#2016, Friday, January 19: More random thoughts

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Post 2016
- 7 years and 19 days since I started this blog -

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• Short schedule today, as I had an upset stomach from the time I woke up.
• Every two weeks, the Chiang Mai Expat Club has a breakfast at River Market, It was the first meal I had in Chiang Mai, and the members I spoke with were very helpful in getting me set for my visit here. Today I went back, mainly because the $10 breakfast buffet is the best I had, anywhere. I sat at the Newbie table again, and spoke with some very nice people. In fact, I spoke to a lot of people. Come to find out, somebody told them I was the 'assigned' member of the CEC to their table. Amazingly, everybody I spoke to seemed happy with the information I gave them, thinking it was expert. I just have that kind of face, I guess...
•  I've pretty much done my tourist thing with my day with the elephants. Thinking of it, I thought, how much can you learn about living in a place by seeing it's sights? You couldn't learn anything about living in my birthplace, New York City, by visiting the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.
• The contrast in Chiang Mai between the venerated old buildings, the modern new buildings, and the structures that have fallen victim to neglect and abandonment is striking, and visible everywhere in the city.
• During my time here, I have been blessed with spectacular good weather. It never rained (something I was prepared for, so, of course!). The temperatures have been mild and comfortable, from the high 60s to the low 80s, and mostly in the low-to-mid 70s. 
• My masseuse, Sukkanot, is a very amusing woman. She can be playful, but when it comes to massage, she is serious business; Every knot, all resistance she feels causes her normal, slight smile to turn into a slight frown. She takes it personally. She also does most of her kneading and poking with her eyes closed, the better to concentrate on what she is feeling under her hands (and forearms, elbows, knees and feet -all of which she uses to attack my old, knotty muscles. Every time I wince or grunt, she giggles.
• I can now safely say that Chiang Mai, like most old cities, has a severe traffic problem. I have spent a lot of time in traffic here. Enough to never want to drive, and to wonder how Uber drivers make ends meet, with the cost of gas and the ridiculously low money Uber charges for my trips.
• I really thought I would spend more time at the lovely Buddhist temples here. My Self-identification as a Buddhist is one of the things that made Thailand attractive to me. But it has not been a factor this visit, at all. Maybe because I didn't come here seeking anything. Go figure.
• The eggs here are better than any I've ever had, anywhere. Deep orange yolks from chickens having to scratch for their food, not being force-fed grains. So much of the food is prepared in front of you that you can't help notice when the quality of an ingredient stands out. And, yes, delicious.
• The music scene here is great, but not as good as Syracuse's.
• I haven't been tempted to cook here. The food is so good, so available, so cheap. Most days, I don't spend even $12 on food. The most expensive meal I had was at Rajdarbar Indian Restaurant, the best meal I've had in Chiang Mai, and that included five dishes, a beer and a bottle of water - not including tip, $18.
• One mistake I made was renting my condo for the duration of my stay. Nothing wrong with it, from a physical point of view - it is the perfect size for me. But it isn't well-located for my purposes. I have at least a 10-minute drive to anywhere I've gone from here, and the nearby restaurants haven't been up to the quality of the ones I've eaten at in the Old City.
• There are lots of European expats here - probably, as a whole, they are the biggest expat presence here. Australians second. Americans least. That's attractive, too, as it is a big contribution to the cosmopolitan feel of the city.
• U, an excellent Thai drummer I've gotten a chance to play with a few times, told me how I should have played a song last night. Some things don't change with location: I'm always being bossed around by drummers. They're usually, but not always, right.
• Speaking of playing, I was stopped on the street by a French couple who complemented me on a performance they saw here. They were quite specific about what they liked: You have so much fun playing, you are so into it. Can't hide my addiction, or the joy it gives me.
• Nothing I have seen on this trip disqualifies Chiang Mai as a future home, but this taste hasn't determined anything. There are four or five other places on my list, and, unless one of them stops me in my tracks and makes me not want to leave, they must all be checked out, with longer - 90 day - visits. I don't consider this trip definitive. I' will come back to Chiang Mai.
• That being said, I'm really grateful for another few days in Chiang Mai.

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