Cloud 9

Wow! Just wow.....

So after my last entry I tried to take a nap, but really I just flopped around. I guess I was anxious or something. I tried to sleep because i knew I was tired, but I just couldn't. So, falling into old patterns when I couldn't fall asleep at school...I did some homework-- for that always put me to sleep. I was able to get my suitcase open, and it immediately fell apart. On the up side I discovered that I can easily fit everything into the trekking backpack, and there is still plenty of room for more so i can buy things. I even brought a little backpack lock, so I can still lock up my few valuables that i don't carry with me in the bottom compartment. Crisis averted! and an extra 800 bhat! I also found some thailand tour guides at my guesthouse, so i borrowed one and did some reading with some good ol' fashioned note taking.

After awhile of this, I felt some lethargy sinking in, my room and bed was just so comfortable and I have so many books to read and movies to watch...but I literally wrote to myself in my diary, "Tara. Get UP!" you know like Matrix style.

I got up and borrowed a bike from the guesthouse ( they are very nice and let you narrow them for free) and made my way to Wat Phra Singh, the most visited Buddhist temple here. It is at the end of "Sunday walk road" which is where the huge Sunday market is. Though I have to say, riding a bike is not like riding a bike...at least not for me, however this may have to do with the fact that my bike had no brakes. I got on, started to make my way to this big Wat ( temple ) and saw a small wat on the way. I turned into it, and promptly fell off as I tried to stop. Luckily no one saw me and I only got a little knee scrap. I did a little practicing around the parking lot like I was 6 again before I ventured out into the world again. I realize on this bike ride the city was so much more alive than it was when walked around at 8:45, I guess this is a sleepy town that wakes up late.

The temple was beautiful. At first I thought something special was going on, there were so many monks there. A sea of orange and turmeric crawled over the place. I wasn't sure if i was allowed to enter, but as I hesitantly tip toed up the stairs, a monk smiled at me and waved for me to come inside. I was the only non- monk in there, let alone tourist. I took some pictures of the beautiful gold buddhas, the paintings, and of the monks smiling and chatting to each other, as well as a few who were watching something on their cell phones. In exploring the grounds I found a beautiful room with a smaller Buddha and a woman in white meditating. I don't know what is was about this room, but I felt moved. I sat down and just sat for awhile. And then i heard the monks from the first room start to chant. All the difficulty and frustration from the prior days just melted away.

I started to make my way back to check out various things that I saw on the way to the wat. I got a huge 24 oz mango shake for less than $1, than checked out this massaging school where I stumbled upon a couple from Vermont who were getting a lesson in foot massage. I moved on to check out some paintings, and check out a little market. I can't get over how chill Thailand in comparison to the other Asian countries I have been to. No one has pressured me to do anything. I get an occasional "taxi?" but all i have to do is smile and shake my head! I don't have to raise my voice sternly, argue, or scurry away. When i look at merchandise i don't have merchants holding things to my face, asking me how much eagerly, or even remotely upset when I say i am just looking. In fact, at this little market all the merchants seemed to hardly notice i was there. I was almost surprised to see there was another girl also shopping around. I saw what she was buying and started a conversation. Turns out she is my age from Tennessee and has been teaching English here, but decided that though she loves it, traveling just wasn't for her and she is going home to be back with her family the same day I am leaving. We found some coffee and I made a friend! She invited me to a pre-Halloween party on Saturday with her roommate and some other friends.

We parted ways and I realized I still hadn't eaten much. So I found a little stall where a woman and her two children were playing that had a little sign "pad thai." I figured this was a good place to start. She made the padthai right in front of me, though I didn't know what was in all the unmarked bottles. Her daughter served me water and I wolfed down a whole plate of light, slightly sweet noodles, sprinkled with the light crunch of bean sprouts. It wasn't nearly as oily or saucy as a lot of the pad Thai I have in the US. Satisfied I went back to my hostel where I booked a full day cooking course so I can learn about these mysterious bottles.

After a little rest and cooling down, I decided my plan was to get a massage and then check out the daily night market. There are about 10 massage place just on my little street alone, so I randomly picked one and asked for a Thai massage. 1 hour, $5, not just priceless, heaven. I have never had one before. It was not like the massage we are used to in the US, it is like a full body work out for the masseuse! She was twisting me into all kinds of pretzels, bracing foot and pushing my hip, using her knees, feet, elbows, everything! It was like yoga done on me, and then adding some intense acupressure and a touch of chiropractic cracking. It was all completely clothed and full body. She spent a lot of time on my legs and moved to my arms, back and face! I think at first i was trying to mentally remember what she was doing, but by the time she moved on to my second leg I was in a different realm and abandoned any silly notions of conscious thought. I gotta learn me some of this. The courses are expensive, but maybe I can take a day in just one area like foot massage or head and face! Any requests?

When she was done I was jello. Like Diana recently said, I have never felt like I wanted to pay more than what i was asked, but I had 3 experiences of that in one day! This first being this massage. I sorta stumbled back in the direction of my guesthouse realizing there is no way i am making it to the night market, but decided I really wanted some mango sticky rice to snack on so like a zombie getting a whiff a brains turned around to find some. Like magic, on my road was a smiling boy that had a sign "mango sticky rice" which might as well said "perfection." He gently assessed each mango until he found the perfect one, peeled it, and gave me the whole mango sliced on a bed of fresh warm sticky rice, he then packaged the warm coconut milk in a puffed bag for me to add when I was ready to eat. Again, about $1.

On my way back to my room I stopped because I smelled something amazing. As I backtracked I saw a little stall with some signs like "breakfast" and "Thai food!" I asked for a khao soi, the curry noodle soup that chiang Mai is famous for for carry out. When I got home assembled this little master piece into a wide bowl. One bag had this light but creamy and fragrant yellow curry broth with chicken and spices. The next bag had some fresh pad Thai type rice noodles, booked and tossed in some spices or sauces. Then were some little bags of freshly sliced shallots and lime. After taking my first bite, I literally almost fell out of my chair in pleasure. If Mu is reading this, this should be on her menu. Again...$1. I would gladly pay $20 for this. I am slightly worried that i have found my daily routine...massage, khao soi, and mango sticky rice all for the indulgent $8, a price i am lucky to find a decent sandwich for in the US.

In my sublime stupor, I apparently passed out and just woke up (4:30am). In about three hours I will going to my all day cooking course to learn how to make some tasty treats, and I will see if i can find out how to make that soup!

Thank you for reading this long entry. I don't think all my entries will be this long, everything is just so exciting when it is brand new!