James the Intrepid Pilgrim

January 6, 2014 Monday Woke today with more of a stiffness in my back then before. And just when I was hopeful that this was almost gone and my back returning to normal. I have an Osteo-Thai massage scheduled today with Dao in the room above Wild Rose Yoga. I just love the energy of the building, and there was a yoga class taking place, so we could hear occasional comments like, “breathe…”. The massage […]

January 5, 2014 Sunday A bit of a goal today was to visit the so-called “Silver Temple,” Wat Sri Suphan. The silver temple is south of the old city, but not a terribly long walk from the center of the old city, perhaps 1.5 km (about a mile) for where I am staying. The temple is located Wua Lai Road, south of Chiang Mai Gate, in the traditional area for silver making and silver shops. […]

January 4, 2014 I have no specific plans today, a common theme to the start of many days. My back is much improved, so a goal is to get back to yoga practice later today. There is an elemental Yin Yoga class later this afternoon which would be quite nice for my current state. Walk to Wat Suan Dok I did walk down to Chiang Mai Gate, the eastern of the two gates on the […]

January 2, 2014 As is usual for me, I have no specific plans for the day except: (1) Oasis Spa to spoil myself a little, and (2) the Green Papaya Sangha meditation group. Oasis Spa Oasis Spa is in the slightly higher end of spas around Chiang Mai, but it is one with which I am familiar. I took a little diversion during the yoga workshop here two years ago to have a sea salt […]

January 1, 2014 – New Year’s Day I woke to a new day and a new year. The day looks to be stunning, as are most days here in Chiang Mai. I have no specific plan today. My back is sometimes better and sometimes not, so I will pass on yoga today and for a few days, except some general stretching in my room. I saw an interesting sign: Coffee should be black as hell, […]

31-Dec-2013 New Year’s Eve As is usual, I have spent part of the day walking around parts of the city, this time seeing preparations for the New Year’s Countdown Festival 2014. I had what is called an Osteo-Thai massage by Dao, a French woman I know from Wild Rose Yoga. Dao and her partner, David, teach Osteo-Thai massage which is described as a bridge between east and west, a form of bodywork combining the Thai […]

30-Dec-2013 Monday, Prelude to New Year’s Eve The Thai people are preparing for the annual New Year’s festival – they celebrate New Year’s BIG! The central area is over by Tha Phae Gate, on my walk back from the Flower Market, I took a couple photos of the setup. Tomorrow it will be crowded with the fun and food beginning. New Year’s Celebration Setup From just down the street, the setup is evident. In the […]

29-Dec-2013 Sunday Today I felt very tired and, listening to my body, spent most of the day sleeping or generally resting. Missed the Sunday Night Market (called Walking Street Chiang Mai), but I am better for having gotten some much-needed rest. The market will be back next Sunday, as it is every Sunday, rain or shine. 30-Dec-2013 Monday Feeling quite revitalized after a rest day, I went for a long walk around part of the […]

28-Dec-2013 Saturday My back was feeling better this morning; not perfect, but definitely better. After a final breakfast with my Irish botanist friend Tom Curtis, he was off to the Chiang Mai train station and I was off to see more temples. There is one temple in particular that I am rather surprised I have not yet seen. In all of my reading about and exploring the temples in Chiang Mai, I somehow missed a […]

27-Dec-2013 Friday Thursday and Friday were generally low-key days, resting my back. And it is paying off. The pain is not as severe, and while getting up and sitting down are painful, those actions are less painful than a couple of days ago, and I am able to walk around without much pain. And I definitely miss yoga practice at Wild Rose Yoga. Being in a group class with that wonderful positive group energy is […]

25-Dec-2013, Wednesday, Christmas Day Christmas Day in Thailand is like any other typical day. The people in Thailand are about 95% Buddhist, and Christmas is not a religious or social event here. Because I am in an area frequented by many tourists from Europe and the Americas, there are signs of Christmas all over, Christmas trees or depictions of Christmas trees, restaurant staff wearing Santa hats, the evidence is everywhere. To most Thai people, however […]

23-Dec-2013 Monday As has become my routine, I spent much of the morning walking around parts of the old city of Chiang Mai, this time walking out to the Loh Kroi area, where the medical clinic I visited last year is, and also where the large Chiang Mai Thai boxing arena is located. Thai boxing, called Muay Thai, is pretty big in Thailand, and I am told that this area is quite busy when there […]