December 15, 2018

We moved from our hotel in Chinatown a couple days ago and are now ensconced in luxury at the Avani Riverside Hotel.  Seriously.....this is such a step up from some of the very humble accommodations we’ve had (and we’ve enjoyed them all for the most part) that it is kind of hard to believe.  As an example, Here we’ve got an infinity pool on the 26th floor, a view of the river and the city scape that is stunning, and where a hamburger in the restaurant costs $20!  So, we won’t be having too many hamburgers here!!!  It is a beautiful hotel and it was part of our plan to really give ourselves the luxury of this as we begin to transition back to home.  An amazing bed, a super nice shower, an incredibly quiet room, service that goes above and beyond all of the time, and being able to put toilet paper in the toilet again.....all are very much appreciated and doing what we’d hoped as we use this opportunity to rest from our long time on the road and prepare for the flight(s) home.  

Being here is also giving us a chance to experience this District of Bangkok.  Our hotel has a complimentary shuttle boat that runs up the river to the main port (about 20 minutes up and on the other side of the river) and that is where you can either catch another public transport boat or a taxi or a tuk tuk or the rapid transit.  We’ve used it and it is beautiful but we’ve also found that using a taxi is most often much quicker and really inexpensive.  

As an example, the other night we were heading off to see the Calypso Caberet on the other side of the river at Asiatique.  (Asiatique is a huge tourist site that used to be warehouses on the rivers edge).  We can see Asiatique easily from our hotel but to get there by boat we’d have to take the shuttle from here to the main station.  From there we’d have to walk to the Asiatique shuttle stop and wait for their boat.  Then we’d have to take their boat back down the river (almost as far as we’d gone up it).  In total it would have taken at least 45 minutes.  Instead we opted for a taxi.  From the front door of our hotel to the front gate of Asiatique (and just steps from the Cabaret location) it took just over 10 minutes and the cost was under 100 baht (less than $4). To make it even better the staff at our hotel call the taxi for us, make sure it is a metered taxi, tell the driver where we want to go, and even write down the taxi’s number on a card for us in case we forget anything in the cab they’ll be able to retrieve it for us.

The Cabaret performance was pretty amazing and we had great seats for the 900 baht ticket.  We had a little table between our chairs where we could put our complimentary drinks during the show.  It lasted 70 minutes and included 15 major numbers.  Some were comedic and others dramatic but all of them included amazing costumes and colour.  All of the performers are male.  Some are dressed and perform as men but most are ladyboys.  Each time I’ve seen one of these cabarets in Thailand I am amazed by the fact that there are always one or two (even up close) that I cannot tell are boys.  In the end, the show did it’s job and the audience was well entertained by the troupe.

One other evening we went to see a movie.  Yes, a movie.....but this was different than most movies!  It is called the Diplomat and is on the 6th floor of the Central Embassy Plaza.  The plaza is an experience before you even get to the theatre!  Every massive name brand there ever was has a shop in this mall.  There was Hermes and Rolex, we saw RayBan and well.....you get the idea.....  This mall was also open from the 6th floor to the first in the centre so the ‘view’ you got on the escalator on the way up was AMAZING!  But back to the movie.......This one included a welcome drink, a buffet “dinner” of appetizer type dishes and non alcoholic drinks.  It was an all you can eat/drink for one hour prior to showtime.  Our 1000 baht ticket also included complimentary drink service in the theatre and every seat was a fully reclining oversized leather chair complete with slippers and a blanket.  I could easily get used to this kind of movie experience!  To top it all off.....the movie was Bohemian Rhapsody and both Lynda and I had been wanting to see it since it’s release.  We both thought we might have to wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix as we’d missed its release while we’ve been over here.  But lucky for us, this was it’s last night playing at this location in Bangkok and we were able to get tickets.  WAHOO!  By the way......LOVED the movie!!!!!

