Tag Archives: Wat Arun

Just arrived in Chiang Mai and love it already!

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Hi Everyone,

I arrived today, made my way to the hotel (which I’d found online using latestays.com), and right off the bat liked it that they had a flat rate to the hotel–no mystery with the taxi driver taking the long route (like in BKK) to make more baht. I even paid the women at the airport who were running the show. : ) Okay, all my women friends are smiling; I can feel it.

And as soon as I got squared away at the hotel, i.e. unpacked, got the safety box reset for my only little personal code, spocked (i.e. “checked”) out the pool (nothing to write home about in too great of detail, but it is wet . . . and there IS one), I set out to explore the city. After walking only a few yards, I saw a sign for a Thai Farm cooking school endorsed by the Lonely Planet. “What’s this?” I thought, so I took the turn and before you can say piggely wiggely, I’d booked the last spot with the group tomorrow (through Nicole, a lovely woman originally from Belgium with two lovely Thai/European daughters by her side).

You can check it out at: http://www.thaifarmcooking.com/. Looks really fun! And . . . maybe I’ll learn something!

Then, I continued on my way and found wat (temple) after wat. There are m a n y! I think Friday (my last day here) will be the day to rent either a scooter or bicycle and explore the area ( and many wats) on wheels.

Okay, I hadn’t been here long . . . just a matter of hours, really, when I realized that I prefer this city to Bangkok. Maybe it doesn’t have the groovy transportation that BKK has (the BTS and MRT), but it just feels better. Literally, it feels better against my skin. And when I realized that I really needed to buy another chip thing for my camera, I found that the people are really nice and helpful. No, 7-11 didn’t have them like one lady thought, but they told me where to go: “Na ba sa.” What does that mean? Your guess is as good as mine. But heading of in the direction that the clerk at 7-11 pointed, I held those words in my head, “Na ba sah.” And then, when I asked a smiling young guy, “Na ba sa?,” he pointed in the same direction and said, “That way, then right.” And how many minutes? He thought long and hard . . . “Maybe five?” And on I continued, for about 10, it felt like, which was probably 2. : )  Then I asked another smiling Thai man who said in perfect English, “The night market is two blocks down. Take a right in two blocks. But why do you want to go there? Today you go to the walking street market.” Because I need a da kine for my camera. “Okay, okay,” he said.

And as I continued on, I heard the beautiful sound of monks chanting. Glancing towards the sound, I discovered that there was yet another wat. And this one was the surrounded by the most enchanting light. Yes, of course I changed my route for the sake of stopping and listening. It was beautiful, calming, a refreshing sound in this second largest city of Thailand. And then, the most adorable young monk turned, caught my eye, and we exchanged the simplest of smiles. “Yes,” I thought to myself, “It feels better here.”

After a while, I continued on my way to find a Kodak store, and get a memory card for my camera. Ah, just what I wanted, I thought, as I passed a bead shop with strings of hanging rope on the side. Yes, my turquoise/citrine bracelet broke again! This time it was on the boat yesterday after returning from the “famous” beach from the movie The Beach. But in the way that told me that these stones are still to stay in my life, they fell right below where I sat on the bow of the boat, landing on one of two black backpacks belonging to the English people onboard. That is, they all landed there except one citrine. Seems one of the five citrines needed to take a walk-about.

“What the heck are you talking about Susan Jane?”

Well, believe it or not, I saw this bracelet during a meditation while I was in Idaho earlier this year. I told my husband, “I think I need to go to a consignment store and find this bracelet which I saw in meditation.” And on April fool’s day (I kid you not! lol), we did go to a really cool consignment shot in Sun Valley, Idaho (which just happened to be the day of their fun sixth anniversary party complete with free pupus and pleasant jazz, original art by an incredible young artist named  . . . oh, I hope I’ve got this right, Ashley Dreyfus . . . ) where I looked at their jewelry section and saw it! It’s the one you saw in an earlier post. The one on my wrist outside the jewelry shop which repaired it.

