International Traveler - Day 3

Two nights ago a French American woman and a regular American woman went to Chiang Mai's famed Night Bazaar. It was their first proper night in Chiang Mai ... in Thailand, even. They had just met each other that morning. And they were both jet lagged and tired, but excited to be beginning their respective journeys.

To make short work of that story, I will tell you that the Night Bazaar is overcrowded, overpriced, and overhyped. This, of course, makes it like most tourist attractions the world over. Patricia and I had a bite to eat. I wasn't too hungry, so I just had a sticky rice and mango. (And it was delicious!) Then we trolled around a bit to see what there was to see. But, there was sooo much to see and so much of it was the same stuff repeating every block or so with only slight variations in presentation. We pretty quickly got our fill of the Night Bazaar. Feeling the jet lag begin to weigh in on us we decided to stop for a nightcap before returning to our guest house. We decided, pretty randomly, on an Irish Pub called, rather unimaginatively, O'Malley's. We took a table on the patio. Patricia had a beer and I had a gin + tonic. As we were reaching the bottom of our glasses, what did appear but two strange fellows at our table. One was an Iranian gentleman (by way of France, America, and who knows where else), named Nate, who has been living in Thailand for, I think, 5 years now. The other guy, Charlie, was a recent ex-pat from the greater Boston area, who had been only 3 months here. Charlie was very enamored of Patricia. He made no attempts at hiding his intense desire for her, nor did he try to conceal his complete disregard for my existence. (The latter bringing me a good deal of joy since Charlie is one of the biggest douchebags I have ever had the displeasure to meet ... arrogance, machismo, rudeness, egocentricity ... this man appears to embody of all that is ugly in this world.) Nate was respectful and interesting in conversation, but I had no interest in entertaining, or being entertained by, strange men ... especially on my first night in town when I'm exhausted and overstimulated by all the sights and sounds. Patricia, however, was interested in making some Thai connections. Charlie invited her to a "party", so I gave her leave to go with full assurance that I would be fine getting home on my own. I was so relieved to be removing myself from the company of Charlie that I probably would have bunny hopped the long way back to Chaba House if necessary. As I hopped in my red taxi (song taew), I said a silent prayer that Patricia would be safe, and then came home and welcomed sleep with sprawling arms.

(In case you are wondering, Patricia was fine.)

The next day, which was Saturday, I braved the busy streets of Chiang Mai on foot. I walked from the guest house to the massage school. It took me about an hour, during which I may have lost around 10 pounds of water weight in sweat. The streets are a little treacherous if you aren't careful, but I have never really been one to shy away from traffic. Besides, my favorite way to travel is on foot. I find it is the best way for me to get a really intimate look at the environment around me. Case in point, I discovered a charming little yoga studio near my school. I was having trouble finding the new location of the school. (They relocated the educational portion of the organization a couple months ago. The old location now just houses the spa.) I stopped in the Satva Yoga studio + cafe to ask for directions and found a warm and gracious English-speaking woman who answered all my questions and gave me directions to boot.

When I arrived at the school I was able to tour the building on my own. The receptionist was a very sweet Thai woman. The classrooms are lovely, and there is a little second floor patio with fountains and foliage and seating areas. There is a charming little fountain at the front entrance, as well. I am really looking forward to starting my training tomorrow, even more so after seeing the beautiful digs.

After resting back at Chaba House for most of the afternoon, I went in search of dinner. It was Saturday night, so I thought it only appropriate that I take myself to a nice dinner. I walked about half the distance to the school to a place called Santitham Guest House. The exterior decor had captured my fancy as I passed by earlier that day, so I decided to stop in and try dinner in the restaurant there. It's really beautiful. I don't quite know how to describe it. The best I can offer is that it seems to be decorated in "elegant disco". That might sound ridiculous, but they use a lot of mirror mosaics and mirror balls to decorate, but it still remains elegant and clean and not terribly flashy. Hopefully the photos will help you picture it better than my severely lacking description. I got there just in time. On my walk there I had been noticing a gathering of dark clouds that kept growing more and more ominous with each step. (It was very Hitchcockian.) And not even five minutes after I sat down and ordered did the skies open up and release a heavy summer rain on the town. It was wonderful in that it was helping to cool the overheated night, but the lightning and thunder were not such happy thoughts when I remembered that I had to walk home.

