Learning Thai

 

It’s now been a week since I started going to the language school and so far it’s going pretty good. Initially, I was looking at attending another school on the east side of town, but it was about a 50 minute walk and classes were five days a week for two hours a day.  Committing to that sort of schedule would not leave me too much time for studying and doing the other activities that I enjoy on a daily basis. So now I am going to the YMCA Thai language school; it’s just a 35 minute walk and is only 3 days a week for two hours a day. The class room is on the third floor of an older building. Inside the classroom are long rectangular white tables, that are reminiscent of my old high school science class. However, these tables have a constant flow of air, created from standard oscillating fans that are attached in the ceiling,  blowing down upon them. The windows are left open to let the warm wet air from the humid world outside in to a circular flow created by the caged blades above. Primarily the class is attended by Koreans and a couple of Japanese, I am one of two Americans and there is one older guy from New England in there with us. We are a motley group to say the least but the diversity of nationalities is enjoyable and I am getting along well with the others who are want to try to get at least a semblance of understanding of this most difficult of languages. Currently we are learning about 40 words a day; first we started with nouns, then verbs, and now adjectives. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a few numbers to this key of a most perplexing puzzle of a language. Just the other day, I was able to make out a full, all be it very short, conversation with the person serving me my plate of rice and tasty morsels of flavor. That was a nice night.

As well as going to class 3 times a week, I have had the fortune of having made friends with the host/receptionist from the bed and breakfast that I initially stayed at upon my arrival here in Chiang Mai. She has been an immense help in teaching me the subtleties of her native language, such as, when to raise the pitch, lower the pitch, and so on and such. Her name is Sai and she has been studying English for a little over 10 years now. In addition to working at the bed and breakfast, Sai creates subtitles, translating English movies to Thai script and she has also been a tutor to Thais pursuing the acquisition of the English language.  Honestly, I don’t think that I could have lucked out any more than I have when it comes to having such a great tutor and at no monetary cost. In exchange for her help, I am assisting her with getting a better grasp of the subtleties of the English language. So far it has been great fun as well as a great deal of study in trying to understand this unique and wonderful language. During the short span of time that I have in this country, I think that it will be next to impossible to attain even a small percentage of cognizance of the language. And that’s fine; it is just wonderful gaining even a smidgen of understanding of something that seemed almost unattainable a year ago. Most of all it’s just nice to retain the awareness that during all days of our lives we may set a point in the distant horizon to arrive at; and in knowing that it is the steps we take along our journey towards this end in the far-flung enigmatic future, we will care for most in the memories of our internal stories and not the mark we have set.

Enjoy your day.

The $1.70 haircut

 

This hair of mine was starting to get to the shaggy stage of its growth pattern and the time had come to get a little trim. Of course I had a bit of trepidation when thinking about getting my haircut by someone who I wouldn’t be able to explain the amount to take off, the way to blend it from short to long, to please – whatever you do – do not give me an 80’s hair line dividing the land of the shaved from the land of growth. All in all, I just figured I would take whatever the man gave me and hope for the best.  Vanity has never really been too much of an issue with me and I figured the worst thing that could happen is I just get a full head shave and mingle with the monk crowd. After the little bit of contemplation, off I went to get my first haircut in Chiang Mai. When I walked into the small store front, I kicked  my shoes off at the door and took a seat in the antique barber chair. This older gentlemen had a big grin and we both started laughing together. I thought we were laughing about the fact that I had no way to explain and he had no way to understand what it was that I wanted done. Short on the sides and longer on top, is all that I could get out in Thai. Actually it was more me pointing at the sides and saying short, then pointing at the top saying long, then there was this circular motion with my hand around my head as I tried to say blend in Thai. Honestly, I think he knew how he was going to cut my hair once I stepped in and took a seat. That is probably what he was laughing about when I thought we were on the same wave length. This guy was old school and I imagine that he has probably been doing the same style haircut for 40 plus years. So, like a turkey going down the processing line to its eminent demise, I was put through the predetermined stages of his assembly line of hair slaughter. This barber gave me a perfect view to this hair massacre by first placing a large mirror in front of the chair that I was sitting, as well as placing another mirror just behind and above the old barber chair. There were no restraints tying me down or any thing obtrusive that prevented me from speaking but it sure felt as if these items were in place. All I could do was watch, smile, and chuckle from time to time as the clippers were laid flush to my flesh and as they sliced through to the pale skin that lay beneath this long uncut area of my head. From time to time I did say dee… dee, good… good. Taklong… ok… taklong… ok. He just smiled and waved his hands, I guess to suggest just a little more.. just a little more, really, I thought. What really made me think that he had planned on making me as clean cut as possible from the beginning, was when, towards the end of the cut, he threw down a little talc on my neck and around my ears. Then he pulled out the razor and made sure that the skin was left completely bare above my ears and at the nap of my neck, and then… get this, he makes as if to cut the last little bastion of hair from my face, he was going for that little tuft beneath my lip. I gave a little laugh as I pushed the hand with the razor away. The barber man laughed a bit as well but I think he was a little disappointed in not getting that last little bit. Now that he had finished with the cut, he brushed off the talc and pretty much all of my hair; I gave him 50 baht and left this little hair shop of horrors thinking that at least I will not have to get another haircut for a good while. Hopefully I learn enough Thai by the next hair trim to say that I would prefer to steer clear of military and monk cuts. 