So  . . . to finally get to the point, I bought some wire/string/something or other for 50 baht just down from the store with the camera chip. I think I may just tie it around my neck rather than have it repaired yet again.

Oh, and to back up, earlier while wandering around (and at this most wonderful Sunday market that the Thai man told me about and that I’d already been to), I’d decided to have a snack. As I sat on a child-sized chair at a comparably sized table and ate a most delicious vegetarian noodle something or other (covered in sweet and sour sauce with crunchy garlic to boot!), I heard this lady and her son speaking something that sounded like German. Meanwhile, the little blonde, blue-eyed kid of about five years old kept turning around and s t a r i n g at me! (I just smiled back : ). We three just happened to get up about the same time, so I struck up a conversation, “Is that German I’m hearing?” (said in German, of course)

“Yes, but we come from Austria so we have a heavy accent,” she said with a smile. And with that we struck up a fun conversation, visited a bit, and then parted ways.

After running into her three or four more times in the matter of minutes! (and this is a BIG market), I realized that I needed to give her my card. Who the heck knows, we might just meet up again in Austria . . . or on Kauai. Anything’s possible.

And . . . in that same way, I struck up a conversation with an Aussie family as I was down by the night market, “You do know about the special Sunday market, don’t you?”

They didn’t. And as we five walked in the same direction towards this most incredible market, we discovered that we had something in common: a love of Kauai. This beautiful family from Melbourne has been to Kauai twice and will most certainly go back again someday. Yep, time to pull out another card!

Warning Tony, we might just have the w o r l d show up on our doorstep some day! : ) But hopefully, not all at once . . .  : )

Okay, the point of this entire missive/entry/glob post (plug in the word(s) of your choice), is that I’ve safely landed in Chiang Mai and have a good feeling about the place. Anyone thinking of taking the CELTA course in Thailand, you might want to check out the school(s) here. Maybe you too would like the feel of the place better. : )

And I thought I was going to tell you about the Krabi area . . . that’ll have to come at a later date. Suffice it to say that some people find it very beautiful. I found it very interesting. I really enjoyed the people I met and loved it when a group of young German kids asked, “Are you German?” No, I’m American, I replied to their befuddled faces. Hmm, next time I might just answer in the affirmative and see how long I can get away with it. : )

I also got many chances to speak French. Pretty cool, really, this mix of people from all over the world who converge at these southern Thailand destinations. One young man from China was intrigued with how I was able to dive “deep” while snorkeling. Not sure if he understood my explanation, but a part of me gets a chuckle (and pleasure) at the image of him trying; I hope he succeeds!

I’ve borrowed another photo from online. This one’s of the market that’s currently taking place about 18-feet away from where I sit.

Oops, it wouldn’t let me add it . . . go here if you’re interested: www.flickr.com/photos/fortes/89943055. Maybe it’ll work . . . maybe it won’t. If not, just google the Sunday market in Chaing Mai, and I bet a zillion of photos will  come up.

Okay den, signing off. Gotta get to bed at a decent hour so that I’ll be ready to join the cooking lesson train. Now that’s a ride, I don’t plan to miss!

Love to you all; sending wishes of peace and contentment wherever you may be and with whomever you may be.

In the light,

Susan Jane

What a difference some sun makes!

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Here are an assortment of shots taken this past week when we were treated to blue skies.

The Rama VIII Bridge crosses the Chao Phraya River.
I was told that they weren’t racing but that it had to do with something spiritual.
I hoped off the boat for a little lunch.
The after shot. Not much of a difference was it?
Nice looking place
Interesting looking place
Respectful place. They love their king; he’s a good man.
Laundry day!
Waiting for the boat. They sounded American.
That’s Wat Arun on the other side of the river.
It’s hard to take only one shot.
It’s the wat with the porcelain pieces. Remember?
Boats are all over the place on this river!
Flowers for my friend
Such a great variety of orchids!
Didn’t make it to this museum.
But I liked the building.
Got my bracelet back! It’s fixed with ultra strong wire (I hope!).
See the BTS Skytrain?
Such a contrast from the river shots
Thought this was pretty cool looking (plus the blue sky is so wonderful!)

