#2017, Saturday, January 20: Wat Chedi Leung

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Wat Chedi Leung is the biggest temple in Chiang Mai's Old City. It is also hosts a daily monk chat, where novice Buddhist monks practice their English with visitors, asking and answering questions.

That was my motivation for going. To speak to someone who had given up the comfort of family and friends to walk the Path.

The monk at the table I was led to spoke English pretty clearly, but had difficulty expressing himself, and real problems with comprehension. All the other English-speakers at the table were British. My NY accent was really a problem. He never understood a thing I said - but he didn't do much better with the Brits.

One couple at the table, who were, as they put it, 'seekers', seemed frustrated with not having their questions understood. (It's never a good idea to show frustration or annoyance in Thailand - the Thai think you're embarrassing yourself). One woman, originally from Croatia, who had taught herself English when she emigrated to London, was best able to put questions to him, although she was no better than anybody else understanding the answers. From her speaking with him, we learned that he had taught himself English by watching CNN on his phone.

As commendable as I found that, it was all the information I had gleaned in twenty minutes, and it seemed like a good point in the conversation to make an exit. Which I did with a smile and a bow. I wasn't frustrated, although I was a little disappointed - that's what expectations will do.

Which gave me time to explore the grounds of the wat at my leisure.

The wat is a major attraction for tourists, locals, visiting Buddhists. But tourists (Europeans) go in a separate gate and pay a (very low) admission fee. Once inside, lost of opportunities for donations - this is an active Buddhist monastery, and Buddhist monks (here and everywhere) depend on charity to keep going.

I had paid my admission and gone straight off looking for the monk chat, now it was time to join the throng and explore the three temples united in one.

The ancient stupa, build over almost a centuries time beginning in the 14th century, was once the tallest Buddhist temple in the world. It partially collapsed in an earthquake, and many of the treasures, including the Emerald Buddha, were moved to other locations for safety.

Centuries later, three temples built around the stupa were incorporated into one, and that is how it is now.

The craftsmanship and artistry on display inside and outside can't be properly conveyed by pictures. That didn't stop me from taking gobs of shots. I cannot articulate the feeling of encountering this work, the intricate handiwork of many thousands of anonymous artisans, craftsmen and laborers. Layer upon layer of beauty, each new perspective revealing more.

I spent the rest of the afternoon there, taking some time to get in some meditation of my own, amidst the clanging of prayer bells and gongs.

Later that night, I went to an upscale "Thai-Fusion" restaurant and had my mind completely blown. Again. I will be very amazed if I ever visit any place, ever, where I can eat better than here. The only place I have ever been where good, well-prepared food was so available is New Orleans, but there is a better variety of food in Chiang Mai, much less expensive, and even more accessible.

New Orleans is still my favorite place in the US. Hell, it's my favorite place in North America. I'm going to go there for Mardi Gras in a few weeks, so things should still be fresh in my mind for comparison, but now I'm here.

The ambience, eating on the patio at Ginger and Kafe, is dreamy and comfortable. The lighting is soft. The service, beyond reproach.

My dish, whose translation is 'fresh salmon tartare, with Thai herbs and spiced sauce', is an incredible dish, where the complexity of tastes and textures blends in the mouth to create a new and different flavor, as the textures are chewed out. Since this restaurant has a reputation for a good khao soi, that is my next dish. It is good, the best of the four different ones I've tried since I got here.

The Thai carrot cake I order for dessert (with coffee - I like the coffee here) is great but a disappointment - because I don't get the Thai in it. It is just extraordinarily good carrot cake. Good eating, absolutely - but my hope for the exotic was crushed - that's what expectations do.

It was a short walk to the Marlboro, where I caught up with friends I've made here, and spent the rest of the night grateful for one more day of amazing new experiences.

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#2016, Friday, January 19: More random thoughts

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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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#2015, Thursday, January 18: Another ordinary, but great, day

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There's nothing new to report today. I got a massage, then went to Tikky Cafe. I went to The Edge open mic, and the one at the Riverside Bar. I was the only bass player at The Edge, so played for about two hours. A small percentage of that was good playing.

The Riverside was another story. I got up and played the last four numbers of the night, with very good musicians, and the crowd got very into it, Oh, yeah, and I took my first and last bass solo of the year, but I got to hang a bit with many good friends by way of compensation.

And I'm thinking, this is living. How do I know? It reminds of home.

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#2014, Tuesday, January 16: Nothing new, nothing bad

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Short and sweet today because, as I write this, I'm getting ready for Elephant Day.

And also because this was what passes for an ordinary day for me here: I ate, I played. No drama from Uber.

The day saw spent first at Tikky Cafe, where I hung for a good long time (see yesterday's post), same today. Then, I went out to dinner and to play.

This time the playing was at the North Gate Jazz Co-op, a small club I'd been to before. Tonight, the jazz was hot, and when open mic started, I was able to contribute. Everybody seemed to have a good time, the drummer on my set was fantastic, got the feel perfectly and really had a good time. An Aussie here in Chiang Mai for six years.

So, I ate I played.

I've got to catch a ride to the Elephant Sanctuary now.

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#2013, Wednesday, January 17: Elephant Day

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There wasn't time to get to Tikky Cafe after my massage, so I stepped into the nearest coffee shop, did yesterday's quick rehash, and went to the lobby to wait for my guide From Lanna Country Elephant Sanctuary to pick me up.

On the dot, my guide, Alex (he seemed to really like that I told him my son was also named Alex) showed up, put my backpack in the back of the SUV, and drove to two very swanky hotels to pick up two couples, one from Switzerland, one from San Diego.