 Hope your haircuts are faring better than mine.

An evening stroll

 

      Saturday is just now ending as I write this day’s such and such. It really is such an amazing thing when time becomes irrelevant. My day started with just one thing on my list of things to do; I needed to get enrolled in a language program. Initially, I had planned on getting this language learning thing going earlier, but all of the programs that I looked into have already begun their sessions or were just too damn far away from my place of residence to be worth the walk. Trying to get some information via the web, I found to be difficult. After emailing this one location, that I am most interested into going to, 3 times and getting no reply; I decided to take a walk to the physical location of the aforementioned school. I thought maybe communicating using the techniques of primitive man would afford me some idea as to when the hell this language course would begin their lessons. The walk to the school is only about a thirty minute walk and the office does not open until nine in the morning. So, after throwing myself from the sanctuary of my comfy little bed and doing the morning custom, I put one foot in front of the other at around 8:30AM and shut the door behind me. Next, I stopped at my breakfast place, where I chatted for a bit with my two favorite morning ladies – I will need to get some pics of these wonderful women for my next post - , there smiles and demeanor inspire me to move forward with each day. They and the tasty meal get my day started in a good way. Upon finishing my meal I went on to the school. It looks to be about a 30 minute walk to get to class, which is not too bad and I can always get my breakfast on the way. The only issue with the class is the fact that they began instruction on Monday the 14^th of November. The fucks, I emailed them well before this 14^th start day and it sure would have been nice to hear back from them and to be included in the classes from the get go. So be it, I guess I should have made this walk at an earlier time. They have said that I may slide on into the second week of the already begun course and they will still charge me for the entire course – nice to know that I will be paying for a five week course but will only be attending 4 of those weeks. Another option is to wait until January the 9^th to begin classes. “Fuck it dude, let’s go bowling” – “The Big Lebowski”- , is how I respond to this. It will be nice to get started on the classes even if I’m a week behind and I suppose that in January I will move on to the next level of the Thai course. It’s really not that much money and so I’m not too put off by paying for the five weeks. The cost is right round $60 for the entire course and books. Well I’m not sure what the hell I did during the day, but it ended up being about a four hour walk by the time I got home. Once I got back, I had a little lunch, worked on guitar for 2 hours – I still suck even with all my darn practice -, and then did a little reading.

            Once the day began to loose its sharpness and drift into the slow fade to night. I felt the need to get back out into the activity of the town. The great thing about tonight is that it’s Saturday night and every Saturday night the city has a huge night market set up in the old silver district. I am not sure of the significance or of the history of this “Old Silver District” but there was an effort to list this nomenclature on the site that I was reading, so I feel the need to list it as well. At 6:10 PM, I walked out my door and headed to the market. After about a 45 minute walk, I found myself in the midst of a huge street market. Shopping is really not something that I really get too into, especially street markets. The food is different here and these markets have been around for hundreds of years but all in all it was reminiscent of walking up and down the aisles of a flea market. The best thing about the market was simply watching all of the people, and there were a ton of people to watch. There were street performers, food and mercantile vendors, locals, and a good number of tourists to spy upon. Initially, I planned on walking down the entire line of vendors and on the way back through, maybe I would stop to buy something. Hell, after walking about a mile through a wall of people, I decided it best to just take my exit and find a place that would serve me a nice cold glass of fermented hops. All in all, I walked the night streets for a little over 3 hours and never did I find a bar that felt like it would suit my need to simply relax and enjoy my beverage. Most of the bars that I saw on the east side of town were just swimming with white faces that ranged from the scruffy hippie type to blotchy old perverted fat man type. It’s funny how this whole east side of the old town is like a Caribbean cruise line’s port of call. The whole feel was much like a Tijuana vacation and I didn’t want any part of this area of town during the night. There was one good thing about walking through this area at night, it was damn great for peeping at all these different types of people and their interactions. People watching is something that I love to do; it’s one of the only things that I enjoy about being at an international airport, and it was really the only thing to enjoy on this side of town. So, I was somewhat let down that serendipity didn’t step in and guide me with her sweet hand into some sort of unique and wonderful occurrence. Either way, it was a nice 3 hour walk around this little big town of mine and I wasn’t too let down. I stopped off at a nearby grocer as I neared my little place, grabbed a few beers, and then went on home to watch a movie to close out the evening. That “Beginners” movie was a damn fine show, thanks Morgan for the suggestion.

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Just an average day

            The first couple of weeks here in Chiang Mai were loaded with a ton of things to accomplish as well as many activities to take part in. That is why this week was such a great week for me. This is the first week that I really got into a nice routine. Before I go into this weekly routine of mine I should first say that a friend of mine gave me some advice about keeping up with a Blog. In order to keep it active, it’s important to update it often, he said. Even if the updates are short little stories or just a few pics uploaded from the day’s events. And so per this bit of advice, I am just going to give a quick run down of my day.

