Chiang Mai
Trip Start
Jun 11, 2008
1
48
62
Trip End
Aug 07, 2008
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Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I'm getting my MSW, and often people go on clinical tracts with that, meaning they become a clinical social worker, which is akin to being a counselor or therapist, if you want. Some people have private practices. I could be a clinical social worker in Chiang Mai and have a practice for other expats living here and they can use me to discuss their various issues, in English, with a native speaker. I'm not saying that I've necessarily seen lots of expats living around here... or that I'm assuming they have lots of issues to discuss... but that is where my skills lie. :)
THAT, or proofreader. I'd love to go around and help people correct their signs and menus that feature onioins and iternet and french fried. That is, if they'd have me.
This is how much I like Chiang Mai. It's a beautiful, kind little vegetarian friendly garden oasis in northern Thailand with a cooler climate and 121 wats within the city. Lots of good weather, lots of flowers. It's a city I'd be happy to live in, no doubt. It's the kind of place where the restaurants will not only give you tofu with your cashew veggie fried rice, but that rice will be brown rice. Whoa.
Although I really like the city, it's been very interesting actually being here.
Kings with everyone
Sometimes I'm all alone and sometimes I'm with people--both college friends and random friends we've now made. I alternately hate and love being alone here. Thursday after I checked in, I wandered about and then hung out, reading the paper, in a coffeeshop while the rain came down. This day I liked being alone and having my own room and doing whatever I wanted. I haven't always felt that positive!I was going to go try to sign up for a cooking course when I ran into Pooja, Jess (both from NU), Mike (Canada), Antti (Finland) and Claudio (Switzerland) on the street. We all went together to the Night Bazaar, where some good things were bought, and then we also ran into Gareth (Scotland), who the girls had met when they were on Ko Samui. With that, our group for the night was formed, and we spent hours (and 3 towers of Chang beer, aka Elephant beer) playing Kings at an outdoor bar (Cheers Pub/John's Bar) until the wee hours. VERY fun, good times, good memories.
The last stop of the night was a 7-11 for some water (responsible) and we began chatting with a guy who's from San Jose. Not only from San Jose, but went to Saratoga High School ('98), which is one of the high schools I would go to to teach the Teen Empowerment Program. I've now seen him twice since then as well!
Friday we did all meet up again, so that was fun. We gathered at the guest house that most of them are staying in and met for breakfast at 9 am. Breakfast really happened closer to 11. We wandered about and saw some temples that were nearby, including one that's connected to a school.
Mike has been living and teaching English in Japan for the past year and has these wonderful little Canadian flag pins that he occasionally gives out to kids.
View from my guest house balcony
The kids at this school in Chiang Mai wiped out his whole stash. I love the idea, though--it's such a kind little gesture of goodwill, and the kids love it, and perhaps will have a memory of a nice Canadian guy who gave them a pin. I took a picture of him taking a picture of the kid, and I think the photo is so cool!The kids and the photos, that was something. At first there were only 4 horsing around outside of the temple grounds, and they ran screeching away (pretend) when we got close. Then they timidly came around when Mike was giving out a few pins, but a whole great hoard of children came running when they saw we had cameras. We probably spent a good half hour taking pictures of them and they were such little posers! They'd all crowd/run/slide in to pose, the picture would be taken, and then they'd all sprint to you to see it on the digital camera. So funny. Amidst all the craziness my button broke on my purse, and one little kid got bloody.
And then Mike gave a kleenex to him, but then everyone wanted a kleenex as well (they come in a Tigger package), and those were as big of a hit as the pins were. Beautiful, beautiful Thai children!
After several pauses and errands, we finally found our way to prison. There's a women's prison in Chiang Mai, right in the city really, and they have a shop where they sell goods that they make. They also had a massage spa. Women that are within 6 months of release can take courses to learn Thai massage, and then they practice on the customers who come to the prison spa, and the money that they earn goes towards their fund when they get released.
Wall of nicer guest house
It was awesome, even though the girls room was full so I had to get a massage in the boys room and I definitely noticed that the 3 boys we were with got much longer massages than I did. And there was flirting as well, with compliments that had something to do with superman. The shop was nice too--Mom, you'll be receiving a prison handicraft for sure :). I don't know what my masseuse was in for, and I was curious to ask, even though I didn't.After that we all had a break--the 5 of them did their Thai cooking course and I journaled and ate at a good veggie restaurant with a beautiful garden. Called Blue Diamond, I think. With mango and sticky rice for dessert, as well, and green tea (!). Genuine hippies kept walking in. I loved it.
Later in the night we all met again at the Italian restaurant/bar next to my guest house for some shots of Thai rum... the plan was to pregame the Muay Thai boxing. Unfortunately, most of the group decided to not go by the end of the rum, so Mike and I found a tuk-tuk and went by ourselves. Muay Thai boxing is a kind of kickboxing that uses different parts of the body (including knees and elbows) and the national sport in Thailand. I didn't think I would want to go to a match, but the opportunity came and I'm glad I went. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muay_thai
There probably were about 12 different competitions, and we saw about 8 of them. Mostly it was Thai guy on Thai guy, but there were two Thai-Western match ups (one guy was French), and then one with 2 young Thai kids--maybe 12-14? Their youth was sort of weird, but the music was really cool.
Wat Pa Pao
I liked our VIP seats, which we got just because. It was really interesting watching the crowd watch the fight, especially when the grandma of the competitor came ringside to intently watch her grandson fight. Also, there was never any blood or (noticeable) bruising, so it didn't seem quite as violent as I expected. Good pictures and video!Afterwards, all 6 of us did succeed in meeting up again around midnight and then going out. I thought for sure the 4 that stayed behind would be asleep, but no one was. We were drawn to a bar with loud hip-hop like moths to a flame, and I met a whole bunch of farang who are training here as teachers, including more from California.
There was drinking, there was dancing. It was 1:30am and the bar needed to close, so there was unplugging of the speakers, but then there was some coaxing, and then there was more dancing. There was a DJ who threatened us that he was going to BBQ the dog (pet of the owner). That part was weird. We met AfroMan, of AfroMan's tattoo parlour that I walk past daily. (I'm still trying to encourage any of my traveling companions to get a tattoo, just so I can watch it). Pooja took a picture of the 6 of us in a "time of your life!" pose.
Then it really did close, so we went to Spicy. Spicy is one of the only bars/clubs open til 5 am in Chiang Mai, and it usually fills up after 2 am, when others close. LP cautions against it as "seediness central," but we went! Behind us: a white guy and a Thai girl dancing/groping each other. White guy says: "You're not going to charge me, are you?" Seedy it was! I didn't mind so much. They played Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" (what up Rahul!) We also got to chat with the French Muay Thai boxers that were there as well. And then it was 4 am and I was done and tired, so off to the guest house I went.
