Around the Neighborhood

As I walk around our neighborhood, heading to a massage or the market, I see many of the same things day after day. Here are a few.

Just down the street from us is the Baan Bakery (baan means home; lots of businesses use it in their names). It used to be a block further away, but moved here a few years ago. (I'm pretty sure the owners live upstairs.) Last year it was closed but this year we were glad to see it is open again, Wednesday through Saturday, from 9:00 until closing. This is the line out front just as it is opening up.

A sampling of the wonderful things they have

I'm not sure exactly what is behind this door, but it is an interesting look!

Below are some of the lovely flowering shrubs.

Phuket, Part Two

Before any more about our trip into Kamala Beach, here are two pictures from the breakfast buffet. Tea was served in a small French press and a side of warm milk in a tiny pitcher. Very nice! 

I enjoyed this way of serving donuts, very clever. (Even though we didn't have any.)

The resort offered an hourly ride into Kamala Beach, about 5-10 minutes away. We signed up for the 1:00 trip on Monday.

Everybody rode in the back on two benches facing each other.

First we walked along the street of shops to find a pharmacy to stock up on cough and cold meds. There was a nice boardwalk along the beach. By the area marked off for swimming, there were many many beach loungers for rent. There were hundreds of people there; I was told it is an especially popular place for Russian tourists. Not our kind of scene!

We had some time to wait until our ride back to the hotel, so we sat down at a little beach bar. These guys were busy all the time making drinks and delivering them to the people on the beach loungers. We had a couple of drinks at a table in the shade. They served food, too, but it was brought from somewhere else and one young man went back and forth continuously to pick it up and deliver it.

In 2004, Phuket was badly damaged by the tsunami from an earthquake that originated near Indonesia. This area was more or less wiped out and many people lost their lives. The memorial was near our pickup point. I thought the concentric circles were very appropriate, echoing the waves that hit.

Here is the dedication in English (Thai was beside it). Sorry if it is hard to read; it was very reflective.

We were glad we went into town, but very happy that we were staying in a quieter area!

Getaway to Phuket

Phuket is an island on the Andaman Sea in the south of Thailand that is famous for its beaches. It is overrun with tourists during the winter. Thanks to our Hyatt membership, we had a three-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Resort. It was spectacular!

We started the trip on Saturday. I had a bad cold and was extremely uncomfortable on the flight descent. My left ear didn't recover until the next day. Fortunately, I improved rapidly; unfortunately, Dan got the cold while we were there. But we still had a good time. I pre-booked a taxi from the airport and back and was glad I did; it was quite a distance (45 minutes or so) and the online chatter about the taxis in Phuket wasn't encouraging.

I knew the resort was built on a hillside, but had no idea how steep it would be. And there were stairs everywhere, often without railings. We both managed with some care! The weather was much warmer than we've been used to in Chiang Mai, which has been very comfortable so far this year (Dan thinks it''s a bit too cold.)

The resort provided an enormous buffet breakfast. It catered to nearly every country's preferred tastes -- Thai, East Asian, Indian, and western. Hot drinks were brought by very attentive waitstaff. One thing we noticed -- we didn't see anyone else who looked over 60. It was a young crowd, with lots of families and young children. One evening we walked out of supper with three middle-aged gentlemen who were talking. I asked them what language they were speaking and they said Albanian. A first for me! They were very friendly; one had lived in Chicago and Indianapolis and was currently working in Malaysia.

The lobby was airy and lovely

Our room was up the hill in building #8 (of 15) and this was the view from our balcony, looking north.

Toward the east we could see the hills. Kamala Beach is on the inlet to the right.

These golf carts took us everywhere. When we needed to go somewhere, we called the desk and a cheerful driver appeared. They got to know us right away.

Some (!) of the stairs going to the club room where we ate our suppers.

Lying on a shaded bed looking over the pool and beach.

An example of the steepness of the road.

On Monday we took the hotel shuttle into Kamala Beach. I'll post more about that tomorrow.

Happy New Year 2025

We had a fairly quiet week after our lovely Christmas dinner at Et's house. 