            It’s a funny thing when the day is yours and you are beholding to no other entities schedules or expectations. Knowing that the day is fully mine has given me a new perspective on the direction in which the day will take me. Now I find that the morning of every day has me excited in expectation of the day’s events. My eyes open and I am instantly awake and ready to get my day started at 6:30 in the morn. It is my day, the to and froes, the times and places, the meals the happenings, it is all up to me. Yes… yes, I am aware that this bliss is fleeting; that sooner or later there will be entanglements, obligations, individuals and responsibilities that will factor into the way the days will unfold. And this will be just fine; melding my schedule with those of others is something that I have been doing for my entire life and is something that I do not have a problem with. However, I do have this momentary release from that paradigm of obligation and I am enjoying the reprieve immensely.  With the disadvantages of being a stranger in a strange land there are also many advantages that I am just now beginning to recognize. Since my grasp of the language here is just below rudimentary at best the local populace does not expect me to engage in any sort of small talk or basic niceties. Negating these basic interactions frees up a ton of time as well as allows me to avoid the internal dialogue that invariably appears when I am put into these elevator - small inescapable – scenarios, in which I am constantly wishing the interaction would just end. Think about how nice it would be to go through the entire day knowing that you are not going to run into another person that will just simply occupy your time with a bunch of  and then … and then … and then. Oh, to not be in the bondage of obliged conversation is serenity that in itself makes this excursion to the other side of the world so very worthwhile.

            OK... OK, I digress; I fall into unnecessary diatribes at times, so now I will move onto the day’s activities. I was just writing down the day’s events, starting with what time I awoke and the mornings such and such and I found that it was necessary to go back and delete all of that detail, no one wants to hear my and then… and then. Here is a short summary of the day; today, I take a 20 minute walk in the AM to a little place located in the old town square, where a nice lady makes me the best Koa Tom, she serves it with coffee, some sort of tang like drink and water. After breakfast, I walk the 20 minutes back to my place and pick up my golf clubs. Then I head off to the double decked driving range that has automatic ball dispensers, as well as people to assist with food, drink, or whatever else one may require. The place is pretty much like a heaven to me. It’s a 30 minute walk for me to get to the driving range/golf course. All of this walking is about the only exercise that I’ve been getting as of late but I think I will start doing some standard calisthenics in the mornings. For the umpteenth time, I have quit smoking and so far it seems to be going well. Its day four and I haven’t really been too tempted to start up again. Just so long as I can avoid the damn bar for the next few weeks, I think I should be fine.  So, nothing too spectacular to give you in this little update but not every day can be filled with over the top experiences. Appreciating the mundane is something that I have no problem in doing. I love routine and I find it’s enjoyable to take pleasure in the everyday happenings. Sure it’s a cliche to say something like “be in the moment” in a country that is 90% Buddhist, so be it; I love cliches I suppose.

Enjoy your day, I’m enjoying mine. 

Loi Krathong night

Here is a link that explains what the festival is all about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong

            Honestly I didn’t think that I would be getting into too much for this festival. Sure it was enticing to look out the window and see thousands upon thousands of little flames floating in the sky and to hear the sounds of fireworks going off every split second. But, since I didn’t have any access to the internet at my place in which to guide me to the events happening around town, and due to my contentment with just taking it easy at the homestead; I was pretty unmotivated to get out into the throng of crowds that were milling about. Then I get a call from my buddy Bo who was having a small party at her place with her family and a couple of friends. She offered to pick me up and since I really did not have too terribly much going on, I accepted the invitation.

            Once I stepped outside to wait for my ride, I lit up a cigarette and began to take all the sights in. It was as if I were in the middle of war zone that had been set into slow motion. Tracers seemed to be shooting across the sky but it was as if there movement had been frozen, not quite frozen though, more like they were there in existence between progress and stagnation, just gradually floating up. The sky was illuminated by thousands of these small red dots which were slowly fluttering rather than shooting across the sky. A bright full reddish hued moon served as the beacon for these flickering fire flies in the night. In addition to the floating lanterns, there were rockets splitting the night in luminous streaks of color. With the light show there was the constant concussive sounds created by the masses setting off far too readily available fireworks. It was an impossible sight to describe really. Along the streets, candles had been laid in front of all of the homes and shops. The candles that were lined down the pathways of every chosen direction were putting off a radiance, which mixed with the lingering smoke in the streets to create a very spooky kind of walkway. All in all, it was a surreal scene that I found myself in.  As I finished my second cigarette my ride pulled up.

