Thursday, December 7, 2023
Walking to Story 106 Café and Co-working Space

A question I often get regarding my visits to Chiang Mai is, “What is your daily life like?” I do not have exciting adventures every day, but having said that, every day is something of an adventure, and while I do have something of a routine, no days are close to the same.

This afternoon I’m scheduled to have a chi nei tsang (CNT) session with Khun Ohm at her newer studio called Omsala. Chi nei tsang is an ancient Chinese energy work method. Literally translated, chi nei tsang means “working the energy of the internal organs” or “internal organs chi transformation.” CNT uses all the principles of Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan known as Chi Kung (Qigong). It is, at the same time, hands-on bodywork and energy healing. Khun Ohm is a master of CNT, and almost every practitioner in the area has studied with her. I feel fortunate to have known Ohm for about 8 years. CNT is not comfortable, but as I walk away, I have a clear sense that my body liked it.

So not having yoga practice or a strength training session at the gym this morning, I am going to a co-working space called The Story 106. I used to go to a few coffee shops to work on my blog and found co-working spaces to be quieter. Today I’ll document my walk to and from Story 106.

Room 201 at The 3-Sis

Another question I get is, “What does your room look like?” It’s nothing special, just a room in a medium-sized guest house. And they give me the same room every year. It includes wi-fi and breakfast. Here are two views, the first from the door looking in, and the second looking back towards the door. You cannot see it since I left the door open, but there is a closet area to place my luggage and hang clothes behind the door:

Leaving my room, here is a view of the lobby from my door at the top of the stairs, and of the lobby/shop looking out from the foot of the stairs:

Poppy and Ice, two of the three sisters, sell women’s clothing and gifts at both guest houses, The 3-Sis (here), and See You Soon down the street. The clothing is of very nice quality, all handmade, and they have an eye for good style.

Onward to Story 106

Much of this walk is through the sois, so this will be some views of the sois – a soi is smaller than a small street and larger than an alley, perhaps closer to a lane. I avoid the main streets as they are louder with traffic and often with the narrow sidewalks I get behind some very slow tourists (I probably walk too fast). Here is a map of my walk to Story 106:

First, down Prapokkloa Road Soi 8, leaving the entrance to The 3-Sis.

Then a right turn onto Ratchapakhinai Road, then a left turn onto Rachadamnoen Road Soi 4.

A left turn onto Rachamanka Road Soi 3:

And then a right turn onto Moon Muang Road Soi 3, passing a block of unused shops. This is very close to Moon Muang Road, the inner-moat road, and apparently, it was thought to be a good location for some shops. This soi gets very little foot traffic, and it is sad to see this building essentially abandoned.

I cross over Moon Muang Road and am at the square outside Tha Phae Gate. This is the area where many events are held all year. Stages were set up here for the Loy Kratong festival, for New Year’s Eve countdown & celebration, recently for a Muy Thai boxing event, and in January, this will be the start of the Chiang Mai Marathon. Tha Phae Gate is still showing some of the decorations added just before Loy Kratong.

I cross the square and start down Tha Phae Road, with the large metal arches. This road is one-way going west, towards Tha Phae Gate. Chang Moi Road, about 100 meters to the north is one-way going east. These arches with decorations and lights were also added just before Loy Kratong.

I saw a man from Belgium who I had seen before, said hello, talked a little about Eddy Merckx (the very famous Belgium cyclist), and he took a photo of me by the Boots store:

I’m wearing a shirt I bought at a skateboard shop in La Crescenta, California about 12 years ago with a former girlfriend. I do not think I have ever worn this shirt except on my annual trips to Chiang Mai – it is almost something of a trademark of mine.

Continuing down Tha Phae Road, here are a couple views of how the workers almost or completely blocked the sidewalk with the large arches. Sidewalks in Chiang Mai are something of an ambiguous concept. They do not always exist, and where they do, they are uneven, and often blocked by street signs, business signage, and/or motorbikes. Walking down a road that even has a sidewalk can be an adventure in itself.

A little more of Tha Phae Road, and I’m almost at Story 106.

And then, from the entrance of Wat Buppharam I see The Story 106 across the street:

Upstairs there are two large rooms. My favorite place is the farthest table in the corner. My Samsung Android tablet is set up there and ready to go. If that table is already in use, many places here work just fine.

That’s part of my “daily life” here in Chiang Mai. I still have to get back to The 3-Sis before my chi nei tsang session with Khun Ohm, so I’ll photograph that walk, too. I always walk back a different route, mostly through other sois. And while I take a similar route, it varies every time I am here (of course).

Next: Back to The 3-Sis