Monday, January 9, 2017 Walking to the Flower Market and Wat Kate Karam There was a small break in the rainy weather today, so I headed out on a longer walk. My intention was to walk from the old city down to Warorot Market (Kad Luang), walk by the flower market, and then across the new walking bridge over the Ping River to Wat Kate Karam. Walking to Warorot Market Along the road from the […]
Thursday, January 5, 2017 Off to Lunch in the Old City Today was rainy and cloudy again. I did find a dry patch on which to sit for my morning meditation at Wat Chedi Luang, but it was still a little wet everywhere. Then it was breakfast and then yoga at Wild Rose Yoga with Ploy, a Thai teacher with the most beautiful poses. Ploy is elegant in her transitions between poses, settling into an […]
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 A first Walk Around the Wall & Moat Today, after a few days of rain, there are clouds but the rain has not come today. I go to yoga class at Wild Rose Yoga every day for about 90-120 minutes, and after yoga class today, I ventured out and embarked on a walk around the circumference of the wall. Chiang Mai was built as a walled city, with a moat around […]
Monday, January 2, 2017 Welcome 2017 in Chiang Mai I have been in Chiang Mai for a couple of days now, and it is nice to be in a familiar place even with many small and a few large changes. The weather has been dark, cool, and rainy, and has dampened my mood and spirit somewhat. I have walked over to Wat Chedi Luang for my morning meditation at the foot of the large chedi […]
January 26, 2016 I started this blog with one of my favorite quotes about the journey, and I’m reminded of it today as I contemplate my journey home, one of my favorite quotations, the last sentence in a book named “Up Country” by Nelson DeMille: The journey home is never a direct route; it is, in fact, always circuitous, and somewhere along the way, we discover that the journey is more significant than the destination, and that […]
January 25, 2016 After the rain on Sunday, a cold front moved in overnight, and it is cold today – unusually cold and rainy. The staff at 3-Sis put me in touch with a woman from Bulgaria who wanted information on meditation. Since they see me going over to Wat Chedi Luang for my morning meditation, they thought me to be something of an expert. I am flattered, but consider myself a relative beginner. I […]
January 23-24, 2016 On the flight from Los Angeles to SE Asia, I reflected a bit on my goals for the month in Thailand. One wish was that I have some time to work on inversions, headstand (sirsasana), forearm stand (pincha-mayurasana), and handstand (ado mukha vrksasana) maybe before or after yoga classes. During my short time in Bangkok, the highly-touted yoga studio near my hotel was closed for the holidays, so I only did a […]
January 21, 2016 Today is Thursday, and my last Thursday in Chiang Mai this winter. After a fun day of shopping with Jo yesterday, I went back to my familiar routine today: early morning meditation at Wat Chedi Luang, breakfast at 3-Sis, 10 AM yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. Then I spent a few hours managing a problem with the backups on the computer systems I manage in Southern California. Managing in this case translates […]
January 20, 2016 Shopping at Jolie Femme Silk Today is lunch and shopping with my Thai friend, Jo Sugunasil. Jo was raised in Chiang Mai, lived much of her adult life in the U.S., and returned to Chiang Mai in her retirement. Jo has a busy life, so we rarely see each other when I am in Chiang Mai. Jo has a car, so we are going out east of the old city to a […]
January 18, 2016 A Low Key Day Today was a low key day. I started the day with my normal routine, morning meditation at Wat Chedi Luang, breakfast at 3-Sis, yoga at Wild Rose Yoga, followed by lunch at See You Soon and some more computer catch-up. See You Soon is a new coffee shop / restaurant / guest house a short block away from 3-Sis. It is owned by Ice and her husband Bon. […]
January 17, 2016 Wat Phra That Doi Suthep This temple is often called “Doi Suthep,” although that is the name of the mountain on which it is located. Doi means mountain, and Suthep is the name of the mountain. And I think “Phra That” in the name means that the temple houses some important relic of the Buddha. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Royal Temple of the Second Class. There is much mythology […]
January 17, 2016 The Hike Up Doi Suthep Another start to the day with my now familiar and usual routine – a morning meditation, breakfast, and 10:00 yoga at Wild Rose Yoga. Tom from Australia was heading directly from yoga to the airport to return home to Sydney. After a short good-bye, I decided to make the long hike all the way to the temple near the top of Doi Suthep, something I have never […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 