            At round eight or nine we arrived at Bo’s place. I was then introduced to a few more of Bo’s wonderful family and given a beverage as well some deliciously spiced meat. This was more of a pre-party, I later found out, for a big shindig that goes down by an old bridge. We stayed at Bo’s for a bit and did a little dancing, which gave me a chance to show off a few old school break dancing moves – hard to believe I’m still able to pull any of these moves off at my forty years of age. We had a few more drinks, shot off several fireworks and then we all piled into an Uncles truck and headed to the big party. Man, once we got to the bridge we were engulfed by a mob of people who were releasing little floating offerings into the river, releasing lanterns in the sky and setting off a ton of explosives. A Ferris wheel could be seen on the banks of the river carrying revelers in circles, carnival games were being played and a band was on the stage singing out Thai words whose meanings were just abstract expressions to my ears. There were beautiful ladies bringing large cylinders of beer which included a nice pour tap for self regulation at the table, as well as bottles of whisky. Our table had three of these towering vessels of Chang beer and of course there were several different dishes of food laid out on the table. Unfortunately the batteries for my camera finally died and I was unable to get any pictures of this large party by the shore. The battery thing was a letdown, but what are you going to do. Along the way to the tables, my compatriots were accosted by the police when they were caught shooting some sort of mortar type device off of the bridge. My sense of survival kicked in when the cops showed up, I stealthy blended into the crowd and slowly I put a fair amount of distance between the altercation and myself. The funny thing was that my two friends were just sitting there antagonizing these poor overworked cops by going back and forth with them and not just choosing to walk away. Oh well, if for some reason they gain some sort of thrill from poking a stick in the cage of the beast, then more power to them; my choice was to simply keep clear. Later, there were some very interesting people that joined us at our table. One guy I met spoke Thai, English and Japanese. He had just gotten back from Japan and was now in Chiang Mai in order to open a Japanese restaurant. This guy served as a great translator for me and the rest of the group. It was finally nice to have an opportunity to better communicate with these so very hospitable persons seated at the table.   

            We finally checked out from that place at around 3AM and I got into my bed at about 3:30 in the AM. Once again, the locals here have showed me a wonderful time and allowed me to share in a genuine local experience. And for this I am extremely thankful, however, since that Friday night I have also been very happy to just take it easy, strolling around my little area and just taking it easy.

Hope you are all taking it easy as well. Take care.

A day in the Mountains

 

On this morning I awoke just a little groggy and worn from wear. I was up and excited to finally head out into a few of the encroaching mountains. The pick up time was set for 9AM at my place; when the time was initially agreed upon the night before, I didn’t really think it would be followed through. But to their word, Bo and Goff were both at the door of the condo at 9 sharp. Glassy red eyes were the first thing that caught my eye once I was seated, then the smell of that brown liquid from the night before permeated from the pores of Goff as he took the wheel and led us down the morning street, he had gotten his way to sleep around 3AM the night before.

            We arrived in the small town just outside of Chiang Mai a little before 10 AM. First we made a quick stop at a roadside restaurant on the way, that I was told specialized in duck. We grabbed a bite of breakfast prior to making it to our set starting point. The breakfast was some sort of spicy duck soup with noodles that cost eighty five Baht for the three of us. I picked up the three dollar tab and this is pretty much all that I was allowed to pay for. Several times I offered to pay for gas or a nice meal but they just weren’t having it. Well, when we got into the city of Bo’s mother and father all of the major players from the night before were waiting with a little pick up truck to load us up and head on out of town. Packed for the trip was a cooler with some just fried up Thai chicken, sticky rice, a few various finger foods, a good amount of ice, soda water, and of course several bottles of whiskey and rum. There must be something in the DNA or physical make up of Thai people that, like fish using gills to breathe underwater, allows them to put away so much drink. In the back of the truck there were four of us and in the cab another four. Another four would be meeting up with us at a little restaurant in the mountains later in the afternoon. As we drove out of town through the rice fields and farm lands of the Thailand country side, I found myself entranced by the by the never ending postcard images that were now a live tapestry passing before me. Choosing to ride in the back of the truck turned out to be a great way to head into the mountains.

            Temperature in the City of Chiang Mai has been pretty warm with a fair touch of humidity clinging onto the brow. However, here in these mountains, the elevated air does a wonderful job in battling back that hot dank atmosphere from the lower depths. Still, in no way was this breeze chilly or cool, it was just only better than down below. As we climbed to the top of the mountain there was a much more noticeable change in temperature but that will come later in this story. Now if you know me, you probably know that I love waterfalls and that I have really been looking forward to getting out of the City to snuggle up to a few. So, it was very nice when we finally arrived at the park, which is located right about in the middle elevation of the mountain. By now I was ready to get out of the truck and go for a nice little walk through the jungles of Thailand, as well as to check out the flowing streams and falls I had been anticipating for such a long while. It did cross my mind to pack a swimsuit for the trip out to the falls, but then I thought I would be on another person's schedule while out in it, and so, the trunks were left behind. Next time I head out to the falls I will rent a bike and set a little longer stay at the falls. Then I will be sure to bring some swimming attire for the day. So for now, we just did a fair amount of walking; we also made sure to stop and take moments. Moments to allow our ears a chance to hear the wonderful sound water makes as it cascades and tumbles over and through stones that have acquiesced for  Millennia. We walked across rickety bridges and walkways that lead us from one fall to another and through all types of flora and fauna. Bamboo shot out in all directions from various patches throughout the enveloped forest floor; all types of plants, flowers, butterflies, some big ole spiders and even a meandering snake was seen pushing through the thickly laden grass edge of our path. After about an hour of making our way from one waterfall to another, the group was pretty much done. If I had been there on my own, I am sure that I would have just found a nice spot to sit and read a bit; a spot that would have just given me enough shade, a few fine sprays of mist floating from the falls, as well as where I could take in the wonderful smells created by this diverse ecosystem. But alas, we were now all climbing back into the truck and heading to higher elevations.

