What a terrific day today. I started off with a trip on the scooter in order to watch the sunrise. Granted, things did not go as planned, I was still able to find a nice spot to enjoy the spectacle. I didn't make it to the View Point that's listed on the map but it's probably better that I didn't. It likely would have been crowded with other tourists if I had. But rather, I veered off of the road and found a spot that was completely secluded and I had it entirely to myself. I mean, it smelled absolutely rancid (… that seems to happen from time to time in Thailand,) but the sites were well worth it. The fleet of old, run-down long-tail boats made for nice foreground subjects. I also found a cozy little swing that had been attached to the branch of a tree: perfect front row seat.
Another benefit of getting a bit lost is that I discovered a vegetarian place. See, things are hard once again. I was so into the groove of where to go and what to order in Chiang Mai. Now, in a new location, it's back to square one. Plus, people tend to speak less English in Phuket than they do up north. I'm not sure exactly what I ate but it was yummy and I was promised that it contained meat or fish sauce. Sometimes I just have to take their word for it. Then, it was on to Wat Chalong which houses thirty-six individual Buddha's. I witnessed some fantastic views as the morning prayers echoed through the valley as they were being pumped through loudspeakers throughout the temple grounds. One of my favorite temple activities is to catch glimpses of shimmering sunshine off of the mirrored mosaic rooftop serpants. I got some good ones this morning.
Situated nearby, is the famous "Big Buddha." Known as the best viewpoint in Phuket, I was able to enjoy some of the surrounding scenery both during the windy trip up the mountain as well as once I reached the summit. But the sun was hot as hell so I underwent several additional applications of sunscreen. The 60-million Baht Buddha image is (after twenty years,) still undergoing completion so it's fascinating to see the project partially finished. There's a smaller Buddha image — behind the main one — which appears to be completely supported by a few cables strapped to its larger counterpart. I'm not sure if the added support is necessary due to the recent flood damage or if this is simply an intended phase of completion.
Continuing further south, Clare introduced me to Jungle Curry (a blend of curry which has a water consistency because it contains no coconut milk. Traditionally it's made with wild boar but certainly not my veggie version.) Accompanying lunch was a tour of the luxurious amenities of Sri Panwa Resort located on the Panwa Cape. No words could possibly describe the magnitude of beauty inherent in this setting. The facilities are so well-designed and beautifully maintained. The lighting, the audio, the horticulture: every detail has been met. After lunch, I was treated to a dip in a private salt-water pool, a nap in the sunshine, and an outdoor shower suspended over a pond with lily-pads and fish. Incredible.
The plan was to finish off the day with a Bikram class but the 7pm class was canceled for some holiday. Of which holiday prevented me from attempting to mend my unusually short hamsrtings, I'm unsure. In place of yoga, I spent the evening further exploring Patong which is known as one of the most tourist-infused beaches in the country.

Letting go

I woke up early this morning. Yeah, there's certainly a lot going on in my head at the moment. Today is the very last morning that I'll wake up here at Ban Ruan Jai. It's the last time that I'll wake up to the nocturnal noises of the city. It's the last time to experience all of the wonderful attributes of this city.

I'm going to miss it all quite a bit but I think I'll especially miss some of the terrific people whom I've met over the course of the month. I'll miss everyone from school, both staff and peers. I'll miss my reliable Green Papaya Salad master. I'll miss my spunky kombucha brewer. I'll miss the guy who runs my guesthouse (and his adorable mother and father who always greet me with a language-shattering morning smile.) I'll miss my bicycle buddy. I'll miss the bell on my bicycle and how I ring it with the intentions of just saying "Bring-bring … good morning" rather than "Bring-bring … get the hell out of my way!" I'll miss my acupuncturist. I'll miss the wise and caring guy at the herb shop. I'll miss the random people on the street whom I recognize and see over and over again. I'll miss the incidental people whom I meet in the park who tell me that I look familiar before realizing that they've taken my Bikram class on the Upper East Side. (Small world example number one-thousand, three hundred and sixty-four.) I'll miss serendipity. I'll miss what's become of four weeks of research and exploration of this city. In such a short time, I've created quite a little network for myself. I was tempted to skip the beach altogether and to just stay here for my remaining two weeks in Thailand but I've been promised how much I'm going to love the beaches. So, off I go.

