Chetawan School of Massage

Last time I was in Chiang Mai, my intention was to spend a week learning foot massage. That time, the siren song of relaxation at my favorite guest house won over and I passed on learning something new. This time, with two plus weeks on my own, a class is a necessity. Also, think of how popular I might be on the upcoming Shikoku pilgrimage...there will be many sore feet to tend.

The school is part of the Wat Po system of Thai massage and therefore has a basis in Thai Buddhism. (Wat Po, in Bangkok, is home to the reclining Buddha). We began the day with prayers...in Thai, I think. But maybe Sanskrit?

The school is run with a laissez faire attitude. Whoever shows up before 9:00 am on any day but Sunday can enroll in one of their courses. Being a well trained ex-corporate, I opted to show up on a Monday. Although there were other students, only I registered for foot massage. So. This is a lot of pressure for both student and instructor.

My instructor's name is Net. Like internet, but without "inter." Of course there is something lost here, because there is a lot of linguistic drama between the "N" and the "t." Net is From the Karen tribe. He told me this very soon after we met. Most Karen live in Burma, where they are the third largest minority. But there is a huge presence in Thailand ...they are the largest of the hill tribes, although their numbers are smaller here than Burma.

So we have a training manual. There is a  protocol for Thai foot massage. It is based on Chinese pressure points with  a Thai twist. First Net performed a foot massage on me while we went through the manual and I took notes. Next, I had to perform massage on Net. Oops! Apparently I learned nothing from my own massage. I went through the manual, but sheesh, thousands of details here...what you do, how often you do it, the move, with or without lotion, and so on...

On a lighter note, we had multiple breaks including time for lunch at the wonderful Talat Thanin. I walked home...41 google minutes equal one hour. But the reward is another Thai iced tea at Tanita's!

Net (and me)

Tok Sen Massage; Muy Thai Boxing on TV

Today I woke up at 4:00 am. In all fairness, I was asleep by 9:00, but still the morning, before light of day, really dragged on. Al-jazeera and Fox are only English-language options on TV at this time and I'm having issues charging my devices.

But the cure for jet lag and the stresses of life may be a tok sen "massage."  Tok sen originated here in northern Thailand (see full description here). The technique involves pounding the body's sen lines with a wooden hammer and peg. I lay on my stomach for this,  thinking about the strength, stamina, and rhythm required of the masseuse to complete a one-hour treatment. Strength and stamina were also required by me. It hurt! I think it hurt good, though. And not all of the massage was clacking. There was also very painful pressure via hands and arms on my neck muscles. I tried to breathe rhythmically, as in childbirth, to get through this. I perceived the soft edges of the life traumas that caused my muscles to clench. Is this akin to watching your life pass before you? This YouTube video will give you the hang of it if you're interested. See video.

I think the massage helped. I walked 10 miles today and am still wide awake at 8:25 pm. I'm watching Muy Thai boxing on tv. I had no idea...first that it seems more like boxing than Thai...the concession is the kicking/leg action. The other interesting thing is that the boxers are rarely Thai. The last match was France v. Cambodia. The announcers... I'm not sure where they're from... they speak Thai, but also English pretty well. Wait, the current match is France v Thailand, but the French boxer is black and wearing a Middle Eastern  keffiyeh. 

Chiang Mai Solo

This is my fifth trip to this city. Why?

1. It's Easy.

2. The shopping -- especially hill tribe crafts -- is good.

3. The many Buddhist temples raise the energy level.

4. Tanitas Thai ice tea "shakes" (below).

5. Massage is always available, but must compete with other activities such as drinking iced tea.

6. The hotel, Baan Orapin, is a delight. 

I slept a little last night -- 6 hours -- I guess that's a lot although there were three awake hours between 1:00 am and 4:00 am. This is where I love my iPad. 

I brought a gold coffee filter and a pound of coffee, so I get well juiced before breakfast. I love Asia for the hot water pots in most rooms (and available on request everywhere). My last American hotel had a machine with pods, making it almost impossible to make your own coffee. 

Ban Orapin has a lovely breakfast in the garden, facing the pool. You cannot tell there is a nonstop traffic jam just outside the gates. 

My mission for today, and every day, is to get a massage. This was accomplished early on at Wat Buppharam on the Tha Phae Road. The Masseuses have moved indoors from last year, and for 150 baht ($4.30) you get a one-hour Thai massage. I've decided to avoid the fancier massage places and focus on the temple massages. They are reasonable and just as good. It's like community acupuncture...you share a space with other customers. This is not a problem for me, and no one falls asleep snoring during Thai massage. 

My other missions:

1. Get a power adapter. The one I brought does not want to charge my i-devices, but will charge my toothbrush! I had an insight during my massage...when you get an iphone in Asia, they must give you a little USB charger and if you are in Thailand, it will fit, without adaptation, in the outlet. I did find a shop and the little I-thingy cost less than a universal adapter and is smaller and lighter. Yay!

2. Get my Thai sim topped off. I am a hog in this department and must be fed constantly. Seven Eleven helped me out here. I still don't know my phone number. It's slightly different than the number listed in the phone...you have to know which digits to punch out of the ones provided. So close...so if you want to call me, I can try to send you my number...

3. Buy baby aspirin. These are somewhere in my house, or cleverly hidden in my backpack. I packed them with my power adapter that works and my SIM card holder. Turns out, pharmacies here don't usually sell aspirin! I found one selling 300 mg tabs, so I will bite into a tab daily, approximating 81 mg. 

4. Eat khao soi. This mission aborted as I passed my other other favorite place, Raming Tea House, where I again sat in a beautiful garden and enjoyed semi-high tea for one, Asian style.

Bangkok Layover

Hi It's always a problem arriving Bangkok at 11:30 pm after 24 hours in the air.

I just want a place to sleep before my next flight.

I started out with a layover at the Novotel....$179!!! In Thailand. Moved down to Best Western...$84!! And then to Air BNB in central Bangkok...$41, plus cab fare round trip, another $30-40.

This time I booked an Air BnB near airport. $39, plus $9 round trip cab fare. I knew there may be trouble when the owner, Pao, sent instructions to take cab, cross a footbridge and walk several hundred meters. The taxi stand turned out to be a long line, which I waited in, after which I was told that my distance was too short, needed to find a different kind of cab!

The cab driver, finally hired, took me near the BnB and called the owner to meet me. No answer! So I get out and walk. Up the footbridge over the canal, down the bridge, then a right through empty market stalls where a pair of  dogs greeted me. I squelched my fear....we are not used to seeing dogs off leash...guard dogs...and they smell it, right? It's also 1:30 am by now! 

I hollered and thank goodness Pao appeared from the shuttered doors. He had let his cellphone in uncharge! I was disappointed that the room had no bath. Toilet and showers downstairs... thank goodness I showered in Tokyo! I turned on the ac and after several tries, slept and awoke to the blare of water taxis outside my room. Pao had provided earplugs, but after the first jarring blare, I was back asleep, earplugs not needed.

Water taxi --- loud!

My balcony with sink! 

The appetizer course before breakfast

Mural...easy rider on crocodile with hat of amanita muscaria? What can it mean? Lots of murals around here, thinking not part of a mural arts program based on this drawing.