street scenes

Here are a few photos taken on the streets I walk up and down countless times a day. I now love the bustle of motorbikes, the variety of smells tempting my nostrils, the colors, the countless dogs and cats relaxing in or around shops, and the livliness and smiles of the people.

appetizer

food glorious food

I've been eating the most amazing food. And quite a variety as well. I should take my camera around so I can take some photos of a few dishes. Thais are known for snacking and the street food and drinks are the best! Most every day I buy a freshly made juice or smoothie for 50 cents. Having said that, I've visited some amazing restaurants, mostly Thai but also some decent Italian and many that serve a variety of palettes. There is great food right in the neighborhood but it's also been fun to go into the central city for a nice meal. The only problem is that the servings are quite small and everyone knows my infamous appetite. However, it's not too much of a problem if one eats more often.

monk

We had an opportunity to sit and chat with a monk for "monk chat". He was an open and inquisitive young man. You can ask them anything. It was a pleasure to talk with him.

offerings to reclining buddha

buddha through window

chedi and kelly

large gold buddha in small old temple

simon and gold buddha

view from motorbike

Today I rode around Chiang Mai on a motorbike with a Bermudian friend from school. We visited four temples and stopped to meditate in each. Enjoy the photos.

itm school

I think it's high time that I share a bit about ITM, the Thai Massage school that I've been attending every day. It is just up the street from where I'm staying. Most of the students are foreign, from Europe and America. We start the morning with a mantra and then about an hour of yoga like exercises meant to prepare the body for giving massage. I must admit that I'm not a big fan of this and have done my own exercises instead on several occasions. On Friday mornings we meet at a park and do Chi Gong, Tai Chi, and Thai dance movements with specific breathing techniques for more than an hour. This I enjoy more, although by the time we are done it's getting pretty hot in the sun. These photos are from a Friday at the park, the veggie restaurant, and a group photo after "graduation" for those who finished their courses. I've connected with a few interesting people at school and it's never lonely here.

The school schedule is really pretty lax, and you can do as much as you wish. I had to take it easy for a few days because my shoulder had a small crisis and would barely allow my arm to lift past horizontal. After popping tons of advil, arnica, and traumeel; icing 4x a day, receiving acupuncture and massage, I'm happy to say it went away as quickly as it came. So after the morning exercises we usually have a lesson until lunch and then get an hour to eat. There is a great and really cheap vegetarian restaurant around the corner. I'll have to try to remember to try to take a picture of the food because every time I eat there (which is almost every week day) I think of all of you healthy eaters. It's very good. After lunch we usually practice for the rest of the afternoon. The teachers are available for questions and happy to clarify things in their broken English. For now, I'm just trying to soak in all the information and become comfortable with the movements . Soon I will need to figure out how to incorporate what I've learned into the Thai massage that I already do.

lisu lodge

This weekend we took a trip into the mountains and stayed at and eco-lodge called Lisu Lodge. We took a 13 kilometer mountain bike ride (or some portion of the 13 km - there was a truck there to pick up the tired), rode on elephants, and went "white water" rafting on a river that is level 5 in the rainy season, but level 0 right now. Our lodge was beautiful and we were well fed. It was wonderful to get away from the noise of motorbikes and just hear the chirping of the birds for a few days. Kelly had a mediocre Thai massage; the massage therapist answered her cell phone several times throughout the 1 hour session. Jahri and Dorothy needed a massage after going on an oxcart ride. We took an individual tour of two hilltribe villages; a Lisu village and an Akha Village. Enjoy the photos.

Nan and Jahri are leaving tonight and Kelly will miss them dearly!

more photos of santitham

Animals, Jahri chatting, and the expansion...

temple on the mountain photos

Last Sunday we went to Temple on the Mountain but weren't able to post photos. Here are a few...

zoo photos

Here are those zoo photos that didn't post the first time...