I wonder how similar things will be in the south. I wonder how prepared I'll feel based on my experiences up here. I wonder if my myriad travel-lessons will come in handy. In an earlier blog post (from February 6th … almost exactly one month ago,) I mentioned my train-mates and their attitude toward the four-hour delay in the train arrival into Chiang Mai. There's just an easy mentality, in this city, surrounding expectations and outcomes. It's a nice lesson in yoga. It's an easy life … an easy way of living.

There's a particular energy here in this city. Perhaps it's due to the fact that there are so many explorers. There are so many people, away from their respective homes, seeking new experiences. There's a certain mentality here. I see it in NYC among the tourists … the people who are on vacation. You know that mentality: the people in Times Square who are pointing and gauging, completely oblivious to the agitated New Yorkers who are aggressively trying to get to where they need to go. That same lightness is present here among everyone: both travelers and locals, alike. The natives don't necessarily have a lot here but they're happy. They're happy to wake up early and work hard for seemingly very little monetary reward. Though their lives are filled with obstacles and hurdles, they make it all look quite easy. They make it work. They don't let things eat away at them. Perhaps it's because this city is packed with so much inherent spirituality. People seem genuinely happy. This trip must be doing something for me because one friend thinks I'm "relaxed" and the "travel-type." She was surprised to hear that it's my first trip and that I have truly no previous travel experience. Another friend was convinced that I was lying about being from New York. She saw some sort of easy-going spirit which she swore had come from the opposite coast of the United States. She said "You've got to be from California." I've been riding my bike a little bit slower. I've been surviving without the use of a cell phone. I've been taking things as they come. It feels nice. I suppose the trick is to either make travel accessible (so that we can experience things like this more often in life,) or to make the benefits last upon returning home … to incorporate some of this fantasy life into our real lives.

So, I'm leaving all that I've created and all that I've discovered. But that's OK. It was three weeks ago, that I was sitting at dinner with a peer who mentioned how nice it was to reach an age where one has finally unearthed the ability to be alone ... without being bored. Obviously, I'm sharing this with all of you and clearly, you're all in my thoughts often. But I'm alone; I'm on my own. So I must leave this city and move on to Phase II of my trip: VACATION!!

Flight info: Thai Airways #129 (CNX) Chiang Mai ➤ (HKT) Phuket Monday, March 5th: 1:40 PM - 3:35PM. And now, back to packing. I'm already five kilos over my permitted baggage allowance so I've got to figure out how to bring some of that light mentality home with me … but without contributing to the weight of my luggage.

Master Sinchai Sukparset

Blind massage therapists are a big thing in Thailand. We were taught that back home at Swedish Institute … that blind men were historically, the first people commissioned as massage therapists. It only makes sense. Aside from probably being one of the only occupations available to them, the blind are thought to have a superior sense of touch. So not only are they extraordinarily skilled tradesmen, but it also offered employment in ancient times when there was not much else available to them. And it only seems natural. When I work, I try to picture the muscles and soft tissue structures beneath the skin. I've seen them in the past on cadavers but I'm unable to see them on the client. So I use my skills of visualization in order to work the structures. And who among us gets the most practice at visualization? Blind people. Massage has been used as a form of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times and blind practitioners seem to have historically been the pioneers of the field.

Ajarn Sinchai Sukparset is known as Thailand's true Master of Massage and is recognized by the local population and medical community as Chiang Mai's most competent and experienced practicioner of Therapuetic Medical massage. I went to visit him for a massage last night. Sinchai was busy teaching class when I arrived but I was put in the competent hands of his one and only assistant, Khun Dee-ow. The office space was dingy and quite literally, a bit scary. But the massage was good. His methods involved no stretching whatsoever (which is traditionally a major component in Thai Massage.) It was exclusively point work. He had some interesting techniques. For instance, one of the methods that we use to apply pressure is with double-thumbs. He chose to support the active thumb with his palm rather than his other thumb. It created a nice blend of simultaneous specific and generalized pressure.

