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Man with glasses in front of table with three singing bowls.

I am James Geier, the intrepid pilgrim. Intrepid means being characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance. I’m not sure I have resolute fearlessness; I do have fortitude and endurance. Pilgrim because I journey to foreign lands in seek of wisdom and enlightenment. This blog is a record of my travels over the past decade: yoga-focused winters in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and pilgrimage walks in Spain to Santiago de Compostela.

My winters in Chiang Mai are about daily yoga, meditation, and enjoying living for a short time in a very different culture with a different history.

My pilgrimage walks in Spain are on routes of the Camino de Santiago to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain where the remains of Saint James are said to be interred. In spring of 2016 and autumn of 2017 I walked 500 miles from Saint Jean Pied de Port in southwestern France to Santiago de Compostela. In spring of 2023 I walked 440 miles from Seville in the south of Spain to Granja de Moreruela where I had to stop due to an injury. In spring 2024 I completed the walk I started in 2023, 260 miles from Zamora to Santiago de Compostela.

I am a former computer system administrator in the healthcare sector in San Diego and Los Angeles. I am a road cyclist and former racer for more 50 years, and have been an avid yoga student for the past 18 years.

My Latest Posts

  • Preparations for a 14th Winter in Chiang Mai
    by James Geier
    Wednesday, September 23, 2026 Preparing for a Fourteenth Winter in Chiang Mai, Thailand Time before my fourteenth winter in Chiang Mai is eroding away quickly with just seven weeks until I leave. I’m in the final preparations phase, making sure everything is in order, reviewing my packing list, etc. Packing for Thailand presents a challenge.… Read more: Preparations for a 14th Winter in Chiang Mai
  • Kind of Blue, Kind of Hot: Summer Jazz Tribute to Miles Davis
    by James Geier
    21-23 August 2026 California Coast Jazz Festival: MILESTONES, a Miles Davis Centennial Celebration I have been a jazz fan most of my life. I remember falling in love with the big band sounds my father would play, especially the 3-LP set of Benny Goodman’s big band live at Carnegie Hall in 1939. And most memorable… Read more: Kind of Blue, Kind of Hot: Summer Jazz Tribute to Miles Davis
  • Summer Sunsets & Cycling by the South Bay Salt Plant
    by James Geier
    Summer 2026 Part 1: Sunset over the Ocean Across the Rails It is the peak of summer and sometimes a walk on the beach at sunset to see a dramatic sunset is a nice end to a day. After a walk on the beach at Cardiff State Beach, I parked on San Elijo Avenue in… Read more: Summer Sunsets & Cycling by the South Bay Salt Plant
  • In the Summertime When the Weather Is High
    by James Geier
    MidSummer 2026 Sunset over the Ocean A few days after the Summer Solstice, which was June 21, marking the longest day of the year, I went to Cardiff State Beach to watch the sun as it set over the ocean. This is also just past the midpoint between my arrival home from my 13th winter… Read more: In the Summertime When the Weather Is High
  • Soft Food and Chief’s Food
    by James Geier
    Friday 17 July 2026 Summer in the City and Food this Summer It is well into summer, and I am once again at home in San Diego, California. Actually in the north part of the city, almost the suburbs. I was hoping to be in Spain, but that did not work out this year. Another… Read more: Soft Food and Chief’s Food
  • Traveling Home & Reflections
    by James Geier
    Thursday 12 February 2026 Traveling Home and Reflections on a 13th Winter in Chiang Mai The long journey home has begun. After dinner, I returned to See You Soon to get a shower, change clothes, and wait for the airport taxi. Poppy, the sister who manages 3-Sis, was going to take me to the airport,… Read more: Traveling Home & Reflections
  • Last Day in Chiang Mai
    by James Geier
    Wednesday 11 February 2026 Last day of my 13th Winter in Chiang Mai My 13th winter in Chiang Mai has come to the last day. Late tonight I leave flying from Chiang Mai to Seoul/Incheon, then to Los Angeles. Last night I had dinner with John and Rose at Bella Madre Pizza across the Ping… Read more: Last Day in Chiang Mai
  • Doi Suthep Part 2
    by James Geier
    Thursday 5 February 2026 Wat Phalad and hiking down the Monks Trail It is a hot afternoon. Temperatures in Chiang Mai gradually increase through February and March, culminating in March and April being the hottest months. Because we would be going up Doi Suthep in the afternoon, and the temperature will be over 32 C… Read more: Doi Suthep Part 2
  • Doi Suthep Part 1
    by James Geier
    Thursday 5 February 2026 Up the mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep There is a very important temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, on a mountain west of Chiang Mai. This temple is very important to the Thai people, and is a Royal Temple of the Second Class, of which there are only six… Read more: Doi Suthep Part 1
  • Doi Inthanon
    by James Geier
    Wednesday 4 February 2026 An excursion to Thailand’s highest mountain Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand with the peak at 2,565 meters above sea level (8,415 feet). Located southwest of Chiang Mai, the drive to get there is about 2-1/2 hours, so going there, spending time at the mountain, and coming back would… Read more: Doi Inthanon
  • Wat Sri Suphan
    by James Geier
    Monday 2 February 2026 Another visit to the so-called Silver Temple Much of my time in Chiang Mai is very solitary. I do talk to friends at the guest house where I stay, I talk to friends at Wild Rose Yoga, I talk to my trainer Ning at the gym, and occasionally share time at… Read more: Wat Sri Suphan
  • A Day in the Life – Moving Day
    by James Geier
    Friday 30 January 2026 Out and about in Chiang Mai, moving from The 3-Sis to See You Soon A few days ago, while walking down Tha Phae Road towards the Ping River, I saw this very nice display of lanterns or lamps or something above a massage spa. Very nice and colorful, so I took… Read more: A Day in the Life – Moving Day