We also visited Wat Pho yesterday.  This temple is home to the giant reclining Buddha here in Bangkok and what a beautiful place Wat Pho is.  Both Lynda and I agree that we prefer it to the Grand Palace as there are fewer people and it has a much more zen-like vibe about it.  The reclining Buddha is MASSIVE and breathtaking both for its sheer size as well as it’s gentle beauty.  The bottom of it’s feet (which are each 15 feet long) are embedded with detailed mother of pearl inlay images.  Along one wall of the building that houses this Buddha image there are 108 little pots where you can drop coins in as you put your wishes out into the ether for consideration.  Of course both Lynda and I paid the 20 baht for a pot of coins so that we could take part in that custom.  Wandering around the temple grounds was so beautiful.  They’d given us a complimentary bottle of water and their were additional refilling stations at a couple of locations which was a really nice touch.  As well, Wat Pho is home to one of the most prestigious Thai Massage schools in Thailand.  As you may guess....no one had to twist my arm too tightly to get me to say yes to a foot massage here.  It was definitely more expensive than most other locations (350 baht or about $15 CAD for 30 minutes) and they sure had us packed in there like sardines but I gotta say....it was a damn good foot massage!  I marvel at how strong their hands are...and to think that they keep that up for hours at a time is amazing and gets my respect and appreciation.  There are also a couple of resident fortune tellers at Wat Pho and so I decided I’d try this out too.  My 90 year old fortune teller was an interesting man and it was an interesting experience but....I probably would have preferred an additional hour of massage for what the cost was and what I got out of it.  I do remember that he said my years between age 65-74 are going to be very happy and that beginning Feb 22, 2019 and for 18 months I should focus on investments and accumulating wealth....which was good news since I’ve set my 2019 “theme” as building business.  He also cautioned me to think before I speak which is always good advice.  :-). Bottom line....we really enjoyed our time at Wat Pho and consider it a ‘must see’ for anyone visiting Bangkok.

Tomorrow we’ve found another hotel that also has a pool and that is right by the airport and where the price tag is more aligned with our wallets so we’ll be moving there for our final two nights in this dynamic city.  It is also quite near one of the floating markets so that will give us a chance to visit it while we’re there as well.  And the fact that it has a pool will allow us to continue our plan for R & R as we prepare for the long journey home on the 18th.

Till next time,

LorLyn

December 10, 2018

Our flight from Chiang Mai yesterday was just as we’d hoped.....smooth and speedy AND they managed to feed a full flight as well as provide hot beverage service within a one hour flight!  Now here we are all settled into our first hotel in Bangkok’s Chinatown.  The Pho Place is perfect....price is right at about $40/night, room is spacious, a big bottle of water in the hallway right outside our room, air con that maybe works too well (but don’t want to complain about that!), and located at the end of a lane off the Main Street so nighttime is nice and quiet.  As well, that Main Street our little lane shoots off of....well it is the Main Street in Chinatown so we are super close to everything too.

Last night we found an amazing spot about 5 minutes walk from here.  It is a hotel called the Shanghai Mansion and the attached restaurant/lounge called Red Rose.  The place is GORGEOUS!  You walk into the lobby of the hotel by going across a pretty red bridge (over water) and then you come into the beginning parts of the lobby where some of the art is bigger than a wall in my house and all of the art is really really exceptional.  The Red Rose runs alongside this walkway into the hotel and with just glass walls....you get the sense of being in both places at the same time.  The hotel is often a choice location for weddings and photographers as inside they have a massive reflecting pool that sits at the base of the balconies that go all the way up to the roof which means that the walkways around several floors are exposed to the reflecting pool.  There are lanterns hanging overhead and bottom line....it is stunning!  Also beside the reflecting pool there is a huge spiral staircase that would also make for some pretty amazing photos.  It was in this hotel lobby that Lynda located a tour desk where we found the production that we’d attend tonight....but I will save that bit till later in this post.

