Reverend Ken's Blog: #3344: January 4, 2025: Happy New Year

Post 3344

- 14 years and 4 days since I started this blog -

Travel Journal
(written January 4, 2025)

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 14 years ago I started this blog as a food journal. I had a Type-2 Diabetes diagnosis, and needed to lose weight. Initially, that's all I did here: Journal my food intake and my weight. It contributed to a loss of 20+% of my body weight in 6 months, and continuing has kept me on track since. I started adding commentary after a while, but recently it has returned to a food journal only.

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). I write about my experiences, and use it as a photo dump. And that's where we find ourselves now.

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I want to start by dedicating this episode to my brother Andy, who would have been 73 today, if he hadn't died 2-1/2 years ago.

Things are mostly the same as they've been. I've been playing pretty regularly. I even got to play a couple of gigs at a nice club (gigs are where I get to play a whole set of music. Pay is not involved - that would be illegal (I'm here on a tourist visa), and I don't ever want to take money out of the pockets of Chiang Mai's working musicians).

I've been to a few new-to-me restaurants, but have largely gone to the known-and-loved restaurants that are still around. I've been eating more vegetarian meals than usual, but that reflects my love for certain vegan restaurants. But it is definitely not a lifestyle change, I'm still omnivorous.

The hot days have returned, so most of my outings have happened in the evenings. It's high season here, and the omnipresent traffic has reached new heights - or depths - of horrendous-ness. Exacerbated by Chiang Mai's 700-year old non-grid, streets-and-alleys layout, where two-way traffic has to contend with one lane for both ways, and streets are closed off, seemingly randomly, to create pop-up markets; I have never seen it this bad.

Still, patience is its own reward. After all, when you're in traffic, you are traffic.

On to the photos:

People Pics

The Dee Band is my friend Roddy's new band. I saw them for the first time a week or so after I got back, and was really impressed - and moved. A week later, they played a gig at one of Chiang Mai's upscale malls. The gig was amazing: Big stage, great sound. It showed the band off wonderfully. Unfortunately, Roddy was coming down with something at the gig, and they've canceled their dates since. The top picture has, left to right: My friend David, bassist for the group, my friend Oliver, guitarist and top Dude, Roddy's daughter Belle, and Roddy.

In the Fred MacMurray room of Butter is Better Diner and Bakery, my favorite deil in the world right now. That's David and Rychy with me in this shot.

At the open mic at Free Bird, a very cool place, new to me this trip. At the top, jazz singer Rychy, followed by my old friend Hunter (aka Mac Tavish, also the name of his stuffed bear) performing some magic. Finally, me, with the Unknown Guitarist at my side.

Rychy at Thae Phae Gate, looking down Thae Phae Road.

Guitarist, singer, band leader, bar owner, friend, and John Wick look-a-like Sebastien in front of his club, Troubadour.

Holding down the bottom end in a jam at Lecker Bistro.

Selfies

At Downtown Garden, one of my favorite restaurants, the newest of three sister vegan restaurants I love (Reform Kafe and Goudsouls are the other two). These restaurants all serve my favorite dessert in th world: their raw brownie cake. Pic by Rychy.

Not Superman.

Mac Tavish and I. Photo by Mac's alter-ego, Hunter.

Wandering

New Year's Eve

I did New Year's Eve at Thae Phae Gate, the Times Square of Chiang Mai. Last year, the gate was turned into an electric theme park. This year, they invested in the music, with a huge stage and Chiang Mai's most famous Thai bands. It seems that that was a very well-received idea, because the Gate seemed much more crowded - that bottom picture was a cheat, taken January 1, because on New Year's Eve I couldn't get a shot of the LOVE 2025 light sculpture because of the crowds. It got so heavy, I began to find it oppressive, and didn't stay for the fireworks. I did get a decent shot of some lanterns going aloft.

Food Comment