I first visited Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2003 as a side trip while in Thailand for the Bangkok International Film Festival. I visited in 2006, again as a side trip from the film festival in Bangkok.

In 2010, I injured my right arm, causing a dramatic reduction of my yoga practice as well as completely stopping cycling, something I had been doing for many years. In mid-2011, my arm seemed better, and I attended a two-week yoga workshop with Desiree Rumbaugh and Andrew Rivin, in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand and a few days in Siem Reep, Cambodia (near the Angkor Wat). It was a fabulous trip, and a reminder of how much I loved Thailand.

I returned home and from the yoga workshop in mid-January, 2012. I mentioned almost jokingly to my boss that the computer systems I manage do not really care where I am, and perhaps I could go to Thailand for a month and work from there. I expected the response to be something like, “nice idea, but we like to see you in the office,” but instead, the response was one of support which I took as a compliment to my work ethic (thank-you!). We came to the agreement that I would work half time. So on December 26, 2012, I left Los Angeles for Chiang Mai, with stops in Incheon (S.Korea) and Bangkok. I returned to the United States on January 25, 2013.

I had surgery to repair my elbow in September 2013, and with the healing and physical therapy, I was set to re-start my yoga practice in Chiang Mai in December, 2013. I was in Chiang Mai for almost six weeks, and dove into yoga and other exercise too much too fast, hurt my back, and had to back off from yoga. I documented that winter in Chiang Mai in the blog at https://jamesgeiercamino.wordpress.com/category/2014-thailand/.

After returning home, I eased back into activities more gradually, and now I am cycling and practicing yoga consistently. I am planning on returning to Chiang Mai for four weeks, leaving from Los Angeles on December 26.

Next: Detailed plan evolves for the return to Chiang Mai.