands of lanterns light up the sky. The Thai cancel airline flights for the evening.

Phrae and Nan

Recently, George and I took a guided, 2 night, 3 day bus tour of Phrae and Nan, two small cities in northeastern Thailand, about 5 hours drive from Chiang Mai. The tour was organized by Payap University through the department of Life Long Learning. There were about 30 of us, mostly expats, a tour manager and a very knowledgeable guide.

The goal of the tour was to see textiles, murals, wats, and learn a little about the history of some Thai ethnic groups. Both Phrae and Nan were prominent cities of the Lanna Kingdom with rich histories and culture before submitting to the Siam Kingdom in 1892. In 1949 Siam became Thailand.

This was one of the more interesting tours I’ve ever taken. Our guide was Dr. Ratanaporn Sethakul, formerly Dean of the Graduate School and history professor at Payap University, so her explanations were very thorough. And a few in the group were also very knowledgeable about Thai history so no questions went unanswered.

It was a great group of people on the bus which made the long hours on the bus more interesting. There were no whiners or loud mouths. Most of the expats have traveled quite a bit, and many had great stories to tell about their nomadic adventures. Some have lived in Thailand for more than 30 years while others are part-time residents. There were Americans, Swiss, Finns, Canadians, Brits, Australians, Thai, and more.

The highlight of the trip were the murals in Wat Phumin, Nan, commissioned in 1867 by the last King of Nan. Many of the murals depict scenes from the Jātaka tales native to India concerning past lives of Buddha. The particular tale chosen by the King is an orphan story meant to subtly criticize the Siam court in Bangkok following the Paknam Incident (read below). But most of the murals depict the culture and everyday life of the many Thai Lue people who migrated to Nan in 1836 but originally from Yunnan, China whose history was first recorded in 1180. The Thai Lue artist Thit Buaphan painted for more than 20 years. Here we have 3 western (beards and hats) missionaries with their bibles.

Wat Phumin is noted for its cruciform ubosot (main temple) which is unusual since most ubosots are rectangular. Inside are four Buddhas, facing in four directions, all in the Sukhothai style. They are all in the pose of Buddha subduing Mara, one of the most common poses (there are over 100). Note the beautiful teak pillars which support the roof.

This, along with the Whispering lovers below, is nearly life size and gives us a good picture of the Thai Lue style beginning with the hair piece, the hand rolled cheroot and the beautiful woven sarong.

The murals were painted at a time when the former kingdom of Nan was losing territory to the French as it became incorporated into Siam. It shows the French warships during the Paknam Incident of 1893 which resulted in Siam giving much of Nan’s lands to the French. This panel shows westerners (beards and hats) unloading goods and a French warship (bottom right). The narwhal may be the artist’s way of describing an ocean.

This is probably the most renowned portion of the mural. Labelled by the artist in the local dialect as “poo marn yar marn (“whispering of love”) it has become better known to most Thais as “grasip” which translates to English as the “whispering.” Almost life size, it is much larger than most sections and depicts a tattooed Thai Lue man whispering to his lover who is wearing beautiful Thai Lue textiles. The tattooed man is said to be artist Thit Buaphan. You can find this image on canvas bags, posters, mugs, coasters, and any souvenir you can imagine.

Our guide Professor Ratanaporn Sethakul (left) is posing with Tai Lue women from the Nong Bua village just north of Nan. The village continues to retain much of its traditional culture including the distinctive Tai Lue textiles that are produced at a local cooperative. The skirts (phaa sin) the women are wearing are very finely woven and take 4 to 6 weeks, 8 hours/day to complete. Notice how similar their patterns are to the skirts in the mural.

When we arrived at the Wat Nong Bua, we were greeted by the Tai Lue women and offered this refreshment. In the glass is a chilled herbal tea which is said to make one strong enough to lift a water buffalo. The green cubes are a lightly sweetened gelatin treat (a delicate flavor from a plant I do not recognize) and the banana leaves were stuffed with sweet sticky rice, banana and mango. What a treat!

…the men’s washroom next door to the Wat in Nong Bua. I walked by twice before I realized what it was.

Acharn Komol Panichpun has spent a lifetime collecting northern Thai textiles. Over the years, he and his museum near Nan have won numerous national awards, and many presented by King Rama IX himself. His small collection is impressive, and his passion reflected everywhere.

Mr. Panichpun has seen a decline in the weaving arts so to interest children he has dressed Barbie and Ken dolls in miniature replicas of antique pieces. He had about 60-70 dolls on display along with a few superheros to liven things up.

Wat Phra That Cho Hae near Phrae is a Royal temple dating back to the 14th century. This ornate steel fence encircles the 110 feet high chedi which holds a hair relic and a fragment of the elbow bone of the Buddha given to the Wat by the Indian King Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. The Buddha’s hair relic is wrapped in fine silk cloth; hence the name of the Wat - “temple of the relic wrapped in satin cloth”. By the way, George wants me to mention that silk weaving was invented by the Chinese over 5,000 years ago.

Many pilgrims visit the Wat. The viharn holds the revered Buddha statue believed to impart fertility to women. Some of the outside structures are painted a very bright white which highlights the stucco and glass decoration around the doors and windows. The glass mosaics twinkled in the sunlight. Mmmmm….I’m thinking about recreating this at our home in Belvedere.

Khanohm jeen (originated in the 6th century by the Mon people of Myanmar) are thin, fermented rice noodles usually served with curry. This lady rinses the noodles several times in water then winds them around her finger to make individual servings. Often served at weddings, the long, elastic noodles suggest longevity and resiliency of the couple’s love.

In the late 1800’s Phrae was the teak capital of the world. Built for Phrae royalty, Baan Wong Buri house was constructed of teak wood in the European “Gingerbread” style popular then. Many of the laborers were Chinese who had run away from the nearby railway construction projects. It’s a great place to wander through and get an idea of how the ruling class lived in the 19th century. There are lots of antiques, photographs and documents which tell their own stories, e.g., contracts for slave mahouts to work the elephants in the lucrative teak industry (mainly for the British). Thailand banned logging in 1989.

These young monks had just placed this merit-making tree on their truck. Buddhists can make merit (thambun) by tying baht notes to the tree: the Wat receives financial support and the donor earns merit. Thambun contributes to the donor’s personal growth towards enlightenment and helps determine the quality of the next life. Usually monks avoid being photographed but Professor Ratanaporn Sethakul persuaded the monks to pose for George. She later told us that they did so out of respect for her.

Bangkok Quickie

The final stop on our border run for renewing our Thai visa was a short stay back “home” in Thailand—two quick days in Bangkok. The city’s ceremonial name is Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit so who wouldn’t want to revisit the Guinness Record of the world’s longest place name!

Sometimes when I visit a city I don’t want to be a tourist. I just want to hang out for the day in our AirBnB, read a bit, walk around the neighborhood, maybe find a coffee house, or make friends with a nearby shopkeeper.

Ace travel agent George, who is always looking for the “great” deal, found us a converted tool shed in someone’s back yard, overlooking a canal in a very Thai residential neighborhood. He never disappoints! By the way, AirBnB is illegal here, but it still operates. Hosts often add to their descriptions: '“Do not talk to the neighbors; if they ask, you’re my relative—do not worry, you will not be arrested.” Makes one think twice before hitting send payment.