That’s all for now . . . next will be the shots from the bike tour I took yesterday. Was that ever exciting! I’m not bringing my computer with me though during the next two week adventure; I don’t want to have to “worry” about it going for a walkabout of its own. These things can walk on their own. Haven’t you seen those little retractable feet they have?

Okay den, until we meet again . . .

Wat Arun and then some

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Here are the pictures I promised. These are from when I actually went to the temple. Later I’ll add some shots of when it was a blue sky day (but I was on the boat and not on land).

Enjoy!

A passenger
Waiting for the boat
The lay of the land
Elephants are a BIG part of Thailand.
C’est moi at Wat Arun.
Inside
Outside
I love flowers : )
You could make a donation for one of the tubs.
He sat down when it looked like there might be a donation; there wasn’t (at that particular moment).
Cool, isn’t it?
The porcelain was ballast for when the boats returned “empty.”
He’s working pretty  hard.
It was very, very steep.
Susan Jane wuz hir.
He kept smiling at me, and then he signed his name right next to mine!
Seems like a better option than writing directly on the building!  No! I wasn’t going to!
View from up top
I like the contrast.
Wat Arun is on the “other” side of the river.
I’m working on unintentional dreds.
Grand Palace, I believe.
Really steep stairs. Did I mention that?
Yeah, I like it too.
Yes, flowers make me smile too.
: )

Photos galore from Bangkok . . .

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Enroute to yoga . . .
School kids heading home . . .
I learned that they just keep adding wires without removing the older/non-used ones!
The ice man rolleth.
Kindof like at home . . .
Flower market . . . alas, to late to buy anything.
Those wonderful hot peppers!
Ze canal
Ze crêperie
Nice barista
Refreshing iced cocoa!  : )
Wires at 3 p.m.
Outside the reclining Buddha’s pad at Wat Pho
Ze little Buddha
Coins for rows and rows of jars
One of the jars
Check out his toes!
Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho from inside
Beautiful fruit! Mangosteen, rambutan, and mountain apples.
The docks move UP and DOWN constantly!
The protector of the temple
Rama at the National Museum’s temple
Tourist takes a tuk tuk.
This guy was focused!

Shots from Wat Arun to follow . . .

Been decompressing and/or Happy early 4th of July . . .

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Dear Friends,

In the past week I’ve been decompressing.
“Decompressing? What do you mean by that?”
Well, kind of like a diver, who’s been under high pressure, has to slowly return to the “top,” I too have been rising step-by-step, a few feet at a time, heading to that place called “normalcy.”
“What the heck is *normalcy?”
I have no clue. But I can feel that I’m just about there. I think it’ll hit me upside the head when my friend for over 30-years shows up this evening at her own doorstep. (Remember, I’ve been crashing at her beautiful Bangkok pad while she’s been slaving away at her demanding job in Singapore.) She’s practically a sister (even though it’s been almost 9-years since I last saw her in the flesh). Anyone who backpacks across Europe together and uses each other’s feet as pillows while sleeping on a train (in order to save the cost of a hostel so that there’d be money for food) is family. And family has a way of bringing you back into “normalcy.” Yeah, you get it now. I can see it on your faces. (don’t ask me how, but I can) : )
So what have been the decompression stages? (oh, that rings just too, too similarly to “and what are the lesson plan stages?”)
Well, first there was celebrating with friends. You saw the shot of me with my renegade certificate. You saw the glow of relief on my face. Here’s another shot from a birthday party the following day with my new ex-pat friends.
The beautiful blonde woman’s husband was celebrating his 50th.

