Rock Concert

Rock Concert Pixie I

Rock Concert Pixie II

Art Exhibit Painting

Afternoon Shadows

Wall Painting I

Wall Painting II

Balcony Sunset I, February 5th

Balcony Sunset II, February 5th

I was planning to stay inside my room today, other than getting a bite to eat at Tops Supermarket, but the maid came in the afternoon, breaking up my meditation session. 

I walked back to Kad Suan Kaew mall to wander about in the shaded corridors, as it was too hot to be out in the afternoon sun. I went to the lower level and walked through an art exhibit. As I was looking at the paintings I began to notice oddly clothed girls prancing about, and soon a rock concert started in the outdoor courtyard. I walked out to listen and somehow got the nerve to ask a couple of the girls to pose for a picture. They happily agreed, and I will admit I was a bit nervous, it has been a long time since I did my homeless street portraits when I lived in Chicago.

When I got back to my now clean room I worked on editing the pictures. The sunlight in the room began to glow and I had the idea to strip my clothes off and take a few self portraits laying in bed. I think the hot weather made me do it, along with a bit of traveler's insanity. I think they turned out decent enough, but I know a middle aged body is not a pleasant thing to look at - sorry!

I did my 4th run today, I was going to skip it because I woke at 5:00am and just did not feel like getting out of bed, but when I fell back asleep I dreamt I was out running along the gates! - very odd experience, it seemed so real, so when I woke I decided I had better go for the run, the sun was already up but it was still cool, and it was interesting to see the route I have been running illuminated with sunlight. My legs still feel a bit sore from that initial run, I may have to take 2 days off to let them heal, but I am already making good progress with my fitness, once my legs recover I am looking forward to running some fast 5 milers.

Guitar and Getting Fit

View from Balcony at Sunset

Another View from Balcony at Sunset

Anonymous Soi

My New Guitar

Art Gallery Window Reflection

LeRoy

Haagen Dazs - 10 bucks!

Hallucinating in the Afternoon Heat

Breathe Deep

Bamboo Grove

I have just returned from my 3rd run this week, a 3 mile jaunt around the gates. After the first run my legs were quite sore, which is to be expected. On my 2nd run I had to take it slow so went the opposite direction and ran to the Chiang Mai Zoo. Today my legs still felt sore, but not as bad, so I went back to the gates, and began the run with a 20 minute Jimi Hendrix jam on the ipod. I was running pretty quick and was surprised to find that after 20 minutes I still was not close to the turn around point from the first run, which meant that initial run was more like 5 miles - no wonder my legs are still sore!

A couple of days ago I was walking around in the Kad Suan Kaew shopping mall near The Dome (I normally hate malls, but it is one of the few connections I have to my home culture) and I saw a small shop selling a small selection of guitars. I tried one and it sounded and felt good, and it was only 2000 baht ($65), so I bought it, along with 4 picks. The odd thing was within 5 minutes, carrying my new guitar in a pink shopping bag, I came across a real guitar store in the same mall. I walked in wide eyed, thinking I made a stupid move for buying a guitar before going to a real music shop. The thing was, I had been looking for a guitar store for days with no luck, and that small row of guitars was the best thing I had found, until a few moments later when I am gazing at over 100 guitars. It all turned out for the best, though, because most of the guitars were 3500-7000 baht, and I did not want to pay that much for a guitar because I am going to dump it once I leave Chiang Mai, plus there is the potential for theft from the hotel room. I found the exact model I had just bought, selling for 1950 baht, so I over paid $1.50, which made me smile. I decided as I left the store that I had bought the right guitar for the circumstances.

I am starting to settle into a routine - running as the sun rises upon the city, in the afternoons wandering with the camera, stopping at the half way mark in a quiet cafe to eat a small lunch and write letters, and in the evenings buying a small supper at Tops Supermarket (usually the pad thai for 35 baht ($1.19), followed by editing pictures and a bit of reading while lounging on my king size bed. I found a good bookstore called On the Road Books, which has an excellent selection of literature, even some Bukowski. Yesterday I bought Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, I read it when I was in college, it had made a deep impression upon me, so I want to reread it and see what it does for me now, seeing that I am currently steeped in a Buddhist culture.

I have only run 3 times so far, but I am starting to feel fitter and am beginning to lose the extra pounds I gained while I was not running. By the time I head south to the beaches in a few months I should be feeling great.

The Dome and Leroy

I left the CM two days ago and spent yesterday at The Dome. 