Well, the tool shed was great. It was nicely renovated into a studio with western-style bathroom and a cute loft, facing a klong (canal) on the Thonburi west bank of Chao Phraya River (not far from Wat Arun). Our hostess and her mother live on the same property in a very large house built by her grandfather, so we did not have to worry about inquiring neighbors. And as George said it was a real neighborhood filled with the local ambiance of a vibrant multi-religious community, away from tourists, touts, and tuk-tuks. Upon arrival by taxi that night at the alleyway (yes, George’s “great deal” was again down a long alleyway), the hostess met us, and we walked about 100 yards to her property.

Like Hanoi, residential Bangkok is densely populated and between the streets is a warren of twists, dead ends and circles. I had visions of getting lost for hours. And these alleyways, barely wide enough for a motorbike, are teeming with activity. Our tool shed was a little oasis of peace and quiet. That is, except for the early morning hours. Starting around 4 a.m. we could hear the chanting of the monks from the Buddhist temple across the canal. The chanting and the gonging woke the roosters (yes, even in a crowded city) which was followed by the Islamic call to prayer at the nearby Kudi To Yi Mosque - built in 1784 by the Muslim merchant To Yi. Fortunately the call was not a scratchy recording but a muezzin who was actually reciting melodiously the adhan. 

After a very nice breakfast prepared by our hostess and her mother, I wanted to just hang out on the back porch and watch the long tail boats go back and forth on the canal. But that did not happen. We had 2 days and sights to see so we found our way to join commuters on the local ferry (basically a motorized raft with a roof on it) that took us across the Choa Phraya River. First on the list was the National Museum, dating back to 1859, and one of the largest in SE Asia.

These puppets in the National Museum represent characters from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Hindu Ramayana. Thai puppetry is over 300 years old. Three people wearing black costumes control each puppet (about 3 feet tall) using a rope and pulley system that makes the puppet dance with life-like grace on the stage, illustrating the story accompanied with music and narrator.

The National Museum also has a nice but small collection of Buddha statues. Many statues disappeared in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the Thai government is increasing its efforts to reclaim Thai antiquities from western countries. Both the Metropolitan Museum in NYC and the Asian Art Museum in SF have been asked to return pieces from their collections. This bronze head of a Buddha image is about 500 years old.

The National Museum displays ceremonial chariots and other objects used exclusively for Royal cremations. Here we have the ornate Royal Coffin (constructed with over 30,000 hard carved sandalwood pieces) of the beloved Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX. At the time of his death on 13 October 2016, he was the world's longest-reigning head of state (for over 70 years) and called “Father of all Thais”. His body lay in state for a year with daily Buddhist rites, and over 12 million people paid their respect by prostrating in front of the Royal Coffin. In that time Thai artisans constructed a vast golden crematorium (Phra Meru Mas) of multiple tiers representing the Hindu and Buddhist "universe" concept of cosmology centered at Mount Meru. It signified that the deceased King returned to where he came from before being born as a human.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho for us remains a must-see (again). There is always a crowd but it’s worth it because this Buddha is impressive - almost 15 feet tall and over 150 feet long all covered in gold leaf. The image of the reclining Buddha represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana and the end of all reincarnations. Wat Pho (officially Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn) is a large Buddhist temple complex dating back to the 17th century, and it’s home to about 1,000 statues of Buddha and 90+ small chedis, most of which tourists miss because they come to see only the Reclining Buddha.

I love the Reclining Buddha’s feet and these auspicious symbols (lakshanas) of Buddha inlaid with mother-of-pearl in 108 panels. In the center is a circle representing an energy point (chakra).

This man is making Phuang Malai a floral garland which symbolizes luck and respect. You see them everywhere: hanging from rear view mirrors and spirit houses, hanging on doorknobs around the office, even hanging on motorbikes and pushcarts. One can find them in stores or on the streets from pushcarts or street vendors. I like the way this man is keeping his supply fresh, with handfuls of ice.

No posting of mine would be complete without some food porn. We had to stop for lunch and these little wings were out-of-this-world delicious! The fuzzy looking stuff under the curry leaf is finely shredded pork which I think is similar to Chinese pork floss (rousong). I have no idea how they make it but it’s tasty.

Storms were brewing on the horizon so we thought it best to hop on the ferry and head home. I love this view of Bangkok from the ferry.

Who needs guard rails? It’s only 6 baht to cross the river—that’s about 18 U.S. cents—for a 10 minute ride across the Chao Phraya River.

…a view of our canal (Khlong Bangkok Yai ) from a nearby bridge. The canal has a rich history. In the early 1500s during the Ayutthaya era, the Bangkok Yai and the Bangkok Noi Canals formed a sharp oxbow bend in the main course of the Chao Phraya River. A Chinese village at the bend was called Ban Kok (“village of the wild plums”) which eventually became the name of Thailand’s capital city.
The pink and white dock on the left was “our” dock. George liked to sit out there as a friendly “Thai neighbor” and get tourists in the long tail boats to wave back at him.

There is very little green space in cities like Bangkok or Hanoi so people make the best with what is available. This space, under an elevated roadway, has been turned into a community center. You can see a little playground, tables and chairs (for eating and board games). Further along (can’t see it in this photo) is an area for ball sports, and a community room, complete with lounge chairs and a big flat screen TV. And, of course, the food vendors see an opportunity for sales.

The grill and the burners were all fired up when this vendor decided to move his cart. Guess he heard about the coming storms and was seeking a covered place. All I could see coming down the street was smoke and wheels.

Each time we walked down our alleyway, this lady was cooking and smiling. It did not matter that her “kitchen” was uniquely narrow with literally drive by customers; her little take out restaurant seemed quite successful.

Here I am in front of our AirBnB tool shed.

Breakfast included both western dishes and Thai specialties.

A nice view from our porch of Wat Hong Rattanaram Ratchaworawihan. Boats like the one pictured go up and down the canal all day carrying tourists. Mounted on a swivel in the back of the boat is a second hand car or truck engine with an extended drive shaft and a propeller on the end which when revved up creates the “tail” of water. On a previous visit, we took a canal tour on one of these long tails, and it was a lot of fun. However because of increasing costs of timber, fewer long tails are built, and drivers are switching to cheaper, faster (safer) speedboats.

One morning we observed a Buddhist ceremony at the Wat across the canal of merit-making where fish (previously blessed by a monk) were set free. Originally villagers would release fish stranded in rice fields back into a nearby river, and thus earn merit for themselves. At some temples vendors sell birds in small bamboo cages for worshipers to release and thus earn merit for granting the animals freedom. Because of the increase in cruel bird capture/transport trade, the Thai SPCA and the National Office of Buddhism recently called for a change in this merit-making practice. Releasing fish is now preferred.

We made it back to our tool shed just in time. The storm clouds we saw while crossing the Chao Phraya River brought a huge thunderstorm and heavy rains to the area.