Our first seats in the Red Rose were downstairs in the restaurant and we were seated right in front of the mixologist.  This lounge is known for it’s signature cocktails and it was such a treat for me to be able to watch these master mixologists at work!  Their signature cocktails (there are about a dozen of them) are quite complex and all of them are tasty works of art.  I loved being able to watch the intentional efficiency of the bartenders as they measured, stirred, shook, and poured their masterpieces.  The drinks were beautiful and the garnishes were like icing on the cake...they just made the piece that much more perfect.  One thing that many don’t know is that when a quality cocktail calls for a squeeze of citrus peel over the top...that doesn’t mean the juice...it means the essential oil that is found in the zest of the fruit’s peel.  At the Red Rose they were masters of this aspect and I marvelled at how they even heated the peel just a little with their torch to encourage the oils.  Yes.....these guys know what they’re doing!  That little torch was also used to top some of the fruit garnishes with a sprinkle of sugar and then brûlée it before placing it on the glass/drink.  One of the drinks I ordered required that the bartender put the glass upside down over a stick of smoking cinnamon to leave the essence of the spice as well as a smoky quality in the glass before making the drink.  That drink had gin and tonic, the cinnamon smoke, a splash of coconut milk, and an ice ball that had been infused with star anise and cloves.  This drink was garnished with a strip of orange peel studded with several cloves woven onto the edge of the oversized stemware.  I know it sounds really weird and although it wasn’t my favourite drink of the night...it actually wasn’t bad at all.

Once we’d finished our dinner we headed upstairs to the lounge where happy hour was just about to get underway and where we could get these signature cocktails for a 2 for 1 price (which was good as they were about $12 each!).  Mark, our server, accompanied us upstairs and the fun continued.  To top it all off....we were seated beside a little balcony overlooking the street and before long some good quality live music started to play right below us.  Yes....we were living the high life last night for sure and we were loving it!  We met a couple of young guys who were seated at the table next to us who had just arrived from the U.S.  They were keen to know where we’d been and amazed to hear that we’d been travelling since October 7th.  It is fun to see the look on people’s faces when they hear how long we’ve been on the road.  :-)

But enough about the Shanghai Mansion and the Red Rose except to say that if ever any of us find ourselves back in Bangkok we wouldn’t mind staying a night or two at this hotel.  We were surprised to discover that the rooms begin at about 2400 baht/night (around $100 CAD).  Regardless of whether we were to stay there or not....one thing I do know for sure is that we’re going back to that bar/lounge for their happy hour tomorrow night as that will be Natalie’s last night and so her choice of where to go.  She’s in love with the place and I think maybe a little bit in love with Mark too.  :-)

Today I opted to skip out of the Grand Palace as I’ve been there at least twice before and as much as it is a ‘must see’ I really didn’t want to do it again.  So Lynda and Natalie took off in a tuk tuk and a couple of hours later they reported back that the place is still a ‘must see’ and that they’re really glad they went.  Photos never do it justice though...it is one of those things you just have to experience so I’m really glad they decided to fight the crowds and endure the heat to see it for themselves.

Tonight we had to be back at the Shanghai Mansion for our pick up to the production we’d purchased tickets for the night before.  It was about 1/2 hour drive away and so as soon as we arrived at the location we were hustled into the buffet dining room where a feast awaited us.  There was something for everyone!  They had Thai, and Indian, and Western, and Vegetarian and it was all delicious.