            About twenty minutes later the truck was pulling into a small gravel parking strip located next to a creek and waterfall. This waterfall differed from the others due to the presence of a medium sized outdoor cafe, which was located right up and over the falling edge of the falls. The eatery was linked from one side of the creek to the other by a little bamboo walkway that crossed the space of water and was looking a little precarious. There was a nice little hut type structure that hung out over the waterfall and stream, in which a table and two long wooden benches were placed, we all took a seat. In the next moment there was a bucket of ice, soda water and a bottle of whiskey that had been pulled from the bag of provisions. After pouring a few glasses for the group, Aamon ordered several types of dishes for the table to munch on. First a big fish, that still retained it’s head and tail, was brought out, then some large mushroomed bunt cake like container that held in it, a mixture of veggies, various spices, coconut milk, and  seafood was brought out with a flame burning  beneath to keep it nice and warm. Then there was some of this, some of that and then some more of this. All I know is, we had ourselves a lot of food to eat and what a perfect place to spend the time gorging on some very fine morsels of yummy. The part of the bench that I was calling home for the moment was set right up to the edge of this open little hut, right there, where the little shaded room was suspended over the falls. I was able to look over the edge and take in all the palpable flavors of the food, the drink, and this beautiful scene. It’s funny to me, how there are so many moments that seem to pass by so slowly due to a lack of activity. Yet, in this case the slow tranquility of the moment was something that I just wanted to secure and hold onto. This sensation was a feeling that I knew would be ending. And being aware of the inevitable conclusion of this moment made the instant quicken and become fleeting. Soon we were joined by the four others from the group who drove up to meet us at this little place on the water. After spending about an hour and half on the bench in the shade, and after leisurely taking in the sustenance that lay before me and having just two, almost all soda and finite parts of whiskey, I was loading up once again with the others and heading on up.

            On our ride up we stopped at a small road side gazebo to take in the vista. Laid out in the distance was a great span of heavily vegetated mountains that seemed to just continue on into an endless abyss. Like the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, the humidity of these mountains blanketed heavily over the vegetation and remained nearer to the soil than the sky. At the vista, some of that fried chicken, sticky rice and few other items were pulled out to chew on. So, we stayed at the look out for a moment and had a little impromptu picnic. After the picnic we headed from the overlook on up to this little town where one of those in the group had a home, a school and small grocery store. The ride to the town was filled with beautiful sites, of vistas, plants, flowers and with each mile we put behind us, you could feel the air cool just a bit more. Once we arrived to the town, I was amazed by the abject poverty that was all around me. In the middle of all of this beautiful nature, was this town that looks as if it were plucked from the middle ages. Waste water drains openly down the sides of the streets, the homes are made of bamboo and random strips of wood; there are gaping spaces in the wall that allow for the ventilation of air from outside to cool the home during the day and also to assist with the ventilation of smoke during the evening from the cooking fires inside the home. These individuals, who have been hosting me on this tour of the country side and to so many other adventures; all do a great deal of charitable work for this town, as well as few other causes and groups. They have built a school house for the town as well as provided clothing, food, education and essentials necessities. There is a working farm located here that brings in an income and that also helps to feed this rural community. Seeing this kind of poverty certainly does give me a moment of pause and an appreciation for the things that I have as well as for the comforts that an industrialized society brings. But along with this, the town showed me more than just poverty; it also gave me the perspective of seeing some amazing human interaction. On the side of the road there were around five to seven children, ranging in ages from 5-9; who were at the busy, grabbing onto a vine that was hanging over the road. They were utilizing this vine to swing from a height of about 6 feet up and across a stretch of dirt road and then back again. All were smiling and laughing as they risked life and limb without a care, it was crazy. Also, I saw many of the locals chatting, smiling and laughing with one another as they went through the chores of the day. The leader of the town joined us on the front porch at one of the home/education centers in the town and shared several beverages and conversation with us all. Well, in my case I was just doing a lot of listening, but still, it was a nice place to sit and listen to friends chat with each other.  

Anyway, it seems that I have gone on for a good while now about this little town and the trip to the top of the mountain. There are many more details that I am leaving out from the trip but this Blog is really supposed to be more of a summary of events not a word for word description.  For me, it’s just easy to get lost in the memories of the days events and to keep on wanting to tell more of the fine times and things I came across. I will only go a little further in my detail of the day’s events by concluding with a description of the sun setting over the soft smoky mountains of Thailand. Out over the horizon as the sun began to take its slow dive into the silhouette of mountains, I took a seat as a spectator to the fall. A few of the others in the group took up various spots nearby as well in order to get a good view of this descent from the light to the dark. As we all picked different portions of the sky in which to hold our gaze, someone in our group of viewers made a comment, to no one specific, about how beautiful this sunset was. A response that I liked to this statement was the one from Aamon, who said; “It’s hard not to use the word beautiful when watching the sunset anywhere in the world”. Sure, it’s not the deepest thing a person could utter but at the time it seemed like the perfect thing to say as the sun fell into its night of slumber. Now that the sun had taken its heat from us and left us with the chill of night, we bundled up, climbed back in the truck and headed down the mountain for our two hour drive towards civilization.