Alex speaks good English, tells us he's never been out of Thailand. He is a good driver, Thai style: He tailgates, like everybody else, and, like everybody else, seems inured to the possible consequences. Riding shotgun, I reflect again on how this Thai attitude would be beneficial for me to get used to... while I'm in Thailand.

It's nearly a two-hour drive into the mountains to the North of Chiang Mai. Once we clear the downtown area, we hit suburbs, then countryside. there's pretty agricultural views, with the always hazy mountains in the background.

Just before we hit the mountains, the terrain turns to jungle, and that is what we'll see, more or less, the entire rest of the ride, until we get to the sanctuary. By jungle, I mean old Hollywood movie jungle back-lot jungle.

It looks familiar!

We get to the public part of the Sanctuary. It, too, looks like a clearing in the jungle, although with tourist amenities. We are led to the shower-changing area, are given traditional Lanna pants and shirts to change into.Lanna is the North Thailand regional identity - the Lanna were the rulers of the united North and South Siam, for about four hundred years, and the capital was Chiang Mai. We are also given traditional Lanna straw hats, which just look like sombreros to me.

We've been forewarned we're going to get wet and dirty and both.

A short lecture on the work of the Sanctuary association of which this is part during which, the cost of elephant care is explained. It is crazy expensive. At the end of the lecture, I make a mental note to put a contribution in the present-but-never-pointed-to donation box.

And then, we meet our elephants. There's one for each of us, although everybody immediately wants the too-cute-for-words, attention- and play-loving five-year-old baby.

These are Asian elephants, naturally. They're all smaller than African elephants, but the three bulls are still impressively massive. They're all in their late thirties. The female, who is nine months into a two-year pregnancy, takes a shine to me - she's going to be mine (although it is tacitly understood that we are not exclusive. I sing 'Billy Jean' to her. I don't think she understands, my English, but she doesn't seem to mind, either.

Each elephant has a dedicated mahout, a caretaker/companion who quite literally dedicates himself (I'm not sure there are female mahouts - there weren't any present today), and they love their charges, a good thing, since they spend all their time - eighteen hours a day, I'm told, together. I am not overstating the relationship - you can feel the love between them when they play together, and respond to each other. The communication and rapport is clearly present.

The mahouts speak no English, but communicate through example and gesture, at each step of the way, not only demonstrating the task (we're substitute mahouts for the tour), but also the attitude - pure playfulness.

Our first stop is a ,feeding station for corn and cane. We're up close, petting the elephant, talking to the elephant. This I believe, is entirely meant to get us used to the elephants - they, from what I could tell, are pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.

Next, we're going to feed them. We are taught a few Lanna-elephant words. The ones I remember are bone and howt (my English-equivalent spelling), which mean, respectively, 'trunk up, open wide' and 'Stop!'. At my age, I have to be frugal with my memory cells, so those important ones are all I retained. Two out of three ain't bad.

Next, the elephants and us are getting a mud bath. Which means, that I'm going to get in a mud hole up to my butt. With elephants. And the elephants have expectations. mainly, they expect you're there to play. Their rules. Immediately, it's elephant vs. tourist, and mahouts against everybody. Mud is slung. For my part, mud is rubbed all over my elephant.

It is not lost on me that the mud I am covered in is a certain unknown percentage elephant shit. They're big babies, they eat, shit, and play with tourists, often all at the same time. So I know. I don't care. I'm having fun like a nin-year-old, which is probably the last time I had anything fun and voluntary to do with mud.

We're all getting along well, elephants, tourists, mahouts, and then we all go into the not-mud-hole hole - I guess you might call it the swimming hole, to clean up and have more fun. This time we're armed with buckets and brushes, and our job is to get all mud off, and don't mind that both elephants and mahouts are continually splashing you.

I can't really pretend to be cool about this. It's fun. That's what this is about. Whatever else I thought when I booked this time, It isn't that. It's just simple, childish fun. I can roll with that.

Next is skin-conditioning. We're given buckets full of sweet-herb-smelling water, with some of the ingredients still floating in it, and rags, and the elephants gallop out of their bath water and allow us to paint them with this. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Tom Sawyer painting the fence type stuff, but I'm fully bought in, and now it's all fun.

Last stop of the day: Make and deliver elephant treats. This consists of combining tar-like tamarind paste with chopped up sugar cane and bananas. I use the pestle as a hammer on the knife to chop the cane, which is very tough,but provides important fiber and digestive enzymes, as does the tamarind paste. After turning the ingredients to a sticky mush, you get dirty all over again hand-shaping the treat into softball-sized snacks.

The elephants know the drill, and come galloping in. Junior comes straight up to me, playfully kisses my beard with his trunk, so he gets my snack stright in the back of his mouth (this is how we were told to feed this to them, so it doesn't fall apart on the ground when they try to chew it).

Then, its time to hit the showers and get back into dry, clean clothes. And photo review.

It is a major disappointment that, for reasons I will never know, none of the pictures taken by the guide for me with my phone are on my phone. I saw him take them, but when I go to review, there's nothing. 

Well, it's done, and nothing to do about it, I take a few selfies with my elephant, and, on the drive back, try to retell the story to myself, to imprint the memory, because that's all I have. 

And that's all right. It's enough. Things happen, even without a photo.

Later, on a tip from a friend who'd been here forty years ago, I go to a highly rated Indian restaurant, and have the best Indian food of my life, and possibly the best meal since I hit Thailand. It wasn't as inexpensive as the Thai food I've been eating (or anything else - it was the most expensive meal of the trip - around $18). I couldn't stop eating it. I thought about taking some home, that I should take it home, but couldn't stop eating. Ambiance, service. food - all first rate. Sorry, Tikky Cafe, I love you, but you just became my second favorite restaurant in Chiang Mai, at least while the memory is still fresh.