Yeah, pretty cool “Miami/Bangkok Vice” bday cake.
And somewhere in there was: watching movies. What movies? I have no idea. That wasn’t really the point now was it?
And lots of meditating. “Meditating?” Yes, meditating. If that word makes you uncomfortable, just plug in “praying” instead. And if that makes you uncomfortable, just plug in “sitting or lying quietly and giving thanks.” ‘Cause I gave lots of thanks that the intensive course was over and that I passed. And yes, of course I gave thanks for plenty more than that . . . but that was the first item which bubbled up to the top.
And then there was shopping. Yes, shopping. I went to the huge and legendary Chatuchak market at the end of the BTS line. I didn’t follow the advice of the guidebooks and go early. It was about 1 p.m. on Sunday when I arrived. “It’ll be too hot and crowded!” all the guidebooks state with such confidence. It didn’t deter me one bit from having fun.
My first stop was at a massage place just by the art area. For 150 BHT (remember, a dollar is worth about 30 BHT) I had a foot and leg massage; it was heavenly. And I sat right next to the fan, so the temperature was pleasant.
I had a rough sketch of a shopping list imprinted in my head: rubber slippers, a skirt that goes past my knees (for when I teach in Cambodia, it’s one of their rules), and white clothes for Kundalini yoga.
(which btw are currently pink and hopefully less so as they wash again with lots of bleach added! Being the tomboy that I am, I threw in my fav red t-shirt I got for my birthday from my big sis–it says on it: “Not all who wander are lost.” Tolkien said that apparently; yeah, I like it too. I’ve had the shirt for over 6-months. I didn’t think it’d do its thing! But it did, not too heavily, but still. You’re supposed to wear white when you do Kundalini yoga. Is slightly not white but slightly pink okay? I’ll let you know what I find out.)
Somehow I managed to maneuver my way through that massive, massive market and return to my “starting point,” find the route to the BTS and head on back home. It was a grand day.
“What’d I see at the market?”
You name it. And I’m serious. Fine art to cheesy crap. (Literally, this woman was throwing down these amazing plastic things, which would almost immediately reconstitute themselves into their original shape. And yes, one of them was, um excuse me, crap!)
There was clothing of every style, shape, color . . . things for dogs, puppies, lots and lots of puppies, yes, live puppies . . . beads, jewelry, food booths . . . musicians, a boy bouncing a soccer ball almost non-stop on his head, knees and feet . . . this is your chance to plug in a n y t h i n g . . . I betcha it was there!
And then came the yoga (in the then white clothes). I managed to go several times this past week; it was very, very enjoyable. It’s nice to have met some more people who live here. “Where are they from?” you ask. The teacher is originally from Canada, several ladies are Thai, one lady moved here from Korea, another from the U.S., another from France, and one lady is passing through who is from Austria. She graciously offered to put me up if I visit Vienna; sounds like a wonderful gesture, doesn’t it?!
This was followed by hanging at the pool with other CELTA trainee women. We had a lovely afternoon flipping through stacks of English language women’s magazines, which were in the apartment when my new friend moved in. We visited and ate lychee, chips and rambutan—followed by lunch at a local Thai place.
About this time I decided to take my role as a tourist much more seriously and go explore Bangkok! Wednesday I headed first to the Jim Thompson museum followed by a stroll along the adjacent canal. (That was how one used to enter Mr.-former-CIA-agent-turned-entrepreneur-who-single-handedly-brought-Thailand’s-sinking-silk-market-back-to-life’s home during its hey day. Boats still travel along the canal at amazingly HIGH speeds!)
Then I went on a search for a jewelry shop that would fix my turquoise/citrine bracelet that I had broken (for the 2nd time!). A new friend and savvy shopper told me to just keep walking down the same street where the school is and I’d find a place; I did. They gave me their card and the receipt showing the deposit I made, but I also took a picture of the store and street signs . . . just in case. One way or another, I’ll find my way back to this very same store! (BKK is really, really big, if you haven’t been here before, but yes, of course it has street names and numbers like anywhere else . . . ).
