Bring in the Heat

I spent the day getting to know Chiang Mai a little better and now I am recovering from major sensory overload. We started the day at the Peppermint Cafe down the street from our guest house. Allie has been coming to Chiang Mai to study Thai massage for the past 7 years and over that time she's gotten to know the owners and frequenters of the cafe very well. The owners are Robbie, a very English Englishman, and his wife Tuppany, a very friendly, very funny Thai woman. They are both so great and have good food and amazing fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast-cold beers for dinner. Doesn't get much better than that. And then there is Del, a good friend of Allie's and such an outgoing person. He is going to bring us to one of the more beatiful wats (temples) in Chiang Mai on Sunday. There are some other names I've heard, but haven't had the chance to see their faces yet.

After breakfast Gina and I wandered over to the large food market NE of our guest house. This is where I was stunned senseless by all of the new sights and smells. At first I was merrily snapping pictures at every new thing I saw...breaded, deep fried fish ready to purchase and eat head included, a large pig's head with no body but the hooves were included, piles of fragrant tobacco and the banana leaves used to roll it in, some vegetables and fruit I have never seen before. So many colors! Ans do many smells, equal amounts of good and bad. And all the people and the motorbikes and people wanting to give me taxi rides...wow. I did manage to buy an entire sliced pineapple for one US dollar before succumbing to the frey.

It was so beautiful and wonderful and so incredibly overwhelming. We started back towards the guest house--I promised myself I would return to see more after a day or two away. Back to the Peppermint Cafe for an afternoon smoothie and to escape the noise and heat of the day. By heat I mean H E A T and crazy humidity. I'm fairly certain I've lost 5lbs since arriving mearly by sweating profusely.

After regrouping, Gina and I set out to a place we'd passed along the way to take a lesson in Qi Gong. There are many different styles of Qi Gong and I really can't say much about it as this was my first real experience with it, but it was very calming. I know it is tied into Chinese medicine as a meditative practice and that it is supposed to encourage internal health and mental peace through breath and slow, gentle movement. It was very peaceful.

Iwent back to the guest house to relax for a minute and eat the most delicious pineapple I'd ever tasted in my life. It honestly makes me want to brave the madness of the market sooner than later for a second serving. It was the kind of good that just lives with you for the rest of your life, it's a permanent memory of sensory bliss.

I decided that after all that walking around (did I mention we got lost a few times...and are you at all surprised??) I should get a foot massage. So I went to a thai sauna and massage place and received a 1 hour foot massage which sent me to sleep in a matter of minutes. It was a-mazing and will definitely be happening again. Definitely.

I find myself now at dinner time, ready to try some new food...though maybe not a deep friend fish with the head still attached...and the scales still on.

I hope if you're reading this that all is well where you are.

Saawat dee ka
Andrea