I ended the night at the Marlboro, and after a few beers was totally beat. In hindsight, the elephant trip is the single most tourist thing I've done, and seems, now, to be an outlying, atypical experience, a stand-alone event. I'm glad I did it, whatever the relevance.

I can barely get out of my clothes with tiredness, and fall asleep thinking about the joy of reclaiming a child-like joy, of the so-temporary connection I had with a remarkable animal. Nothing but gratitude for my life.

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#2012, Monday, January 15:

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The best place to begin this day is at Tikky Cafe, my adopted office, since the wi-fi in my apartment has been spotty, frustrating, and obstructive. I'm so grateful. It's much better to grab an Americano here to start the day, then do computer stuff with quick wi-fi. You can't imagine how writing this on my Thai phone would change my writing. I'd reduce this narrative to a tweet.

Breakfast, by the way, consists of an omelet (really just seasoned scrambled eggs in omelet form) and brown rice (which is seasoned and sautéed white rice).

It's immediately followed by lunch, which is me working my way through the menu here. Lunch is topped off by a fresh fruit smoothie. I write this between bites, describing the previous day's activities and current thinking.

This particular day, I'm getting together with David and Scott to rehearse for a performance at Boy Blues Bar, ground zero for my and the music scene here.

It turns out to be a thing you can do here: There is a local music store that has a few well-equipped practice studios, which you can rent for less than $7 an hour. Another good idea from Dave, who has been so helpful introducing me to this city.

The rehearsal studio is about 12x15', well-equipped, and sounds very good. The rehearsal itself is fun. I'd like to play longer, but we can only do an hour, everybody has something to do after. Everybody but me, so I go back to the Tikky Cafe and hang for a bit, editing pictures before going back to the condo.

The return to the condo is done in rush hour. This sucks for the driver, because the rush hour in Chiang Mai is as intense as in any city I've been in, and I was raised in New York, NY. The scale is different but it's bad. The route I was taking is usually ten-to-twelve minutes. This trip takes more than half an hour.

Given the anarchy on the roads that is driving in Chiang Mai, I am a little surprised, and impressed, that I haven't seen any traffic accidents at all. Not that I'm planning on driving here any time soon, but I haven't been in a situation where, on foot or in a car, I've felt unsafe. That includes dark alleys late at night, crossing the street in heavy traffic (pedestrians do not have right of way) or riding in a car amidst the pacifist, compassionate insanity that is driving in Chiang Mai .

My take-away: Thai drivers give near-misses a free pass. They don't concern themselves with what might have happened if they or someone else steered an inch the other way. It didn't happen, and it won't happen the next ten times in the next half-hour.

I find myself sympathetic. Especially since I'm just a pedestrian or a passenger. But I don't like to think about what might have been - that's a recipe for anxiety and/or depression.

Since the Boy Blues Bar is at the Night Market, I ate there. I decided on an Indian place in the market, and had garlic naan, paratha, seafood biriani, curried vegetables, and cool coconut water straight from the shell. Cost? Under $5, and it was excellent.

At Boy Blues, same pre-open mic band as the week before, doing a good job of some Pink Floyd, all the players impressive. This week, by the time they're finished, the place is packed, and they get a good round of applause, proper appreciation.

The open mic starts with a set by Boy and the house band. Boy is a highly charismatic player, and his band is tight. Some good jump blues, an R&B tune. Boy also runs the open mic smoothly, keeping everything together in his head. So he's smart and a charismatic performer.

After boy does a couple of numbers, he puts on the open mic performer, a soloist, then comes over and tells us we're next. Once we start plugging in, he tells us that because there are a lot of players and a big audience, he is going to limit each act to two songs.

I make the call which two, and we perform them and are very well-received.

I stay up and provide bass for the next few performers and that's my night right there.

After I sit back down, a few of the Thai musicians greet me, make me feel like I did well. I'm happy - the day provided a good amount of playing, and none of it wasn't fun.

I went home, and was asleep before I knew it. Another day in Chiang Mai to be grateful for.

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#2011, Sunday, January 14: Overwhelming Sunday night

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Chiang Mai is a cosmopolitan city. Lots oi international flavor here. Every day that I've been here, I've spoken with people from Europe, Australia, and other Asian countries besides local Thais.

I assume there are some people here with the kind of life issues that make them hostile, and that there are some people who are prejudiced against other people, but I haven't met them. Everyone I met has been (or seemed to me) happy to be here, and friendly. People smile when they speak with me.

Thai culture has a social norm that discourages conflict between people. Thais don't raise their voices in social situations. If you do, they are embarrassed, not for themselves, but for you. Saving face is important, and that means you don't behave badly towards others in social situations, nor do you .

I mention this because as I went out to an advertised open mic/special lunch, I felt... tested. First, my Uber driver got lost picking me up, so instead of waiting five minutes I had to wait fifteen. OK - I already know that being in any foreign country, being impatient gets you nowhere, and my own ADHD has taught me over the years to be patient whether it feels good or not. Once in the car, it doesn't matter any more how long you waited. Move on.

My driver got lost on the way to our destination, and I had to offer encouragement and navigation support to finally get dropped off at Poppa Rock, which was in a part of the city new to me. Well, I guess that's how you learn your way around.

On the other hand, these little problems with Uber and its drivers are getting old.

I had been forwarded an ad and a FaceBook page for what Poppa Rock called their "Sunday Sesh": A roast dinner beginning at Noon, an open mic beginning at 2, followed by bands from 4 to 7. Not knowing whether the place would be crowded for what seemed like a bargain special meal and a long schedule of music, I had tried to get there early in the proceedings. My goal was to get there at 12:30pm, but I got there at 1. The '12-minute' ride had taken about 50 minutes. So it goes.

