Saturday Walking Market Pictures

I probably took waaay too many photos, but here goes!

Black jelly, I think to eat, anyone know what it is?

Possibly snacks, wormy things like licorice laces, but not licorice!

Dan's noodle supper

Food court

Vendor cooking something

Fried crab sticks and shrimp tempura

Carvings with gilded fish

Handmade hammocks

Indigo bedcovers and linens

Musical instruments

iPhone cases

Massage tools -- scrapers on the left

More massage tools

And even more massage tools!

Several noodle varieties to choose from -- I got the one on the far left

Cook stir-frying my pad thai

My special pad thai supper

Flowers made from pandanus leaves

Paper lanterns

A type of roti

Teapots and cups

Tiny teasets for that child in your life

Elephants and other creatures made from twine

Wooden iPhone cases

Saturday

Saturday morning dawned without rain, although still very gray and cloudy. The temperature was in the 70s, so still balmy to us. It is fun to see the Thais all bundled up with stocking caps and winter jackets.

Dan and I both had traditional Thai massages at IDI, the school that I was at earlier in the week. We were scheduled for an hour each starting at 10:00. They actually started closer to 10:30, but we each got well over an hour by 15-20 minutes. This wasn't quite as painful as the earlier ones I'd had, but still very good and strong. The young woman was good and it is so interesting to see how they use their whole body to massage and stretch. At one point when she was working on my arms, she said something that I think meant "your whole body needs modifying!" I laughed and agreed. Things are definitely loosening up. I'm going back Monday for two hours and Dan is doing the same on Tuesday.

Altar in IDI lobby

Massage tools -- only oil and hot compresses this time

When we returned, our room had been cleaned. Always a nice thing to come home to. This view is from the doorway and shows our bed and small table and chairs. The kitchenette is at the end to the right. The bathroom is behind me on the left of the entry. There is ample closet and cupboard space on the hall across from the bathroom.

In the afternoon the sun was peeking out and I decided to brave the swimming pool (I missed the past two days when it was raining). The water was definitely cooler from the lack of sun and the rain but just bearable. I swam half my usual number of laps.

About 5:00 we headed out for the Saturday Walking Market again -- hard to believe it's been a week since the first one! I'm having trouble uploading pictures right now, so I'll go ahead and publish this and put up the pictures from the market in a little while.

100% Chance of Rain

...and the weather forecast was right! It rained most of the night and all day Friday. There were short periods when it was lighter, but it was pretty steady most of the day, although never extremely heavy. The temperatures were in the 70s, so it was quite comfortable. I managed my walk to Tai Chi with an umbrella in one hand and a walking stick in the other. [I've been using my sticks most of the time when I'm out because of the uneven sidewalks and roads.] My pants legs got pretty damp, especially on the way back when a car drove close by me and splashed. I stopped at the Tesco to get some chips for lunch and got a nice papaya from one of the fruit vendors sitting outside. They are always there, so we only need to buy enough for the day ahead.

I stayed in the rest of the day, reading, knitting, fooling around on the iPad. Very relaxed! Dan went off to a tailor for a fitting on a shirt he has ordered. We did go out for supper, back to Spoon de Best (don't you love that name?). It is one of the closer places, although not the closest. It rained steadily and there were lots of puddles.

We ordered two fish dishes, both small pieces that were battered and fried. Rice on the side is a given.

Pineapple-orange smoothie with grape garnish (not black olives!)

Fish with vegetables in sweet and sour sauce

Fish in coconut curry sauce

It's Saturday already again and it will be interesting to see how much of the Saturday Walking Market is set up. I believe the forecast is 70% rain, but I don't know how or when that will arrive. The sky is heavy with clouds this morning, but it didn't rain much overnight.

Weather

Thursday afternoon the promised change in the weather arrived. It had been cloudy and humid all day and about 3:00 it began to rain. Dan was out for a walk, but the rain was light enough that he didn't get drenched. We took the opportunity during a break to go back to our first restaurant, La Petite, quite close. I think we are becoming regulars there! The owner/manager is American and friendly. The food is always delicious.

Otherwise, things continue — my Tai Chi is coming along, but slowly. Dan is studying hard for his Thai lessons. It is a difficult language. We are both planning to continue our studies for another week before we take a side trip to Cambodia. I didn't get to swim today because of the rain (I guess I could have gone in, but in the low 70s and rain it didn't seem very inviting!

