27-Dec-2013 Friday

Thursday and Friday were generally low-key days, resting my back. And it is paying off. The pain is not as severe, and while getting up and sitting down are painful, those actions are less painful than a couple of days ago, and I am able to walk around without much pain. And I definitely miss yoga practice at Wild Rose Yoga. Being in a group class with that wonderful positive group energy is quite alluring. And I’ll be back soon.

I learned that there is a chiropractor liked by the ex-pats and Europeans here (and also the Thai people). His name is Philip Parry, from Britain, and he practices out of the Rajavej Hospital, but only two days a week. I sent him an e-mail from his web site, and some time later he responded with the phone number at the hospital to call to book an appointment. It was suggested by friends that I go there in person, so I did that on Friday morning. Rajavej Hospital is across the street from the Holiday Inn, south and east of the old city. It is about a 20-30 minute Red Truck ride, and costs about 120 THB (about $4). The Red Truck driver dropped me at the Holiday Inn, probably because he could more easily get a return fare, and he did … by the time I was out of the truck and had paid, he was discussing his next fare with a group from the hotel.

The Holiday Inn was once the Sheraton, and I stayed there in 2003 and 2006 while visiting Chiang Mai as a side trip from the Bangkok Int’l Film Festival. I went into the lobby, and it was just as beautiful as I remember. I went across the street to the hospital, inquired about talking to one of the two English-speaking concierge ladies, but neither (Natasha and Saskia) were available. I stated why I was there, pointing to the chiropractor’s name, and the people were quite helpful, in spite of language challenges. They directed me to another desk, and opened Dr. Parry’s appointment book. There was one slot open, and they had me enter my name and local phone number. They then wrote out the time and date of the appointment, 14:45 on 28 Dec 2556 (the Thai/Buddhist year is the international year plus 543 years, based on the year the Buddha died). I left, and realized that the ease with which I was able to make that appointment was because I was there in person – this would have been difficult by phone.

I returned to 3-Sis, and decided to have some lunch. On almost all Thai menus here is something called the spicy papaya salad or spicy Thai papaya salad. It sounded just right, so I ordered one at the 3-Sis restaurant along with a banana shake (banana, small amount of yogurt, and ice).

Here is a picture of the spicy Thai papaya salad. One thing is certain, the description is correct, spicy Thai papaya salad. It is spicy, extremely spicy. And while the top of my mouth was almost blown off, the flavors were very good. The flavors of the papaya, the beans, the tomatoes were all nice and distinct. This is a good dish. I do not think I can eat it often, but it was really quite tasty. Wow. Thai food can be spicy, and this papaya salad was definitely spicy. And if there are any interesting gremlins in my GI tract, this spice will kill them. The banana shake eased the fire in my mouth. Fortunately, and really it was just luck, I ordered he right combination.

I had dinner with my friend Tom Curtis at the Peppermint Cafe. Tom is a botanist from Ireland and is spending four months mostly in Thailand, but also in Laos. He is off tomorrow by train to a town in which a friend lives about mid-way between Chiang Mai and Bangkok. He has been staying at the 3-Sis and I met him at breakfast about a week ago. He has been to Chiang Mai many times in the past, and we are having his last dinner in Chiang Mai for this trip. The Peppermint Cafe is run by an American and is on the same lane (Rachadamneon Road Soi 5) as my favorite restaurant, Kanjana. but Kanjana is closed as the owner is on a holiday.Peppermint is good also.

Next: More temples and the chiropractor.