I was given friendly, if not exactly prompt, service, at a table in front of the stage. Poppa Rock is a British pub and a hangout for British expats. It is run by Thai. Once I ordered (patience!) the pork roast special, price marked down to 175 Bhat Sunday only, according to the ad, .

Two o'clock rolled around and there was no sign of musicians. In fact, since I was enjoying the juke, and the meal, and I wasn't the only one waiting, I just hung out.

At around 3:30, and post-meal bears in, the first of the musicians came in. Just before the start of the set, the bass player and guitarist came in. I recognized both of them. The band started playing before I even had a chance say, "Hello." Nods of recognition were it.

It was two hours late, and I'd been charged regular price for my meal, not the discount I was expecting, but no sweat: The set was great, really interesting: a kind of swamp-rock/jazz fusion groove that was pretty effective at communicating some some rock classics, and gave plenty of time for the musicians to stretch. Then I got up and backed some more conventional classic rock. Once again, I found myself on stage with good musicians, happy to be making good music. Grateful that it turned out well.

Last week, I completely missed the Sunday Night Walking Market, mistaking it for the (regular) Night Market that happens, obvious to everyone but me, in a different place.

When I say obvious to everyone but me, I mean everyone in Chiang Mai but me. Because the Sunday Night Market is huge. And crowded. It happens on one of the main streets and extends for block after block on that street, and all the cross-streets. And it is shoulder-to-shoulder, mosh-pit packed with people. It isn't something for tourists, either, because I believe half of Chiang Mai was there, and Euro tourists were a fraction of the shoppers.

I wasn't shopping though, except as in window-shopping. I have zero extra room in my suitcase to bring anything extra back, having already exceeded capacity with the pants and shirts I bought when my luggage was delayed.

I wasn't there to shop. I was there to soak up the atmosphere, check out the unusual, the interesting, the odd, the intriguing. These I found in abundance, while threading my way through the throng. Pictures I took don't come close to doing the scene justice. There was a whole street lined with two rows of reclining chairs, and what seemed like hundreds of people getting a foot massage. The Thai are serious about massage, man.

There were many street performers. Clowns, musicians, novelty hawkers, contributing to the din. There were many temples within the bounds of the Market - I stopped at one, took off my shoes, picked out my offering (for free, not for sale) and took a moment while I thought about where I was and what I was doing. I just spent that moment checking out my own feelings and thoughts, mindful of the sounds and scents around me, and then letting go of the external stimuli for a few seconds.

Prominent among the scents was the warm smell of cooking food, the sweet smell of baked goods, food supplying the dominant aroma of the Market. So I started eating, and once I started, I couldn't stop:. A fresh pad thai for about 75 cents. A spring roll for 40 cents. A strawberry and passion fruit smoothy for under a buck. Steamed quail eggs for fifty cents. Grilled lamb satay for a buck. A water for thirty cents, khao soui with chicken (in this case, a whole chicken leg) for 2 bucks.

I needed that walk!

I arrived to find another small club where the stage took up almost half the square footage. Tiny stools and benches provided seating, and there didn't seem to be any inside, or out, where the music poured out into the warm night air freely. The same kind of seating was out on the sidewalk outside the club, at least as many as inside, and just as occupied. Standing room only, for me, until I saw my friend Dave, who had invited me, and someone near him provided a stool for me to sit close by him and Mai.

The band we were watching was playing some good progressive fusion. It was a two-guitar quartet, and they were hot. The soloists were good and the rhythm section was tight.

Then my friend Dave and his band quintet were up, backing singer Joy (I posted pictures of me and some of the same guys backing her up earlier in the week) took the stage. Joy's stage presence reminds me a lot of Janis Joplin's, in that she starts moving on the downbeat and never stops until the set is done. That was some very energetic rock'n'roll, indeed!

Again, I found the quality of the players to be very high, and when the set was over, congratulated them. I was asked when I was going to play next. That impressed me, because my style and repertoire is quite different from anything I've heard. So  it was sweet to get the approval of musicians who'd played with me or heard me perform.


I took some time to listen to another band do a set, this somewhere between the jazz of the first and rock of the second. This band, all Thai musicians, seemed to have superior instrumentalists, but the singing wasn't at the same level. I used some of the time during this set to socialize, and, along with Dave, formed a plan to rehearse some songs before my return to Boy Blues Bar's open mic tomorrow night.

I felt my day was full and complete, and headed home, grateful for the wonderful time I'm having, and tired from a day of having it.

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#2010, Saturday, January 13: About nothing

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At some point during all my previous longer trips, I have a 'down' day - a day where I don't do much, just tread water. Sometimes it's a mental health day, sometimes it comes from physical illness or injury, but it comes.

You take them when you need them and your circumstances allow.

They are days with no peaks. They are days of true recreation - a time out. Today, that was me.

Sure, I went on the $5 round-trip journey to Tikky for food, and it was great, again.

But on my return, trying to plan more things, I ran out of steam.

And accepted it.

I napped, then I wrote a while, then I napped again.

Mind you, I felt good. Whatever the opposite of depressed is, is how I felt. I just didn't feel like doing anything, didn't feel like going out.

Knowing there are things to do tomorrow, already known and anticipated, I can allow myself, forgive myself for, a day when nothing much happens.

And I can be grateful for my ease.

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#2009, Friday, January 12: Living with Uber

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Today I went back to Tikky Cafe for brunch. It was crowded, and I took the only table - outside. The person who came after me was a thirty-year-old German man named Bastion, who asked if, being as there were no other seats to be had, he could join me.

We enjoyed our food and conversed throughout - ultimately, more than two hours. We had shared some personal information, philosophy, ideas, Chiang Mai tips and a good meal. We'd Facebook-friended. Good start to the day.

