25-Dec-2013, Wednesday, Christmas Day

Christmas Day in Thailand is like any other typical day. The people in Thailand are about 95% Buddhist, and Christmas is not a religious or social event here. Because I am in an area frequented by many tourists from Europe and the Americas, there are signs of Christmas all over, Christmas trees or depictions of Christmas trees, restaurant staff wearing Santa hats, the evidence is everywhere. To most Thai people, however this is just another day, a normal working Wednesday. Many of the ex-pats celebrate in various ways, and some of the restaurants that cater to the ex-pats have special Christmas dinners. The nights are still a little cool with lows in the mid-50s, but daytime is glorious – not too humid, warm but not too hot, with highs in the low 80s; just wonderful.

Merry Christmas!

The pain in my lower right back has returned, so I went to a massage place inside a nearby temple that was highly recommended for a Thai massage. It was good, but not great; and not as effective as the Thai massage I had almost a week ago.

Went to the Bird’s Nest Cafe later in the afternoon to check out a coffee house where I can work out of my room. It was a pretty good spot, about a 25 minute walk. The owners try very hard to get all organic food and coffee, and the coffee is strong but has a really good taste. The upstairs area where the computer users park, is shaded, and that means mosquitoes. I had not thought about that, so my ankles were of interest to the mosquitoes. Because of this, I did not stay long, but I will go back.

The rest of the day was spent generally resting in my room. I need to find relief from this tightness in my lower back. And it may be a combination of yoga, Thai massage, exercise, or perhaps I’ll see if there is a chiropractor liked by the ex-pats available.