29 May 2008

back with a vengeance!


It's so easy to get lost in the black hole that is Manila, & I mean black hole in the nicest possible way. I haven't been back in ages- 3 years to be exact, save for one very short week in March, pre-Thailand. So every time I leave the confines of my borrowed house, I bump into a million people who weren't at all expecting to see me here right now. Lots of exclamations & questions & life updates & exchange of phone numbers & then invitations to whatever party/wedding/trip is happening this week. Manila's great. One big chaotic nonstop party.

But now, at a point of delirium, after 3 weeks of pretty consistent going (all) out, I think my liver is about to fail. Ek!

Updates soon. :)

11 May 2008

why...?


... am I always overweight? Like, always.

I mean luggage, by the way. Wah.

10 May 2008

over & out


I feel like Forrest Gump sometimes… ending up in all these cool happenings without having the slightest clue how. How’d I end up in Chiang Mai??? It was only 2 months ago when I moved out of my beloved Brooklyn home, left my beloved kitties, divorced my beloved Audrey to float off into the unknown. As hard as it was, it must be one of my best decisions ever.

2 months. Of course it doesn’t feel like it. To most people 2 months is nothing at all, but to me those 2 months have impacted my life forever. Of course time has flown. And of course I’ve changed in ways that probably won’t become clear to me until after I’m gone. Or have I? I always knew I could do it—trade in a large chunk of my creature comforts so I could live the simple(r) life, adapt to new surroundings, bond with new people. That was the easy part. Honestly.

A new girl started this week at the volunteer house & I couldn’t help but envy her to be at the beginning of her own Chiang Mai experience. On my last night she asked us older volunteers what it is that we’ll miss most about the place. Maybe the anonymity, which translates into the freedom to do whatever & say whatever I want to without having to conform to any previous version of myself. Of course I’ll miss the ultra-chillaxed lifestyle. There are no schedules, & I often just act on impulse. If I want to go into work late, I do. If I want to go to the pool
instead that day, I do, or the bar or the yoga studio or the market. I loved having new experiences everyday, because they always teach me a little more about myself. And everyday I would meet someone new, & every new acquaintance makes my world a little bit bigger. I’ll miss my crazy & loveable workmates, my wild housemates, all my new friends.

I will not miss the house’s menagerie of pests—the millions of ants, little lizards, flying things, the occasional mouse & the resident tu-ke (big gecko, or tuko in Filipino). OK maybe I will miss the tu-ke. He was green with pink polka-dots & shy so rarely ever seen, but we could hear him every half hour every night coughing out his name.


I had a goodbye shebang with the gayest gays that have ever gayed, i.e. my workmates. They took me out to dinner & gave me a bag & a Lanna (northern Thai) style jacket- super cool! Then each said a few nice things about how they'll remember me, in English, which was so so sweet because out of all of them, only 3 can speak semi-fluently; the others, not so much. We finished the night with-- of course-- gay bar hopping. Actually truth be told, they scammed me into going with them to a gay "erotic" show. Don't ask. & I won't go into further detail just yet, I am still recovering from the trauma.


Then goodbye to my housemates. I used to have insecurities about how I'm living my life, with no permanent home or job to speak of. & then I met all these girls who are more or less in the exact same position as I am, as different as we are as individuals. So for that, I am so grateful to have met them. And grateful that I never had to tackle this foreign city totally alone.


It was raining almost every day the week I left Chiang Mai. Maybe it was crying as it bid me goodbye, just as I did on my way to the airport. Saying goodbye yet again. I feel like I do it so often. But I'm glad I took the time out to come here, & I know how fortunate I was to have had this opportunity. I don’t think I would have fully appreciated all the city’s charms had I just been passing through & hadn’t spent an extended period there. But now I know, & I will miss it.

Now back into the unknown...

02 May 2008

downtime, finally


With all the traveling & working I've been doing, the moments I've found to explore my own city have been really precious. Chiang Mai has been growing on me, slowly. It’s gradually morphed into an odd mix of foreign & familiar. I’ve started to recognize landmarks & certain faces out & about. I can almost make my way around on my bicycle without a map, & instead I use the glittering temples, orange sunsets, square-shaped moat, & view of the mountain to point me in the right directions. I’m meeting people outside of the house & of the workplace. I have a few semi-regular bars & market stalls, where people also recognize me. I still don't understand the street signs or local newspapers, but I am slowly, slowly, painfully slowly picking up the language basics, vocally at least. I can fake it as a Thai (really!), at least until my casual conversations progress past "hello," "how are you?" "how much is that?" & then inevitably followed by "too expensive! What's my discount?" My bargaining skills are killer now.


Now I know why this city is so special to travelers.
It's just one of those places to accomplish some serious chillaxing. It's peaceful. I can think here. I don't think it's a feeling that is easily explained to others who've never visited. But I'll have a go...

My favorite temple: There are 2. The Silver one & the Teak one. I wish I knew their proper names, but I guess I'm too lazy/not cultured enough to find out. But they're gorgeous aren't they?


My favorite Tuesday night activity:
Jazz open-mic night at North Gate. "Jazz" interpreted loosely.



My favorite every other night activity: drinking. Duh. Below, Rooftop bar & Reggae st.




My favorite market: The Sunday night market by Thapae Gate, scene of the epic haggling spectacle. Much exhilaration & bloodshed (to the finances, that is). I can get lost for hours & hours here. I end with a foot massage from Jun.


My favorite massage: Jun's place on Moon Muang Road. 200 Baht (about US$6) for an hour "foot massage" but she actually does the whole body & nearly every pressure point. Heaven.

My favorite dinner: Oh there's too many but here's one. Som Tam, or spicy mango salad. It's such a cool process to watch.



My favorite snack: Crispy fried crickets with basil, garlic & chili.




Just kidding. They're not my favorite. But they aren't that bad either. Yeah, I really ate them. They taste like... basil, garlic & chili. With legs.

This place will be hard to leave.