We have been to Bangkok four times but never for more than 3 days each time. So there is always something new to see. This time, besides the National Museum, we visited the Museum of Siam—a discovery museum about Thailand’s culture and spirit— and the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Building. King Chulalongkorn, also known as King Rama V, is best known for abolishing slavery and keeping Thailand out of colonialists’ hands (in part by ceding Laos to the French in 1893 - although it’s said that the Lao king preferred France to Siam).

This is a vibrant and growing city. More than 14 million people (over 20% of Thailand’s population) live in Bangkok and its suburbs. It’s a dynamic mix of narrow shop houses and glitzy malls, slums and skyscrapers, provincial and cosmopolitan lifestyles. Public transportation is improving; monies are going into infrastructure and historic sites; shopping opportunities are expanding. It’s an exciting international city, and we’ll be back!

A Peek into Hanoi

I don’t have the writing skills to accurately describe Hanoi. I can simply throw some adjectives at you and show you some photos. Let’s start with crowded, then add colorful, pulsating, vibrant, energized, exotic, challenging, traditional, and modern.

History in a nutshell: Hanoi is an old (11th century) city and capital of a young (1975) country. In the Vietnamese language, Hanoi is actually two words - “Ha” and “Noi”. Ha means 'river' and Noi means 'inner'. Hà Nội therefore means "Rivers Inner" as it is located between the Red River and Nhue River, and has had this name since 1831 by Emperor Minh Mạng (see our earlier post when we visited his tomb in Huế ). Hồ Chí Minh, fondly known as “Uncle Hồ”, signed the country’s declaration of independence in 1945, then led the fight for continued independence for over 30 years to finally establish the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in 1976. There are reminders of the long struggle throughout the city, in monuments, memorials, banners, art exhibits, parks, and city streets. Hanoi has a population of over 7.7 million people, all of whom seem to be on their motorbikes at the same time.

We stayed in the Old Quarter, also known as the “36 old streets” referring to 36 guild locations in the 15th century, in a small (15 rooms), family owned hotel, tucked away in an alley and run by a friendly and most helpful young staff. On Nancy Chandler’s map (similar to the map in the post “Have Wheels, Will Travel”) the area looks simple enough to make your way around. But between the marked streets are hundreds of alleyways and corridors, leading into inner, inner parts of the city. Because property taxes are assessed by the front width of the buildings, the houses are very narrow and long. And the sidewalks! OMG! Teeming with people, motorbikes and activities—- people eating, working, playing games, cooking, selling…everything and anything.

The Martyrs’ Monument near Hoan Kiem Lake honors the brave men and women who died in the battle for independence. It was a festive evening, with the streets around the lake blocked off for pedestrians. As soon as these kids climbed up the monument they were told by the police to get down. There were a few thousand people on the streets that evening, but only a handful of police.

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum is the best! Many exhibits offer insight into historical and cultural topics through the lens of women’s issues. Signage is in Vietnamese, English, and French. In the exhibit featured above, a journalist traveled the country on this motorbike to interview and photograph hundreds of women whose children were killed in the long war of independence. The exhibit of photographs and videos was very moving, and I had tears in my eyes when I walked out.

Stepping out the door of our hotel each morning, we were greeted by this scene in the alleyway. Meats, fish, live crabs, vegetables, cooked foods, all for sale. No cars, but lots of motorcycles and bicycles. The vendors closed up in the afternoon but early the next morning, this scene repeated itself.

Can you see me? After walking up and down this street near the Dong Xuan wholesale market to inspect the “kitchens,” I picked this vendor who kept a simple and tidy spot. George was reluctant to even sit with me at first, but after he saw my meal, he joined me and enjoyed his soup.

I’m not sure what I ate, but it was delicious. Since it was a “one dish restaurant” George had the same soup. The black and brown squiggly things tasted like dried, salted fish, and I think I saw eyeballs looking back at me!

These flags usually indicate a Buddhist temple. The colors signify the Five Elements of wood, metal, fire, water, and land - the basis of the universe according to Chinese philosophy. Many Vietnamese follow Confucian rituals, but also practice Buddhism, Taoism, or Christianity.

These women were chanting prayers at the Chua Ba Da temple which has Chinese origins dating back to the 11th century.

The crowd at the Sunday evening mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral spilled out to the street and into the parking area. The first Catholic missionaries to visit Vietnam were Portuguese in the early 16th century. Later, the Jesuits developed an alphabet for the Vietnamese language which Hồ Chí Minh declared to be Vietnam’s "national language script".

As in many old European cities, the different trades often group together in the Old Quarter. The tin cutters occupy one block, hardware and keys, another. Broom makers and tailors, yet another block. The goods and workshops spill out onto the sidewalk, and tradespeople like this woman, work outside when the weather is nice.

A locksmith.

A bald barber. He laughed when George showed off his man bun.

The appliance repair guy. I’m sure he knows where all the widgets and doo-hickeys are in this fascinating filing system.

The shop keeper’s husband is in the back pressing the coagulated soy milk mixture into wooden molds to make tofu. This customer is buying freshly made (5 minutes earlier) tofu which is sold in 10 cm lengths. Many women still dress in traditional outfits like this floral 2 piece.

I think she’s getting a permanent! Crazy what some women will do for curly hair!

This cobbler and his buddy are happy campers.

It’s common to see kitchens set up on the sidewalk. What looks like a paint can under the pot of stew is actually holding a heating element (see the old gray one next to it) which keeps the stew boiling.

A little kitchen like the one pictured above can feed a lunch crowd like this one. After an hour or so, the area is cleaned up. Tables, stools, dishes, everything — gone! In the evening, another area of the sidewalk will fill up with hungry diners.

Dong Xuan Market is a wholesale market built by the French in 1889 on the edge of the Old Quarter. Clothing, shoes, misc. dry goods, dried foods, wet foods, live foods (fish, shrimp, frogs, eels, turtles, fowl, etc.) and whatever else you can imagine is sold here. The market is several stories tall and spills out into the nearby buildings and streets. It’s hard to tell where it ends.

On the street just outside the Dong Xuan Market, this vendor had just killed a chicken for her customer…can’t get it any fresher!

This was our second trip to Hanoi, and we did not feel the need to revisit the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum or the Water Puppet Theater. Instead, we explored all 36 streets of the Old Quarter, enjoyed having a graduate student of Vietnamese Literature give us a personal tour of the Temple of Literature, walked the famous Long Biên Bridge, learned so much in the Women’s Museum, interacted with innumerable always friendly people, sat on (many) tiny plastic stools to eat (a lot of) street food everywhere, and George’s favorite— visited the house where Hồ Chí Minh wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1945. We left knowing that we just experienced a teeny bit of Hanoi, and there is so much more to experience. We’ll be back!

Hue, Vietnam

Hue is a small city in central Vietnam. It was the capital from 1802 to 1945 when Ho Chi Minh declared independence and established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. During the American War, Hue was the DMZ and experienced the terrible consequences of war.

These days, Hue is a popular stop for backpackers and tourists from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The most famous site is the Dai Noi Citadel which is surrounded by a moat and thick walls which, in turn, encircles the former Imperial City (palaces and shrines) of the Nguyen Empire. George and I biked from our riverside hotel (family run, 5 rooms and absolutely charming), parked our bikes and spent most of the day wandering the citadel grounds.

