vaga #1/17 "up date"

Chiang Mai, Thailand, its culture, its people, its joy

Part XVII

pictures from songkran parade

I edited today and after a while, I shared what I see for myself and I will be accompanied by photos of my days here rather than in the city, I will show them in another instance. I write from Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand in the mountains. Furthermore, I have been here since the end of February with some ins and outs of the city. I have been here much longer than expected. I arrived very tired from 18 months of wandering and the last two months were with Peter, We had an intensive time since he had limited time, and we had to maximise the time we had, coming here from Chile does not happen all the time, nor is it close, it was extraordinary. Chiang Mai is recommended by travellers as a good place to stop. An ancient city of the thirteenth century, walled, with 173 temples and there are many tourists, settled travellers and expats (resident foreigners). I did not find out much beforehand I like to discover it my way. They had spoken to me about the wonders  here, but I was disappointed even though I didn't expect anything. An historic city full of low buildings between temples, up to 3 temples per block, nothing is very organised, the city has spread fast in the last 60 years. But as time went by, I discovered their culture, traditions, many ethnic groups and their many festivities with mass participation and great joy, it captivated me.

their children

My intention was to finish my dental treatment, and here they gave me 3 renewable months after another three months of visa, which covered the time I needed. On the third day having breakfast and looking at the street I saw a sign dental 4 you” I crossed the street and asked for an appointment, they gave me a form to fill out and instead of asking the address they asked what hotel I was in. This is my place, it's for foreigners, and I went in and finally finished having my teeth fixed. 5 countries, 5 languages ​​wrapped in my mouth, all an unwanted record. I settled in Awana House, (guest house) I have to emphasise that this was a small boutique hotel and I lived in the room upstairs, the cheapest one, the rest was very chic. In addition to being cute and well located, I included a photo. For the first time I begin to contact travellers and tourists from the hotel. Their guests are Europeans, mostly French,  who have awakened my French that was lagging behind English, most were my age, more or less and many had been in Thailand for a long time and Awana House was their base, some were travelling, others have jobs in NGOs. The first time I was the one who stayed and the others left. I have become friends with several of them and three of them returned in November, it was a pleasure to return to our long conversations, shared lunches and from time to time, I did a feast of bread, wine and cheese on the large terrace outside my place. You talk from here and there, and I learned that getting a resident visa was relatively easy, I already knew that in other countries in the area it was very difficult to get a visa. The fact of being in one place that I had taken a liking to appealed to me.  I found out how the Thai language student visa is easy to get, but you have to prove 80% of classes had been attended, how much fun that you can apply for that visa up to 90 years old .... LOL  Then the retirement visa suited me, I had never thought about residency, there are 2, 2 million expats in Thailand, because it is  so easy.

the common night food market

sharing dinners is almost a “must”

The  food is extraordinary, varied and life revolves around the food. At night, the streets are filled with tables in the streets and side walks, sheds are full of Thai people eating, tourists go to tourist restaurants. There are 30 types of mushrooms, cones filled with mysterious things, banana leaves are made into shopping bags, toads, snails and an endless number of indescribable interiors. The photo is of us eating, we went with Moy the owner of the hotel, her French boyfriend, and her Thai friends, in the photo, that included me as the rest were only Thais that go to this shed. I could put hundreds of photos of street food because there are more than 100 dishes out there.

3 things happened, one of them I liked being in one place and at the same time I began to discover the city, and I was enchanted, it was more than just the city, its culture, its festivities that are plentiful and beautiful, and I will be describing them, every month there is one festivity, or another, full of colours and its fantastic people. The other thing that I already knew that in my future I would  keep jumping from country to country when my visa runs out, a month, another 2 months and so on, I was tired of carrying my suitcase, it was getting annoying. The decision to leave it at the hotel was a weight off my shoulders. At my house/hotel !!! what a success… . !!! It was the best, The staff, owner, and the housekeeping staff. For example a few days after settling in, I had an accident burning the fingers of my right hand badly I had to get into the clinic system, to find out how it works, trying remedies in Thai, using Uber and catching the rhythm of the city, my hand was useless for 3 weeks, which unintentionally aroused the affection and care of everyone around me, bringing relationships closer.

 I was in and out with short trips from there to some islands in the south, and then to the north with the border with Myanmar in a divine place in the middle of a forest a single large hostel that was 30 years old, it became my place of retreat, from time to time, Chiang Mai has a lot of social and city life I need the other too. I decided to start the residency procedures, without the intention of staying here, but rather to have a base, to leave my suitcase and continue to wander around other countries and have a place to return to and rest again, to have my children visit me……. There was a lot of tedious paperwork at first, but after months I managed to apply, by August I passed the first instance and in October they confirmed it. While I  was waiting for it, I went to the gym while I was waiting for the papers for my retirement visa. In August, I went to Bali for a wedding. In fact, in October I obtained the residency, and it is renewed year after year. I am happy with the decision as it had not occurred to me before. Ready to take flight, I left on my way to Laos by bus to the north, staying at the border and the next day that I crossed to Laos I could not put one foot on the ground because of the pain, I decided to return to Chiang Mai and see a doctor, finally taking better care of myself. This pain started mildly, unimportant at first in August and increased. It was Tendonitis, I needed to rest etc…. The pain was relieved a little with the rest, but it didn't go away. Having gone to Laos especially to the north had not been the slightest help, with no medicine, or anything, and them speaking zero English, it would have been terrifying. By the end of October, I had organised to go to Venice for an extraordinary meeting with two friends from the university, to see Bienal of Venice together, for five days. Of course, I went, even while being badly crippled. Our time together was fantastic.

my Thai barbecue at the hotel reception. My original idea was to make a Chilean barbecue, but they don't eat red meat, plus the difficulty in  getting it and hence it was decent food, but I gave up my with the intention of doing it my way. 