I was checking out the vegetarian options when I heard a voice say, “hey you”....I looked up and found myself looking into the face of a friend whom I had not seen or been in contact with in 18 years!  Udom was our guide for each of my previous visits to Thailand and so during those trips we’d spent quite a bit of time together.  As well, Udom and I share a birthday so each time I was here it happened to also be our birthdays and so every year we’d have another cake and photos together.  It was so good to see him and honestly....the odds against this chance meeting are staggering!  There are more than 8 million people in Bangkok and we both just happen to be at the same buffet table and show at the same time.  Tomorrow he is taking a tour group to Chiang Mai so if we had selected tickets for any other night....our paths would not have crossed.  But really.....the odds of this happening at all are impossible...maybe I need to buy a lottery ticket too.  LOL. :-). Prior to our departure in October Darlene and I had even talked about possibly trying to find Udom but I had not followed up as I didn’t know when we’d be in Bangkok and it just seemed like such a needle in the haystack kind of thing.....but as Udom said tonight.....it was destiny.  And I am very grateful for this destiny....it was wonderful for both of us to reconnect.  Udom was there with the group of 32 people he’s taking to Chiang Mai in the morning and so I had the opportunity to meet them and tell them how fortunate they are to have him as their guide.  They too all loved the irony of the impossible odds of our meeting tonight and they too all had an awestruck look on their faces when they learned that Lynda and I are travelling on our own for almost 3 months in total.  It really does kind of drive it home that people are either inspired or they think we’re slightly insane when they hear what this couple of grandmas are doing.  Especially when we get to see the look on their faces which is where their ‘inside voice’ typically sneaks out.  LOL.  :-). So Udom and I have now reconnected and since we last met Facebook is a reality that will enable us to stay connected.

After our dinner we went outside to see the pre-show show.  There was no assigned seating and so we were prepared to have to stand for the hour to watch this cultural performance.  But once again Lady Luck was with us and just as we walked up one of the staff arrived with chairs for the three of us right at the edge of the stage.  Jeez....I better get serious about buying a lottery ticket now that I think about it!  This outdoor show was wonderful but it didn’t come close to comparing with the production that would follow once we were inside.

The Siam Niramit production is owned and operated by Chang Beer company and the stage they perform on is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the largest stages in the world.  And yes...it is a huge stage but what will always stay with me was the fact that on that stage there were elephants, and temples, and a river that was deep enough to dive into, and a couple of ships and several canal boats (also in the river), and goats, and chickens, and heaven, and hell, and the rainy season (complete with torrential rains and thunder and lightening), and a jungle, and several festivals, and fire, and sooo many performers with more than 500 unique costume changes, and people flying through the air, and dancing and drumming and well.....a LOT!  And all of it was of such high quality.  We’d paid 2000 baht each (about $80) for the evening and all of us vehemently agreed it was worth every penny and more.  We’d had a private car pick us up and drop us back to the hotel, we’d had an amazing buffet dinner, we’d enjoyed the outdoor performance and the traditional village, and the production itself is definitely world class entertainment.

Once we were back into Chinatown we took the opportunity to walk a little ways down a couple of the streets.  Things were starting to shut down as it was after 10 but still there is such a vibrancy to this part of the city.  The neon lights of Chinatown are so pretty and it isn’t too big....it’s just a really neat part of Bangkok that is steeped in history and filled with weird and wonderful shops.

It’s almost 1 in the morning here now and I’m finally starting to come down from the high that bumping into Udom and seeing the Siam Niramit production left me in so perhaps I will give sleep a try.  Tomorrow is sure to be another great day....we seem to be on a bit of a roll the past few months.  :-)

Till next time,

LorLyn

December 8, 2018

Yikes!  Tomorrow morning we hit the road again.  This time we will be Bangkok bound and although that will be the last time we change cities....we have three different locations we’ll “reside” in during our time in that dynamic city.  We decided we’d like to give Bangkok a chance to show us some of it’s different faces hence the three locations.  But today we are still in Chiang Mai and what a great stop this has been for many reasons.

