#2413: Pics from Chiang Mai

Post 2413

- 9 years and 14 days since I started this blog -

  

Journal
(written Jan 8-10, 2020)

Read this once (it won't change for the rest of the trip(s): I'll be linking this post to Facebook. If that's how you got here, here's some background: About 9 years ago I started this blog as a food journal. I had a medical situation and needed to lose weight. Initially, that's all I did here: Journal my food intake and my weight. It contributed to helping me lose 20+% of my body weight in 6 months, and continuing has kept me on track since then. I started adding commentary after a while, but lately it has become infrequent. 

While I'm traveling, I let go of the weight-tracking and food journaling, except for the occasional food shot when I've eaten something interesting. And that's where we find ourselves now.

I'm a little sick. I have a cough, my throat's a little sore, maybe a low fever.

Coincidentally, David and Harry are sick, too. And Ollie says he's been sick twice recently. Apparently, it's something going around, being spread by farang musicians. I don't know any Thai musicians that are sick, but then, everybody seems to be carrying on like normal, sick or not, so how would I know?

Anyway, it isn't stopping me or even slowing me down.

Today's post is going to be devoted to photos I've taken over the last few days.

I went and visited two new wats that are very close to where I'm staying. Here are pics:

I also went to the Sunday Night Walking Market, always a blast. This time, I was primarily there for dinner. I just wanted to buy lots of little things to eat. Mission accomplished.

There were a few new things at the market for me: A couple of pageants with children performing traditional Thai dances. There were also some older kids and young adults doing more modern karaoke singing. I'm guessing these may also have been some updated traditional songs, but for me it was like having ice water thrown on me after the warmth I felt as I was thrilled with the beauty of these children's performance.

 

This tiny, very young Thai performer was so graceful and serious. Completely captivating. I wish I'd gotten a picture of her big smile after she left the stage.

The Sunday Night Walking Market is huge. And popular and crowded. And colorful. Here are some random pics as I walked through:

This was interesting. These sculptures are made with sawdust and paste. I was amazed by the detail and lack of grain in the (painted) result.

The area of the Market, about a half-mile of street and along the side streets,  encompasses some very beautiful wats. They are beautifully decorated. Once you get past the stalls in front, they provide a moment of peace and refuge. 

Even though I've been playing a lot (almost every night), I haven't been able to get any pictures or videos of a performance. Monday night I finally got a chance to sing a couple of songs at Boy Blues Bar, and it went over so well, Boy kept asking for another song - I ended up with the longest set of the night.

It is gratifying to me to get a chance to sing. For more than five decades, I have been a bass player, and for most of that time, never got a chance to sing (or lead a set). My singing has always been relegated to open mics, which is fine, I don't write and I don't have enough songs I can sing and play bass or guitar to do more than that.

View of a small part of the Kalare Night Market from behind the stage at Boy Blues Bar. There are a number of permanent buildings within, Boy Blues Bar is on the roof of one near the center. The Kalare Night Market is a huge covered market that operates every day, opening in the late afternoon.

This trip, I am more focused on the friends I've developed here than the sights. Because as you move around in this town, the exotic sights, sounds, smells are everywhere, are in the background of everything you do, everywhere you go. For the people in Chiang Mai, they are not exotic. They are the way things are here.

I try to be aware of everything, not take anything for granted. Being aware of everything is, of course, not possible. Taking anything for granted is foolish.

I am living here much the same way I live at home. I am, for the most part, doing the same things. Believe it or not, it makes me appreciate home more.

It is important to me to express my gratitude for all that I am able to do, without forgetting that it is all based on luck, not virtue.

Food Comment

From Baan Buri Café: Massuman seafood curry, spring rolls, brown rice and salad.

An interesting and delicious take on bacon and eggs: omelet-style scrambled eggs draped over a mound of brown rice and topped with bacon. From the Cat House Restaurant.

Khao soi, Chaing Mai's official dish. It's a curry noodle soup. This one has pork added. It cost 40 baht ($1.32). From Khao Soi Khun Ya. When your restaurant is named for a dish, it had better be good. It certainly was. 

When I wasn't feeling so well, I went to my go-to, Goodsouls Kitchen, and got their wonderful turmeric tea preparation, Golden Milk. Mushrooms and brown rice was my choice for a main dish.

Lemon, lime, mint, ginger smoothy. I remember it was good, I don't remember where I had it.

From Reform Kafé, an absolutely incredible coconut-mushroom soup. There was so much flavor. A new favorite there.

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