SHANK'S MARE

For those of us that choose not to own or drive a car in this town there are several forms of transportation readily available at extremely reasonable prices. 

There is the pedi-cab. This seems to be
favoured by Thai seniors and tourists wanting
a new experience. One negotiates the cost
based on distance.

The tuk-tuk is a faster way to go, albeit much much
noisier and the drivers weave in and out of
traffic at high speed. These are not for
the faint of heart.

The Samlow is the cheapest and easiest way to get where you're going. They are canopied pickup 
trucks with a bench seat along each side. Different colours denote different routes in and out of town.
The most common red ones are in town and there are lots of them.  One stands by the side of the 
road and waves one down. If you are the 1st passenger you tell where you want to go and
the driver will generally quote a price for getting you there directly. However, he will pull over and 
pick up other flaggers and if they are going in the same direction the fare then
becomes 20 baht per passenger. That's about 70¢.

Noni and I use the samlows when we'e going longer distances or have parcels to carry. 
Most of the time, however, we use

shank's mare.
Walking here can be a real challenge in itself. There are sidewalks but ........

...... sometime's they become parking spaces ........ 

..... or they get crowded out by food stalls or are broken and cracked ....

..... or just peter out altogether in favour of commerce ........

business comes first

or important promotions by the mayor

or a tree

or the telephone or electric utility
Are they live ???????

Sometimes dogs take up a share of the space and have
a nap and, you know to let sleeping dogs sleep

 So, the average walk is a series of ups and downs (there are some very high curbs)

twisting and balancing, stopping and starting and bending and jostling.

In other words, a brief walk can be a real workout. 

Comments welcome. 

AROUND TOWN

In this past week I've had 4 Thai language lessons and 3 physiotherapy sessions and have had to spend a lot of time sorting through a massive shipment of procrastination that landed on my doorstep. I now have an ever so slight understanding of the structure of Thai sentences but am no closer to speaking the language now than I was before. The physio sessions were more beneficial and my sore neck and shoulder are in much better shape than my language skills. The procrastination is another matter altogether. I've been carrying my camera to all my appointments and offer the following for your viewing pleasure.

The centre of Chiang Mai, the part called The Old City was surrounded by a wall with several fortifications and a moat. Four gates at the centre of each side were the only entry points and they still stand and are used as reference points when giving directions. Here is a view of one corner of the ramparts and the moat which is now decorated with fountains

Northeast corner of the old city wall. The wall and moat add a wonderful character to this
section of the city and dictate the traffic pattern with a one way street on the inside of the
wall and another in the opposite direction on the outside of the wall.

Within the walls or close to it are several impressive temples .
This Buddha is in the temple close to the physiotherapy clinic.

This pooch I think had a physio session just before me. Why people dress up
their dogs in this climate is a mystery to me. Do dogs get sunburned?

Monk beside the river. The colours of the monk's robes
indicate the buddhist sect with which they are affiliated

One of the many flower stalls near our condo. Many of the vendors
invite you to take their photo.

I wish everyone of you reading this blog a joyous and healthy 2012

LEARNING THAI

My brains total lack of absorptive capacity when it comes to learning languages never ceases to amaze me. After the first lesson with my Thai tutor my amazement was profound. 


Thai is a tonal language. The Thai alphabet has specific letters which indicate the tone but for the benefit of those of us using romanized phonetic spellings a set of squiggles has been developed to indicate either a high, low, rising or falling tone. I seem to have a penchant for mixing up the squiggles which can devastate a simple phrase like 'kaw thot' which, depending on the tone can mean either, 'excuse me' or 'may I fart' ~ not quite interchangeable. However, I can see the possibility of using them together. 


When I explained to my teacher that I am after all, a visual person  ~ 'phom chang thi rhup' - (I am a photographer) ~ she asked why I take pictures of elephants. It seems the word 'chang' with a high tone means elephant. I needed to use a low tone. When one asks for a 'chang' in a restaurant there's no confusion. It's a brand of beer. Doesn't matter which tone you use. 


I have booked 3 more lessons this coming week. I shall persevere and then perhaps switch over to ukelele lessons. They're very popular here in Chiang Mai. For any of you that have tried to add comments to these blogs I have just discovered that when setting up my site I failed to toggle one little switch in the preferences. I have now tiggled the toggle and your comment should come through loud and clear and I'll be delighted to hear from you. 