Dee-ow obviously had a heightened sense of touch which also seemed to magnify his intuition. Without me divulging any cat-out-of-the-bag information, he knew that I was a massage therapist. I never imagined that my body could tangibly receive massage any differently than anyone else's but apparently, I was giving off some sort of subtlety upon which Dee-ow was receptive. He used a sort of "caterpillar finger" technique to walk his way along my body finding specific points along the way. He told me that he enjoyed working on me because I had "good muscles." Sweet.

He had a talking watch. It was a bit disturbing every time he'd activate it in order to figure out the time. I consult the clock constantly while I'm working in order to continually adjust my plan of action. But I'd be embarrassed if my clients knew how often I was checking in on the time. He was good about it though. I had the feeling that his time-management was right on target from beginning to end. The interesting thing was that his watch was speaking in English: "The time is 7:13pm." Why, I wonder, would a person — whose primary language is Thai — choose to use an English-speaking watch?

Since arriving in Thailand, I've had several professional massages, two acupuncture sessions, and taken a yoga class. Not once has a waiver or intake form passed before me. Things are just done differently here. I suppose if there were a significant number of toddler injuries from motor scooter accidents, we'd see less toddlers on the motor scooters. But we don't. They just keep on doing things the way that they've been done since the beginning of time (presumably.)

Once again, it's a small world after all. Sinchai's class came to an end during my massage and as the students poured out of the classroom, I came in contact with one of the instructors from my school. She was taking a course from the blind master. She didn't recognize me on the floor, but after she said her goodbyes to Dee-ow, I said "Hi, Sarah" and she was just as surprised to see me there as I was her. Is anyone keeping track of the number of times I've randomly bumped into someone that I know? I've lost count.

A Food Holiday

I hope that you're not tired of seeing my food photos yet because you're about to get a helping of food-talk as filling as my meal. I could continue to talk about the Thai food here for hours and hours. Here's some truly interesting stuff. I made my way out to a restaurant called Krau Ya. It was well off of my usual beaten path but well worth the journey. My generous host proclaimed for me that it was an official "Food Holiday." He started me off with a Rosella Drink and a Lemongrass Juice. Both were delicious. The Lemongrass Juice gets its brilliantly blue coloring from an Asian legume called a Butterfly Pea. It's in my juice and it shows up later in the meal as well. The naturally refreshing lemongrass taste made this juice particularly perfect for the hot weather.
Next, came the Kanom Jeen Sao Narm. The dish is centered around a pile of rice noodles surrounded by fresh pineapple, ginger, chiles, and garlic. The dish is sprinkled with fresh lime juice. I was encouraged to mix all of the ingredients together. Now you and I have all eaten these ingredients on their own, but the combining of each of these unique flavors makes for a truly new and exciting experience. There's little more that I can say about this dish that will do it any justice at all; you really have to try it for yourself. I was warned that it may be an acquired taste but I loved it right off the bat. Sweet and spicy, pungent and smooth: probably the most exotic and interesting taste I've encountered so far on my Thailand journeys.
Added to that was my staple Thai dish, Kao Mun Som Tum (Thai Papaya Salad with Steamed Coconut Rice.) It's the dish that I've had most frequently over the course of the past month. My host Aon, is the son of the woman who opened this restaurant twenty years ago and it's been in the family ever since. I had the pleasure of meeting his mother and enjoying this dish which has clearly been perfected over the course of the twenty years. It was delightful. And after having coconut rice a few times here in Thailand, I doubt that I'll ever be able to go back to regular old rice again. To add a little twist to my usual Green Papaya experience, Aon hooked me up with some Deep Fried Greens (including Butterfly Pea and Chinese Coriander,) which I used to scoop up the papaya and noodles (which were drenched in garlic, chiles, lime juice, soy sauce, and tomatoes.)
I was considering this to be the completion of my meal until I was convinced to also try the Kanom Jeen Narm Prik. On one plate, you'll see the delicate nests of rice noodles supporting tiny hard-boiled eggs. The second plate contains more deep fried greens as well as some banana blossoms and a star-shaped vegetable which I'm pretty sure is okra. All of that is drizzled with what you'll find in the bowl which is a sauce made of roasted mung beans. And why not? After all … it is a food holiday!

