Blogs from Chiang Mai, North-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 2

Start Saturday with a challenge.The plan is to walk up the mountain trail of Doi Suthep to the temple , Wat Phra That Soi Suthep, high above the city of Chiangmai. When I first came to visit Dorothy with Kath and Bob five years ago, Dorothy was in training for her own personal challenge: to climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro to celebrate her 70th birthday. She would trek up and down the mountain about 3 or 4 times a week, at dawn when it was still cool. Kath, Bob and I joined her on one of these hikes up the trail, and I found it really difficult, although I was wearing silly little canvas slip-on shoes with no grip, which kept falling off my feet. Dorothy stepped lightly on ahead ... seemingly no effort. And ... read more

Archie and I just got back from our Cambodian trip. We had a wonderful time with Archie’s family. After a few days, my parents called to inform us that they would like to come and visit us at our home in Chiang Mai. I was so excited to see them and wanted to make them try new things this time. It was challenging to think about things to amaze my parents. And you know what...it wasn’t that hard since I know how much my family and I love food so I started searching for best restaurants and bars in Chiang Mai to take them to upon arrival. Our main concern was finding a café that offered tasty food and great music, without appearing to be too loud, especially taking into account my parent’s advanced age. Eventually, ... read more

The start of a new week , and I'm determined not to continue with this faffing about in the morning and late breakfast malarkey. So I made an appointment at the acupuncture clinic for 9am. The river looked still and reflective as I crossed over the bridge and wove my way through the narrow streets inside the old city, arriving in good time. Yet again , a different doctor and this one looked about ten years old! Never mind - he must be recently trained and qualified. I donned my blue cotton hospital gown and climbed up on the bed. As before , needles were inserted (painlessly) and a mild electric current that felt like a beating pulse, travelled between the needles around my shoulder blade. The time whizzed by and I was soon back out ... read more

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now… ~ Thai Proverb HE SAID... Today we were travelling north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Having spent the morning exploring Bangkok’s khlongs (canals) in a long wooden boat and ambling through the serene but crowded Wat Pho temple complex, we returned to Siam Champs-Elyseesi Unique Hotel to prepare for our overnight train to Chiang Mai. We settled on thick wooden chairs in a comfy hotel alcove and worked on our travel notes, only venturing into the searing afternoon heat to pick up some snacks from a nearby 7-Eleven store. It was a great place to reflect on our time in Bangkok, and to prepare for our northward journey. In the late afternoon (around 4pm) we jumped into a minibus ... read more

Having a friend come to stay in your city is always exciting -- and it's even more exciting when your friend is preparing for an adventure like studying abroad. My old school-friend is planning to attend a university in England so she's preparing with a study abroad prep programme at Quinn. At first, I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to find a suitable apartment here in Chiang Mai for her. We looked at a few places that just weren't right. Luckily we found a wonderful place just a few minutes away from Quinn. It's not too small and has a great view out over the city. I just know she'll be really happy there as she prepares to study abroad in the UK. Getting to Know the Neighbourhood Fortunately, my own place ... read more