On our 2nd day in Hue, we took a dragon boat to sail on the Perfume River to the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, a 17th century, 7 story pagoda on the northern bank of the river. The next stop on the river was the Minh Mang tomb, another beautiful site.

On our 3rd day, we biked away from the tourist sites, along the Perfume River (in Vietnamese Sông Hương). The name comes from the perfume-like aroma in the autumn when orchids upriver fall into the river.

Pagoda of the Celestial Lady.

Dai Noi Citadel entrance which also served as the royal viewing platform for court ceremonies. You can see that the large middle gate is barred because that is reserved for the emperor (no more emperors of Vietnam). The two flanking gates were for the emperor’s mandarins, and the outermost gates were for the soldiers and their weapons of war.

…the doors of a long hallway at the Citadel. It was blazing hot on the day of our visit, so I spent most my time in the shaded hallways. George was not deterred by the heat and visited all the buildings and climbed all the stairs of those buildings!

Dragon boats on the Perfume River. A family of 5 lives on our boat. On the day we sailed, the two older children were at school, and the 1 year old was on board with her parents. George and I had chartered the boat for our cruise so we had the opportunity to talk with the mother who also helped guide the boat for docking.

Here we are at the tomb grounds of the emperor Minh Mang. I was surprised by the beauty and serenity. George is about to climb more stairs to the top of the Minh Lau “The Pavilion of Light” that celebrates the emperor’s talents and insights.

…a beautiful roof at the pavilion. It’s all wood, and beautifully decorated with classic poems and ornamental flourishes.

Biking on the 3rd day, we walked our bikes around the back of Cho Dong Ba Market, a very large indoor/outdoor market in Hue. The food vendors there were very friendly to us amidst the chaos of the morning business.

Biking further along the Perfume River road we came across this neighborhood indoor market which was very busy and noisy. The vendors sit on short stools or squat near their merchandise. My knees hurt just thinking of squatting for hours to clean fish, make change, and check the close-in competition.

No blog post of mine is complete without at least one picture of food. Hue is renowned for its food because of the wonderful cuisine created for the emperor’s court. In the city, Hanh’ s Restaurant is THE place to go. Tourists and locals love it. This dish is my favorite. It’s called Banh Nam, and it’s rice flour stuffed with shrimp and pork, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. It’s served with a sweet fish sauce. Yum!

Here we have a local favorite. It’s a rice porridge which I find to be closer to Louisiana gumbo than Chinese rice porridge.

Three days in Hue gave us enough time to see the sites we wanted to see but was not enough time to sample all the local specialties. Maybe a month. 3 meals/day X 30 days, that’s 90 meals. That could work.

Homestay in Laos

I’m a fairly easy-going traveler. I will put up with a $37/night hotel room (Chiang Mai), “vacationing” in a working train station (France), sleeping at a dairy farm (Slovenia), showering in the WC (Burma), staying in a park ranger’s storage shed (Croatia), and taking an overnight sleeper train through Thailand (can’t recommend this one). It’s always an adventure! So when George suggested a homestay in a remote village on the Nam Ou River, 2-3 hours drive/hike/boat north of Luang Prabang, Laos (he said we should be OK with the anti-malaria pills, but not sure if there’s electricity), I thought about it for a minute then said “sign me up!”

Our hostess Kham is a young Laotian woman who left her village to go to college in Luang Prabang. She fell in love with a Frenchman —they married, started a family and are now in the hospitality business in Luang Prabang. While she loves her busy life in the city, she misses village life. So, now, about once a month, she takes foreign visitors for a homestay in her village. Her cousins graciously welcomed us into their simple home, and Kham guided us around the village, showing us how the villagers she grew up with live every day. We cooked together, ate together, fished together, bathed together (in the river), and slept under the same roof.

Kham is a warm, friendly, and open young woman. She spoke of her village with great affection and how she wants her guests to understand the daily struggles and joys of farmers and fishermen in rural Laos. We came away with a deep appreciation of their graciousness and fortitude, of the ties people have to their land and their way of life.

This is our host Kham walking through a rice paddy.

Kham is walking along a very narrow, perhaps 6 inches wide, raised path hidden among the rice stalks. I managed to fall off the path into the rice paddy, not once, but twice. Kham was a pro even in her over-sized plastic sandals which looked like snow shoes. The harvest has just begun and we saw a few people working their sections.

We stopped for supplies along the route. Kham was buying rice to steam. Her village only produces sticky rice, so steam rice is a treat for her family. Sticky rice is a daily staple in Laos, usually eaten with the fingers. One makes a bite size ball and dips it into a sauce or thin chili paste. It is steamed in a basket and has a wonderful nutty flavor. Note the variety and different prices.

Walking into the village from the river, we noticed that the homes were a mixture of thatched cottages, cinder block and stucco buildings. The roads are unpaved and chickens run everywhere. There are a few tractors and an maybe a few dozen motorbikes, but no cars so no traffic. Chickens are everywhere and to me they all look alike. Kham said that people knew which chickens were theirs, and better yet, the chickens knew their owners. Egg laying chickens and ducks are penned up.

These three neighbors took a liking to George. They started following him everywhere, laughing at his every gesture.

Shortly before harvesting his rice, a farmer will select a small area of his field, and harvest the seeds for the next planting. The seeds are then spread out in the sun to dry. Sometimes this is done in the field.

The house in the background is quite common. The owners have placed the old wooden house on top of a new foundation. The village has had electricity for several years and some homes have running water. Satelite TVs are showing up around the neighborhood.

Most of the roads between villages are unpaved so this tractor is the only way, especially in the rainy season, to get supplies like potable water. The driver can also pick up his young daughter from school.

George’s fan club started to grow. There are about 112 families in the village and word spread quickly among the younger children. The little girl on the left wants to try on my shoes.

Harvesting rice is back breaking work. The little shelter in the background is exactly that, a shelter. It’s a covered platform where one can take a break from the heat, or have lunch, or take a nap. After I fell into the rice paddy, we stopped at a shelter so I could clean the mud off my shoes and pants.

Kham’s cousin took us fishing in his long boat. First he runs a long gill net, about 40 feet from the shoreline. Then with a long pole he slaps the water to frighten the fish hoping they will get caught in the net. The fish have been scarce of late due to dam construction about 10 miles upstream. We managed to catch 5 very small fish which, surprisingly, we kept.

The kitchen is spotless.

Kham is grilling the little fish we caught. She also threw some Thai chili peppers on the coals. Nala, our hostess, keeps a coal fire going and controls the heat with thick pieces of wood. She also uses an electric wok to heat up leftovers.

This is where I got to help. Nala and Kham are pulling the meat off the grilled little fish. I’m pounding the fish and grilled peppers into a thick and pasty condiment.

And dinner is served. There were a couple more dishes along with steamed rice and sticky rice.

Kham guided us on a lovely walk through the village. One of the first stops was at the home of this weaver who invited us in to watch.

This is one of two basket weavers in the village. To keep his baskets a consistent size, he works around an older basket. Baskets have multiple uses and the one he’s working on now will be used to cover a chicken. Go back to the kitchen photo and you will see another basket used to cook sticky rice.

