Looking for a good massage in Chiang Mai?

So, I'm lying there...on my back...fully arched over the raised knees of the masseuse underneath me. I'd usually have some reluctance about being in this position, being, well not the lightest compared to most Thai women. However, my lady today is not what you'd call 'delicately boned'. But boy, does she and her colleagues know what they're doing!

Anyway, as she's massaging my temples, possibly so I don't notice the blood rushing to my head, and I think to myself, I really ought to give this place a plug.

A Day Out In Bo Sang

If you’re looking for something to do around Chiang Mai, the Bo Sang area has a lot to offer. Apart from the fishing park, there’s silk weaving, clothes and embroidery, pottery, jewellery and silver shops and the parasol factory to visit.

Factory probably isn’t the right word, although there is an assembly line of sorts, as the umbrellas are all made by hand. How? The bark of the mulberry tree is pummeled, soaked, boiled, washed and pummeled some more, to obtain the fibres to make the Sa Paper which is used to cover the parasol frames.

Khan Toke Dinner

This a Khan Toke (ขันโตก), a small raised table,  indigenous to areas in Northern Thailand and Laos, where sticky rice is mostly consumed. The name is derived from kan, or bowl, and toke, a low table made of woven bamboo (or sometimes from wood, coconut shell or rattan). I think they're customarily painted red.

Even though there are a few dishes traditionally served on a khan toke, any type is acceptable. However, it should always include sticky rice in a woven basket...this was ours. The rice is just out of frame. More than enough food for two, although, the staff are more than happy to refill the bowls throughout the evening.

Walk A Mile (or two) In Chiang Mai

Shortly after JJ arrived the other day, I dragged her about one kilometre, up to the old city to have a look around. It was quite a long walk, but nice to go with a first time visitor. We wandered into places I hadn't even been into shame on me and noticed things I'd walked by many a time without giving them a second glance.

Our walk in photos, starting from Chiang Mai Gate heading north, covering the small south east corner of the old city...there's a map at the end of the post :) Enjoy!

Happy New Year, from Chiang Mai.

Happy New Year from Stray and Snap...here's a peek at what it's like in Chiang Mai, on New Years Eve. Fireworks, lanterns in the sky, glitzy lights and chaos.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng

Since we first arrived a few weeks ago, signs of Loy Krathong and Yi Ping were evident. The odd bang of fireworks could be heard and a lost looking lantern or two, seen in the evening skies.

The old city moat...yes, that's a big pink rabbit.

Last night the fireworks increased to an almost celebratory level, a few more lanterns appeared in the sky and decorative street lights were turned on around the city.

Tha Pae Gate

Hundreds of lanterns held captive

The evening wouldn't be complete without sitting on a giant panda...also a lantern!

Don't even think about doing the bunny ears Mr Panda

Tonight should be even louder and brighter...

...and I'm sure not everyone will quite make it home. This morning - it's 9.30 am right now and the fire crackers are already getting a run for their money.

""Loi" means "to float" and a "Krathong" is a raft, about a hand span in diameter, traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk...AND Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as "Yi Peng" (Thai: ยี่เป็ง). Due to a difference between the old Lanna calendar and the Thai calendar, Yi Peng is held on a full moon of the 2nd month of the Lanna calendar ("Yi" meaning "2nd" and "Peng" meaning "month" in the Lanna language). A multitude of Lanna-style sky lanterns (khom loi (Thai: โคมลอย), literally: "floating lanterns") are launched into the air" ...thank you Wiki.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

Welcome to Bor Sang Fishing Park

One of Stray's fellow TEFL students (S) introduced him to Bor (or Bo) Sang Fishing Park last week, so I had to go and have a sticky beak myself. Getting there wasn't as straight forward as we'd hoped, but we made it eventually, despite the English sign being located well and truly INSIDE the car park. A minor, major detail overlooked by our direction givers.