Having an apartment has meant that we’ve been able to get back to some semblance of “normal” for the past few days and even though that may seem like a very small thing....in truth....it has been pretty big!  It’s interesting how many things I take for granted until they’re gone.  Being here has offered a chance to have a few of them back again and it has felt really really good.  Living out of a suitcase and on the road for more than two months has been fun but it takes its toll after a while too.  And as we’ve been on a budget our accommodation doesn’t always offer up all the bells and whistles that I never miss till they’re gone.  Little things like a table beside the bed that is big enough to hold your alarm clock on the days that you need it.  Or somewhere other than the floor where you can recharge your device(s).  And speaking of floor....a counter where you can boil water for coffee.  Or little things like a place to hang something up to dry.  Speaking of that....even having a sink that has a plug in it and that is large enough to wash out a few clothes is a big deal so having somewhere to hang stuff to dry more like a luxury!  LOL.  :-). Or having no noise from the street or a room with curtains so it is dark enough to sleep in or no geckos chirping away on the walls of your bedroom or a bed that doesn’t hurt when you lay in one position too long.  Yep....little things like that.  LOL.  And then there is the mirror or lack of in many places or somewhere to sit other than on your bed or a shower where you don’t get tangled in the curtain as it is just too tiny in there or a dry place to stand when you come out of the shower or a dry toilet seat to sit on after someone has had a shower.  Yep....there are a few little things like that when you sit down long enough to take notice of them and that show up even more when you get them back again.  Actually isn’t there a song lyric about “you don’t know what you got till its gone”?  Soooo true and one of the reasons I believe everyone deserves to have the opportunity to travel to diverse experiences and cultures. I believe that they provide a new perspective that can’t be gained any other way.

Don’t get me wrong....there are no complaints here about missing some “stuff” while being on the road..... just an observation of the things that I miss when they’re gone and how much I appreciate having them back again when I do.  Chiang Mai has been a place to have some of them back and it’s been great.  :-)

Today we decided it was time to visit a couple of temples again as we haven’t been to any since our arrival here in Chiang Mai.  The best place to find a taxi is right across at the Plaza and since we needed to have lunch somewhere too we could kill two birds with one stone.  Lynda and I opted for a Japanese Hot Pot and sushi buffet style place and Natalie made her way to the pizza spot.  Natalie assures us that hers was good but I gotta tell you that Lynda and I are soooo happy we decided to blow the budget on this lunch.  It was the equivalent of about $16 CAD so not too outrageous but much more than we could have found something for in the food court.  But this was an “experience” as much as it was lunch.  First we had to choose what kind of broth we wanted in our hot pot.  Then we had to choose what kind of sauce we wanted.  From there we were shown to our seats, our hot pots were turned ‘on’ and we just had to watch what others were doing to figure our next steps out.  There was an assembly line of tiny plates of ingredients constantly running around the room and in front of our seats.  We could choose whatever we wanted from that line and drop it into our hot pot to cook.  There was shrimp and beef and pork and fish.   There was corn and greens and mushrooms and some other stuff that I have no idea what it was.  We found little pots of garlic and chilies at our station and in no time we were settled in and cooking like locals.  There was some tasty bits coming out of our little pots for lunch today!  And just when we thought we had it all figured out a lady sitting nearby (who spoke a little English) informed us that we could also help ourselves to all the sushi, tempura, gyoza, drinks, and fruits that were along the perimeter of the room.  OMG!  Now there were some tasty treats along those walls!  The gyoza were delicious!  Crispy outside with tender perfectly seasoned pork in the middle.  The tempura were massive prawns covered in a crispy panko crust.  The fruit included the BEST pineapple either of us had ever tasted and the sushi....well the sushi was both beautiful to look at and tasty too.  There was one in particular that I think was the perfect bite.  It was a round of daikon radish stuffed with a piece of cucumber, a piece of egg, a piece of crab, and topped with a dollop of mayo.....yep.....DELICIOUS!  By the time we were done (we weren’t able to last the full hour and 15 minutes we were allowed) we literally rolled out of the place we were so full!

After reconnecting with Natalie and a little more shopping in the “northern village” section of this plaza we were off in search of a taxi driver who could speak some English.  Luckily we located Yo who had enough English for it all to work and who was happy to take the three of us for an hour or two to visit a couple of temples within the city.  Yo’s two little boys were at work with him as his wife had started a new job today and as it is Saturday....the boys got to go to work with dad.  The three of us squished into the back seat of Yo’s taxi and we were off.  