I put the worries about the rain aside when my food began arriving. The waiter immediately brought me a complimentary crudite appetizer served in a martini glass with a light and tangy remoulade sauce. (This made a very pretty presentation on the mirrored tabletop.) And it just kept getting better as each dish arrived: sauteed Chinese kale in oyster sauce, deep purply-brown rice, clear egg drop soup. It being Saturday night I allowed myself a glass of white wine. It was a little sweet for my usual preference, but worked really nicely with the spiciness of the thai food. I tend to like my Thai food pretty spicy (ped mak). So, I attempted to ask the waiter for some hot sauce or other heating condiment that I could add to my soup to up the heat ante. This turned into a fun game of charades and broken english and very broken thai before he realized what I wanted. He brought me some red chili flakes with the warning that they are very spicy. I guess many farangs (foreigners) don't typically like very spicy dishes, because I had to add quite a bit of the chilis to the soup to get it spicy enough for my likes. But once I did ... it was super delish!! After eating my fill I debated over whether or not I was going to wait for better weather, or just head out into the rain and face the elements like a true nomad. I opted for the latter. And I'm glad I did. Aside from being a really refreshing walk home - there's nothing like a stroll through a summer rain - I was able to test the mettle of my new Chaco sandals and my new Arcteryx rain shell. Both, I am glad to report, earned their price tags by performing beautifully and protecting me well in wet weather. Whew, that's a relief!

This morning I awoke at around 3:40am, and was unable to get back to sleep. I did some reading until time for breakfast at 7am. Mr. Pathom was off today, so his young assistants handled breakfast for us. Still very delicious.

Disco Elegant ...

My fancy Saturday night dinner.

A view from the Sunday Market.

Chef Peak. What a friendly fellow!!

More Photos of Thailand!

The charming Chaba Guest House courtyard ... is there any question why I splurged for the room with this view?

Chaba House dining bungalow and kitchen facilities.

Here is the entrance to my room ... the door just beyond the beautiful wooden gates.

Photos of Thailand!

The inimitable Mr. Pathom of Chaba Guest House. What a lovely and jovial host!

View from the back seat of a tuk tuk.

My French/American cohort from Chaba House, Patricia.

The Night Bazaar: A magpie's dream .. an agoraphobe's nightmare!

This is the Satva Yoga Studio. It's located near the ITM school, offers yoga classes, and has a health food cafe. I will definitely be stopping by here again soon.

Some Photos Relevant to Prior Posts ...

This is Ned. He's the gentleman who bought Marsha Mellow from me. Very nice chap.

Anisette getting acclimated to her new (spacious) home. (She's on the Left on the second level.)

This is the WONDERFUL manager of the Spring Hill RV Park, Jim. Without him I would never have survived my experience in the camper.

Here I am at the RDU airport checking in for the very first flight of my adventure.

The sunset over San Francisco. Beautiful!

International Traveler – Day 1

Today I awoke in Thailand.

Let’s see … when I last left you, I was still finalizing all the details of pre-departure. How’d that go, you ask? As far as I know, the insurance situation has been handled. Anisette got her fancy (and SPACIOUS!) new house. Rosy the Argosy was emptied and cleaned and disassembled for storage/sale. The last of my gear arrived. And I got to celebrate with beloved family and friends before my departure on Memorial Day Monday. (On a side note: I’ve been getting some good renewed interest in the camper, so please cross your fingers, say some prayers, do some trance dance, or whatever you do to send me some luck that she sells soon. Thanks!)