I decided on a three month stay for $280 per month. So here I am, finally settled somewhere. 

I discovered a guest in my room, a gecko I have named Leroy. The gecko being harmless and cute, I imagine myself having hours of entertainment watching it climb the walls.

This morning, thirty minutes before sunrise, I went for a run along the gates of Chiang Mai. A couple of years ago this would not be news, but I have not run in months. After three miles my legs became fatigued and I stopped. I passed morning markets and barefoot monks, feeling in tune with my surroundings. 

On a whim I bought running shoes at Kad Suan Kaew mall. I hope to run every other day, working my way to passing the four gates, which I am guessing is six miles.

Now that I no longer need to dedicate time and energy to where to lay my head at night, I am imagining how to spend my days. Running, photographing, meditating, reading, and playing the blues if I can find a guitar. 

Today I paid the first months rent and deposit, for a total of 20,400 baht. I gave the clerk 21,000 baht and forgot to ask for the change, and she forgot to give it. I realized the short when calculating my daily expenses.

Letter to Rachel - The Gates

Dear Rachel,

I am relaxing at the Free Bird Cafe, a beautiful place with roaming cats. The food is good, I like the red curry soup with brown rice.

I am still not comfortable, but it has been only a week. It is fun to be photographing again. I like Chiang Mai and can walk anywhere. There is a Tops Supermarket not far from where I am staying, upon entering a woman was carving fresh papaya and said "Take some, buy one get one free." 

I will be changing hotels today, I am waiting for check-in time as I write this. If I like the room I may stay a month. 

My day consists of wandering about with the camera, napping in the afternoon, editing pictures at night, and writing in cafes. I walk alone, as usual, it keeps me out of trouble.

Yesterday I was photographing at the gates as the sun was rising and a monk approached and opened his alms bowl. I had no food to give so I dropped baht into his bowl and the monk bowed and chanted a prayer. 

Later in the day I wandered into a few wots and photographed tall guardian trees.

Tell your dad I say hello, I need to get his letter posted.

Love, Jim

Wandering Around Chiang Mai

Monks, Guitars, and Cats

Last Morning at the Pagoda Inn

Free Bird Cafe

Doing Laundry at the CM

I wrote a post card to Rick this afternoon and mentioned how time and experience have reversed positions. In Urbana time is a heavy experience, a repeating process of routines and experiences, but on the road, in a foreign country, time becomes lighter in relation to the sensual experiences which flak the mind. Everything is new, the only routine being no routine. 

I left the Pagoda Inn this morning, having made a reservation at CM Apartments, a few blocks down the road. 

I now relax in bed at the CM. The room is a pleasing white, with no pictures, sterile furniture, and a balcony.  The CM is located on Moon Muang Road Lane 7, which is a narrow, cobbled soi in the old part of the city, with interesting shops, stalls, massage joints, and restaurants. 

Two hundred meters down the road is Free Bird Cafe. I stopped in this afternoon and sat in a shaded garden eating red curry soup with brown rice. A cat wandered over and kept me company as I ate and wrote postcards.

The price of CM is expensive (950 baht/night), but this is the busy season and places are hard to get. I will be here tomorrow, and maybe longer, as I feel a need to settle somewhere, even if it's only for a few nights. 

Meanwhile I have been contacting places which accept long term stays. I have an appointment to see The Dome.

This morning I was up before dawn and wandered the streets with my camera. I passed monks walking with alms bowls, and as the sun came up I stopped at a restaurant called Nice Kitchen. I ordered a banana pancake and wrote a letter to Rachel. As I was leaving the owner said "Come back soon."

Before checking in at the CM this afternoon, I walked about with my full pack and passed a row of shops selling guitars. If I end up staying a month I may buy one and sell it when leaving.

Letter to Rachel - Lost in Bangkok II

Chiang Mai Sunrise III

Pagoda Inn

Moon Muang Road Lane 7

Chiang Mai Sunrise I

Chiang Mai Sunrise II

Pagoda Inn

Dear Rachel,

I am sitting in the “Nice Kitchen” vegetarian breakfast cafe.

The sun is rising and monks wander the streets. The air is cool, and I have ordered a banana pancake with a strawberry smoothie. 

I left Bangkok after two days because of sooty air, dense traffic, and tangled sidewalks. My hotel was decent but getting around was difficult. I was lost on my first walk, and needed to take a taxi back to the hotel, the driver also being lost.