These ladies are preparing garlic for planting. Many villagers keep a small herb garden next to their home. In the fall, after the summer rains, the villagers plant a much larger garden along the river in the rich soil . Each household has a designated area along the river to grow vegetables.

Our second day in the village was a holiday so a good number of villagers stayed home to relax. There are several of these raised platforms around the village and people like to sit around and talk about sports .

I am sitting with our hosts and we are enjoying a lovely meal cooked by Kham and her cousin Nala. Steamed rice is in the pot on the sill and sticky rice is in the basket. Every meal was a culinary feast.

This visit to Kham’s village far exceeded my expectations and I have come away from this brief experience with a better understanding of the Laotian way of life, their strong ties to the land and rivers, and their apprehensions of the rapidly changing world around them.

A Day on the Mekong

Luang Prabang is a charming and picturesque town that sits on a peninsula between the Khan River and the famous Mekong River. Growing up during the Vietnam war, we heard a lot about the Mekong, and we were curious to explore a few miles of this great tributary. My travel agent (George) selected a well reviewed company which offers a day trip up and down the river on a long, wide, and flat boat. Lunch (very important) and 2 popular ( but really ho-hum) tourist stops were part of the tour. Mostly we enjoyed cruising along the river.

The Mekong is the world’s twelfth longest river and it’s about 2,700 miles long. It flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. People living along and on the river farm, fish, and raise cattle.

Master and Commander.

Here is the real captain and his first mate. Note the statues of Buddha and a curvy deity on the dash.

Typical long house boats on the river. People live on their boats, fishing, farming in the rich soil of the river banks, and traveling up and down the river.

There are 2 stops on most of the day tours. One stop is the Pak Ou Caves, famous for the hundreds, possibly thousands, of small Buddha statues. Over the years, in devotion to Buddhism, Laotians bring their old and damaged Buddha statues to the cave instead of disrespectfully throwing them away.

There are two caves. To get to the upper one means climbing a lot of steps. The walk is steep, but shaded with beautiful views of the river.

Buddhas in the lower cave.

More Buddhas. The different faces and poses of Buddha all have meaning,

The other stop on the tour is the Whiskey Village. Moonshine village would be a better name. This is the welcoming booth where a lady sells the locally distilled moonshine as well as pickled snakes and scorpions.

Every village has a wat, some more prosperous than others. This tourist stop village seems to do pretty well.

There were several textile vendors with a surprisingly nice selection. I picked up some embroidered pieces.

Mostly this was an enjoyable and relaxing day of tourism.

Have Wheels. Will Travel.

Most of the time George and I get around town on bicycles. We borrow them from the condo association. They are not fancy—just single speed clunkers with a basket and a lock.

I usually study our map before we head out and I pick a route using side streets and alleyways. The main roads are crazy busy with buses, motor bikes, red trucks, slow moving food carts, cars, pick up trucks, garbage trucks, rickshaws and anything else with wheels. These roads are terrifying. Also, the alleyways are much more picturesque.

I usually take the lead, because George has a poor sense of direction. He follows behind and admonishes me regularly. “Be careful!’ “Look out!” “Watch it!” Many smaller streets don’t have street signs and if they do, I still can’t read them. Except for 7-Elevens, shop names are in Thai. So we have developed our own GPS system and when we plan a route we say, “Turn right at the red dress store, then left at the dog, left again after the 2nd elephant.”

The red dress store located at a key intersection.

…turn left at the dog. This fellow, a very friendly 14 year old shepherd, belongs to a watch repair guy at a key intersection and hangs out around the shop. The dog reminds us that we need to turn.

I like a good mural and this one is fun. The orange bikes are Mo-Bikes which one rents using an app. We see them all over the city.

I’m posting this to show my kids that I always wear my helmet. I’m at the entrance to one of the silver wats. I am also wearing a wat appropriate outfit. My shoulders and knees are covered.

This is the Tha Phae Gate, one of the more popular tourist spots. The original city wall still stands around the gate. It is probably the largest section of the wall remaining. The rest are scattered around the moat and some sections are being restored. We like to stop at the Starbucks across the street because it’s air conditioned and has a WC.

This is Nancy Chandler’s map of Chiang Mai, THE best map of the city. We use it to plan our routes around the city and our neighborhood.

Part of a fence spotted along one of our rides.

We biked to the Kamthieng Market where vendors sell flowers, plants, gardening supplies, and some antiques. This is the entrance to a house in the neighborhood.

This wall surrounding a wat is topped with Dhamma Wheels which symbolize the Buddha’s teachings.

It’s not everyday one gets a meal with scissors. The Thai eat rice dishes with a spoon and fork. Soups are served with chopsticks and a soup spoon. No knives. George was given scissors to cut up the squid and shrimp.

We turned into an alleyway to get off the busy street and stopped at this local restaurant where George ordered the squid dish with scissors. Using the Google Translator app he told the cook that her soup was delicious. Next thing I knew, they were BFFs.

The Cowboy Hat Lady

One evening last week we biked to the Cowboy Hat Lady’s food stall for dinner. She sets up in the late afternoon, on a wide sidewalk along the moat road right outside the north (“White Elephant”) gate. She is joined by about 15 to 20 other food vendors who provide a terrific variety for your dining experience. They set up their kitchens, tables for the diners, tents for the rain, and dish washing areas. Some even string lights and hang fans from posts—don’t ask how they get the electricity. Every square foot of this wide sidewalk is used. It’s known as the Chang Phueak market.

If you haven’t guess it already, the Cowboy Hat Lady wears a cowboy hat. The story is that a few years ago, when her stall was much simpler and not shaded, she donned a hat, a cowboy hat. That set her apart from the other vendors and people started looking for the vendor with the cowboy hat. Local fame led to internet fame (Anthony Bourdain helped a lot), and now tour groups seek her out.

While we prefer a sit-down dinner (although George has still to suggest a restaurant with a real door and actual walls - forget AC!), these vendors also fill hundreds of take-away orders. The left lane (remember, the Thai drive on the left ) becomes a stop-and-go lane just like the drop off departure lane at an airport. The Cowboy Hat Lady attracts vans of tourists, who stop to taste her famous Khao Kha Moo and to take her picture. She is also very popular with the locals who arrive non-stop via scooter. Since our visit 4 years ago she has gotten a new stall, new tables and stools, and a tarp for shade. She also has several employees who help fill take-away orders and bus the tables.

Khao Kha Moo is pork leg stewed in a rich broth with undertones of cinnamon and star anise. Hers is a little sweet but not too sweet. It’s served over rice, with a hard boiled egg, pickled mustard greens, raw garlic and fresh chili peppers on the side. When you order, you can ask for less or more pork fat.

The other vendors around her may not be as famous, but they serve delicious food. Each vendor specializes in a particular food group or dish. After eating Khao Kha Moo I had to have some congee. And since I was unwilling to share with George, he had to get his own bowl. An order of pork bao made for our dessert. Or so we thought. On the way home, we stopped at our favorite smoothie stand in the siriwatana market for a wonderful mango-coconut smoothie.

The Cowboy Hat Lady cooks the pork legs in advance and brings them with everything else to create her restaurant area. She stand on a little stool and chops away serving up dish after dish, until everything is gone.