My flights from NC to San Francisco were pretty uneventful. I always try to sleep on planes as much as I can since the seats are designed in such a way that they are the most uncomfortable and unnatural torture devices ever invented. (Sorry … soap box.) However, there was a little tiny bit of freak out when I realized on the way to the airport that I had miscalculated my layover in San Francisco. I had an entire extra day that I didn’t realize I had. Apparently the notion that May has 31 days rather than just 30 was getting lost on my frazzled brain. Luckily, my gorgeous and generous friends, Valeda and Elijah, were willing to put me up overnight. (Thanks, again, you two!)

It was so lovely to visit with good friends in such a colorful, big city like San Francisco. They took me to lunch at Café Gratitude where I had a raw foods version of macaroni and cheese – zucchini strips with sun-dried tomatoes and cashew “cheese” sauce. It was delicious. Washed it down with an effervescent juice concoction of ginger and lemon. Refreshing! Then we all shared dessert; a couple of chocolate treats and a brilliant raw + vegan + gluten-free strawberry shortcake. Yum-a-rummy! After lunch, they brought me back to their charming home in Bernal Heights so I could take a nap. That nap turned into 16+ hours of deep sleep. Aaah. It was just what I needed. Tuesday we went shopping at a local natural foods co-op, had lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge (wasabi Caesar salad + Thai mulberry tea), and took Valeda to work at the italian restaurant, Ragazza. Then Elijah and I went to a gorgeous little herb + gift boutique, walked with Dulce (the sweetest little dog in Cali) to a hill with the most spectacular view of San Francisco to watch the sun set, then back to the house where Elijah was offered the job he wanted (Yay!), and back to Ragazza’s to pick up Valeda and have a snack with her at the bar (and to celebrate Elijah’s good news) before taking me to the airport. What a great time with great friends!

At the airport, I discovered that, despite all my careful packing, and despite culling my luggage down to what I thought was the bare minimum, I had brought too much stuff. I had not considered the weight requirements of international flights, and was over the limit, so I had to check a bag. Luckily, I was able to get creative and managed to consolidate my computer, snacks, and a book into a little fold-up shopping bag I’d brought ‘just in case’. Then I put a few ‘less necessary’ items from my backpack into what was my ‘purse’/shoulder bag. That allowed me to check the shoulder bag, and still have my most important stuff with me. It actually felt a lot better carrying the lighter load. I have a feeling I will be losing some of this excess by the time I fly from Thailand. Other than that, there was nothing really out of the ordinary with any of the three flights from San Francisco to Chiang Mai. I slept a lot on these, as well.

Once at the Chiang Mai airport, I made my way to the gentleman carrying a sign with my name on it: “MELANIE HAYES”. The gentleman is Mr. Pathom. He is the facilitator of the Chaba Guest House, where I am staying for the month. Mr. Pathom, a very sweet and jovial man who speaks fantastic English, drove me to the Chaba House while giving me a brief, but thorough, tour of the city along the way. Once there, he gave me my choice of two rooms – one an upstairs room in the main building, and another just off the courtyard and near the outdoor kitchen. (I splurged and got the courtyard room. I figured I’m going to be here a month, so I might as well treat myself well while I’m here.) Mr. Pathom got me all checked in and left me instructions on when breakfast was available. He made sure to get information regarding my dietary restrictions and preferences, and promised to take me out in the morning to show me where the Old City Center and the massage school are located. Then he left me to my solitude. I managed to put away my things, catch up on a few emails, and Skype with my folks before, at around 5pm, Thai time, I went to bed.

This morning I awoke at 5:30am in my comfortable double bed with the gauzy mosquito netting draping around it. I’d been having a dream about Ashton Kutcher. Not sure what prompted it, but I am certainly not complaining. I also realized that I arrived in my very first international destination on the new moon. That’s an auspicious sign, as the new moon has long been associated with beginnings. I took my time getting out of bed, luxuriating in the sweet newness of it all. Then I showered, dressed and set out for breakfast on the lanai. Mr. Pathom was out there and greeted me with his customary large smile. They say Thai people are renowned for their smiles, and Mr. Pathom is a shining example of this wonderful stereotype. He and his staff prepared a most delicious breakfast for me: vegetable fried rice, egg sunny-side up, fresh fruit, and sticky rice with taro root puree. It was heaven. He introduced me to another woman staying in the guest house. Her name is Patricia. She is a French woman who lives in Maui, Hawaii. She also arrived last night. Mr. Pathom was to take us on a tour together so he didn’t have to do it twice. It turned out to be a wonderful gift, that introduction.

