ยังอยู่ที่เชียงใหม่: Still in Chiang Mai

ตอนแรกแอนดี้คิดว่ามาเที่ยวเชียงใหม่แต่ 8 วันครับ แต่ว่าผมยังอยู่ที่นี้ 5555 ชอบเชียงใหม่มากๆ อากาศดี คนไทยและคนต่างชาติที่นี้ก็ใจดีด้อย ในเมืองไม่ใหญ่ ดังนั้นไปเดินเล็นและเดินไปเที่ยวสะดวกมากๆ ชีวิตที่นี้สบายๆจริงจัง

ตั้งแต่แอนดี้ได้เขียนรายงานที่แล้วผมยุ่งมากครับ แต่ยุ่งดี ทุกวันแอนดี้ไปซ้อมมวยไทยหรือเรียนที่โรงเรียนนวดที่นี้ ชอบทั้งสองหย่าง แอนดี้ได้เรียนฤษีดัดตนและลูกบอลสมุนไพรแล้ว น่าสนใจมากๆ สนุกด้วยครับ นักเรียนอีกสองคนที่อยากเรียนฤษีดัดตนไม่ได้ไปนะ แล้วแอนดี้เรียนคนเดียวกับครู ดีมากๆ ยิมมวยไทยที่นี้ก็ดีมากๆครับ ครูฝึกสอนให้ดี ชอบไปซ้อมที่นั้น

สองวันที่แล้วแอนดี้ได้วิ่งขึ้นไปวัดดอยสุเทพจากห้องพักมา ใช้เวลาสองชั่วโมงแต่ผมขึนไปถึงสำเร็จครับ ตอนแอนดี้วิ่งขึ้นไปอยู่ผมหยุดดื่มม้ำเพราะว่าเงือออกมากๆ แถวที่พักแอนดี้เจอผู้ชายเยอรมันที่ก็กินเจ ตอนเรอคุยกันอยู่เขาได้ชวนแอนดี้ไปกินข้าวด้อยกันตอนบ่าย คุยกับเขาที่ร้านอาหารเจสนุกดี ตอนเย็นวันนั้นแอนดี้ก็ได้เจอคนอเมริกันที่กินเจด้วย เราได้คุยกันมากด้อย สนุกดีอีกทีนะครับ

แอนดี้จองตั๋วไปอุบลแล้ว แต่จะไม่ไปเพราะว่านิ้วผมยังเจ็บ นอกจากซ้อมมวยไม่มีอะไรที่อุบล อยากไปแต่ถ้าซ้อมไม่ได้เลยจะน่าเบื่อนิดน้อย ไม่เป็นไรครับ จะอยู่ต่อที่นี้จนถึงวันที่ิ 15 ตอนผมกลับกรุงเทพ ดีใจมากๆที่พักต่อที่นี้ได้ครับ

Guess what? I'm still in Chiang Mai! My initial 8 day trip has been extended a few times. So, I will leave on the 15th to return to Bangkok for my last week. 8 days will have become 23! Still, that's ok by me because this city is awesome. Here's some highlights since the last update:

- Last week, despite some scheduling confusion, I ended up taking two courses at Ong's Thai Massage School. The first was on Thai herbal compress making and massage techniques for one day and the other was two days of Reusii Datton (Thai yogic stretching). Both were excellent! Everyone in the first class was really nice and we had fun while learning together. One of the Japanese ladies and I have since gone out for lunch together and talked a lot. Her interest and experience in Eastern medicine and massage is super inspiring to hear about. I am happy that the scheduling error at the school introduced us. I also look forward to using some of the herbal techniques at home!

The Reusii Datton class was challenging, but also very beneficial. The other two students didn't show up, so I got a two-day course of private lessons! Good luck, again! The teacher was very patient and instructed me mostly in Thai. I learned 31 postures, which will help with increasing flexibility and general health. Being that I would like to study Thai massage, this will form a good base for understanding how the stretching should feel. Pretty cool that streching and breathing-in are combined in this practice. Some postures were similar to kung fu poses that I used to practice, but, overall, it was new and very cool! I am excited to have a new style of exercise with spiritual, mental and physical benefits!

