Chiang Mai - My Month of Massage.

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After finishing our trip around Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (about a month and a half in all), Dave left for New York, and I continued onto Chiang Mai - one of the many ancient capitals of Thailand. I've been here for about three weeks now, staying in the Ben Guest House - which is across the Ping River from the Old City. The Old City is surrounded by the remaining sections of the city wall and the moat, and although all maps show the Old City to be a large square, I believe this to be an impressive joke on the tourists by the Chiang Mai citizens. There are probably six corners to this "square," which make for a confusing two hour walk around its border.
Each weekday morning, I wake up at around 7:30 AM and leave at 8:00. I walk northward up to the Nawarat Bridge that crosses the Ping, and then walk about ten minutes west to the city walls - and arrive at Tha Phae Gate - a square with a HUGE billboard dedicated to King Bhumibol and Queen Sikrit of Thailand. Behind the Gate, and along the square the vendors are already setting up for the tourist market at 8:15 AM. I then head farther north, either right along the moat, or through the city, and head to the northwestern corner for my massage school. The school, ITM, International Thai Massage, is split between two buildings. All students begin their day with a two-minute prayer, acknowledging the Father Doctor Shivago, who came to Thailand from India and founded the first Thai massage schools in Bangkok. After the prayer, we go through an hour of advanced stretching and breathing, and sometimes a half hour of basic Tai Chi Qi Gong. Then, at 10:00 AM, there is a fifteen minute coffee break, which always lasts about twenty or twenty-five minutes, and then we head into our different classrooms, separated by levels. I've now finished Level 1, 2, and 3, and instead of taking Level 4, I've decided to purchase massage mats, receive a few more massages from the teachers, and practice for one week. I've learned about 300 different positions, and I can't imagine learning much more right now...a bit overwhelming! I feel incredibly confident about "performing" a two hour massage on a client/patient (Thai massage, the teachers repeat each day, is incredibly therapeutic, and should be viewed as a preventative health measure), however, I've only practiced on five different people in these three weeks. It is MUCH easier to practice on a Thai massage student - they know the routine and they are generally more flexible than the average stressed out working person. So, this week, I hope to find a few travelers, along with my lovely hostel manager - Mae-ow - to practice on. Here are a few pictures of the city, my massage school, and friends.
*Sorry

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Photos

Friday Mornings at Buak Hat Park
Each Friday, the manager of ITM, Chongkol Setthakorn, brings students to this park at the southwestern corner of the city. The park is gorgeous, clean, a small running path and a pagoda in the middle. Together, the students who show up to this earlier class, do easier Qi Gong exercises and enjoy the soundtrack. Along with Chinese music, a shrill woman's voice sing-speaks "Chiiiii" "Hoooo" many times. We are supposed to inhale the Chi (good spirits) and exhale the Hoo (evil thoughts, frustrations, stress). When the pace of the music increases, the less serious ITM students cannot help but giggle.
Chiiiii, Hoooo, Chi, Hoo, CHI HOO.

A Quiet Sunday.
At the center of the eastern wall is Tha Phae Gate, easily identified by the HUGE billboard dedicated to King Bhumibol and Queen Sikrit. This is where the sunday market is held, and also a daily tourist market. When I walk by the gate on my morning walk to ITM, many vendors are already set up at 8:15 AM. This view is from the third floor of the Tha Phae Gate Starbucks. (so farang *foreigner* of me, but they do have the best view for people watching, and the most comfortable arm chairs).

A newer section of the wall.
Just to the right of Tha Phae Gate, the city wall has been restored. The city is nicely set up - since the road outside of the wall is directed clockwise, and the inner road has cars driving counter-clockwise. Even with this organization, it is sometimes very difficult to cross the roads with the tuk-tuks and motorbikes zooming by. The "stray" dogs laying about the town seem to have no problem though.

Crossing the Ping at Dusk.
Thai massage practice ends at around 5:00 PM. I walk home slowly, while listening to NPR podcasts!:) from the northwestern corner, through the city, near the night market and over this smaller bridge - just south of the larger Nawarat Bridge. The tuk-tuk drivers now recognize me, and rather than asking if I want I ride, they just wave, or say "Sawadee!"

Nawarat.
At the eastern edge of the bridge.

Entering the City.
Just after crossing the bridge.

At the local market.
The markets never cease to amaze me. As many food/condiment I learn of one day, the next I walk through the open aisles, and there are twenty more products that I have never seen before. The bag of orange is filled with tiny shrimp that are used in many Thai dishes to make them saltier.

Edible Art.
A fun moment in my Thai cooking class.

My Cooking Classmates.
A woman from Australia and a woman from Holland. They made four dishes during the morning. I made the four along with them, and then continued into the afternoon to make a few more. We had a great time, and we were very lucky - if we had chosen to take the course on the saturday, rather than the sunday, we would have had a class of 17 people, and not 3.

Portable Potables.
Every few blocks in Chiang Mai, you'll find one of these snappy blue water providers. For only 3 cents (1 baht), you can get a half liter of water, if you provide the container. Very convenient!

The least sacred part of the body
gets the most attention at ITM. We wash our feet each time we enter the building (so, nearly three times a day).

ITM!
The sign outside Building 2 - where the more advanced students (Levels 3,4,5...) take their classes.

Pound Puppies.
On my way home from ITM there are many animals to pet. The stray cats and dogs (skinny, but healthy), and the locked up ones. These two whimper sadly when I pet them, and walk away.

Also on the way home.
One of MANY temples in Chiang Mai. This one is next to a gas station.

The least tempting.
How anyone could choose a hamburger over a good Panaeng, or Masaman Curry, eludes me.

The Moat at Night.
One night, while walking home (after dinner), I noticed MANY people with cameras standing and staring up at the trees on the inside of the moat. There were hundreds of small birds flying in and out of the trees. They might have been small enough to be hummingbirds, or just a more elegant style sparrow...I still haven't figured out exactly what the commotion was about. But I love those moments.

The ITM guide.
Here is an example of the ITM lesson book - basic drawings of figures, and an area where we are to write notes when the teacher demonstrates the position/stretch.

Near the Night Bazaar
The totem pole of the Chiang Mai Cultural Center.

A corner of the park.
I occasionally look up, or around myself while walking through the Old Town and I feel this sort of pressing on my chest - that disbelief of beauty surrounding me on a daily basis. I have been here long enough that I usually stick the headphones in my ears before leaving the hostel, but I try to keep my eyes open to absorb as much of the surroundings as possible.

The Crew.
Every Friday - two photos are taken of the students - in the morning after Tai Chi, and then again just after the certificates are handed out. EVERY student, of course - typical travelers - have their cameras with them, and it takes about two minutes of flashes before we can continue the congratulations and hugs.