This is the assistant, filling in for the Cowboy Hat Lady. Cowboy hat or not, the tourists still stop, and the food is still delicious. The fellow in the gray shirt is the assistant’s assistant, and he helps bag up the take-away orders and collect the money from locals who fearlessly zip in and out on their scooters as they head home after work.

This is one of the several sit down eating areas. Lights and a fan create a nice ambiance.

So many eggs. They will be gone very soon since each serving gets an egg.

This dish washing section is set up for a lot of dishes. No dish washing machines, and no hot water. I don’t have hot water in my condo kitchen or bathroom sink!

This lady is thoroughly rinsing rice. There’s another food prep area on the left. All cooking is with butane (the green tank with the steel kettle perched on top). Chiang Mai has no gas mains connections.

This was my bowl of congee. It was so creamy with just the right amount of condiments, I did not want to share a spoonful.

Another place to select your protein and have it cooked.

The customer picks the ingredients all on display for a made-to-order meal.

A truck pulls up and a team starts unloading all the stuff they need to set up a food stall—propane tanks, tables, little plastic stools, woks, tarps, etc. Chang Phueak market stays busy until 10 or 11 in the evening. When the vendors sell out, they pack up and go home, leaving no trace that they were there.

Here we have the moat and the moat road ( Manee Noparat Road). George risked his life to cross the street for this photo. He took many of the photos for this blog post because I was too busy enjoying my congee. What a guy!

Wat a day

This title is a terrible pun but I can’t help it.

One of our favorite things to do in Chiang Mai is visit a wat. And there are lots of them— over 300! They are all over the city, some next door to each other. Many have undergone renovations since our last visit here 4 years ago and have been restored to to their original splendor. Others, while waiting for the funds to renovate, maintain their grandeur and grace. Some are popular tourist attractions (charging an entrance fee) and others are quiet, simply frequented by locals.

Wat Lok Mali is close by along the moat road. It was established sometime in the 14th century by Burmese monks and is most famous for its large Chedi (or Stupa) and the beautifully sculpted nagas (dragons)

Here we have the viharn where devotees assemble to pray. The stone and topiary animals represent the signs of the zodiac. Both the chedi (large domed structure behind the temple) and the viharn were built in the 16th century.

The carved wooden facade is beautiful.

This chedi is considered to be rather plain but I think it is quite elegant. The monks have dressed it with a bright orange cloth where devotees have written prayers.

For years people have been placing figurines around the base of the chedi.

Laundry day for the monks.

I can’t resist the triplets. Three is a significant number in Buddhism because it represents the Three Jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma (teachings of Buddha) and Sangha (monkhood).

.

Wat Chiang Yuen is one of the oldest wats in the city. The iron work around the large white chedi is remarkable.

Wat Pa Pao is one of my favorites. The chedi has been left to the elements giving it a weathered and decayed appearance. But compared to others the temple is not very old. It was built in 1883 by the Thai Yai community. In the late 19th century Chiang Mai was one of the centers of the Thai teak logging industry. A large number of Shan Burmese workers migrated to Chiang Mai from the Shan states in North East Burma, and constructed their own places of worship.

The chedi is decorated with mythical creatures. This is a chinthe or a leogryph—a lion like creature.

While Wat Pa Pao may look abandoned, it is quite busy and noisy. The surrounding buildings house the Pa Pao primary school where the children learn both Thai and Shan. George snapped this photo of the children who came out of their classroom (shoeless) to get their lunch.

This Buddha sits at the entrance to Wat Chiang Yeun.

Wat Jet Yod dates back to the 15th century. It covers several acres and feels like a park. Here is a cemetary tucked away in the grounds.

One of the many Buddhas around Wat Jet Yod.

Another Buddha tucked away at Wat Jet Yod.

Again Wat Jet Yod. Devotees apply gold leaf to the statue of Buddha. The purple robed figure on the left is a wax figure representing a well known monk. Temples have several waxed figures placed around the viharn. They are very life-like and I find them disconcerting.

It was a special day at Wat Phra Singh, one of the more significant wats inside the old city. Note the smart phone in the monk’s hand. EVERYONE has a phone.

And finally, the wat dog. Every wat has at least one dog and several cats. This fellow is staying cool in the shade.

"The Massage is the Medium"

[Hi, George posting here]

OK, I apologize for contorting Marshall McLuhan’s “the Medium is the Message”. But that phrase popped into my head then everted while a prison inmate twisted me this morning into a tighter and tighter pretzel. All I could say to her was “ouch and aahhh”. 

Prison inmate? Massages? Young Thai woman? As my Southern Baptist pastor would say “Renounce those thoughts!”

In Chiang Mai, one can find a massage establishment every 50 meters, and in the Old City probably every 10 meters; in Bangkok, everywhere. And at 150 baht (US$4.59) for an hour, it’s always tempting to step right in, or at Chiang Mai’s Saturday night Wualai Walking Street Market, step right over to the parking lot. But I don’t recommend it.

Rather than talking about those kinds of massages, I’ll tell about where you must visit in Chiang Mai. It’s near the center of the Old City, and it’s not only a great place to get refreshed (and realigned), but also a wonderful way to help young women.

“A chance from your giving

Is begin a new life.”

The vocational training subdivision of the Chiang Mai Women Correctional Institution ทัณฑสถาน หญิงเชียงใหม่ has a Thai massage and spa training center for selected women prisoners. The criteria include being a first-time offender of a minor crime (usually non-violent drug trafficking), having less than a year left of their sentence, demonstrating good behavior in prison, and having desirable character and manners. Many of these young prisoners are from the surrounding Hill tribes who became involved with drugs to earn money and support their families. The center and its patrons provide a way for them to learn a marketable skill, develop ease with the public, and earn some money from work and gratuities. Hence, through the center, the massage is the medium…of hope and a better future for these young women.

Interestingly the center is in Ruean Pathammarong, the residence of a former prison warden. The center is one of several Royal initiatives by Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol who is an international advocate of rights for women prisoners and especially beneficial integration into society.

The center (with café and gift shop) is very popular, especially with tourists, and all slots for the day quickly fill up soon after it opens at 8am. With so many patrons, the prisoners experience all kinds of people, languages, cultures, and behaviors while improving their massage skills. However, before starting at the center, each prisoner finished 180 hours of language classes (English and Chinese – a later blog about Chinese tourists) and 300 hours of traditional Thai massage. Then she must pass the Skill Standard Test to be certified as “Thai Massager level I” by the Ministry of Health's Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine. As a certified masseuse she can earn 30,000 baht/month ($950/month) in Chiang Mai - a good income. There are several massage establishments founded by and employing former prisoners, but this is the only center run by the Correctional Institution.

What’s it like? Wonderful and different! And literally a world apart from where I got my last Swedish’y massage at a “soul and mind spa” in Sausalito, Marin County.

How many establishments do you frequent with the WiFi user name “inmate_massage”?

The first task is deciding whether you want a body or foot massage, like deciding whether sprinkles or Oreo pieces on that froyo. Oh, sure, you could order everything on the menu but then you’d have to explain that to the Director.

Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution director Arirat Thianthong

After removing your shoes you respectfully approach the Center Director and ask if you can please have an appointment. If you’re lucky, then you get a time slot written on a small slip of paper. “ขอขอบคุณ Kob Kun Ka”

While waiting, you can browse the prison shop or visit the café. Christine will tell you that the café’s coconut smoothies are divine!

The inmates have a very different schedule. They must be ready at the prison by 6am. After a body and possessions search, they are transported by secured vans to Ruean Pathammarong. About 25 prisoners provide massages while others work in the prison gift shop and café. Several wardens (and multiple security CCTV’s) watch everyone and everything. The center closes at 4:30pm, and the inmates are returned to prison and searched again.

Simple rules for patrons so don’t ask “Can I have a 10am with Sirikit next Tuesday?” See Rule #1.

I know Rule #3 is no photos but here’s a surreptitious pic of my masseuse and me (although my ponytail still needs shaping, with the tats I got my swag). By the way, with traditional Thai massage, unlike Swedish massage, one is dressed in loosely-fitted pajamas, there are no oils or lotions, and massages can be in a communal room (or street market parking lot if you’re that kind of person).

Traditional Thai massage is a confluence of Chinese and Indian health philosophies: unblocking invisible energy pathways (“sen”) - you have 72,000 sen lines so yeah, it’s more than sinus congestion - and realigning one’s life energy (“qi”), while also releasing tensions through hatha yoga positioning. Let me say that this major tune-up doesn’t happen with gentle stroking and New Age music. Your ever-courteous 5’, 90 lbs. masseuse will press her powerful thumbs deep into your numerous blocked energy pathways, her elbows around your scapula, her knees into your buttocks while you’re on your back and bending your spine backwards into an impressively painful Cobra pose. Hence Rule #4 “Please do not make noise”, e.g., no groaning, whining, muffled screaming.

Using this diagram of sen lines, you and your Apple watch can perform self-diagnostics. Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, a physician from northern India and physician to the Buddha, created the principles of traditional Thai massage over 2,500 years ago. All physicians, by the way, have that cerebral glow. Christine asks me to turn mine off so she can sleep at night.

After you finish the massage, your masseuse gives you a cup of relaxing hot tea.

And because no one can (or should) fix 72,000 blocked up sen in one session, you want to come back right away. In fact, the Director recognizes Christine and me because we’ve returned so many times. The Director considers it the good kind of recidivism.

หวัดดี, George

Let's Eat!

CAUTION! The photos in this chapter may be disturbing to some. I recommend you eat something before reading.

A friend asked me, “Are you cooking?” While we have a minimally equipped kitchen (microwave, induction hotplate, and 1 saucepan) my answer is, “No.” With the exception of soft boiled eggs and coffee in the morning, I am not cooking.

Food is everywhere here. It’s very good, and it’s cheap. A bowl of noodle soup may cost 40THB  or $1.20.  A serving of rice is 10THB or $.30.  A whole steamed fish from the market costs about 150THB ($4.50). Local restaurant meals cost anywhere from 30THB ($.90) for something stir fried over rice to to 100THB ($3.00) for a half chicken.

 Every other house has a BBQ set up or a propane fired wok on the street, and everyone is selling food. The spicy breakfast guy in the blog is just a block away, and he’s cooking on his front porch which is the front of his little “restaurant”.  We have become regulars already. A lady on the corner serves up a mean grilled pork steak from her Thai style Weber, and her sticky rice—cooked in a basket—is the delicious, nuttiest-tasting around.

Some of these street vendors are world famous, like the Cowboy Hat Lady who serves up a tender and tasty pork knuckle called khao khu moo, stewed for hours in a mother sauce.  Anthony Bourdain featured her on one of his episodes, and she has been written up in travel guides. She cooks alongside a dozen or so other street vendors who set up their stations in the late afternoon along the curb of the busy moat road. The vendors also set up short plastic tables and even shorter stools so diners have a place to sit. But mostly they fill take away orders. Scooters and motorbikes buzz around like bees at the hive.

 A food court with 20-30 vendors is two blocks away from our condo. It is adjacent to a market which sells fresh meats, fish, veges, fruits, sweets, and prepared take-away—-meat on a stick, fish 10 different ways, soups, salads, sweets, rice, and many foods foreign to me. One of my favorite dishes is papaya salad made to order in a large wooden mortar.  In general the set ups are clean and tidy.

In the food court your food is made to order, right in front of you.  There is no mystery about what happens in the kitchen. Raw meats food are kept on ice. Herbs and vegetables are fresh. There is usually one cook and one assistant so sometimes if they are busy I  have to wait 5 minutes. The meal is always fresh and hot.

If there is a menu, there are pictures and occasionally a vague explanation in English. I’ll point to a picture to order, and I am frequently surprised because often the photo does not match up with the food. Happily, I can say that so far this method has worked well for me. 

For dinner we often go to the fresh market and pick up prepared take away stuff, which is usually packed up in clear plastic bags. There is a rice lady who sells several types of rice (jasmine, sweet sticky, black sticky…). George has a rapport with a vendor who sells meat-on-a-stick. They both have ponytails. And I have a favorite papaya salad stand. We are trying new vegetable concoctions every day, and some are more to our liking than others.  

I have had a less-than-satisfactory meal only twice, both times from a food court in a mall.  In those food courts, you purchase a ticket at one booth and hand over that ticket at the food booth of your choice.  The cook is just a functionary.

The closest I think I will get to cooking is to take a cooking class. Reservations required.

Great way to start the day…coffee and donut by Flips and Flips.

Mangosteens are very sweet and delicious.

Chicken soup with silky tofu. I cannot compete.

Pork knuckle from the man with the golden wok.

Rambutan—a funny little fruit, not too sweet. George likes a bowl full of them chilled.

What can I say? It was well-presented and delicious.

The markets carry an amazing variety of fresh vegetables. Many are new to us.

Typical table accessories: pencil and small slip of paper for writing your order, chopsticks (Thai usually eat rice with a spoon), sugar, pepper flakes, pickled peppers, toothpicks, fish sauce, and a mystery sauce. Many vendors also offer hot peppers, hotter peppers, and hottest peppers. And sugar. I’ve seen people sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on their meal.

A neighbor dries these peppers on the street. One pepper alone is hot enough to light your campfire, and they are a staple in most local dishes. The papaya salad maker uses about 8 in a serving for 1. Then she adds a few fresh hot peppers for good luck. She knows we farangs can’t take it that hot so she gives me only 1 pepper.

From the Baan Landai restaurant, one of my favorites.

Fried pork rinds go perfectly with a bottle of Chang beer. These rinds are often mixed in an Issan style hot/sour/salty and sweet herb salad. One needs to eat them fresh because they have no preservatives.

"Won't you be my neighbor?" Our Santitham neighborhood.

[Hi! this is George posting]

Do you remember Mr. Rogers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmplK_MOEnc

Well, I am no Mr. Rogers (maybe “Gaston”? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JG6f5_37tg) but for us, Santitham has been great to experience a Thai neighborhood. During the day, we’ve tried to at least wave “hello” to neighbors who are often working (laundry, hair salons, food cart vendors, grocers, etc.) and in some cases, have a very elementary conversation of our no Thai (yet), their smidgen of English, universal hand signals, and smiles. The Thais are always very courteous, friendly, and engaging.  