At the first temple we were surprised to see how many locals there were making use of the temple.  Later Yo explained that it is a long weekend and today is Saturday so everywhere is busier than usual with Thai’s.  At this temple we marvelled at the lifelike statues of several monks lining one of the walls.  One of the statues is of the monk who was the principal monk here and who called this temple home for 77 years.  He had died in 2009 at the age of 98.  These fibreglass statues are so lifelike it is hard to believe they’re not real!  There was another monk (this one was real) doing blessings and receiving offerings from the many worshippers visiting the temple this day.  Many of those worshippers would take another offering that the monk had blessed for them over to one of the statues and then place it in the offering plate in front of the statue of the monk that represented that which they wanted to focus on with their prayers.  The temples are beautiful to look at and the gentle nature of the worship within them is also beautiful to witness.

There was a pure black cat lying at the door of this first temple too and in truth we couldn’t tell if it was dead or alive!  Just when we thought for sure that it was dead or very nearly dead at least it twitched and we almost jumped out of our skin!  LOL....not sure why that cat was there but whatever the reason....we’re hoping it hasn’t used up all nine of its lives.

At the second temple there were a few buildings and the one around the back was obviously soooo old!  It was all made of stone and the stairs leading up to the top were soooo steep that I wouldn’t have wanted to try risking them!  There was another building out front where only men were allowed to enter.  This is the first time that I can remember encountering this in a Buddhist temple.  The reason women are not allowed is because they can menstruate and it is believed that any deviance from this ancient ruling will result in social instability and so no one challenges it.

Everyone was allowed in the main building though and it too was beautiful!  So many flowers near the front and the massive Buddha image that stood at the front of this temple is considered to be one of the most beautiful as his face is so gentle and soft.  Also at this temple there were a number of little statues all along one wall.  There was a statue for each day of the week and another for the year of the monkey, the ox, etc etc etc.  You could purchase some golf leaf and then take it to the statue for the day you were born and the year of your birth and rub it on as you make your wishes to each of them.  I bought my gold leaf (20 baht for 2 pieces), located Wednesday daytime statue, rubbed the first piece on and then located the year of the monkey statue to repeat the process.  The gold leaf is between two pieces of paper and you get a little stick to use as an applicator but even at that by the time you’ve rubbed your gold you are guaranteed to have a few gold flecks on your hands.  I figure this is just more good luck and so rubbed it onto my clothes.  :-)

So now we are back at the apartment thinking about how we’re going to stuff even more into our already “pregnant” suitcases for our flight tomorrow.  I’m guessing that tonight will be more of the routine that seems to have developed for us during our time here in Chiang Mai.  Natalie will come over and we’ll play a couple games of “10” (cards).  Tonight we’ll likely finish off whatever junk food and drinks we have in our rooms as tomorrow morning we’ve made arrangements for Yo (our taxi driver from today) to come back and pick us up for the airport at 10 a.m.  Yes, a very civilized time!  We figured....why get there so early that you can’t check in to your hotel anyway.....so a noon flight it will be for us with Bangkok Airways.  Who knows...maybe we’ll be lucky again and they’ll have another special lounge for us to wait in at this airport too.  Regardless they provide such great service we’re looking forward to another flight with them.

Till next time,

LorLyn

December 5, 2018

Amazing how quickly a week can pass when you’re doing pretty much nothing at all!

Since I last posted we’ve moved from Pai to Chiang Mai where I’m currently sitting in our “apartment” that will be our home base for five nights.  We lucked out when we found this place!  It really is like a small apartment.  We have a kitchen, living room, bedroom with a large closet and a bathroom.  What more could we want?!  Oh ya....and we have a massive pool with gorgeous loungers and a library and a full gym with more equipment than I can begin to describe.  We are near the airport but nowhere near any flight paths as we haven’t heard a single plane since our arrival here last night and today I sat out by the pool where I thought for sure I’d hear them but nope....quiet as can be.  :-)

