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Published: July 10th 2009
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I cannot believe it's been a month since I arrived in Chiang Mai - time truly does fly! Since my last blog, I have been simply working, planning a rough itinerary for the last stretch of my trip and soaking up all the different experiences, sounds, smells and tastes found in Chiang Mai (Bryan - hold the joke haha).
Last weekend was really great. My friend Katie, and I were invited to one of our co-worker's house for lunch. We got a late start and left for her house right after breakfast, arriving mid-morning, around 11:00 (...is that considered mid-morning??) only to be seated again for lunch!! Of course, this was not a problem for me since I was hungry yet again! We walk into the house, shoes off. In the Shan culture (the
Shan State being the largest of 14 provinces/administrative divisions in Burma, and where our co-worker is orginially from), you wait for the oldest person to sit down first as a sign of respect. So we wait to get the "go-ahead" and sit down. Our co-worker and her family bring out all sorts of dishes: Indian rice with
garam masala, a glorious blend of ground spices which
I will definitely be making at home; yellow beans made in four different ways: crushed and mixed with some spicey sauce, dried and mixed with spicey peanuts, in a soup, and finally dried, ground and made into flour for yellow-bean chips! Delicious! And then there is also chicken, which I most certainly, did not partake in! haha tea is also served and as I slowly finish my cup, I notice that it tastes more salty than sweet. I think to myself,
ah poor girl (a friend of the family)
probably mixed up the sugar and salt, but then I see my co-worker's husband add salt to his tea! What is this?? Since when do you add salt to tea? I need to know about this! After long conversations about traditional medicines, different herbs and spices, methods and reasons behind tattooing according to the Shan people, and Buddhism, I finally get my answer: Unique to China and the Shan State, people believe that the salt fights the tannic acid in the loose leaf tea they use and let sit for hours. And apparently those (especially men) who do not add salt to their tea are considered not as tough. Then, after
two cups of salted tea, I get another treat: Tea with sesame seeds. Now it may sound strange but it's actually pretty good.
Four hours later we say our goodbyes for Katie and I have other "last weekend in Chiang Mai" errands to run! The rest of the day was spent at the Night Bazaar buying Buddha heads, going to one of Katie's last dress-fittings since she had several dresses made here, getting yet another haircut (Ja hoor Peter-Paul, heb m'n haren hier weer laten cutten, haha knippen! Heb ze helemaal eraf - ben benieuwd wat je ervan vindt!) ...chopped off my hair - I haven't had it this short since I rocked the mushroom cut back in the day, and meeting up for dinner and drinks with new friends.
For those of you who get the chance of visiting Chiang Mai, I highly suggest renting a motorbike for a day or two and simply cruising around the city. It has some beautiful scenery; the Wats (monastery temples) in the mountains are amazing - definitely a site worth seeing!!
Time flies so enjoy every minute of everything. Live life day by day because tomorrow's never promised...maybe also
Mr. McDonald
Ronald McDonald doing the wai, a Thai greeting and sign of respect another reason why I never plan things such as accommodation, leisure activities, transportation, etc etc. You have to BE IN THE MOMENT to truly enjoy the experience (in my opinion)!! But since I do leave for the developed world again at the end of the month, I have a couple things in mind which I would like to do within the next couple of weeks: Visit Laos, go to Pai again, meditation/yoga retreat at a Buddhist monastery in the mountains of Mae Hong Son (Thailand again), quality beach time at Koh Samet/Pattaya (Thailand) and the crazy weekend market in Bangkok. You know, the usual things! haha just kidding.
Life is good! I am very appreciative and grateful for all my experiences, opportunities and most importantly, the people I have in my life!
Last Saturday I met a really great person, who kept saying
mai ben-ray (pronounced may bin-lay), meaning no worries, or that's alright; it's something that has stuck with me and it's with that attitude that I leave for
Laos tonight!
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AZ
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Life is Good
life is good, you just reminded me with my dad's favorite song "life is good" in arabic "الحياة حلوة " its from the 60s or 70s i dont remember.................. anyhow, make sure you enjoy ur rest of ur vacation and keep taking pictures peace, AZ