Big Weekend Trip!

This past weekend, I decided to skip town. I started my journey off with a morning trip to Wat Doi Suthep. This temple is located on a mountain high above Chiang Mai 15 km from the city. This temple is known for its impressive views but my tactic of arriving early to beat the crowds left me with a pretty foggy view of the city where I've lived for the past three weeks. There's a legend involving a white elephant who climbed up Doi Suthep carrying a remnant of Buddha's shoulder bone. The elephant died here which signaled the King to build a temple at the site. I climbed 309 stairs to reach the spectacular gold-encrusted chedi at the top. The mountain was likely quite a bit more difficult to climb in the days of that white elephant.

Pure Radiance

On my way to the temple, I stopped off to see Monthathan Falls … the first true waterfall that I've ever seen. [A few years ago, I hiked for a while in order to reach a waterfall but the combination of my inappropriate footwear and my time constraints prevented me from reaching the pot of gold.] It was so peaceful to be there so early in the morning, all alone, marveling at the serenity of the moment.

From there, I ventured to Radiance Restaurant, which is known as one of the best vegetarian places in the region. The setting was lovely and the food was fresh. I was able to add two more Thai dishes to my repertoire: Yum Ma Khua Yao [Spicy Thai Eggplant Salad with Thai Spicy Sauce] and Yum Ma Khua Yao & Phad Kha Phao [Stir-fried hot basil with Veggies.] After lunch, Google Maps led me down some pretty horrific "roads" before finding my way to Wat Takham. Once there though, I didn't stay long for fear that I was at risk of being attacked by two angry dogs. The incessant barking of the one dog seemed to be a signal that back-up was needed. When his other vicious doggie friend arrived, that's when I decided that it was time to bolt. But I managed to snap a few quick shots before fleeing the scene. There have been a couple of times that I've been frightened while traveling alone and both times involved angry dogs.

762 Curves

Next stop was Mork-Fa Waterfall which was so much bigger and more impressive Monthathan. There were a few others swimming at the foot of the falls and though this is one of my dreams (to stand beneath a roaring waterfall,) diving beneath its forceful torrent didn't turn out as planned. The $1.98 pair of shorts that I purchased the day before were still in the trunk of the car. Earlier that morning, Monthathan Falls were not nearly large enough to allow for swimming so I didn't really know what to expect. I guess I could have gone skinny but the others may have been a bit disturbed. I decided to spare the women and children from such a horror. But I did get a chance to poke around at the opening of the impressive "Bat Cave." Lacking the courage to enter into the blackness alone, I enjoyed the view from afar.

I would have returned to the car to get my shorts if it hand't been for the desire to make it to my accommodations before dark. The windy roads up the side of the mountain made for an intense drive even in broad daylight. The crazy minibus drivers from Chiang Mai — who had no regard for the use of individual lanes — added another element of danger to the scenic, yet daunting commute. It's said that there are 762 curves on the way from Chiang Mai to Pai and I maneuvered every one of 'em with grace and finesse.
Driving under those conditions is one of my favorite activities. This trek made California's Route 1 seem like a walk in the park. It was truly Strawberry Fields Forever as I got lost among the winding streets. It was clear that some of these weren't even public roads because the strawberry farmers would interrupt their work to stare at me with a confused look as I continued forth with blind faith in Google Maps. Some of those "roads" are barely passable. At times, I was worried that a boulder would gouge out the rental car's engine from below. It was that bad. I'm tempted to forgo a flight to the islands in exchange for a 12-hour drive. We'll see what I decide in the end.