But I should go back to Pai for a bit before I get too caught up in talking about Chiang Mai.  Our stay there was just what the doctor ordered.  It was so peaceful at the Pai Vieng Fah Resort and the six nights we ended up staying (yes, we extended for one additional night from the original booking) gave us a chance to really catch up on the craziness of being on the go for so long.  We didn’t realize just how much we needed that until we were immersed in it but we did!  Our little “cottage” in the resort was surrounded by trees that had orchids hanging from their trunks and the pool twinkled in the sunlight calling us to come over to cool off throughout the heat of the day.  Truth be told though....none of the hotels heat their pools here though and so going from the heat of the sun into an unheated pool is a bit of a shock to the system until your body temperature drops enough to make it just perfect.  :-). Our resort had a restaurant on the property too so we were able to get food and drink any time we wanted and they’d magically just add it to our room.  Buffet breakfast was included in our stay so really....we didn’t need a lot there but it was nice to be able to have a bite of something for lunch or dinner any time we wanted.

In the late afternoon we’d leave our poolside loungers and hit the showers before heading into town for dinner.  Our resort offered a complimentary shuttle service at our convenience to and from town.  All we had to do was connect to wifi and email them to pick us up whenever we were ready.  Every night of the week Pai shuts down a couple of its main streets to traffic (well....sort of....) and they literally come alive with vendors selling their “stuff” and people buying that “stuff”.  The “stuff” ranges from artwork and handicrafts to every type of food you can possibly imagine!  There is a booth with nothing but different types of lasagne/pasta and another with falafel and another with everything Indian and another with Mexican style tacos both soft and hard shell.  There is a lady selling the most delicious mango sticky rice that tastes even better than it sounds and there is someone else selling nothing but donuts.  There is someone else with nuts of every type and another booth offers up bruschetta style pizzas.  There is every kind of meat and seafood being bbq’d on a stick and sausages of every size on another grill.  There are gyoza made fresh in front of you and another vendor with curry puffs that range from savoury to sweet.  There’s the Pad Thai vendors and of course everything vegetarian as well.  There are fresh fruit stands and juice bars and coffee kiosks and of course....there are all the shops, restaurants and bars right behind the temporary stalls as well.  Yes, Pai is a prosperous little hippie haven that although it has been “discovered” still has enough of a feel of being off the beaten path that its allure is unique and memorable.  Usually we’d find a spot to go for a drink (and a game of cards of course) and then we’d move out onto the street in search of our dinner.  We’d wander up and down the streets with what at times could be described as throngs of other people and then at other times we were virtually on our own.  We’d grab a bite here and a nibble there and then a donut and then some mango sticky rice and ....well.....you get the picture.  We loved Pai for many things but perhaps most of all for the amazing and delicious street food we were able to get there.

I loved Pai for something else though too.  I found a massage shop called Body Magic and the first time I went in met a therapist named Pa who was able to find the perfect balance between her obvious knowledge and her intuition.  Pa is perhaps the oldest massage person I’ve ever had work on me....maybe that is why she was able to do what she did....her experience is so vast.  I’ve been suffering with really bad pain in my right knee and definite problems in both. I’d been to see therapists and the doctor at home but no one had been able to affect any real change in the way I felt or figure out what was causing my pain.  Pa went to work on me in a different way than anyone else had and I must admit her technique hurt a lot but in the end....I walked out of that place absolutely pain free!  The pain did return but not nearly as bad as it had been and so after giving myself a day off from being “worked on” I returned to see her again.  I didn’t know if I’d be able to see her again but the front desk staff remembered me and when I asked for Pa by name they actually called her to come in from home (just a couple minutes away).  Pa has virtually no English and I have no Thai but somehow I was able to tell her how much she had helped me.  I’m pretty sure she knew already that she had and so back down onto her mat I went and this time she worked even more aggressively than she had the time previous.  It took all my focus to breathe through the pain and every once in a while she would ask....”okay?” and I would reply “okay” and she would chuckle and go back to her work.  Once again, I walked out of Body Magic absolutely pain free and once again...it doesn’t last completely but I am again better than I was and so now my goal will be to find another Pa in every location that I am....including home!