Some more photos for your viewing pleasure;

The toy truck - Santa Claus is coming to town

Schools out ~ students waiting for their ride home

THE MASSAGE

riverside scene

A long walk through a part of town previously unexplored ended at the Anusarn Market. This area which by day appears to be no more than a parking lot blossoms each evening into one of the ubiquitous night markets. Around the periphery there are restaurants and food stalls of every description. The Ping Ping boasts 'the best seafood restaurant in Chiang Mai' while just across the way another boasts 'the freshest seafood in town.' There are Italian restaurants, an Irish pub, Indian and vegetarian choices and some even selling Thai food. And there are several massage parlours - well, not really parlours but areas where one 
can get a 1 hour neck and shoulder 
massage for 140 baht (that's about $4.75)


After eating a nice meal at a place we'd dined at before Noni suggested I get a massage to try and work out the kink in my neck that's been bothering me. She explained to the masseuse that I was having a problem and the lady told me to tell her if she was causing any pain. She had visibly strong arms and hands but knew how to use them gently and effectively. She also used her elbows and forearms to set up a rolling type of motion on my shoulders on either side of my neck. At times she approached a pain point but seemed able to sense my reactions and ease off. There were moments when I wanted the hour to end and other moments when I hoped it never would. She worked my neck, shoulders, back, arms, ears, hands and head. 


During the course of these manipulations another very attractive masseuse started doing a leg massage on a young girl to the left of me. The masseuse, probably in her early 40s had smooth, honey brown skin and pretty smile lines around her eyes.  At one point I caught her looking at me. I looked back and gave her one of my small, winning smiles and expected her to turn away as do most Thai women. However she not only made direct eye contact but smiled back. I thought that maybe I was grimacing with pain and she was laughing at that but adjusted my face to turn off all grimacing. The looks and direct eye contact happened again as did her lovely smile ........ several times. 


Something was happening here! She knew I was married. She was standing there when Noni and I first walked up. Well, perhaps she was just trying to lure me as a customer should I decide to come back. I still have a bit of a kink in my neck. I guess I'll just have to go back and find out. 

Some random photos for your viewing pleasure.

street corner from the 17th floor

fancy pants. I don't know if this is a
man or a woman

sidewalk cobbler

deep fried chicken, sausage , spring rolls

not spicy ~ don't you believe it!!!

THE FAT MONK

Monk's laundry day

Fisherman baiting his hook

The reason this post has taken so long to materialize is due to my ongoing bout with procrastination. I have long suffered with this ailment and though I can overcome it's debilitating affect at times, there are other instances when it simply defeats my every effort. At this particular moment in time I am in control but heaven knows how long that will last so I better get on with this while I can.

Last weekend Noni's family held a memorial service for her parents and a young brother. It was held at a temple in the small town of Doi Saket about 1/2 hour east of here where Noni's sister now lives. The temple was in a quiet park near a small lake where fisherman were casting their lines. The caterer brought the food and flowers, the gifts for the monks were all prepared and prayers were set to start at 10:30. The young monks were eagerly waiting to get started but the head monk was not there. Time dragged on and everyone was getting restless. No prayers, no food and they are supposed to eat before noon. My brother in law spoke to the #2 monk and said the family will be satisfied if he will lead the prayers so he assembled the group and the chanting began.

Young monks awaiting arrival of the head monk

 About 5 or 6 minutes into the prayers the head honcho waddles up, overweight and looking somewhat slovenly. He settles down beside his henchman and pulls a cell phone out of his robes and checks it for messages. So much for the austere life of the monk. Methinks he's running some business on the side. The prayers said, tubby is the first one to head to the food table and dig in. The monks must eat most of their meal before anyone else gets to eat and tubby seemed to linger longer than necessary but finally moved his plate away to signal everyone else could eat. Such a tradition. He did not represent Buddhism very well, unlike several other ceremonies I have witnessed. Oh well, the food was good and the family felt satisfied that they had honoured their dead relatives in an appropriate fashion. Following are some pics I snapped during the morning.

The fat monk rightfully hiding his face. #2 on his right had a nicer voice

The fat monk on the left taking his time eating

This young neophyte or acolyte - monk in training -
practised his English on me. 

He also got to do the dishes afterwards

My brother-in-laws 31 year old Mazda still in impeccable shape

A WALK THROUGH THE MARKET

Arthur, a good friend of mine, at least when he wants me to pay for lunch, has suggested that I post entries to this blog more regularly and that I include more photos. He doesn't seem to realize the challenges that a retired farang (foreigner) faces on an almost daily basis in this new, strange culture. For example, each morning when I awake I must make an almost instant decision about whether or not to get up or to lay about for another 1/2 hour or so. Contemplating this matter takes about 1/2 hour which works out just about right. Then, upon arising I'm faced with the next big decision ~ coffee ~ iced or hot ~ and should I make it or get Noni up to make it. And so the day goes on, challenge after challenge.


Recently I walked through the market with my camera in hand for no other purpose than to take pictures. So in this regard I can comply with Arthurs wish. Enjoy.

All photos © robert title/2011