The next day I checked out of the hotel and walked to the subway. I became lost and rode a taxi to the station. I exited the subway at Sukhimvit Rd carrying my full pack. It was hot and the traffic difficult to navigate. I crossed an overpass and walked a mile further, becoming paranoid and woozy along the way. 

I hailed a cab and asked to be taken to Lumpini Park, the largest patch of green on the city map. When I exited the cab I passed a military statue and entered the park gate. 

The park is large with ponds and tall trees and plenty of pedestrian paths. I sat on a shaded bench and poured water on my head. I became panicked because I had nowhere to be. I was hoping to find a hotel close to the city center but had found nothing which looked acceptable. I remembered seeing a subway station entrance next to the military statue, and knew the final stop was Hua Lamphong, which is where the train station is located. 

I made the decision to ride the subway to Hua Lamphong and buy a train ticket to Chiang Mai. When I arrived at Hua Lamphong I discovered an underground tunnel which connected to the train station and I bought a ticket for the 18:10 train to Chiang Mai, second class sleeper, $25. 

It was noon and I had six hours to wait. I rode the subway back to the park and wandered around. A thunderstorm rolled into the city and I found shelter at a covered picnic table. A Chinese family of four joined me. 

An hour later the rain stopped and I walked to the floating island and photographed monitor lizards. I became fatigued and rode the subway back to the train station at Hua Lamphong. 

The train journey lasted fourteen hours and passed pleasantly. 

The next morning I departed the train and was welcomed by mountain air and a row of cab drivers. 

“Where to go my sir?” 

“I don't know.” 

“You come with me, I take you.” 

“Ok.” 

I followed the driver to his vehicle and was surprised to see a tuk tuk. I negotiated a rate (60 baht) and was dropped near Tha Phae Gate. 

I walked down a quiet soi and discovered an oasis named K.Thip Village, but the price was too expensive. 

I sat in the grass outside the oasis and rested while studying a map. 

I resumed walking and stepped into the Pagoda Inn guesthouse and agreed to a room for $16/night. The Inn has a pleasing ambiance and my room has a large window which overlooks a garden terrace. The bathroom was missing toilet paper, the shower no hot water, and some of the appliances did not work (refrigerator, light fixtures). 

After unpacking I asked the manager about toilet paper, and with a puzzled expression he pointed me down the road. Close by was a 7-11 and I bought toilet paper, shaving gel, and scissors. 

I had a pleasant walk through the old part of the city, the narrow, cobbled sois cozy and beautiful. Feeling famished (the train breakfast consisted of two pieces of white toast and a sugar drink, costing 100 baht), I ate at an Indian restaurant, ordering saag paneer and naan, costing 90 baht.

In the late afternoon I showered and then relaxed in bed, booking a room at CM Apartments for the next day. CM Apartments is located on Moon Muang Road Lane 7, which is less than a mile from the Pagoda Inn. 

My banana pancake and this letter is now finished.

Love, Jim

Train to Chiang Mai

Bangkok in the Rain

I am sitting in the Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok. 

Two days in Bangkok shattered my mind. Heat, smog, language, and inability to navigate the streets led me to buy a train ticket to Chiang Mai. 

The traffic is intense, scooters more prevalent than cars. Jarring sidewalks. Touts.

I was approached today on Sukhimvit Rd. After asking if I needed a taxi, he suggested I visit a tailor shop.

Having no luck in finding a hotel, I took a cab to Lumpini Park. On the Bangkok map it is the largest green space. The ride lasted fifteen minutes and cost $1.75. 

Upon exiting the taxi I encountered a military statue, with MRT subway station adjacent. I entered the park gate and began to feel better. I sat on a bench in the shade of a large tree, stretched my legs, and poured water on my head. My mood began to improve. 

I decided to take the subway to Hua Lamphong Station and purchase a train ticket to Chiang Mai. After departing the subway I discovered a connection tunnel to the train station. I bought a second class sleeper ticket for the 18:10 train, costing 780 baht ($25.00).

It was noon and I had six hours to wait, so I rode the subway back to Lumpini Park and wandered about. 

A thunder storm blew into the city, cooling the air. I found shelter at a group of tables with canvas awnings.  A Chinese family on holiday stood next to me as we waited the storm out. When the sky cleared I walked to the floating island and made photographs.

It is 5:00 pm and the station is cool and pleasant. The train to Chiang Mai departs in one hour.