There is a virtuous circle in traveling alone. It presents you with opportunities that would not otherwise come your way, while at the same time, your inclination and availability to enjoy what comes your way creates more opportunities, and so on.

Another excellent and, this time, huge meal (I was hungry, and enjoying the conversation, I kept ordering).

After, an Uber back to the apartment... let me talk about Uber for a moment.

For the most part, Uber is my greatest ally in exploring Chiang Mai. I have had some difficulty getting around in Chiang Mai due to a number of factors: Unfamiliarity, wrong-side driving, not being able to read or, in many cases, find road signs and addresses, and the big one: unaccustomed low-quality GPS.

It is uncertain I can explain where I want to go to a tuk-tuk or red truck driver. But I can just search for the name of my destination (or a nearby landmark) and go straight from there to uber, and in minutes, I'm picked up, on the way, ride paid for.

At least, that's how it should work. I'm taking about 4 Uber rides a day here, and it seems that for three of them, either the pickup or the drop-off - or both - get messed up. GPS sucks here in Chiang Mai. On my phone, I see where the GPS says I'm standing. I usually have to correct it, but once it's there, I can see it, and I can see my ride's route to get to me. And too often for coincidence, I see the ride go past me, make a wrong turn away from me, or stop coming somewhere I can't see before getting to me. I've watched them circle everywhere I'm not, and I've been canceled when they get tired of looking for me or waiting for me where I'm not. (Somehow, so far, the second car has had little difficulties finding me, though. So far).

On the other end of things, last night I was dropped off three blocks from my destination, and I would never have found it if I hadn't met up with an acquaintance going to the same place (which had I been dropped off in the right place wouldn't have been easy to find.

Mostly, Uber is the cheapest, most convenient means to get me from my slightly out-of-the-way condo to my destination. Rarely is it the quickest. Sometimes it isn't even that convenient.

It is still the best option for getting around as far as I'm concerned, so I just lower my expectations and move on.

OK, enough about Uber, right?

I picked up my laundry, and then went around to a few stores until I found one that had cigarette papers. You'd think they'd be more commonly available, as useful as they are.

My destination for the night was a club where I could hear some friends play. We'd missed each other over a few nights' attempted get-togethers, and I'd heard that they were very good musicians, and, you know, what else did I have going on?

The club was tiny, the five-piece band took up about a quarter of the space. Tiny drum kit, tiny amps and PA. Most of the clubs here supply the back line, there's no setup and tear down, and so far, the sound has been more than adequate. And with the brick and plaster walls of the place, I was reminded of some basement parties I went to in New York, back in the day. Another thing that reminded me of those days is that everybody in the band was seated.

I saw my friend Dave, but before I sat down, I wanted to get some food, and, as the club didn't serve any, I went to the Mexican restaurant next door. My smothered carnitas burrito was excellent.

Standing in the back, I had another coffee then switched to Singha. The individual players were all very good. The song selection was good - a deep track for every warhorse. My friend Scott on drums was excellent. Harry on guitar was impressive. There were occasional ensemble issues, but the arrangements of the cover songs were solid, the soloists tasty, and mostly everything came together. The audience loved it.

When they got to 'Dixie Chicken' my friend Dave took over on bass, and the rhythm section came together and kicked it up a notch.

Then I got a call, and stayed up for the last three numbers. I hadn't expected it. But I don't say 'no' to a playing opportunity. And fun was had.

And, another opportunity to see more of Chiang Mai, meet people, and have fun - taken.

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#2008, Thursday, January 11: A typical day, except

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- 7 years and 11 days since I started this blog -

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If I lived in Chiang Mai, and this was a typical day, it would be a good day.

In fact, this could have been a very good day in Syracuse. I had a massage and visited a wat. Doing that in Syracuse would make it an extraordinary day indeed, but discounting those two activities, the rest of the day could have happened at home. That, then, is the notable thing about today: It could have been a good day in Syracuse, but it happened in Chiang Mai.

If I told you in conversation (back home), that I had a good day: Had a great breakfast, went over to a friend's house and jammed a bit, met a nice guy, excellent guitarist, then had a good dinner out, then went to an open mic, got good playing time, and then to another open mic where I also got good playing time, you could be forgiven for rolling your eyes and saying, "What do you call that? Thursday?".

Because, leaving out the massage and the temple visit, that's exactly how this day went, and it is not an unheard of day in Syracuse, either.
For the tourist fraction of me, I visited a beautiful wat that was across the street from the coffee shop where I had breakfast (Thai food). The Thais have so far provided me with excellent coffee. An Americano (my preference in cafes, internationally) is the price of a main dish, under $2, although a main dish can be cheaper. But I'm batting 1.000 for good coffee. And the food and smoothie I had after were good as well.

For all the traffic in and out of the wat, this place keeps its dignity and provides a respite that is serene, majestic and focused. At least for me. Out of respect, I've decided not to take pictures of any interiors - I want to leave that little thing outside when I enter.

After, I went out to hear my friend Dave play. I got distracted, and came an hour late, and missed him - I thought it was a regular gig, but it was a benefit, and they played last.

Dave was sitting down to some food with his girlfriend, I joined them, got an Americano, and they invited me over to their house.

At his house, Dave is nicely set up with guitars and basses at the ready. He showed me some classical guitar pieces he was working on, then we jammed on a few things I can play guitar to - he showed me a better chording on 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' and we both agreed that, while the Animals version is fun to play (and much better known), the Nina Simone version ruled. We were then joined by a guitarist he plays with in a 'gypsy' band (playing Django Reinhardt-era/style music. Great guy, and turned out to be the house guitarist at one of the open mics I was invited to.

Every time I go out I meet new people, and so far, not one negative, even neutral encounter. The food I'm getting at restaurants continues to impress. I've tried a few more things and still, since the one clunker the second day here, the eating has been great.