Wednesday

I don't know if I"ll be posting every day, but so far there is so much to show and tell. If I skip a day, I won't be able to remember as much. Wednesday Dan had pickle ball again at the park and I went for my third Tai Chi lesson. I'm not the most advanced in the class of 6, but not the worst either! As I sat outside before class, I looked at my hurting toe and realized that I had an enormous blister in the outside corner (fortunately, not where it hit my sandal). On the way home, I stopped at a pharmacy to get some rubbing alcohol (available in a nice tiny bottle) and bandaging material. It is already better. While there, I asked about doxycycline, which we need to take as a malarial preventive for when we go to Cambodia and Vietnam in a few weeks. The young woman asked the right questions about drug interactions and allergies and included a little card with the proper dosage (2 a day for 2 days before departure, one a day while there, and one a day for 4 weeks after return). All this cost about $15 (100 capsules plus the first aid supplies). I also saw another lovely spirit house on the walk. Notice the offerings on the platform below the house.

A shot of road signs at a corner. The small roads (sois) off the main roads are identified by the name of the main road and a number. Fortunately for me, the number is in Arabic numerals. This is Soi 3 and my turnoff is at Soi 2.

I didn't do much the rest of the day; I am nursing a cold that has settled into a URI with  a cough. I'm glad I had some cough medicine in my medical kit bag. Dan had another Thai lesson in the afternoon and I did get my swim in. The pool is wonderful, salt water with no chemicals and feels good on the skin. I really enjoy swimming in it.

We had a light lunch in the room and headed out for dinner in the area we had gone the night before. But on the way we stopped off at an optical shop. One of my pairs of glasses lost its nose pad and I wanted to replace it. While waiting in the shop, I couldn't help admiring the swan doilies on the tables. I think they may have been machine-made and the swans were sewed on. Not exactly my taste, but quite impressive!

As in most places of business, photos of the royal family are on the walls. Many buildings even have a picture of the king on the outside.

This area inside the Old City is dense with tourist facilities. The shops include many hotels, restaurants, motorcycle and bicycle rental shops, tourism opportunities, massage parlors and convenience stores. I think "boutique" means "more expensive." A few of the sights along the way:

Boutique hotel

Budget hotel

Another boutique hotel

 Most restaurants have a pedestal with their menu on the sidewalk in front. We can compare offerings and prices, which are pretty much the same (at least in the Thai places). The sign below is from a sort of kiosk that has an interesting menu!

I had pineapple fried rice with chicken, which looked very blah but tasted good. Dan had a stir-fry with wide noodles, lots of veggies (and chilis!) and some pork.

We like our room quite well. Unfortunately, it is on the south side of the building, so we have sun all day. When we are in the room, we keep the hall door open and a nice breeze comes through. We only have used the air-conditioner briefly when we come into the room and it is very hot. Then we can run just the fan. I'd be happy with a ceiling fan, but they didn't install them in this new building (only 3 months old). We have cleaners who come in twice a week and change the linens. We do our own breakfast and lunch (or occasionally the evening meal). Here is a shot of our kitchenette after breakfast. It has a sink (cool water only), a drainboard, about 20" of counter space, a two-burner glass-topped stove, and another 9 inches of counter. There is a decent amount of cupboard space. We are provided with a skillet and pot; two each large plates, medium plates, bowls, mugs and glasses; two each forks, teaspoons, tablespoons; one ladle and one knife. We plan to pick up a table knife soon, as spreading butter or peanut butter with a kitchen knife probably isn't the best way to do it! We bought a few cheap hand towels for bathroom and kitchen. Notice the bottled water under the window; we buy a six-pack of 1-1/2 liter bottles about every 2-3 days. Fortunately it is quite cheap.

We are told a cold spell is on the way -- rain and highs around 70°F. Compared to the current weather in Goshen, that's not too bad!

Tuesday Activities

On Tuesday, we settled into our current routine:  me off to Tai Chi at 10:00, Dan to a Thai lesson. In the afternoon I had another massage (Paew is going away for a week, and I definitely wanted to get another one before she left--now I have to wait a week). Dan took a big walk, as he is driving the scooter to his lesson. This morning (Wed.) he is off to pickle ball again.

On my way to Tai Chi, I noticed the fire station. Nice decor!

This is my Tai Chi teacher. His name is Raj.

On the way back, I stopped at the Tesco shop to get some yogurt for breakfast. I also stopped at this small cart to get some papaya and watermelon.

After my massage at 3:00, I went for my daily swim. Below is a view of the pool. I guessed at measuring it. A round-trip lap from end to end is about 50 feet. I am currently doing 30 laps.

The pool deck is in the direct sun all day. The pool maintenance man told me they tried to put up sun umbrellas, but there is too much wind (8th floor) and they blew away. So it's not a great place to be in the middle of the day when it is 90 degrees. There are a few potted shrubs that aren't too great, but one has these nice flowers on its mostly bare branches.

Looking due south, the same as our room, you can see two temples (gold one center right horizon, white one to the left). The gold one is the one we walked by on Saturday that had some big event going on.

