Further Reflections on My Month in Thailand Last winter (2014-2015)

I have been home from Chiang Mai for six months. Reflecting on my last winter in Chiang Mai, I have similar thoughts to those I posted five months ago: (1) it was quite different than I had expected, and (2) unexpected things occurred that changed the experience; not making it better or worse, just presenting different paths and experiences. I did not have firm expectations; my expectations or hopes were that I would do yoga, visit temples including my favorites from past visits, and walk around the old city every day. And those expectations were fulfilled – I did some yoga, I visited my favorite temples and discovered temples new to me, and I did walk around the city every day.

My elbow injury flared up, so I had to back away from the yoga practice at Wild Rose Yoga. But as was the case last year, after returning home and easing into things, I am now practicing yoga, cycling regularly, and my fitness level is good.

In one of the first posts to this blog I said the following:

While in Thailand, I will miss seeing the ocean. When I am at my home near San Diego, across the highway from the coastal city of Del Mar, I walk on the beach almost every day, early in the morning, taking in the beauty and energy of the ocean, its vastness and power.

So when I returned home, I visited the beach at Del Mar again. It was a cloudy morning, and the beach itself was wonderful, different, and the waves never ending.

I love walking on the beach. But I am not drawn to the beaches in southern Thailand. Someday, maybe.

Upcoming Adventures

My parents named me after Saint James and Saint Christopher (James Christopher Geier, a strong Catholic name). In the past four years, the idea of making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain where the remains of Saint James are interred has popped up in my life a few times. Now that both of my parents are gone, I have decided to make that 800 kilometer (500 mile) walk on the Camino de Santiago to honor my parents. I am planning on starting the walk in Saint Jean Pied de Port in France on April 18, 2016, on my father’s birthday.

One challenge of those walking the Camino de Santiago is blisters, so it is important to thoroughly break in the hiking shoes or boots that will be used on the pilgrimage. Because I did a lot of walking when I was in Thailand, I am planning on getting new shoes in the late fall, make sure they fit well, and then take them to Thailand in late December & January for break-in for the pilgrimage in Spain in April and May.

So, with that in mind, I am returning to Chiang Mai this upcoming winter, leaving from Los Angeles late on December 25. I’ll spend a few days in Bangkok, and head to Chiang Mai on December 31 in time for the New Year’s Eve celebration. My 2015-2016 journey will be chronicled in a new blog at https://jamesgeiercamino.wordpress.com/category/2016-camino/.

(And, yes, I plan to write a bog as I make the walk/pilgrimage from France into Spain to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. I’ll share that link when I start the blog.)