Last Day in Chiang Mai

Yesterday I completed my Tai Chi round form. Yay! I wasn't sure if I'd make it all the way through, but since it is based on the square form I finished last year, it was easier to learn the moves. I'll be happy to show you the next time I see you (just ask!). I plan to work on it daily throughout the year so I don't forget before returning here next January.

Today is my last day in Chiang Mai. I had a wonderful massage focusing on my back this morning. I'm glad Dang returned from wherever she went in January. Toy was good, too, but I feel like Dang knows my body better. I am mostly packed, with a few things left to do. We will sort out the household items we've collected -- some for storage until next year, a few going with Dan to his new place (smaller and less expensive). 

I have a few photos I've collected that didn't particularly fit with any previous posts, so here they are:

Last Sunday we returned to the River Market, where we've been before. This time we had curry chicken roti rolls for an appetizer. They were absolutely delicious, I think even better than the Son-in-Law Eggs.

I decided to try the pineapple fried rice, which I've had before and often is too bland. But this rice was curry-flavored and there were cashew, raisins, pineapple bits, and lots of chicken mixed in. Wonderful!

Dan couldn't resist repeating the fantastic Burmese curry he had the last time. The meat was so tender it just fell off the bone. Both of our main dishes were large and we were able to bring leftovers home for lunch another day.

Here are a couple of random photos from the Saturday Walking Market. I love a lot of the clothes they offer, often hand-woven fabrics. These dresses are an interesting wrap style. Unfortunately, most of the clothing is only for small-sized people.

Love these eye masks! I wonder how the flight attendants would like seeing them on me when I'm sleeping on the plane? I already have a good one, so passed on these.

This stall had a lot of ingredients ready to make some food to order, but I didn't recognize most of them.

One evening I decided to try a dish that I didn't know anything about. It turned out to be a lot like pad se ew, but with a soupy broth. It was good.

This place is just down the road! Most of the massage shops are legitimate and don't offer the services that seem to be available here.

I swim nearly every afternoon and am always intrigued by these two potted trees. When we arrived this one had almost no leaves, but they have been sprouting. I don't know of other plants that the leaves grow out of thick stems in quite this way (but, to be fair, I am not very knowledgable about botany in general). A flower is just beginning. I think the twigs you can see are left from former blooms and are not twigs as we generally think of them.

The second tree doesn't have as many leaves, but it has two large blooms. What appears at a distance to be one flower definitely has multiple blossoms at various stages.