The fact that it is the same kind of fun I have at home is a major plus for Chiang Mai, as determining its livability is the most important reason I'm here (after the cheap airfare, anyway). Even if I consider that determination preliminary.

My airBnB host, John, picked me up and drove me to the evening's first open mic. He was friends with the club owner/drummer/house band host. John speaks some Thai, so he ordered for me at the restaurant where we went to dinner, right on the Ping River (opposite bank from previously mentioned River Market Restaurant).

It was an attractive restaurant, the food and service was excellent, and I can't tell you anything about what I ate except that it was delicious, it included one of the hot-spiciest dishes I've ever eaten, and I didn't turn into a cartoon eating it. Oh, and there was karaoke, for laughs.

At the first open mic, I found my new acquaintance Daniel playing a hot jazzy ljammy-long version of Dick Dale's Miserlou, and I was very impressed. He's a really good guitarist, and the rest of the house band gave him excellent support. I got up and led a few songs on 3-string bass (Michael, the owner apologized, he hadn't realized someone had broken a strin g). Then did another Dick Dale-like hot surfing improv, after which I stayed up and backed a singer, then a guitarist.

At the next open mic, I got to back up a veteran local performer, Joy, on some classic rock standards, and then do a couple of tunes with the house band. All the musicians I played with were all very good, a couple excellent. The drummers were also solid or better. Even the vocals were well above-average.

Today's takeaway? I am a movable feast. I am the cliché: Wherever you go, there you are. It works for me. I'm having fun, and nobody's hurt!

Once again, I live in gratitude for the bounty that comes my way, so thoroughly not granted as a result of my own labors.

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#2007, Wednesday, January 10: A scene

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- 8 years and 10 days since I started this blog -

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This was never a tourist trip to Chiang Mai.

In the early '90s, thinking that there was a good chance I would come into some money from the dot-com boom, I began to think about early retirement. Now, I wasn't expecting to join the 1%, but I'd had some financial hard times and they were turning around, and I was seeing it happen for some others (I worked next to Red Hat. When they IPOed, I saw the employees dancing in the parking lot), and thought I might be in for a piece.

And I thought about moving overseas. I did some research, and made a list of the top five places I thought I could retire to and live off the dividends. Things went bust (again!) and that didn't happen, but the list, and the dream, remained.

Chiang Mai was on the list. Over the years, it has been the only place on the list that never dropped off.

While I'm here, you can bet I'll enjoy some of Chiang Mai's attractions. I'll hang with elephants for a little, I'll visit temples, I'll explore Thai cuisine, and so on. Of course I'll do that. But what this is, is round 1 of auditions for the next place I live. There aren't any places in the US that match all my needs for retirement. Syracuse is where I am, and I'm having a great time living there, but to maintain my good life, I have to have a certain modicum of health, and I have to be a driver. Changes that affect my ability to participate in the music scene would mean I need another place to live.

That's why I'm here: To get a preliminary reading on whether Chiang Mai is that place. (So far, so good).

OK: Back to today:

I got my massage, ate some food. and chilled a bit.

I went back to Tikky Cafe. I'm liking that place a lot as well. I ordered two dishes, the classic tom yum soup (with chicken) and a dish called rad naa soup. I don't know why I wanted two soups, I think maybe I didn't realize they were both soups when I ordered.

I started with a coffee, an Americano. The Thai do coffee well, and it was a good cup. Tom yum is one of Thailand's classic dishes. It is a sweet and sour soup, it is complex and was incredibly delicious. The version I had lived up to my wishes, flavor-wise, and the twist on this version was that half the ingredients were not for eating, just for seasoning - when I finished the bowl, it was half-full of inedible stuff that was included for their essence, not their 'meat'. 

But the rad naa was the star of this show.

I ordered the seafood version (shrimp, oyster meat, fish, octopus, squid, conch) and it took me back to the first time I ever had such a mix of delights, in a roadhouse on the Southern coast of Spain, almost sixty years ago. The surprise for me then was baby octopus in that Mediterranean version. The surprise this time? Lying under the surface of the soup, hidden in the broth? A 'whole' squid.

That was some incredible eating. The depth of flavor in every bite, every slurp made me smile (and reach for a napkin to wipe off the dribble that happens when you grin while you eat).  Best squid ever, I savored every bite. I put this on my short list of repeatable dishes.

I finished off with a freshly juiced mixed fruit shake - more deliciousness.

Later, I met up with my new friend David at another expat bar, Marlboro House. It's a gathering place for two somewhat distinct but mutually tolerant and respectful groups: Older expats living in Chiang Mai and the endless stream of backpackers that swing through.

It had a familiar feel, in the best way. Kind of reminded me of when I hung in Negril forty-plus years ago. And those are fond memories. But there were more musicians last night than back in Ja, and we did what musicians do when they meet and hang out: Swap stories, look for common threads, connections, laughs.

The community of musicians: Everybody brings a little seasoning to the pot.

There's rock on the juke, mostly classic. Some reggae. Some blues. The locale is exotic, the vibe is chill. Everybody's a character - the place is full of them. Everybody brings a unique history, everybody brings a common experience. The one thing you know about all the people you meet, all the friends you'll make: Whatever their past, the most important thing is that they've ended up with you and them in the same bar as you. It's worked out.

You know this kind of place - it isn't regional. It's got a neighborhood bar feel, but different, because it's not your neighborhood. It's not a place where everybody knows your name, but it feels like a place you know, a place where they do know who you are.

It's meaning to me? Chiang Mai has places I can hang. It has places that click, places to live life.

I am full of gratitude for what has come my way here, shaking my head at the tangled web of coincidences that are involved in creating every bit of 'Now'. Tomorrow: More music!