So yes, Pai was a good stop...a really good stop for many reasons and now here we are settled into this apartment in Chiang Mai and feeling really “normal”.  It is such a treat to be able to sit here at the table typing this post and knowing that I don’t have to pack my iPad and keyboard back to the room and put it all away somewhere so it doesn’t get stepped on or....well....it’s just so nice to feel “normal” here with this little 8th floor apartment.  Being able to have coffee and cereal this morning still in pyjamas was such a treat and washing out a little laundry and hanging it out on our balcony to dry and being able to plug in the kettle whenever you want....yep those little things are feeling pretty big for both of us right at the moment.

This morning I spent an hour with my latest book down by our pool while Lynda just stayed in her p.j.’s lounging on the couch in our room reading her book.  How nice it was/is and to know that we’ll get to do that again tomorrow....yep....a real treat!

There are a few things that we’re going to see while we’re here in Chiang Mai but we’ll save those for the afternoons and evening times.  We’ll take a cab or tuk tuk to get into the old city for dinner, a little sightseeing, a night market I’m sure, and possibly a temple or two along the way.  Our hotel room is actually in a large building that seems to be home to some permanent residents as well.  We’re thinking some of the apartments are for full time occupancy and others of them are for people like us.  The building is right across from a large shopping centre that is home to every kind of store you can think of, a food court, a movie theatre, a huge grocery store, a pharmacy (or two), and well....it’s just a big mall!  And to make it even better for us we also have a 7-11 on the same side of the street as we are and just a couple of doors down so we’re able to pick up big bottles of water every day and any snacks we might need in between the stuff we got at the grocery store.  Actually water continues to be a focus for us but that we take for granted at home.  Here the only water we use is bottled....the tap water is only used for washing.  Even the water we put into the kettle comes from a bottle vs the tap.  There always has to be a bottle of water in the bathroom for brushing your teeth...there always has to be an extra bottle to get you through until you can get back to the store to get some more.  All of our accommodations provide one bottle per person per day but until I have to buy it I don’t realize how much water I actually consume.  That one bottle lasts only minutes when you’re sweating it out as fast as you can put it back in.

You may recall from a previous post that our trip to Pai was pretty challenging in terms of the winding road we had to traverse but our trip to Chiang Mai from Pai was EASY thanks to the fact that we opted for a plane versus a mini van!  Yes, we purchased tickets from Wisdom Air for the 25 minute flight in their 12 seater plane and had a beautiful half hour flight instead of that hellish drive that the people on the road below were enduring!  The flight coast us just under $80 CAD each and that was money well spent!  Our accommodation in Pai gave us a free ride to the airport there.  We were whisked through security in mere minutes as when there are only 6 people booked on your plane there are no line ups!  We climbed aboard our pretty little plane right outside the airport door, located our seats (right behind the pilot and co-pilot) and buckled in for the short trip.  Oh ya....and in case we got hungry during our short flight the staff gave each of us a little lunch bag for the trip!  It contained a bottle of water, a napkin, and a muffin.  Nice touch!  The views were stunning and all the while we relished the fact that we’d avoided the road trip.  Landing in Chiang Mai was also easy and our bags were in the airport and on the belt within seconds of our arrival inside the terminal.  Wisdom Air gets our nod of approval and if ever I find myself headed to Pai again....I will definitely travel with them!

As I’ve been typing this post Lynda has brought me a cheese sandwich and an iced coffee for lunch.  Yep, I’m loving having a kitchen to be able to use....I can already feel the “normal” ramping up as we get nearer and nearer to heading for home.  But we’re not quite ready for that yet though.  We still have a lot to see and do but for these last couple of weeks “normal” stuff will definitely be a part of the mix as we begin the transition back into our lives.

Till next time,

LorLyn