I am in Chiang Mai at the moment, just settled into my new residence for the next few months just outside the city square cause I got a good price. I've also rented myself a shiny red bike for the month so I can whip around. I considered a motorbike cause they're really fun to ride, but figured exercise is more important and I won't be travelling far enough to merit a motorized vehicle, but I'm definitely inspired to one day have a motorbike :)
I took a cooking course yesterday which was good fun. It's a very popular tourist activity and is advertised everywhere so it wasn't hard to book in. We started out at the market and were explained a few typical thai ingredients, and then just wandered around a bit, I saw a kg of dried grubs for sale! Yummy! Then we headed to a house to cook up a storm. We began with a soup, then a stirfry, salad, curry paste, curry with our paste, and a dessert. Got a handy dandy cook book at the end so I can make some stuff for my lucky friends when I see them again!
My new residence is 3500 baht per month, which is about $113 USD and I'm sure the cheapest I will ever pay in my life. The owner, Ayi (pronouced OYE), is a really lovely woman who is determined to make me feel at home, starting with introducing me around the neighborhood. I am currently the only occupant besides Ayi and her son, who's 19, but I'm hoping that will change and I'll get a companion of some kind at some point. My room is quite big, with a little balconette, but I have nothing to fill it with so it sits quite empty. There's cat images all over the walls and there are two pet ginger cats lurking around during the day. I'm on the 3rd floor and just below me is a little tea area with cushions, perfect for a tea and a chat with a friend when I make some.
So life is looking good. Just passing the time until my course starts. Learning a few key thai phrases, kaa poon kaa (or kap for man) means 'thank you' and saa waa di kaa (or kap) means 'good day, good morning, good night'. They really hold their vowel sounds. These are pretty useful and I use them about a hundred times a day. I'm slowly learning my way around and am looking forward to taking the bike for a nice long spin to get my bearings. There are times where I wish I could just run to the store and grab a chocolate bar or some similar familiar comfort food, but my figure is saved from the fact I wouldn't know where to get these things. I did have the most delicious chicken skewers and a small bag of sticky rice for breakfast though, so it's hard to complain.
I took the train here from Bangkok and I saw the strangest sight I'd ever seen. Apparently there had been quite a bit of flooding in some towns along the way and the train passed directly though them. The water was surrounding the tracks, if it had been much higher the train wouldn't have been able to run I'm sure. There was water for miles and house after house flooded, some of them only had rooves visible and there were people on the sides of the train tracks, just sitting. I guess they just wait until the water receeded. What a crazy sight to see though. Really sad and heartbreaking for all the houses ruined and lost. Something I will never forget I'm sure. I can't imagine they had house insurance. It makes me understand what a privilaged life I lead. We should all thank the heavens for our wonderful lives.
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