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#2006, Tuesday, January 9: Random thoughts

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

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Random impressions today:

• I found a lovely restaurant, and will be going back often. Tikky Cafe is pretty, comfortable, has a large Thai menu, makes fresh fruit smoothies, has a complete coffee bar, and is inexpensive. I had a cappuccino, pad thai pork, omelet over brown rice (a side dish that turns out to be pretty common) and a mango shake, for less than five bucks American, and every single thing was delicious.


• Something about the weather here - it has been in the high 70s to mid-80s the entire trip, with varying humidity - which is on the warm side of comfortable, and where the lightest clothes I have are too much - has transformed me into a beer drinker. Since I got here, I've spent more on beer than food (at least partly because the food is relatively cheaper, but mostly because I drink more often than I eat). Popular local brew Singha is my choice.
  
  In nearly all situations where I'm not tired and there's no precipitation, I'm a walker. This is nothing new for me. But on this trip, it at least partly fulfills my desire for holistic tourism - walking aimlessly, getting lost, taking in my surroundings without expectations or time pressure. Smelling the roses, if you will. Here in Chiang Mai, there are so many surprising details and scenes you'd miss otherwise.


• I was walking along a wide boulevard with heavy traffic for a while tonight. There were quite a few large office buildings, of varying architecture and modernity, but not of scale, these were all big buildings. In front of some clustered together buildings I heard a sound I couldn't identify. It was louder than the traffic, including the ubiquitous noisy cycles and scooters. I quickly realized it was the sounds of thousands of birds chirping. Interestingly, it sounded just like my tinnitus, but a thousand times louder.


• You're not getting the whole story in these posts - I need to save some things for face-to-face story-telling. And some things as a matter of discretion. The better you know me, the less need you have for the missing details. You also know that you'll hear about them at length (excruciating length) if you show any interest. Possibly even if you don't.


• I have always said, some of the best things that have ever happened to me (and nearly everything since I got to Syracuse) have happened directly or indirectly because of open mics and jam sessions I go to. It's obviously one reason I'm the bass whore I am. Nothing's changed on this trip. The open mic that I went to last night at Boy Blues Bar has opened some doors, with new friends. In particular, tonight, one of them reached out and created another playing opportunity, but more than that, he gave me the best orientation/introduction to Chiang Mai I could ask for. Of course, he's a bass player (and a damn good one). He's an American expat, been here for years, and this man, who was unknown to me a day ago, feels like someone I've known forever. We swapped stories, philosophies all night, and he imparted an abundance of info and advice in the course of the evening. All with good humor.
  
  The best part may have been when we were talking about music. Time after time, I heard him express an opinion much like my thoughts on a thing. Where there were differences, they amounted to stylistic, not substantive ones. I came away thinking of him as a kindred soul, a member of my tribe.


• I had another great massage at the beginning of the day.


• My new friend had invited me to meet him at a bar, an expat hangout. There were some acoustic guitars, a mandolin, and a bass hanging on the wall, and a small PA there and microphone on a table stand. People have jams that are kind of like front-porch sessions, someone picking a song, two or three others playing along. Skill level is all over the map, but what you get is the friendliness, the social part of people making music together, and some musicians don't play, but go for the social scene. That's the part I liked.
  
  However, in the middle of my evening, there was a transformation. Apparently there's a Thai musician who comes by who takes over the informal session, and, songbooks out, he runs the show from then on. And from that point on, things largely turned to shit, with soul-less versions of crowd favorites. But really, what's left of 'Got My Mojo Working' when you subtract the feeling, the grit, the soul of it? Nothing I ever want to hear again.


• Sometimes, when the word 'Jam' is used on the ad, it's not a description of the activity in the bar, it's part of the band's name. That's what I found out at the Rasta Cafe last night. I didn't stay to hear the band, because of the previously mentioned invitation to meet a friend elsewhere. But, soon come.


• I will never be a driver of anything in Chiang Mai. The roads and cars are English-style - steering wheel on the right side, driving on the left. And the traffic patterns are insane - New Jersey looks positively driver-friendly by comparison, and New Jersey was always my standard for the least driver-friendly state. And the common driving style seems the opposite of the typical Thai personality: Very aggressive. I have seen drivers on scooters pass on the wrong side by driving on sidewalks, and I have seen drivers move through traffic barely missing another car moving through traffic barely missing another car... It's crazy out there - too much for me. One of my check-list things for my post-retirement life (and one of the reasons at some point I'll be leaving Syracuse) is to not have to drive. Ever. Chiang Mai? Check!


• Speaking of which, I got a real sense of achievement today when I was able to cross a busy street on my own, without tagging behind a Thai person to block for me.

What a day! So much fun, so much delight. I'm still a stranger in a strange land, but ever so grateful that the Universe is taking care of me, letting me concentrate on the what instead of worrying about the how.

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#2005, Monday, January 8: The Chiang Mai Debut

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- 7 years and 8 days since I started this blog -

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One of the surprises on this trip happened at the outset. On a fifteen hour flight that lasted sixteen hours, China Southern Air served four meals plus snacks, and the food was surprisingly good (and entertaining - at one meal, when I opted for hamburger, I unwrapped what turned out to be a hot dumpling filled with meat in a sweet and sour tomato sauce - weirdly delicious, and a reminder to check your expectations at the door).

Until today, every bite of food that I've eaten has been, at a minimum, good. But breakfast today was another story, as a local coffee shop gave me food that was both overcooked (rubber shrimp, anyone?) and cold. Oh, well, there was some protein, and it did me no harm.

On one side of the entrance to the Riverside Condo where I'm staying is the Holiday Inn Chiang Mai. On the other is a row of stores on the corner of which, facing the condo entrance, is a massage shop, with floor to ceiling windows looking out at the driveway on one side, the street on the other. I pass it every time I go in or out.