Arriving from Venice I went to the doctor again, short story, I needed surgery the following week and here I am writing abut it days later. I will have a very long recovery, two screws in the heel and my tendon was damaged by semi-soft calluses that had been  forming for years on the heel until the tendon could not deal with it. The hospital was the test, you have to have thick skin to cope there, and fortunately I have it, there is no other, I checked myself out a day early because of the insects, geckos in the room on the 12th floor without words, the last breakfast that I did not eat right away,  when I finally opened the lid of the food, obviously the rice  had ants in it, just like my water bottle and fingers crossed that the nurses spoke English, which was not to be, and many details that you do not want to know. Weeks without stepping on my foot, alone and secluded in the room, with a walker to go to  the bathroom, period, then a month and a half I started wearing a boot and using a cane, therefore it would take me to the following year without walking on my feet, on my own without help. The staff of the hotel / house were extraordinary, before I left for Bali I made a Thai barbecue for everyone as a thank you, for Christmas I will do another one. There are obstacles, learning to live like this with their complex logistics without leaving the room and transfers to the hospital, but this was going to happen to me here or anywhere else I happened to be in the world, and this was the best place for me, surrounded by loving people, friends who I had made, visits and help I have not lacked. I was very lucky to have residence, and a long term visa otherwise this situation would have turned into a nightmare. I have returned to the blog, a good thing and my days fly by on the keyboard.

Last week's festival of “lights” takes place at night where thousands of illuminated balloons are sent up to the sky and candles are placed in baskets of banana leaves and placed in the river and carried away by the current. Sky and river of lights that fade into darkness. Pure magic, The meaning of it is  to let go of all the bad vibes.

costums are escenial in their tradition

Another festivity and it is inside each temple, not all of them wear traditional clothes, but they are filled and there are many of the rites that are performed inside and outside the temple, it lasts 5 days.

This will also be a chapter on social life, because my days in Chiang Mai have been social, but I also gave myself a reading marathon in Spanish. There are photos of my new local friends, curious about their diversity. Friends with those in the neighbourhood, my block, the hotel / house is on a small street one block, it turned out that my first night  arriving I exhausted I went out to look for something to eat the first thing I found, I ended up in a tiny eatery, I saw a westerner eating alone, I said to myself if he eats there I can too, a Macedonian of about 45 years old, we didn't stop talking I got there at 9 pm and  I arrived home at 2:30 am. The eatery without a name had 3 tables, the woman Thai owner was about 38 years old and  no more than 1:40 m tall, rather shy, but some grace has to have those diners, and obviously she participates in everything. The place turned out to be the centre of misfit travellers like the Macedonian, like me. I was realising that it is the centre of the parties, its participants are those from the block, the tailor with his wife, assistant, the masseuse, other Thai women who go from time to time, friends of theirs, then a fleet of travellers who they meet with those on the block 2 or 3 times a year; 2 Singaporeans, a female Vietnamese, an American man, always the same, they arrive at 12 o'clock in the day and leave at midnight from the Eatery, and they have been doing it for many years, place of the party. .hahaha   I also have that facade.

my dear block

my block, the one that does my nails, behind the eatery, is  the one with the plants until one day a pig's head appeared in the street outside another eatery, it was a different holiday, I show what I see.

the nameless eatery happens to be a house, the diners cook, bring food from outside, all seated tightly together. Beers are shared and plates of food are for everyone  For the Songkran festival party at the end of April "water festival" and for 3 days we spent in the street throwing water, eating and drinking beers in 40 degrees of heat, yes I would get lost in my room for several hours, because it was too much. The local sewing shop becomes the centre of operations, the restaurant closes. If they see me pass by on the street, and they yell at me to enter, most of the time I pass by, only one party once in a while. We have gone out to eat in beautiful places outside of Chiang Mai, to dance including the owner of the eatery, always all paid for by the Singaporean,  even after they had left, they paid for my beers from another country, hahaha

my bodies from the block for Songkan, 3 days like this

the "water party" on my block, was 3 days of this same 4 more of other events, the masseuse blessed me. The "water festival" that is held in some countries, represents purification, a time to celebrate, and it is every year on a certain full moon, as all festivities are on a full moon. 

the Thais are very kind, never a bad face, never a shout in the street, not a honk, me with everyone on the block; the laundry, the one that fixes my clothes, several restaurants share a couple of very friendly greetings every day and with a joke  between all of us. Eing, the owner of the eatery got me the walker from the lady who has the grocery store downstairs from the hotel. Thais are definitely welcoming and cheerful people.

I end with a thank you to Waew, she works at the hotel, she's my best friend. Her attentions have been infinite  . She teaches me and explains everything about her broad culture. We have great stories of trips made together, meals, many confidences, but above all she has been the person who has taken care of me together with her husband, Choy in my pre / post surgery with pure affection, Thank you very much.