#3160, Tuesday, January 9, 2024: A typical day in Chiang Mai? A typical day in the life...:

Post 3160

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

Outside Butter Is Better, absolutely the most ''New York City' place in Chiang Mai, and, for all I know, all of Southeast Asia, much to my delight. I love sitting in the Fred MacMurray room eating their pastrami and eggs, or a bagel, cream cheese and lox, or the best-tasting, old-school oatmeal (no add-ins but raisins, and only regular milk available), or any of their baked goods. Amazing that my favorite old-school Jewish deli on the planet is in Chiang Mai.

Journal

(written January 9, 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.

If I didn't love living it so much, I'd be tempted to call my life boring. I'm not bored - I almost never am - at all, but the typical day has become quite predictable, at least at a high-level: Wake up, morning stuff, computer fun, afternoon breakfast, laze around, including a nap, dinner, music (as a player or in the audience). All while maintaining a cannabis-fueled mellow mood.

It is a lot of fun doing this in Chiang Mai. It's fun doing it in Cuenca, too. Those are my two favorite travel destinations, and the places I've spent the most time in, since I started snowbirding.

It's a lot of fun to do it in Liverpool, NY, USA, too.

The contexts are different, the lifestyle, pretty much the same everywhere. Except when I travel, I am much more aware of my wealth and privilege. It is impossible to ignore. Especially when I see the over-represented old white men that seem to make up a majority of expats in Chiang Mai.

I am only exceptional in that I am usually unaccompanied when I go out. But that's not unique at all, it's just a smaller segment among the conspicuous majority of expats here.

In Syracuse, this is a typical day, too. Certainly a different context but the only real difference is that at home I like to cook my own meals. Traveling, eating different cuisines at different restaurants, as can be done at all these destinations, is a big part of the entertainment. But, at a high-level, it's still just eating.

Where it gets interesting, is actually when it gets interesting. At night. If there's going to be a surprise, that's when it will occur. In the pursuit of music, an evening activity.

And that, more than anything else, is actually the quest to connect with musicians, to make music. Ensemble music, especially.

And that, that's where the sameness ends. There is so much less familiarity in the music of a place you spend 6 weeks a year in than a place you're in for eight months. And it is in the enjoyment of live music, whether I'm playing or in the audience, where things get good for me. In the main, it's location independent. In the particulars, each place is distinct. Chiang Mai, Cuenca, Syracuse: So much different/the same.

I'm kind of the constant, in the 'wherever you go, there you are' sense. I don't have one 'normal' and one traveling persona. Like Popeye, I am what I am.

And, lately, that has put me in the presence of, and, sometimes, playing with, some extraordinary musicians. 

I was, for instance, blown away by the parade of talent that made the scene at Troubadour's most recent open mic. All new to me (I and a few regulars did early sets), four excellent musicians, all very different stylistically, all from different countries, just crushed their sets.

Next night, at Boy Blues Bar, kind of the same, but with a particularly great outing on bass, during which I got to play with an Israeli drummer and an Israeli singer, and a guitarist from the previous evening, as well as new friend Graham, who organized the set. It was just killer. It was amazingly tight, for the shear number of people who hadn't ever played together before. Everybody playing, and everbody in the audience, was smiling. People congratulated me on the set for the rest of the night. This is the thing that has kept me going to open mics for the last fifty-five years. 

Here's the photo dump\:

A lot of people, when they think of Thailand, think of Bangkok or the islands, and haven't heard of the less well-known city of Chiang Mai. This topographical map of Thailand appeared today, and I thought I'd show you where Chiang Mai is, on the opposite end of Thailand from the better-known spots.

This is what I see when I step out of my guest house, looking toward my most-walked-to destinations. First house on the left, plast the driveway, is Nun's Restaurant, one of my favorite places for Thai food. Weirdly, looking at this photo, it doesn't look as pleasant as it actually is as I walk it evcery day. Too bad. This photo is a rarity, too: A completely unedited photo from me.

These are my friends, the Legendary Taco Bells, playing at Troubadour and Simple Man (top and bottom, respectively). I am a big fan of the band, and of its individual members, David, Oo and Willie. Willie is a fabulous singer/guitarist, and the rhythm section is perfect. Saw them twice this past week, and enjoyed every minute of both shows.

They love their Jazz at the North Gate Jazz Coop. This audience is, believe it or not, typical of this place. And these people are here for the open mic! The audience is SRO inside, same on the patio seating outside, and spills out into the road, with people standing to listen until 11pm. I really connected this trip, making some new friends and having some killer jams.

I'm not sure how I got this photo, but I'm on stage at Boy Blues Bar playing whatever passed for funk in that moment, while this guy did a decent rap.

My friend John Wick Sebastian, who, with his family, runs Troubadour, playing some acoustic blues there, with my new friend Tommy on bass.

Above:My friend John Wick Sebastian, who, with his family, runs Troubadour, playing some acoustic blues there, with my new friend Tommy on bass.
Below: In my 'usual' seat outside Troubadour, where I can hear the music, have a drink and a smoke, and marvel at my good fortune to be able to be right there.

Wot shots.

Food Comment

Roasted cauliflower and falafel pita sandwich from Hummus Chiang Mai. This is now my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. Anywhere. And the only restaurant where I'll order the iced tea.

From Sushi Umai, the sashimi salad. This was just incredibly good; a huge portion, a good variety, and every bite delicious. 

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