Wishing you well. 

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Birthday party eve

 

And now the early afternoon was upon us. We packed up from the temple and headed back to Amaan’s home to prepare for one of their friends birthday party. The ladies went to the market to grab up all the needed ingredients for a large feast that was planned for the evening, while the men stayed back at the homestead drinking weak mixtures of soda water and whiskey. Here it was now about 1:30 in the afternoon and we still had a good ways to go before the blanket of evening fell upon us. Now I was among a group of Thai men that spoke maybe just a smidge of English and so I just continued to raise a glass to my lips while taking an intermittent draw on a cheap Thai cigarette to pass the time. Still, as the day began to pass and the weak drinks began to create a nice since of repose. There was a little back and forth between myself and the others; mainly it was just these guys teaching me the correct pronunciation for the words that I was saying. I have to say, it sure is a painful thing when trying to use a word that I could have sworn I had down, just to find faces clinched in consternation all around me. This Thai language is so very subtle; inflection, the length of time that the breath is exhaled and even the pitch, will change the entire meaning of the word that is trying to be said. The word, beautiful, is a great example of what I am talking about. This word is spelled suuai in my Thai English dictionary; the thing is that if you want to say something is beautiful in Thai, you have to say the word in a high almost questioning voice and hold the eeee sound at the end. Without following these steps the word actually becomes the opposite and means not beautiful. Subtle, I tell you, very damn subtle.  Although I was frustrated with my inability to grasp these nuances – I was only a tiny bit frustrated – I still enjoyed all the assistance from those around me in trying to help me get a better grasp of the language. Anyway, we went on like this until the large bottles of whiskey were vanquished – I think that there were 3 large bottles or there abouts. Once we had finished these off, we headed to the  bar of the man whose birthday we would be celebrating. Oh and one note about Thai culture, the person having the birthday pays for everything. That’s the food, the drinks and any gifts for the guest; there is no way my cheap ass self could survive such an expectation.

            When we got to the bar, I was given a small golden icon of a god that has an elephant head and another glass of whiskey and soda. The time now was around 5:00 PM and I would think after drinking straight since 1:30 in the afternoon and after having a few in the AM, I would be a little over myself and stumbling around, but nothing of the sort seemed to be occurring. After a few minutes at the bar the food stuffs arrived and the prep began for the birthday dinner. Setting up the tables and chairs was the next step in the process and at least with the manual labor I could be of some assistance. Once the darkness began to outweigh the light, invited guest began to arrive with more bottles of whiskey and dark rum in hand. Introductions were made and glasses rose in celebration of the nights and days events. Upon bringing our glasses to one another’s, I was taught a new toast; it went like this, roy roy hang hang, I am not sure how it translates but we sure said it a lot. Oh, I’ve forgotten to describe the bar where the festivities were getting underway. When I say bar, it was more like a little store front that had a breeze way with just a few tables and in the back were located some sort of cross between pachinko, pinball and soccer games to play. The parking area is where the chairs and tables were set up in order to provide a seat for the many people from this small town that were beginning to spill in. Even a Karaoke machine was set up and it sure was put to use. Once a good number of people arrived, the food was served and Amaan even went out of his way to create a dish that he prided himself on doing well, Pad Thai. Amann is a supervisor of the kitchen at a local hotel in a posh part of town and from what I saw earlier in the day, he could cook a mean anything. And sure enough I was not disappointed. Just watching him fry up the noodles, vegetables and what have you’s in this large wok was creating a Pavlovian experience. Prior to getting this hefty helping of Pad Thai, I was also given a good amount of another dish that I forget the name of and so here I was gorging on some very delectable dishes laid in front of me. Maybe, it’s all the eating in tandem with weak mixtures of alcohol and water that kept my spirits so high. Well, I am sure that the company that I was keeping sure was having something to do with the smile that was stretching across my face that night.

            A few distinguished guests also arrived to the party; the mayor of the town was there and was given much fan fair upon his arrival, the leader of the local temple, and a man that owned several cockfighting arenas in and near the town. I was introduced to each of these individuals; these introductions seemed to be pretty much standard practice throughout the evening and day. Cockfighting is not something that I am much into but this guy, who owned the cockfighting venues, wasn’t having any of my objections and requested that I go to one of the fights. He said that I would be treated as VIP, which would include free entry, free food and drink and a personal agent to take my bets. Politely, I said maybe another time and we clinked glasses and laughed. Next, he introduced me to his daughter, who I think may have been about 19. And in this case, I also politely said maybe another time, this statement was followed by a good deal of back slapping, laughter and of course more whiskey. Finally around 10:30 PM, after releasing paper lanterns into the clear evening, shooting bottle rockets the size of large children at invisible targets in the night, singing karaoke, and drinking more whiskey than I think I have ever consumed; my ride was finally ready to exit the event. Surprisingly, I still had my wits about me and was able to say my many good byes. Everyone at the party seemed to make it a point to put there pressed palms together and bow their foreheads to their up raised fingers in a gesture of good bye and nice to meet you. There has never been a time in which I felt so welcome at a party in which I barely knew a sole. They may have thought more of me since I couldn’t find the chance to put my foot in my mouth; this language barrier may be more of blessing than a curse after all. My arrival to my room at around 11:20 in the evening was simply followed by a quick brush of the teeth and then to a much wanted slumber.