A few days ago, I thought I'd try a foot massage, but punked out. My feet are gnarly, with broken and thick toenails, and very sensitive, along with some diabetic nerve pain, and I couldn't face an hour of someone's manipulating them. Then yesterday I had a very pleasant full-body Thai massage in the Old City that began with putting a washcloth on my feet, and it tickled, not in a good way - I spasmed involuntarily. The masseuse and I laughed it off, but only because she stopped.

Today I decided to give this ultra-convenient place at my doorstep a try for another Thai massage, and all I can say is, "Wow!". After being led upstairs (the windowed first floor being all chairs for foot massages) to a very large room filled with about a dozen massage beds (Thai massages apparently all take place on the floor), I was given the loose-fitting, lightweight shirt and pants to change into, and a two-bed area was curtained off for me to change in.

My masseuse was brought in: She was older than the last one, and more muscular, and that turned out to be an advantage as she proceeded to give me the best massage I have ever had. For seven bucks. Thirty yards from my apartment.

As my friend John (channeling Jed Clampett) says, "Wee, doggies!". I made an appointment for tomorrow.

I went back to my apartment to relax for a bit, and set a course for the rest of the day. Instead, I fell asleep.

I've been up at 4am every day, and, along with the excitement of events and a twelve-hour time difference, my sleep cycle is just trashed. I'm not going to fight it. I am water.

Once I woke up, I decided to go to Boy Blues Bar. Boy is the owner, guitarist and performer extraordinaire, and the club is one of the most popular music venues in Chiang Mai. I also found out that the name is misleading in that it is more rock-oriented than blues, although everything is fair game. That last is completely unimportant. My thought? Musicians. Musicians will be there. Being among musicians is like being home for me.

None of my looking around revealed a start time, but the bar opened at 5, and closed at Midnight (that's a thing in Chiang Mai - all the bars are supposed to close then, and most do). Assuming the open mic ended then, I figured if I got there at 7, or before, I would have plenty of time to sign up and see if I could borrow a bass or guitar.

The bar is located in the Kalare Night Market, the center of the sprawling Night Market I had been to the night before. It is on the roof of a building, open to the high roof above the bazaar. I went early because a number of comments indicated it wasn't especially easy to find (one said, just follow the music).

My massage experience had left me feeling optimistic, and I dialed up an Uber to take me to the Market and got my second pleasant surprise of the day: Uber was now accepting my credit card. A nod from the friendly (lucky) Universe: One last little obstacle in the rear-view.

The Uber delivered me to the Kahane Night Market at around 7pm, and I spotted a sign with an arrow pointing to the club. I found it quickly, but as I was checking out the blackboard at the entrance, announcing an opening band, 'Moonlight' at 8:15 and the Open Mic at 9:45, a couple of young guys dressed in black asked me if I was interested, to come back then. I asked if they were in the band, they said no, they worked at the club, I should come back at 8 to make sure I got a sit. I said, perfect, I have time to catch some dinner.

Which is when I found a whole, huge section of the Night Market, possibly the central one, that I had missed the night before. And this was much better, with more food(!), more curiosities, live music on a stage surrounded by food stalls, and a number of previously-mentioned food stalls.

I decided on a dinner combo of sweet and sour shrimp soup, which looked to have lots of vegetables, and an omelet over sticky rice, from a Halal food stall. A total win. I was served a huge (and I know huge) bowl of soup, and the complexity of the taste only added depth to the goodness. The omelet was more subtle, finely chopped vegetables and herbs in the scramble - it went well with the soup, all for about $4.50, including live music and a view of farang women (at least, right at this time) having their tootsies nibbled by small fish. Still shaking my head that that's a thing.

At 8, I went up the stairs to find a small club open on all sides, with a small stage ringed with tiny, child-size chairs and tables (the better not to block the view of the stage. I also noticed that except for four people at the small bar, the place was completely empty. One woman at the bar, whose function I couldn't determine, was studiously putting on makeup. I asked one of the guys I'd spoken to earlier who to talk with about playing in the open mic, he just said, "Him," and pointed to Boy's face on a T-shirt ($10, and yes, I'm going to get one).

But Boy wasn't there yet. Customers were starting to come in, and the band's personnel dribbled in one at a time: bass player first, then guitarist, then lead singer, then keyboard player, and finally, the drummer. A steady stream of customers, started arriving, and by the time the band started their set, with a good, well-played (and interesting) version of 'Little Wing', the place was busy. An hour-and-a-half later, when they finished and all the open mic people and their friends were in the audience, it was packed.

The open mic didn't have a sign-up sheet, you spoke with Boy, he told you approximately where in the order you'd be, who you'd be playing after, and everybody jammed, as in, no solo performers. The house band, a quartet with two guitarists, was very good. I got an early spot.

The house bass player showed no reticence at all in letting me use his bass, which earned him a drink on me. My set went over very well; I picked songs everybody in Syracuse has heard me perform a thousand times before, but were fresh to this audience, who were very receptive. My backing, by the house band, was spot on. Everybody seemed to have a good time, and. I was asked to play another song. It is not boasting to say my set was good and enjoyed by everybody, and got an enthusiastic response, if it's true.

The musicians warmed up to me and I started getting introduced around. Although the regulars were too cautious to risk their set on an unknown quantity (there were three bass players beside myself, all of whom were regulars). All the bass players asked me to go up and play again), and I felt welcome.

I was told about other places that had open mics, and one of the bass players, Paul, got me to commit to going to an open mic he's house bass at, promising me plenty of playing time.

It was a really good night. In the course of which, thanks to politeness as much as anything else, this non-beer drinker discovered that Singha beer goes down easy.

The adventure rolls on. So grateful.

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