Saturday, December 31, 2022
Last day of 2022, New Year’s Eve

Today is the last day of 2022, New Year’s Eve. The preparations for a celebration are well underway, centered at the plaza outside Tha Phae Gate. This plaza has been the center of previous New Year celebrations, and is used for many community events, marathons, various concerts, the Loy Krathong celebration, and many more. Thailand has not really had a New Year celebration for 5 years. After the passing on King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) just over 5 years ago, Thailand mourned for two years. Then the pandemic came with lockdowns, border closings, and the significant economic impact. Even though tourism is not back to pre-pandemic numbers, the economy is improving, tourism is dramatically better than a year ago, and the general mood is good.

Samsung Service Center

A problem occurred with my phone about a week ago, a Samsung Galaxy S22 only about 7 or 8 months old. When I opened the camera, it worked fine. However if I switched to “selfie” mode to use the front-facing camera, the camera app failed with an error simply stating “camera failed.” Searching the internet, the solutions were (1) force-stop the camera app, clear the camera cache and data, then reset the camera settings, or (2) reset the phone back to factory defaults, which wipes out all apps and all data. Doing the steps in (1) would allow the back-facing camera to work, but as soon as I tried to switch to the front-facing camera, the app failed again, and the steps in (1) had to be done again.

Now wanting to go through the complexity of resetting the phone and adding everything back, I went to the Samsung Service Center to see what they could tell me. If I did need to reset back to factory, they might have tools that could assist with getting my apps and data saved and restored more easily than doing it myself. The first thing they did was to run a comprehensive diagnostic program on the phone to determine whether the problem was hardware or software. The front-facing camera failed the diagnostics, indicating a hardware problem. The cost to repair (replace) the front-facing camera was 2722 baht (about $84). Being confident that this would cost me more in the USA, I paid and told them to go ahead. I was there at about 11 AM, and they said I could pick up the phone after 4 PM. Nice.

So, feeling somewhat odd without my phone and a means of communication, I made my way back to The 3-Sis and worked on my blog a bit. Soon it was time to go to Chiang Mai Ram for the wound cleaning and redressing. From Chiang Mai Ram to the Samsung Service Center is only about 500 meters, so I walked, like I do to most places. Picked up my phone, and everything worked, no data was lost, and the front-facing camera now works every time. It has a three month warranty.

Temple Construction

Walked straight south from the Samsung Service Center, and near Wat Phra Singh noticed a large gate in a wall open that I had never seen open in all the years I have visited Chiang Mai. I looked in and could see what appeared to be a temple under construction or renovation. With over 50 Buddhist temples just in the old city, an area just over 1 square mile, and many, many in the surrounding area, it is unclear why more temples are needed. Nevertheless, it is under construction. Here is the viharn (worship or assembly hall):

From the appearance, the viharn work could be construction or renovation. I learned that it is new construction. The chedi appears clearly to be new construction:

And just to prove that my phone’s front-facing camera is working, I took a “selfie:”

New Year’s Celebration Preparations

After an early dinner of gazpacho (my favorite!) and pasta at La Fontana, I walked up to Tha Phae Gate to see the preparations for the New Year’s Countdown celebration. There will be thousands of people there tonight, and I’ll watch some of the celebrations in less crowded venues. The lighting at Tha Phae Gate is very festive. There are already thousands of people here closer to the stage. I suspect the concert, singing and dancing will start soon. Here are a couple of shots before it got too dark:

Later I walked down to the Iron Bridge, and it was crowded. From the Iron Bridge, I could see upriver about six or seven hundred meters to the Narawat Bridge where people shoot off fireworks as big as the official fireworks. It was quite a sight. I walked back to The 3-Sis where I could hear the monks chanting (with their microphone and speakers). They will continue the chanting until 2 or 3 in the morning. At midnight, I heard the loud noise of the official fireworks and could see a small bit from my room.

So the year 2022 has come to a close with me here in Chiang Mai as I have been for New Year’s Eve all but one of the last eleven years. I have very high hopes for an interesting upcoming year, 2023.

Head Drama Update

I am posting this on January 3, 2023. Yesterday, I had an appointment yesterday at Chiang Mai Ram hospital to have the five stitches in my forehead removed. The doctor removed the stitches, inspected the wound, and told me I could now wash my face normally – no need for further bandaging. There is a little healing to complete, and I’ll likely have a scar to add some intrigue to my character. This little drama and adventure has come to a close. And, yes, I’ll be very careful as I continue to walk around Chiang Mai.

And the total cost? First night in the emergency room was 4687 baht, six days of cleaning and redressing came to 2888 baht, and the stitch removal by doctor 1069 baht. Total 8644 baht or about $266 U.S. I’ll scan and upload the receipts to my travel insurance company when I return home.

Next: Klong Mae Kha and the Kamphaengdin