            In the morning I was to be picked up at 9AM for an adventure into the Mountains of Chiang Mai. I was so very happy the next morning when I awoke and found no ills hung over me from the night before. There were several guest that were up until 3 in the morning but I will tell you about them when I write about the great fun I had in the lush forest.

A Thai Cookout

For every negative there is a positive and it seems that this thought is exemplified so much more through my experiences here in Chiang Mai. My negative for this week comes in the form of going through the hassle of simply trying to get a little line of communication open to the world and friends that I know in the states. And my positive comes in the form of a weekend of pleasure and tranquil peace. It is so very nice when the positives in ones life outweigh the negatives. This weekend was just another, once in a lifetime experience, that keep seeming to sprout up in such a serendipitous way for me. I owe this wonderful weekend to my new friend Bo, her amazing and extremely gracious family and their friends.  

            Initially I had had plans to go out on Monday to Chiang Rai with Bo and Goff. Chiang Rai is a mountain town located about 3 hours out of town, that I hear is packed with a multitude of natural beauty; with such sights as waterfalls, mountain vistas and green lush paths for trekking; these plans were pushed off for next week. Although I was unable to make to Chiang Rai this week, I was invited to a yearly family event that Bo’s family put on, and with my weekly calendar being so open, I accepted the invitation immediately. And so, Saturday morning at 8AM Bo and Goff came by in there little beat up four door to pick me up, we were on our way.

            Upon our arrival to Bo’s father’s home, which is about 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai; I was overwhelmed by the smells and activity of so many people cooking and prepping for a big event. Every year, Bo’s family and friends cook for a Buddhist day of celebration. They set up tents, tables, chairs and provide a large quantity of homemade Thai food for the monks and worshipers at the town’s Buddhist temple. Introductions were made, but there was no way I was going to remember all of these Thai names, and so I just kept saying Say Wat Dee Kraap – this means hello in Thai – again and again. Bo’s father was able to speak a little English but not very much.  Here I was, surrounded by locals and in an element that for many may have been a difficult affair. And by difficult, I mean that it might be tough to enjoy ones time when communication is such a difficult thing to achieve. Fortunately for me, I have found myself in this sort of situation a good number of times since my arrival here to Chiang Mai, so I just figured that I would do all that I could to enjoy myself and the experience. The best way that I find to fit in with a new group that is busy in activity, is to lend a hand and work along side them. This communal participation allowed for non verbal communication to occur and help alleviate the language deficit. They put me to work separating Kefir leaves from the stems; this was Kefir that was pulled from the trees located on the property. This home is more like a farm really; there are different types of fruit trees located randomly across the property bearing all types of unfamiliar produce, herbs growing in the ground that are putting out a cornucopia of smells to excite the olfactory senses, and chicken clucking about. After tearing leaves and stacking them in a large bowl, I was put to the task of rolling up small balls of pork that were to be placed in a large vat where the heads of some sort animal were floating alongside thinly sliced veggies and spices. These pots and woks were the largest that I have ever seen and there were so many of these large vessels holding all types of dishes that ranged in density, color and smell.

 After rolling about 100 balls of flesh, a seat was offered to me by one of the friendly Thai faces and along with the seat a glass of a light tan beverage on ice. That’s the moment I knew that I would be starting the morning with a little Hong Thong and soda, the things I will do in order to ingratiate myself to a new culture. There is something that I am quickly learning about the Thais. They drink, and they drink all day long. What’s amazing is the way that they go about drinking; I see them as the marathon runners of drinking. Since they know that they are going to be drinking all day; a glass is just filled with a fingers width of whiskey and then drowned in soda or water and Ice. It is actually looked on as gluttonous to fill a glass with more whiskey than water by the locals. This sort of thinking differs from what I’ve come accustomed to; where I’m from the darker the glass of whiskey and water the better. Now of course this darker version leads to a much faster end to the experiences of what the day and evening have to offer. Here we are at 9:30 in the morning drinking whisky, cooking up an ass load of food and preparing for an appreciation of the towns spiritual leaders. After having two of these almost clear beverages we were packing up for the big show.

Setting up the serving area went like a cinch and there is no drinking at the temple, so I knew that we would at least have a few hours before we got back to the small sips of whiskey we had started earlier in the AM. Those small sips, I knew, would be like a million little cuts to clarity and I enjoyed the lull. Oh, and I forgot to mention; earlier in the day I was given a team shirt. Yes, this group has a team name. The primary function of this team is philanthropic. From what I understand, they do work for a couple of temples and a small town in the country where they teach and support the town’s children for one thing, but I will get to more of that later. Anyway, I was now a member of the team and I found it to be quite a kind gesture to have been given the team shirt to wear. One thing I want to say about the temple where we had set up this meal; it is true that I once said that all of these temples begin to bleed into one iconic image in ones mind. However, during my wait to serve the multitude, I was able to take in more closely the decor and beauty of the temple grounds. Also, I was able to observe the ceremony that was occurring within this golden story book of a building. Worshipers sat with legs tucked beneath their bodies and feet facing away from the Buddha, grasping upon a small string that hung from a larger intricate web which ultimately led to a singular line held by the principal monk. As he grasped this unifying thread he was accompanied in ancient chants by the other monks that lined the interior walls. These monks created a buffer of orange between the worshipers and the decorative walls of the temple. The constant hypnotic sound of the chants reverberated across the temple grounds and with this resonance, a since of calm enveloped me and I so much more enjoyed my viewing of the temple and of it’s multitude of intricacies. A stillness of mind lends itself to the viewer during the appreciation of such things I suppose.