A half day arranged tour to this place costs around 1500 Baht +, but if you show up on your lonesome, you'll pay around 250 Baht for entry, rod hire and bait (no charge to watch) and I doubt you'd be able to sustain pulling in these monsters for a whole half a day anyway. The park is open from 9 am to 10 pm, and the fishing is better at night.

Nong Buak Hard Public Park

I'm trying to walk off all of the food I've been blogging about, by taking regular walks. 'Regular' they haven't been, the old sleep pattern has been out of whack.

But I was inspired last night when I discovered I'd lost a couple of kilos on one of those PUBLIC scales, that plays REALLY LOUD CARNIVAL MUSIC when you climb aboard and has a REALLY LARGE digital read out of your weight...for the WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD to see.

Today I woke up early enough to escape the heat of the day and wandered up to, around and back from Nong Buak Hard (or Hat) Public Park.

Elephant on Thipanet Road

The other night on the way home from dinner we saw this on one of Chiang Mai's busy, busy roads. The elephant is only young and the mahout seems to be trying to sell food to locals, so they can in turn, feed it.

It's something I thought was reserved for tourist areas. I don't condone it, but thought you might like to take a look.

Snap's other blog Chiang Mai Thai

Chiang Mai's 23rd Food Festival

Lately our blog seems to be revolving around food...so why break the theme now? Last night we walked over to the 23rd Chiang Mai Food Festival. Not huge, but big enough to pass away two or three hours. About a hundred or so food stalls surrounding a large eating area, where you can enjoy a meal, beer and live entertainment.

Grilling whole fish over coals.

Random bits and pieces

After a trip to Warorot Markets to buy a 'polite' shirt (collar and sleeves) for my official student photo, today I enrolled in my Thai Language course! Now I wait for my application to be approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Not a good photo of Warorot Markets

Mum...I'd like one of these for Christmas for my lounge room please ;)

The Garden

The Garden was one of our favourite places to eat, drink and duck out of the hustle and bustle of central Chiang Mai last year, so we went back for a visit. Unfortunately for us, good for them, it's situated smack bang near the intersection of the Sunday night Walking Street Markets.

I don't remember the walking being as slow or as crowded as it was yesterday evening. We stopped for a juice and sat out of the way for about 20 minutes and to escape the stifling heat generated by  bodies and hundreds of stall lights.

Anyway, we got there in the end and were lucky there were still a few vacant seats.

Stray's meal: pad see ew, excellent! My meal: Squid with basil and  of course steamed rice. Also excellent, however, I forgot to say 'nit naawy phrik kha!'. HOLD THE BLOODY CHILLI. Even after plucking the little blighters out, it was incredibly hot. My eyes started watering and the fire in my mouth intensified. I do alright on the chillidometer, but will never reach Thai standards.

I finish my meal. I ask the waiter for a little bit of milk.  He looks at me strangely and questions my request. I guess he couldn't figure out how the milk worked in with the squid dish and Chang beer. 'Yes please', I say. By the time he returned with my milk, delivered in a small jug :) the inferno was dying down...but I drank it anyway for good measure.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday - Half of today was spent getting some much needed supplies: phone charger, universal power board, locks etc. But on the top of our list were pillows. Because ours.... well, I reckon somewhere around town two foundation stones are missing.

The mattress isn’t far behind in the comfort department, but we’ll deal with that another day.

Robinsons at Airport Central Plaza, which is on par with Myer or David Jones, was a little over our price range. In fact the prices were similar to those back in Australia. We walked about a kilometre or so down to Tesco Lotus and bought our 199 Baht pillows, including covers.

I’m looking forward to tonight’s sleep, but I’m sure our new purchases will only highlight just how bad the mattress is.

