Final Preparations for another winter in Chiang Mai

Very soon, I will leave my home close to San Diego, California, bound for my 13th yoga-focused winter in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I will be in the Kingdom for 90 days this winter (close to 13 weeks), my longest stay in Thailand to date. As in previous winters, I’ll be staying at The 3-Sis, practicing yoga at Wild Rose Yoga several times per week, strength training at the gym a couple of times per week, learning about the culture, visiting the temples, and enjoying the food and people of “The Land of Smiles.” I am also considering taking a course to improve my conversational Thai skills.

Many things I do and see will be the same or similar to previous winters. And, as in past years, I see the same things differently, notice details I had missed, or view the context more clearly. Henry David Thoreau—American author, naturalist, and philosopher—is widely credited with saying, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” And I have found that I see things differently at different times. (It turns out that a more accurate version of the quote from his writings is, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” Similar, but I like the less accurate quote better.)

After returning home last spring, I began taking an online course in writing Thai because I had been told that learning to write Thai greatly facilitates speaking the language. It seemed difficult and proved to be so (at least to me). The Thai language has 44 consonants, 16 vowel symbols that combine into at least 32 vowel forms, 4 tone diacritical marks, and other diacritics. I gave up after a week – I could barely remember the letters I had learned from one day to the next. So perhaps another approach will work while I am in Thailand.

This blog is intended to share my journey, including what I am doing, pictures of the places I’ve visited, and the food I’ve eaten (and whether I’ve managed to learn some conversational Thai).

I went on an excursion to see the Pacific Ocean. I live less than 2 miles from the ocean and see it frequently as I ride my bicycle along the coast highway or occasionally go for early-morning or sunset walks on the beach. I used to start many days walking on the beach at Del Mar just after sunrise. The sound of the ocean and the waves hitting the beach is meditative and peaceful. Being so close, I tend to take it for granted.

Sunset at Cardiff State Beach

Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand, far from the famous beaches and islands in the south, so I will not see the Pacific Ocean until I return home in February. I took my camera along on recent walks to photograph some of what I’ll miss while I’m in Chiang Mai. First was Cardiff State Beach as sunset neared and then descended. The waves looked dark, then, as the sun lowered, it broke through just before it set.

And the sun is about to set over a calm ocean:

Torrey Pines State Beach

When I arrived in San Diego 45 years ago for a job, I settled in Solana Beach, 8 miles north of the office in Sorrento Valley where I worked. I have been cycling in this area of northern San Diego County ever since. A notable hill on the coast highway is the Torrey Pines Grade. The coast highway, often referred to as Old Highway 101, was U.S. Highway 101, the primary route between San Diego and Los Angeles before the construction of Interstate 5 in the late 1960s. Torrey Pines Grade is the hill from Torrey Pines State Beach up a somewhat imposing hill to the Torrey Pines mesa, where the Torrey Pines Golf Course and many biotech-related companies are located. The road up the hill itself is approximately 1.5 miles long (2.5 kilometers), and the grade ranges from 5% to 6% with a short section at 7.5%. Not an extremely difficult hill, but since much of the coast highway is relatively flat, it is notable.

Old Highway 101 comes down a hill as it descends from Del Mar to Torrey Pines State Park, and crosses the railroad tracks over this dramatic, old bridge, built in 1933.

A view from the bridge down towards Torrey Pines State Beach, the ocean, and the hill on the left under heavy cloud cover.

Sunrise at Del Mar Beach

A walk on the beach in the early morning is always a good start to a day – the sound of the waves is meditative and peaceful. Today, the ocean is calm with low waves, so very few surfers. I did see many pelicans. Some flew by as I took a photo – they are barely visible in the middle of the photo.

And looking more to the south, the colors of sunrise linger a bit in the distance.

Finally, packing is on the agenda and is well underway. It may seem like a lot, but it’s really not – everything fits in two 40-liter bags. I’ll be away for three months.

Next: Traveling to Thailand