#3159: Tuesday, January 2, 2024: Happy New Year from Chiang Mai, Thailand

Post 3159

- 13 years and 2 days since I started this blog -

12/31/23 at Troubador, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Journal

(written January 2, 2024)

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 13 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 food shots when I've eaten something interesting or pretty. And that's where we find ourselves now.

What a week! I am so fortunate, no, privileged to be here in Chiang Mai for New Year's festivities.

For the most part, before I retired, I gigged most New Year's Eves. Since then, though, I've been at large, usually in a foreign country. I've had NYEs in Cuenca, Lisbon and Chiang Mai since 2017.

It's a happy change from being in Syracuse, where I often wouldn't celebrate because I didn't want to go out in the cold, driving around with a bunch of drunks on the road, and me unable to be one of them.

I don't get drunk anymore. At least, not on purpose.

In case we haven't met, my preferred intoxicant is cannabis.

Which is one of the nicest things about Thailand, these days. For the most part, cannabis is not looked on with any sort of negativity. Yes, there are a few signs in some businesses requesting no weed smoking, and it is considered discourteous to smoke in public indoor places (restaurants and bars). Many places have smoking lounges, though.

This is the manifestation of an almost sixty-year-old dream of mine. I've been visualizing this since I first started smoking pot at the age of fifteen, in the mid-sixties. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, then, well, you're welcome!

Coincidentally, that's approximately how long I've been playing bass (segué).

I've been playing my butt off here in Chiang Mai. I've met a few new musicians, and seen others play, and my feeling is that the quality - and quantity - of the music here is better than any previous visit. That's a wonderful thing.

I've never had more opportunities to play.

That even extends to a rehearsal. I was lucky enough to be invited to an informal practice by David, the Legendary Taco Bell's bass player, and Willie, singer/guitarist and founder of the band, It was held at a coffee shop about a 15-minute cab ride from me. It turned into something of a concert/jam session, with me adding thigh-slap and table-tap percussion and some vocals.

It was a wonderful, casual, country-porch-feeling sort of session, a rarity for me these days.

I've also managed to play at Troubador (a few times, including New Year's Eve), Boy Blues Bar, and the North Gate Jazz Coop, all of which were fun and well-received.

Last year I watched the fireworks at the Tha Phae Gate (a top tourist attraction, and a center of 'official' celebrations, such as New Year's Eve) from the patio of my guest house. This year, however, the Gate is halfway between the Rendezvous (my guest house) and the recently-opened Troubadour.

It has been very pleasant walking through the gate every time I come and go to the club, which has become my favorite hang. I feel like I'm a cool café society cat now. Just kidding. 

Or am I?

Fact is, I hang outside most of the time, with a view of the musicians but worse sound, given that there's usually a bit of street noise. The reason? Twofold: One, Troubador is small, and you have to get there early to get a good spot inside; and B. I can smoke weed outside. Another point is that, depending on the night, sometimes it is cooler outside than inside.

The Legendary Taco Bells play Troubadour every Saturday, and I don't miss any of their performances while I'm here. I'm a fan. Also, they're my friends. And they're incredible musicians, all three.

Since New Year's Eve was on a Sunday, there was an open mic there as well, Sundays being the normal night for that at Troubador. After another band made up of friends of mine did a set, I got to play a set on guitar, then do some backup on bass, and also lead another couple of songs. Quite a satisfying amount of playing time. 

Then, at a quarter to twelve, a few of us walked down the block and into the crowd at the Tha Phae Gate. It was a slow walk, thanks to the huge party going on outside the gate, where a big stage and all kinds of light sculptures attracts big NYE crowds. Really big. The area outside the Gate is like Chiang Mai's Times Square.

There were hundreds of candle-lanterns filling the sky, thanks to relaxed rules about them (banned until December) and many more being released all night. Most of the crowd was Thai, which was a good thing, or I might have missed the countdown, broadcast to the crowd in Thai, of course. When the crowd started cheering and counting down, I was ready. Here's a video I took of Chiang Mai's New Year's Eve fireworks.

January 1st, I played at Boy Blues Bar and tonight I'll be going back to the North Gate Jazz Coop. Life is good. I'm entering 2024 well-fed, stoned, healthy, and happily making music. 

I wish for nothing less for all of you!

Here are a few pics of the Tha Phae Gate:

It was impossible to capture all the light sculptures outside the Tha Phae Gate in a single photograph. I tried, with very poor results. This pic is as close as I could come to the feel of it, but it fails to capture the scale of it - what you see here is a fraction of what was there.

The hands forming a heart is the entrance to the seating area in front of the huge stage, complete with pro lights and sound (the bass could be heard blocks away). Lots of Thai children performing, mostly doing choreography that seems cribbed from MTv (is that still a thing? I'm so old and out of touch). A little of that went a long way - I found the acre of light sculptures behind me more interesting. But, visually, this was very much a part of the knock-your-eyes-out urban celebratory installation.

Candle lanterns filled the sky over the gate shortly before the fireworks started. I took a phone video of the fireworks, you can see it here: https://youtu.be/bzKGqq99NMA

And some walking-around photos:

A little fan enjoying the Legendary Taco Bells at Troubadour.

One of the batteries of fireworks being set up on the moat for the big New Year's Eve show.

Random wot shot.

Mirror selfie, with oatmeal and coffee (see below). At SukiShake.

Another random wot shot - and I've photographed this temple a few other times over the years, but never when this very earnest little girl decided to ring every one of the prayer bells surrounding it.

Last random wot shot - for this post, anyway.

Food Comment

Breakfast at SukiShake, on the moat just south of the Tha Phae Gate. So delicious! Oatmeal and fruit with seeds and coconut milk, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and avocado toast. Yes, I ate the flower in the oatmeal. Good stuff!

From Nice Kitchen, chia pudding with coconut milk and mixed fruit.

 Please leave a comment when you visit my blog. 

Comments are anonymous, so leave your name, too!
Thank you!