Mr. Pathom dropped us off in the middle of the Old City center. Patricia and I went to the bank to change money, then decided to walk around the town together to see what there was to see. She has traveled extensively in her life, and shares a similar travel style to mine. We just walked around with no specific intent, getting to know each other. We stopped at the Corner Café to share a bite to eat (bean thread with tofu and oyster sauce, brown rice, and banana spring rolls) and to have a drink. Patricia was craving a cold beer, so I got wild and had a gin + tonic. Under the heading of “It’s A Small World”, I discovered that Patricia used to own a restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant in the space where hers used to be is Ragazza – the very restaurant where Valeda works and where we had a late snack before my departure. Small world, indeed. While enjoying the food and conversation, one drink became two. That, of course, along with the jet lag and the heat, made us sleepy. We hopped a tuk tuk taxi and made our way toward Chaba House. The tuk tuk driver wasn’t familiar with it, so we directed him to a nearby [larger] hotel. He tried to help us find it with the little map on the business card, but, after a while he gave up and suggested we walk until we found it. We set out … we knew we were in the general vicinity of the place … cursing ourselves for not paying better attention to our landmarks on the drive out earlier. Eventually, we stopped to ask a street policeman. He wasn’t familiar with it, either, but a friend of his rode up on a bicycle, and he knew exactly where to take us. We were only one street past the street we needed. Whew! Crisis averted! We made it back just fine, and parted with the promise of getting together later this evening to check out the Night Bazaar. Exciting! I have a travel buddy! I am already feeling that this trip is going to be everything I needed and so much more. Stay tuned! Xoxo!

One ... Two ... So Much To Do!

I know ... I know ... I am shamelessly overdue on this post. Apologies all around. It's been a very eventful time lately. Yes, even more than usual. I think rather than bore you with all the detailed tedium, I will just cap it all up for you: Sold my car last Friday. Sister and I made a madcap trip to Kentucky ... Friday night ... and back ... Saturday night ... during which we transported furniture and accessories from my grandfather's house. Spent the next several days trying to reset and replenish my sleep schedule. Finished ordering all my gear. Have received most of it. Packed my backpack to see if everything fits, and with my computer in my shoulder bag, I am good to go! (That's even considering the last of the gear that is to arrive.) Spent several days fretting about the fact that, despite an email confirmation, I had not yet been charged for my flight to Chiang Mai. (It finally went through yesterday, though. Yay!) Sent list of alternative therapists for my clients. Had my website updated with that information, also. (Thanks, Katy!) Took a CPR class to renew my certification. Started boxing up the remains of household "debris" in my camper, so I can prep her for storage/sale. Skyped with Mom and Dad. Made space (happily) in my schedule for last minute client appointments. And am making list after list to try to ensure that I get at least all the important stuff done before I leave for my trip in a week.
Whew! I got tired just recapping it all!

I also ordered a new house for little bunny Anisette. She is officially going to live with Sister, so I thought she should have a nicer habitat to make things easier on both of them. I ordered a Bunny Abode for her. I had already been given a second floor for one of these units a while back, so I only had to order the ground floor. (Thanks, again, Katy!) This should give Anisette LOTS of room to stretch out and run around, and, hopefully, to binky! (For those of you not in the know: Binkies are these spastic little hops that bunnies do when they are feeling especially happy. It's cute as buttons to witness!) We are still awaiting the arrival of the abode, but once it's set up, I'll try to take some photos and get them on here.

