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Published: August 3rd 2008
Perfect Sunset
Reflection in the Aomdoi pond.Nit noi - a little bit - seems a very appropriate phrase for my second to last week in Phrao. A little bit of this, a little bit of that: all representative of my overall stay here.
Mornings Mornings in Phrao are pretty fantastic. Aomdoi is prettiest in the morning and evening magic hours, and in the mornings there is the added bonus of mist hanging so low over the mountains that half of them are obscured. It's almost like living in the clouds. The downside is I never have my camera with me, nor would it do justice to the scene.
Evenings Evenings here are pretty varied. Some days we all come home too tired to do much other than use the internet and sleep. Other nights we go out in town or throw a party. Pa Mala, aka Auntie Aomdoi, threw us a party on Thursday night. It was another Thai barbecue - this time with about a kilo of chicken, pork and squid for each of us. We barely made a dent in it! But it was a great time, and much like any other social gathering in Thailand, the karaoke machine had started before the
Aomdoi Friends
Andrea and I pose with the lovely ladies of Aomdoi (location? karaoke room of course!). We'll miss them! grills were ever turned on.
On our lazier evenings I get to enjoy the sunset, an event which is rarely colorful but always varied and beautiful. Some nights there are reds and purples reflected in the fish ponds and rice paddies. Tonight there were high clouds behind the mountains, clear skies, and mist hanging low just above the valleys. Everything was a different shade of blue and we couldn't help but "ooh" and "aah" on our way back from dinner.
Weekends Weekends are generally spent in Chiang Mai, as anything else tends to be too far away for a 2 day weekend. It's a 2 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, and you have to stop there to get a bus anywhere else, even one headed farther north of Phrao. This weekend was no exception to the Chiang Mai rule. Having exhausted all of the touristy stops in Chiang Mai I mostly just wandered around, read, and did normal city things. Almost like I was a resident. I even got my teeth cleaned (I'm happy to report that I have no cavities and the dentist was impressed by how straight my teeth were. I explained that I had
Having Fun at Work
Bridget and Jessica proving that there's play in addition to work at the office. Especially when the school gets new playground equipment! cheated and spent 2 years with braces). Best $15 dentist visit ever! Friday night we went to the movies. Last night was filled with last minute tourist shopping as most people panicked about gifts for loved ones. I have 3 countries left to go on this trip, so I was more panicked about picking up my new suit than gift shopping. I'm really happy with how it turned out. If anyone ever needs a suit made in Chiang Mai I can happily recommend
Supreme Collection. It can be found on the north side of Sri Donchai Rd just east of Kampaengdin Rd. and a few blocks from the Southeast corner of the city moat. Of course, I also spent a lot of time at the Saturday Walking Market and Night Bazaar in search of trinkets. And I finally stopped for a picture of the (in)famous Burger King (open 24 hours!) that is advertised for miles around.
Weekends are also for Thai massages, and this weekend was no exception. I "dragged" my friends to Lila Spa for one last visit with the recently released women's prisoners who work there. It was as great (and as cheap!) as always. I will
Noodle Shop Lunch
Having neglected to describe the lunch hour, this is the option we go with when not eating in. 15 baht noodles a five minute walk away. It should be noted that it upsets the Thai staff to see us walk, for fear that we will become both strong and tan. The horror! miss my weekend visits there. There is something about the aroma and the tea and the entire experience that is completely relaxing.
I will be sad to leave Phrao behind in a week. It's been a great experience and I've grown pretty attached to the mountains, rice paddies and people. Wes is wandering around Laos this week (he's loving Luang Prubang) and I plan to meet him on Saturday in Bangkok for our flight to Phnom Penh. Hopefully I will have time for one last post before then, but if not, expect an update from Angkor!
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David Quinney
non-member comment
Supreme Collection
Unfortunately my experiences with supreme collection were not as good as yours... Me and my friend were fitted with two suits, four shirts, two vests and two ties. We tried them on in the store and they were fine. Since we were still traveling, we arranged for supreme collection to send these to us back home. two weeks later the suits had still not arrived, we called them many times and they always came up with a different excuse on why they were not sent. Finally after 6 weeks we got a tracking number and the "suits" arrived, but they were missing one shirt, the two vests and the ties! Also the shirts and suits had been remade cheaply (not cashmere) and were not the same ones we tried on in the store! These guys are scam artists, I would highly recommend staying away from them