To the southeast there are more high-rise buildings, definitely not approved by the UDIF.

To the east you can see the Smith Residence, our sister apartment hotel. Ours is also shades of orange.

In the early evening we headed out for dinner. We stopped at the Spoon de Best restaurant, just inside the Old City on the main road just to the east of Chiang Mai Gate. It had been recommended and was as good as promised. We decided to have a dinner of appetizers, which was filling and satisfying.

On the way, I took a picture of the street, a typical Soi, the narrow streets that wander off the main ones.

Drinks--my mocktail had pineapple, passion fruit and lemon

Chicken satay with peanut sauce and another vinegary one

Green papaya salad with a mashed potato cake

Spring rolls

Dessert -- tiny creme brûlées with a dish of ice-cream, each less than 3 inches across

We walked back through the Chaing Mai Gate area.

Fried foods, good-looking chicken, samosas

More at the same fried foods stall, spring rolls

Mangoes awaiting orders for mango and sticky rice

Spirit house along the street

Shrine in the median of the main street

Sweets (I think)

Vegetarian Turkish pizza -- you can find almost anything here!

First Monday in Chiang Mai

Monday we started some of our regular activities while we are here. Dan headed off to the nearby park to meet up with other pickleball players. The game is just getting started here, but there are a few resident ex-pats who are meeting up a couple of times a week. I've always wanted to do Tai Chi, and there is a school (Body and Mind Healing) within a 15-20 minute walk. The tai chi meets weekdays from 10 to 11, a perfect time for me (I do like not hurrying off in the morning!).

On my walk I passed a Thai boxing studio.

I got to the school quite early, as I wasn't sure how long it would take me. There was a class in Chi Kung from 9 to 10. I glanced in, but couldn't tell exactly what they were doing. I sat on a bench in the courtyard, and gradually more people arrived.

Fountain in courtyard

Entrance to the school

There was a dog barking madly in the yard, which put me off a bit. A young woman came out of the house side of the building and pulled him back. His tail wagged all the time and he actually was somewhat friendly. [I have a fear of unknown dogs, based on the time a friendly-seeming dog at someone's home bit me in the calf.]

The class was very enjoyable. There were six of us beginners and two more advanced. The latter two mostly practiced on their own, with occasional help from the teacher. He was very good and we worked through a number of beginning moves. We traded partners frequently and it was interesting how different people had different energies. I think this is going to be very good for me. I bought five classes and intend to go every day this week. After that we'll see. All the class members were foreign travelers.

On the way back, I passed by the IDI school of massage, which Ming La had recommended to me. I went in and asked if I could have a session with Paew (pron. approx. "paw"). The man at the desk said to come back at 5:00, so I did. It was quite a session. This was not a relaxation massage, it was therapy. She started with my feet, telling me that back problems need to be treated from the bottom up. In addition to kneading and rubbing, she used a kind of scraper and even a wooden hammer with another piece of wood to gently pound on my muscles. She worked her way up to my back muscles. [I feel quite fully recovered from my back surgery just over a year ago, but I have lingering aches in my back, probably due to the muscles there having to work in different ways than before. Also much of the fascia around my muscles has tightened up, giving discomfort when touching certain areas such as calves and thighs.] After each area, she applied hot compresses, which felt wonderful.

Well, my fascia is definitely loosened!! At one point I couldn't stop the tears coming, as it was quite painful. But in the end I felt much better. I *think* this morning my back ached less as I washed the breakfast dishes, but maybe it is wishful hoping. I am going back again this afternoon, as Paew is going away for a week starting Wednesday. Working with her is definitely going to improve my comfort levels (if not during the sessions!).

One of the massage areas; I had a single one

For lunch, Dan and I went to the Smith Residence, our sister building. They have a restaurant in the lobby, which was very good. They also set up various tours; we are probably going to do a day tour to Chiang Rai and the border areas and I will do an all-day cooking lesson at an area farm.

Smith Residence lobby area

Mango lassi with mint and lime–delicious!

On the way back we decided to buy some grilled bananas from the woman we see every day. She stands in her stall from morning until mid-afternoon, grilling these bananas, which looked quite good.

Unfortunately, when we tasted them we didn't like them at all! They were more like plantains, had a kind of crust around the soft part, and had almost no flavor. Someone must like them, though.

Today Dan starts Thai lessons with a tutor at the American University Alumni institute. He did rent a scooter and I had a short ride yesterday. It is a small enough scooter that I can actually get my leg over it, unlike in India where I can't get on. And the traffic here is so much more orderly than India. He says he is glad he is used to driving there, because nowhere else can compare with the chaos; at least nowhere that we have been yet.