First post from CM

If I was a superstitious person I may have cancelled my trip to Chiang Mai. The omens or warning signs leading up to our departure may have been enough to deter some: increased Red Shirt activity, explosive devices going off willy nilly, the cancellation of my course = loss of Ed visa = possible/probable loss of my deposit, headlines of  'Thailand - expecting worst floods in 50 years', an Aussie bank losing all of my certified documentation to sell my shares just prior to leaving, waking up to find a dead rat size mouse at the foot of the mattress on our last morning at home (a farewell gift from our cat) ...but, no, not me...I'm here!

We arrived late last night, extremely tired, but happy we got it all over and done with in one day. On exiting the airport Stray saw his old taxi driver mate, Mr A, so it was nice to see a familiar face straight away.

The hotel is pleasant, quiet, clean and quite large, situated in the outskirts of Chiang Mai and shadowed by Doi Suthep. Theoretically I'll be able to find my way back, should I get lost, using the mountain as a landmark.

The recorded female elevator attendant in hotel is a bit of a worry. She had a slight spac attack this morning and advised that we were shooting up past the mezzanine floor and penthouses (like there are any) at great knots, and that there was an earthquake and we should get out.

Videos - Northern Thailand 2009

We've had small videos stashed away and have never done anything with them. So (to take my mind of everything) I'll be uploading them according to their location, to our blog. Some are incredibly short and have a strange metallic sound?

Intersection outside of the Parasol Inn (centre of Chiang Mai) where the Sunday night walking market takes place, along with cake in child proof packaging.

To train or not to train? Part II

Previous related post To train or not to train? Part I

Our stay in Chiang Mai (2009) was coming to an end and it was time to head back to Bangkok. There weren’t flights leaving soon enough so we weighed up the cost of a later departure & hotel versus an overnight train. Of course the train won. I made it quite clear that I was willingly doing this under protest...meaning the ball was in my court regarding our mode of transport. So, we went ahead and booked our tickets at the hotel we were staying at.

The first class sleepers, which are cabins, weren’t available on this run, so we opted for 2nd class. You can get the low down at seat61. When making our booking we both chose lower bunks for ease of access, for a little extra baht and paid accordingly. But, as usual, something must have got lost in the translation and we arrived to what would turn out to be an upper and lower. ไม่เป็นไร !...

TEFL Course update

We (and millions of Thais) are hoping that there aren’t any more outbreaks of political unrest…ever!

Stray and I have had to continue on with our plans regardless, however we (I) did come up with a wishy washy backup plan B, which would have entailed possibly doing the same in Vietnam or even China. All very doable, but not what we had our hearts set on.

Stray is doing his TEFL course via TAT – http://www.teachabroadthailand.com/ After paying half of the total payment as a deposit, he can (and does) access the website to study, answer questionnaires and complete his assessments. I think there are a total of twelve in all. I presume this process is to give the language teachers in Thailand an idea of his understanding of the subject and to prepare him for what lies ahead. He’s also finding some great videos on teaching and learning on Youtube. There also seems to be a great amount of free resources on various websites for teachers and students alike.

So far all is going smoothly and he is gaining good results. Although he has not received any back for the last few tests…perhaps that’s due to the start of the university year beginning in June????

I think the idea of doing the online course BEFORE you arrive, is a good one. Some people intending on teaching English abroad have not studied themselves, for quite some time and this gets them back into the swing of it.

Me, I too have enrolled in my course as mentioned earlier, but don’t get to do any pre-learning via the Chiang Mai Uni. I hate to say it, but I have a feeling that some of the students who enroll in this course are only doing it to secure their year long visa (that might be a bit presumptuous of me). Though it certainly does do away with a lot of worry, hassle and border runs. I am genuinely looking forward to it and have started studying already.

Even though my visa is secured and will be paid for in full, I will be required to report to immigration every 90 days. I have read (somewhere) that the officials interview you informally. I am guessing that if one turns up after 90 days and cannot get through a basic conversation in Thai...one might be in a bit of trouble?

Khun sabaai dii mai :)

From scouring the internet, I have put together lessons for myself using three or four websites. They did all the work, I just had to find them. I just hope I don’t teach myself too many bad habits.