- Training at the Muay Thai gym here is really good. I've been 6 times and plan to go 3-4 more before I leave. The trainers are excellent, the vibe is serious but a little laid-back (in a good way) and the other people training have been really nice. After nursing my thumb for almost 8 weeks, I tried boxing and clinching last week. I boxed with a semi-pro fighter from the UK whose leg was hurt. It was good, my skills have improved thanks to my trainers in Pittsburgh. I held my own, for sure. In clinching, I did really well and got to give some pointers to the other guy who was also from the UK. Unfortunately, these activities were not so good for my thumb, so I am not going to Ubon to train, despite having a ticket there and back. Not worth it to get hurt worse for no reason. Bummer, but life goes on. If I want to come back to learn healing arts, I need all my digits! Luckily, the trainers here have been more than cool about me practicing everything but punching. Chiang Mai Muay Thai Gym was definitely the right choice!

- Loy Kratong festival was fun! I learned how to make the kratong, which is a floating piece of banana tree that is decorated with folded banana leaves, flowers, a candle and three sticks of incense and then released onto the river... usually nail clippings and pieces of hair are added as well. It represents new beginnings and letting go of negativity or grudges. People also release floating lanterns powered by candles. It looked beautiful.

I made my first kratong at the massage school using leaves and metal pins. I chose not to use flowers and only use leaves. I don't like using flowers, because it kills the whole plant just for aesthetic use. On the way home, carrying my kratong, everyone was smiling at me! I talked to a lot of people, too. It was so cool that they were excited about my interest in the holiday. The next day, I remade it with toothpicks instead of metal pins because the owner of the guesthouse had party to make kratongs before taking them to the river. I wanted to release only natural things into the water. A few people really liked it, despite the roughness. Still, it floated when I put it into the Ping River along with my wishes.

- Two days ago I ran from the guesthouse to Wat Doi Sutep, which sit high on a mountain overlooking Chiang Mai. It took almost 2 hours to get there and was about 11 miles one way! Of that, 8 miles were uphill! It was intense, but I made it. I stopped to drink water about 2/3 of the way up and randomly met a German cyclist wearing a "vegan power" riding kit. We talked a bit and it turns out his great-grandfather was Pittsburgh! Weird, but cool. He invited me to lunch and told me where, but said he would send an email. After returning home halfway by taxi (because running down the hill is dangerous), I didn't see his email. I decided to just walk to the restaurant and he was there! He apologized, but said the email didn't go through. We ended up talking for about 2 hours about veganism, animal rights, training and American/world politics. It was great! I think we will meet again before he leaves!

- Later that night after an awesome massage at the school, I went to my favorite restaurant J-Station. I was wearing a 108 shirt and an American guy came and told me he liked my shirt. I asked him to join me. It turns out that he is a year older than me and was originally from Harrisburg, but lived mostly in Southern California. He Is vegan, likes a lot of the same music that I do and trains martial arts as well! He is here just out of his interest in Thai massage/medicine and Thai culture. So, needless to say, we got along really well! We talked for over an hour and exchanged emails. Monday was a pretty good day to randomly meet vegans/interesting people!

- The guesthouse here is awesome. There are a few other people studying Thai language, so the evenings are good for chatting with each other and the Thai people who work/stay here. The last few days have been awesome for getting me past some speaking blocks.

- Last night I stopped in a temple called Wat Lok Molee for chanting. It was hard to follow along in the book because they skipped around, but as soon as I sat down, a small black dog wandered in to join me. He laid-down right beside me and fell asleep while I was petting him. It was pretty awesome to share this time during chanting with such a peacefully sleeping pup. The dogs at most temples here are exposed to enough Dhamma teachings that they are probably quite enlightened beings!