            Once the chanting and worship had finished the parishioners came to us with plates outstretched and we obliged with ladles consisting of a multitude of flavors. It was so nice to be an active participant in this event; also, it was nice to partake in a sampling of all these tasty choices. After filling myself with more Thai food than I thought was even possible; the leader of the temple made many announcements of thanks to the team for setting everything up and providing the food. He also had a little fun at my expense by introducing me to all those present and making a small show of his introduction of me to the head Monk. There was a bit of blushing on my part but I was very grateful for the introduction and the welcome.

            There is no need to go into the breakdown of the tents, the washing of the dishes, and the way every person gave a bit of themselves in order to make the event come together so nicely. However, there is a great deal more to tell of how the evening unfolded and I will tell this tale in my next post.

            Wishing you all the best.

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My new place updated

Here it is; a week has passed since my arrival in Chiang Mai. And although, to me, there are moments that I think that I have accomplished much, I’ve really done very little in a relative since. I mean if I were in the states, where I speak the language and know the processes, I would simply be moving into a new place and going through the steps that entails. Simply put, it’s just damn hard to do the basic sort of things in a country where everything is so alien and the language barrier is so great. Of course there are many tasks that do come easier than others, such as purchasing items at the grocer or market, traveling from local to local, as well as requesting beer at the near by bar – there are many near by bars. The ease of these task is in large part due to the effort of the locals and there desire to learn English. However, getting an internet connection to my new room, which would be such a simple task in the states, has been made difficult due to the barrier of language, damn you tower of babble. It’s times such as now and as well as in other travels that I just don’t get how, with a world economy and the homogenization that that economy creates nations can't come together in order to create a process that would teach all nations a universal language. Isn’t sign language a universal language, I’m not too sure. An ex lady friend of mine mentioned this to me many moons back – she was wrong about more than one thing but I think she is right about this - and since I don’t have access to the ubiquitous net, I can not be sure. Now if it is a universal language, I think that there would have been more merit in learning this over several other useless aspects of my elementary education that have since been expunged from my mind. Ok… ok, that is my little rant. If you know me, you know I have these rants from time to time. They serve as valve release for any pressures I am experiencing.

Now that I have had this release, I will move on to all the greatness that is my new place. There are wood floors in the small living room and bedroom, a comfy leather couch, a flat screen that works great with my PS3 and as a monitor for my laptop, a small fold away table with chairs that are camouflaged as cabinets when they are stored away, tons of storage and a nice huge bed. There is a large window that pretty much makes up the back wall of the bedroom; this translucent wall provides me with a wonderful view of the Doi Suthep Mountain. And viewing the sun set over the silhouette of this mountain every evening is such a nice way to begin the night. A free maid service will come in and tidy the place twice a month and I also receive a free laundry service. Let me say how nice it is to drop off a bag of my dirties and get back a sealed bag with my cloths folded and pressed. Even my white T’s are given this treatment; I have never looked so well kempt. Along with all of the aesthetic beauty that my little abode offers, there are the intangibles, such as the fact that I am just far enough away from the bustling city, yet still close enough to endeavor there within if need be. My location on the 5^th floor puts me above the street lights and since there are no other large buildings around, I am not exposed to any sort of ambient light. The quiet and darkness create a great opportunity for some quality sleep. This tranquility differs from the place where I was initially staying when I first arrived in Chiang Mai. That place is great if you want to be close to all the things the city has to offer, unfortunately, two of these things are traffic noise that goes from 6 AM to 4 AM and the constant glow of the city’s lights. It is probably this exposure to such a large amount of external stimuli that gives me such an appreciation for the stillness that now surrounds me.  Still though, if at anytime I need to get back into the action, it’s just a five minute walk to cross the moat and walk through the entrance of the ancient crumbling wall that surrounds the Old City.

This new place that I am in now is just $366 a month. Sure, I could have gotten a place for a hundred bucks less that included internet service and that is located in the heart of the City. But the places that I looked at in the City, well for one thing are in the City, they are in older buildings with old well used furnishings. And to be honest, they look like old run down shacks compared to where I am at now. No, I will just deal with what I hope to be a short term inconvenience of no internet connection and pay the extra hundred a month. If I were planning on staying here for a longer period than I am, well then, I am sure I would have to settle for a place that didn’t offer all that this new place of mine does.

Well, I am very happy about being in my new temporary home and I hope the details were not too much of a bore. Tomorrow I am supposed to be going to a local neighborhood party and next week I may be going to the hills with the owner of an eco lodge that I met today during lunch. So, I hope to have a few more tales to tell soon enough.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Wish me luck on this whole internet thing.