For New Year's Eve, Dr. Smith (owner of our building) put on a lovely catered dinner for residents of his two buildings. The Smith Residence is the older one and is about 3 blocks away from ours, the Smith Suites. When we first came to Chiang Mai for the winter, ten years ago, I found the Smith Residence online. It had exactly what we wanted -- a kitchenette and a pool. But it was full, so I found another place, adequate, but less desirable. Shortly before we were due to leave, we had an email from Smith saying that they had a new building and we could stay there. And we've stayed here every time since then. The management is very good; last week we had a drippy faucet in the bathroom, and the repairman came and replaced it within a couple of hours of our request. (There is also now a Smith Hotel across the street from the Residence, but we haven't been inside.) The Residence has a bar and a small restaurant, which we don't have. Dr. Smith is a dentist and very friendly. Dave told us last night that when a resident was bitten by a dog and needed rabies shots, Dr. Smith himself came and administered the shots daily so the person didn't have to go to the hospital. For New Year's Eve, we were all given black Smith Residence T-shirts. You can see some people wearing them in the photos.

Reception desk at the Residence

By the time we arrived, the tables set up in the lobby were full. I suspect they were mostly people from the Residence, who came down early. We managed to find a couch with a coffee table and sat there.

Tables set up for the dinner

Tuna appetizers and spring rolls

Potato salad with sweet potatoes; grilled chicken

Noodle dish and fried rice

Oranges for dessert, all shiny

There was also soup, which we didn't try. We enjoyed the food but didn't hang around long. On our walk home we saw lots of fireworks, even though it was just 8:00. I had my evening swim and again had glimpses of fireworks in every direction. We were surprised to wake at midnight to hear a barrage of firecrackers, lots of them very loud. This is the first year we've been here in December so we didn't know what to expect.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful 2025.

Christmas in Chiang Mai

In 2003, we first visited Thailand to spend Christmas with our friends Darryl and Kathleen, who were living in Bangkok. Over New Year's we all went to Chiang Mai. Now, 21 years later, we've been coming here in the winter since January of 2015. This is the first year we've come in December.

On Christmas morning, I headed to the Chiang Mai Gate Market to get fresh fruit, as I do most days. When I got to our lobby, I was pleased to see a small group of children opening presents, with several residents watching. I think they were all children of people who work here. They looked happy tearing into the packages.

In the late afternoon, we headed to our friend Barbara's place for a ride to Et's home. Et is my massage therapist and she loves to host a Christmas dinner for her regular customers. She lives in a suburb to the southeast of the city in a very nice house with her boyfriend Jesper, from Denmark.

Outdoor kitchen for frying

Indoor kitchen, making curries

Homemade spring rolls

Top to bottom: mixed vegetables, red curry with duck, panang curry with chicken, served with black rice (not shown). There was also a tofu dish especially for Barbara, who is a vegetarian.

Debra and David, the other guests

Dessert, Danish risalamande, made by Barbara (with lots of cream)

The dinner was wonderful, as was the company. A lovely way to finish off Christmas day. We shared a Grab (hire car) with David and Debra back to our place.

A Dinner Out

Last year we discovered a restaurant not far from us called Anniversary. Or so we thought. This year we went back and found out its name is actually Airniversary. No idea how that was made up!

Name proof on lovely plate

We were up one floor from the ground and there was this small area above us

Looking across the room from our seats

Dan's pork panning curry

One of my favorite dishes here is cashew chicken, usually with vegetables. The one here was beautiful, but far spicier than usual (if you can see small red pieces, they are dried red chili).

And since it' is Christmas Eve here, this picture is of the Christmas tree in the lobby of our building. There will be a potluck supper this evening for the residents.

Baan Kang Wat Craft Village

On Saturday morning, Barbara picked me up in her car and we headed out to Baan Kang Wat. This craft village is on the western edge of Chiang Mai, near the foot of our local mountain, Doi Suthep. The place was a rabbit warren of tiny lanes and buildings housing all kinds of crafts and a few cafes.

One of the first places we stopped was a book shop. There were some books for sale, but most of the items were hand-bound notebooks.

On the wall of the building

Display of notebooks with maps on the covers

A shop with beautiful baskets

An amphitheater in the center of the village

Horse (or giraffe?) made of found materials

Candles!

Elephants made of found materials

A little girl intent on painting a small dish

A pottery shop with no two pieces alike

Robots made of found materials

What an interesting place! We found a cafe to sit in the shade and have our lunch. It was very crowded by the time we left -- it was a Saturday and it's the height of the tourist season.