"Hello neighbor?!" #curiousGeorge

Young, entrepreneurial couple - owners of Flips & Flips (see Christine's blog from 30 August)

Street food in Chiang Mai is cooked literally anywhere (unlike in Singapore hawker centres). These fellows are preparing food that will later sell in street carts. Whoa pardner, watch those peppers!  At about 100,000 Scoville heat units, each Thai pepper is 40X hotter than jalapeño.  Thais (and many Asians) routinely wear face masks for various reasons. I prefer to wear the NIOSH approved N-95 particulate respirator although it tends to provoke anxiety in the colocutor. When we informed this gentleman (no MAGA hats here) that we're from the U.S., he started chanting "Obama! Obama!" I'll skip what he gestured later about the current WH occupant. 

Last night Christine and I ate dinner at a tiny restaurant one street corner away from our condo. Then we walked around the block during a pleasant, clear-sky evening. The small side streets are called "soi". For example, our condo building D'Vieng Santitham is on Hussadhisawee, Soi 8. Here’s our evening stroll around the neighborhood…

We ate dinner here. I often get my breakfast here, too, such as a plate of Pad Krapow Moo Saap (Fried Basil and Pork) over rice with fried sunny side up egg on top for 35 baht (US$0.92).  I sit on that red plastic stool. The husband cooks from 7am to early evening. His wife (who must also have a day job) then cooks until 10pm while he motorcycles off to get more supplies. Young people are constantly stopping here to pick up a late quick take-away meal. Millennial Thai workers often live in the home of their parents  --  "...NOT that there's anything wrong with that..." 

There are several laundresses who are always managing enormous piles of clothes as most households here do not have washing machines. They work hard and late. The average monthly household income (2012 data) in Chiang Mai is a bit more than 18,000 baht (US$575). 

Notice the pictures of Thai Royalty including that of beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej who was the word's longest reigning king before he died last year.  https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1349239/tears-flow-openly-at-historic-cremation/   Thais deeply revere their King who is considered to be semi-divine and referred to as Prachao Yu Hua—“Lord above your head”. For example, one must never step on a Thai banknote because the King's picture is printed on it.  We arrived in Chiang Mai the week after the "Queen Mother's Birthday" national holiday. Queen Sirikit is the Queen of former King Bhumibol and mother of reigning king Vajiralongkorn. Most buildings including D' Vieng Santitham were elaborately decorated to honor her. 

Walking past this business, I waved at this late-working Dress Maker Tailor who waved back. She gave me permission to take this photo. Notice again the pictures of Thai Royalty on the top shelf. The Thai flag has stripes of red (Thai land and people), white (religions), and blue (the monarchy - double width). Earlier flags (when Siam) had a white elephant centered in a red field. The white elephant "chang samkhan" is auspicious in both Hinduism and Buddhism, and strongly associated with Thai kings. One of our friends recently emailed us a link to a U.K. story about a tourist playing with a baby elephant. The link was blocked by the Thai Digital Ministry for Economic and Social Affairs because of "inappropriate content". 

The standing fan on left and white air conditioner on top right are necessities here -  hot & humid as my growing up in Houston. In the other pics you'll usually see shoes/slippers outside and whirring fan inside. Notice the yellow sign outside asking people to remove shoes before entering. In Thailand one always removes shoes before entering a Wat, but also in schools, small shops, and homes. 

Almost all the businesses in the neighborhood are tiny storefronts where work and living spaces merge. This seamstress has her dog and mannequin to keep her company into the night.  

Barbershops are numerous, open until the late evening and almost everyday except Wednesday. Apparently the Thai king would traditionally have his hair cut on a Wednesday, and Thais thought it disrespectful to cut their hair on the "royal haircut" day.  I will need to visit a barber soon because my adorably adult children have said on WhatsApp video that my pony tail needs "to be shaped".  Haircuts cost almost 300 baht in the expat area, e.g., Nimmanhaemin Road area. In our neighborhood it's usually 120 baht  (US$3.67). But I'm still researching because I don't want to overpay. I found a cheap barber-tattoo shop nearby so it's possible I'll return home looking considerably different. 

By the way, less than 15% of Thais use WhatsApp. Thai millennials live on their smartphones (see the barber), and social media is the totality of their web experiences.  >80% of connected Thais use social media or instant messaging platforms on a daily basis, and >90% of them access via LINE, a Japanese instant messaging platform. Young Thais don't ask for your phone # or gmail address. They ask "What's your LINE?" 

Also notice the farang  https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/is-it-offensive-to-call-westerners-farang/ --- rare in the neighborhood but this one is pretty and seems quite friendly. 

Back to our home base. I think it's time for a relaxing and cooling swim in the pool.   หวัดดี, George.

Sah wah dee khaa

Sah wah dee khaa is “hello,” and it’s the way one begins every encounter.  Whether you are asking directions, meeting a shopkeeper, passing by the parking lot guard, or ordering a meal, it’s the first thing you say. Palms together and a little bow of the head wrap up the greeting.  And after that, anything can happen.  

We are getting to know our neighborhood, street by street, block by block.  Necessity has taken us into shops that otherwise we might have ignored.  Our apartment is sparsely furnished and we needed just a few more comforts to keep us going for 5 months.  First on the list were fresh pillows and towels. We found the former at a variety store, and the latter at the super market.  A few other items for the kitchen and bath we found at the local hardware store pictured below.  What surprised me there was not the  variety of the inventory but the dozen security cameras.  The cashier actually kept an eye on all the screens.  

And after a good night's sleep on our new pillows, it was  time for coffee and the search began.  Stepping outside the condo complex, on our way to the main road (2 blocks away) we pass by barber shops, beauty salons, a dress maker, a tailor, laundromats, dress shops, corn huskers,   and a coffee shop (which does not open until 10 a.m.—this baffles me).  AND countless food carts.      

 George picked up some breakfast at a neighborhood food cart.  It was a simple meal of stir fried pork and rice.  " Leeetle spice, ok?"  Yes, ok. All I can say is it’s  a good thing George was wearing flame retardant clothing.

In our ongoing search for early morning coffee George found a home made donut shop called Flips & Flips tucked away in a quiet side street.    The young owners get up at 2 a.m.  to make about 400 donuts.  This little coffee shop opens at 11 a.m. and they sell out before noon.  The glazed donut is the biggest seller, followed by the coconut/Nutella donut and the caramel almond donut.  Donuts are very popular here. But I need my morning coffee long before 9 a.m.

The solution for early morning coffee meant we need to make our own.  We left our neighborhood and went to the modern, and upscale Maya Mall, to the Japanese chain store Diaso where we found the coffee items we needed.  So now I can enjoy an early morning cup of joe and listen to the birds sing.

hardware store with heavy security

cheerful ladies preparing pineapples for their smoothie business

Man with the golden wok

It rains almost everyday, usually a big down pour in the afternoon.

kitchen/carry out on the right, dining room on the left. Best pad thai in the neighborhood.

Donut selection at Flips & Flips

Cook who makes the spicey breakfast dish.

Nearby hostel lit up for the evening