(photographer: Jahri D. Sow)

chiang mai zoo

Jahri and Nan went to the Chiang Mai zoo today. It was very exciting and they had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures.

nan safely landed

Whew! More on that to come...

at santitham: our guest house

first real day

Today we finally started to feel like ourselves again. Another guest here invited us to go to the temple on the mountain, a huge, ornate temple 20km above the city. His friend picked us up and we stopped for a delicious lunch in a garden restaurant. We got a bit car sick on the way up the mountain, but it was worth the trip. The temple was beautiful. Crowded too. After looking around, taking photos, being blessed, and having tea, we saw an elephant on the way out. Again motion sickness down the mountain. We returned to the guest house for a little siesta and then ventured out alone in a songtow (or red truck - cheapest public transit) to the Sunday Market. We saw lots of beautiful things but didn't buy (except for food and a 20 cent hello kitty purse for Jahri). We each got a 30 minute massage for $4 total. We took a tuk tuk (3 wheeled motorcycle with 2 seats in back) back to the guest house and now we are ready for bed. I start classes tomorrow so we need to get a good night's sleep. We are staying at the best guest house and all the other guests are great.

Dorothy should arrive tomorrow night. Hooray!

arrived

After 33 hours of travel we finally arrived at Santitham Guest House in Chiang Mai. When we arrived at the airport we quickly made it though customs and retrieved our baggage. We walked out of the terminal looking for our driver holding a "Welcome Kelly" sign in vain. There was no sign and no driver. We were the only Americans on the plane and I believe the only 2 native English speakers; it was almost 1:00 am so all the normal airport desks were closed. We stood there with a blank stare for awhile and eventually a young Thai woman asked us where we were staying etc. Since we had no Thai Baht and the currency exchange center was closed without her we really would have been stuck. She called our guest house proprietor and he came to pick us up. Everyone at the airport was really helpful. Jahri got "huge gash on her finger from the suitcase and it formed a puddle of blood; her whole arm almost came off". Actually she got a small but painful cut that was mended with a bandaid

We are staying in a great place, photos coming soon. We can't post any pics now because my mom has the cord to the camera but will when she arrives. She was able to get her passport and I believe she's on her way but need to confirm that with someone soon. A 12 hour time difference makes it difficult to reach people.

We have a private outdoor shower in our room, my favorite! I've already taken two showers today because it's so hot and humid and perhaps I'll take a third under the stars. Our room is big and cool with brightly colored tiles. It's a little bungalow separate from the main house. We're paying an extra $8 night for the bungalow but it's totally worth it. My mom will love it, we can't wait till she arrives.

We haven't done much today. Had a nice little breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt, had an engaging conversation with another American staying here, found our way to the mall to exchange currency and have lunch. Came home for a nice nap. Jahri hasn't been feeling all that great. She's jetlagged and has a sore throat and doesn't do so well in the heat and humidity especially so suddenly. We played some card games which I lost and are now getting ready for dinner.

It's more urban here then we expected. More on Chiang Mai tomorrow...

flaw in the plan

Greetings from Seoul, Korea! Jahri and I are here in the Seoul airport killing some time before we board our last flight to Chiang Mai.

We had a major bummer upon arriving at the Detroit airport. Dorothy was not allowed on the flight because her passport is set to expire in April and apparently for entry to Thailand the expiration date needs to be 6 months from the date of travel. We had a high stress hour and a half trying to figure out what to do and how to solve the problem, but eventually J and I had to board, saying an emotional goodbye and hoping for the best. In the meantime Dorothy has caught a flight to Chicago to get this straightened out with the passport agency and is scheduled to arrive a few days later, shortening her trip by 3 days. But at least she's on her way!

Jahri and I are exhausted and jetlagged but holding on. We should be tucked away in our room in about 8 hours.

itinerary

Thursday, Feb 21: Kelly, Dorothy, and Jahri Depart Detroit
Saturday, Feb 22: Arrive Chiang Mai
Sat, Sun: Acclimate to 85 degrees and 12 hour time difference

Monday, Feb 25: Kelly starts classes, Dorothy and Jahri hang out
Tue-Fri: More of the same (Kelly class 9:00-5:00)

Saturday, March 1: Travel to Lisu Lodge for a soft adventure http://www.asian-oasis.com/lisu.html
Sunday, March 2: Return to Chiang Mai

Monday, March 3: Dorothy and Jahri depart Chiang Mai

Tue-Fri: Classes, hanging out, eating great food, spending luscious time alone

Saturday and Sunday: See what comes my way

Mon-Fri: Another full week of classes

Friday, March 14: Depart Chiang Mai
Saturday, March 15: Arrive home