Stray's onboard!

Stray paid his deposit today for his TEFL course and I booked our flights as far as Kuala Lumpur, leaving Australia 21st October 2010. I am waiting for the price to go down for the flight to Chiang Mai...I am such a cheapskate :), but on the other hand, it doesn't hurt to save money now, for later.

I am keeping a very close eye on the political unrest via Google news. Although the reports by the big broadcasters like CNN, Bangkok Post and BBC can sometimes be on the 'sensationalisitc' side, reporting what they think is right, in too much of a hurry. I also refer to forums and websites of people (native Thais and farang) who are living there at present.

Paknam Web Forum (a bit slow to load the page) and Stickman are proving to be quite helpful. Stickman actually visits the troubled areas regularly and takes photos. Both shed light on the actual severity of the protests...sometimes disproving news reports...sometimes, making you really think about the possible violence.

Chiang Mai Mail also provides some news of where we will be studying, although, I suspect is quite 'sterile' in its reporting.

At present we are not concerned about Chiang Mai and are in contact with people living there. But, at the end of the day, we hope that Thailand will have sorted out their unrest by the end of the year. If it escalates, we will have to consider delaying our trip.

PS. The most infuriating aspect of the whole situation to date (for me) is the involvement of some idiot Australian living in Thailand and joining the protests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFUDNW60z8U  I wish someone would check out his credentials and visa status. I am sure we would not appreciate it, if the situation was reversed!

Yay! One step closer.

I have (finally) enrolled in my course. I am starting my Thai Language course in November in Chiang Mai. Here's hoping Stray enrolls in his English Teaching course soon :) or I am on my own...just kidding!

My course consists of only 2 lots of 2 hour lessons per week, which I am really looking forward to. I know nit noi (very little) Thai, but am trying to learn as much as possible before I go.

The grounds of Chiang Mai University look quite impressive, according to Google maps...

...and I do remember passing them on a previous visit, as we were climbing the mountain to Doi Suthep (I think...it was a few years ago). So we might enjoy slightly cooler weather for the few months after we arrive. We'll be studying at 'C', if you can see it.

While Stray is completing his 4 week course in November, then looking for work in December, I will be doing my course, looking for other (than student) accommodation and learning the layout of the city (Chiang Mai) in more detail. I think I will be relying on songthaew, a cross between a taxi and a bus...natural air conditioning.
In the past we have found they charge about 20 BHT per trip, and for the locals, 10 BHT per trip. Today that's about 66 cents per trip for us...not bad! But, having said that, if Stray is supporting me on a Thai wage...I may be walking. If Stray decides to hire/buy a bike for the duration, I think I will be taking my own Australian made helmet. While in Vietnam, very silimar, one of the local helmets flew off his head and cracked like an eggshell.

When we settle down, I am looking forward to receiving visitors, working on my Chalk Art book/tutorials, Children's book and websites. Nothing like a holiday, is there?

That's it for now.

Getting ready to get ready....

Well, I never thought I would resort to blogging, but it seems like a good way of keeping everyone updated and only having to write it once...and therapy for me!

We will be spending most of 2010 gearing up to go Chiang Mai, Thailand...hopefully in October or November, for one year. First we he will attend Chiang Mai University, for one month, to complete an English teaching course. We are not quite sure what will happen after that. Stray would like to teach in a school, but I haven't made my mind up yet. The university also provides a course learning Thai, consisting of only 4 hours per week, over 48 weeks and secures your visa for one year, that sounds more like me :) or perhaps I can do some volunteering, work on my chalk art book or actually have a long rest...we'll see!

So we have lots of clearing out, packing and organising to do from now until then. We are off to Vietnam in March for three weeks for a travel bug fix and to catch up with some lovely friends we made last time we were there.

I won't be updating this blog very much until after we leave for Thailand, so until then, cheers! Who was I kidding?