I did discover something annoying last week, too. When I called to cancel my car insurance after selling Marsha Mellow, I was told that the policy for my house had never been canceled. I'm not sure how this snafu happened. I thought I had taken care of it already, but apparently I was erroneous. So, now I am in the midst of a flurry of paperwork shuffling between my email account, and the email account of an insurance agent named Bob. Bob's got to perform some kind of sacrificial rituals in order to retroactivate the cancelation of the house policy to the date the house was sold, recreate the policy for the car, and then cancel it retroactively to the date it was sold. He's a Magic Man, that Bob. I hope he works quickly. I really do not want this hanging over me after I hit the road.

I have been emailing with the woman at The Village in Pohnpei. There is no promise of a job, but I feel good about already creating some buzz about my arrival and my desire to work while I'm there. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens when I get there.

I suppose that is the quick update for you all. Unfortunately, the quick update is all I have time for right now. Will try to touch base again before my flight on Memorial Day. Until then ... enjoy yourselves!

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

This morning I booked the travel arrangements for the first leg of my first big trip. I leave in three weeks. That's right: Three weeks. Ack! I will fly to San Francisco where I will have a long enough layover to head into the city for an hour or a few. Then I'm off to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month. After taking the weekend to get situated in my new temporary digs at the Chaba House guest house, I will begin my two weeks of training in Thai massage (at the International Training Massage School) on Monday, 6 June. Weekends will be free for massage practice and exploration. After my training is completed, I will have almost two weeks at my disposal to explore the Thai culture. Exciting! On 30 June, I depart Chiang Mai, and arrive, on 1 July, in Pohnpei. There, I'll be reunited with my mom! Dad is going to be away in the Marshall Islands on a business trip the first week of July, so I will able to keep mom company while dad's away. Perfect execution of travel timing! (That sound you hear is me knocking on wood, by the way.)

It seems a rather sudden surge of momentum, this booking. I had been feeling very stagnant and at the mercy of the Fates while I was waiting around to sell my camper and my car. I kept getting messages from the Universe that things were progressing, even if at a slower pace than I would like. Then it hit me: I realized that if I really wanted to make my departure date ... the ideal departure date toward which I had been working this whole time ... I needed to get more proactive.

So, I asked Tom and Jim at the campground here if there was any possibility of storing Rosy here if she doesn't sell by the time I need to leave. At first, they told me that the storage lot was full. But, soon after, they mentioned that they could remove a recently vacated storage building which would make the perfect space for my little camper. Now, I'll be able to rest assured that Rosy will be in good hands (and under watchful eyes) if I need to keep her around while I'm away. And it's a bargain price, to boot. Coincidentally, Sister has agreed to help me sell her by being the contact person while I'm gone. Whew! That worked out nicely.

Then I decided to go ahead and post my car (Marsha Mellow) for sale. I had been waiting for Sister to get her new car, so I could have the old family car once mine sold. She's currently looking at cars, and may have found one. Plus, we agreed that we could get creative if we needed to share the one car for a little while. I've got two folks test driving tomorrow, and have had several people contacting me with interest. I feel really good about the prospect as Marsha is a little fuel efficient Toyota Yaris, and anything fuel efficient is in high demand these days.

Lastly, I took a look at my bank account. I already had enough money saved to get me to Thailand with housing, food, and course fees. My concern was the transportation from Chiang Mai to Pohnpei. After marinating on it for a day or two, I had the brilliant light bulb moment when I remembered that I still had money set aside for a video camera. It was enough to cover that plane ticket. I can always get a camera with the money I have from selling the car. Plus, that can be bought online at any time, so it wasn't imperative that I get it before I leave the US. Problem solved! Hooray!

So, there you have it. I am officially going to do this thing! It's exhilarating and terrifying ... amplified by 10 ... but, thankfully, I have so much to do, that I don't really have time to wallow in the fear part.

Okay, that's the update for now. It's late and I've got a million things to do. And I really just want to go to bed. Goodnight, everyone.