Then I hopped in a tuk tuk and got taken, uh, I mean I driven around town.
First stop was a “friend’s” store, second stop was the Golden Buddha.
The third stop was another “friend’s” store, and the fourth stop was the pier, where I hopped on a boat (which runs like a bus going from stop to stop).
***This was the highlight of my non-school portion of the trip thus far! I paid 19 BHT (remember $1-30BHT) for a “round-trip” ticket, i.e. I got on where the BTS stop is and went to the end of the line and back for 19 BHT (it’s normally all of 14 for a “normal” ride one-way).
From 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. I sat, listened to music and enjoyed being on the water. It is so very, very healing to be on the water—even if it is full of trash and is “chocolate.” It was still very soothing. I did have to hop off at the “first” end (along with a large group of Chinese kids who rode both ways as well) and get on another boat for the return trip. We had so much fun watching a storm come in, complete with thunder and lightning. Fortunately we didn’t get too wet before the side-walls were lowered.
You could see through them, but I chose to stand in the back where I had an even more clear view as the rain continued to fall and the sky slowly darkened. It was sooo much fun. A group of kids from Germany happened to stand next to me, and being the responsible people that they are, they kindly told me the names of some of the wat (temples) along the way.
Yesterday I continued to take my role as tourist seriously and headed to the National Museum for one of the two English speaking tours of the week. It was interesting . . . my Mom’s code word for alright . . . a way to be polite in her genteel Southern style.
The kind tour guide from Brooklyn certainly loved to talk and had lots of stories. On the tour I also met a young Swedish gal who’s heading to Burma for a month where she’s working on her master’s thesis on the Karen people. Now that was really interesting.
Next, I went wandering past the Grand Palace (just wasn’t up for another tour) and made my way to pier #8 and the ferry across the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun. This was another big-time highlight for me. It was so much fun climbing the steep stairs on the outside of the temple up and up to two different levels. There’s ceramic all around the temple that I was told by a friend was part of the ballast added to ships (which were returning home empty after having shipped other items to China). You can read all about this temple here: http://www.watarun.org/index_en.html. I took a zillion pictures here, so I’ll do a post with just pictures from there.
I followed that with a delightful lunch at a local dive right on the water and adjacent to the ferry; the food was very good. I heard lots of different languages while I ate (besides Thai). I met South Africans and heard Scandinavians.
Then I wandered through the flower market where I was obviously too late for purchasing flowers. It was still intriguing to look at though. The sheer number of stalls and wares sold throughout Bangkok is mind boggling, well, at least for this Kaua‘i-girl, it is.
From there I managed to find the pier by the Memorial Bridge and head on back by boat to the BTS (skytrain) stop and home.
As I’ve done my meandering through this charmingly chaotic city over the past 5-weeks, I’ve stopped and snapped a shot whenever something caught my interest. What interests me (really interests me) isn’t exactly the type of shots that they want to show you in guidebooks. Also, I’ve noticed that with all the pollution here (i.e. lack of blue sky and unobstructed sunshine) that it’s more of a challenge to take a picture that isn’t swallowed up into a harsh lack of contrast. I’ve done my best to include only pictures that I imagine will have a semblance of appeal for you. Some were very obviously taken just for me; those are the ones that you’ll shake your head over and say, “What the?”
Next to follow will be loads and loads of pictures . . .
Best wishes for a great Fourth of July weekend! To my friends kayaking to Miloli‘i, I wish I was there also. If you feel me in the breeze, stop and say hello! In the body, I’m heading to the River Kwai with my gal pal; we’re taking a jungle raft adventure trip (even staying on a floating raft for the 2-nights). Should be fun; I hear it’s beautiful! Looking forward to breathing some none city air : )
Aloha All!
sj
* per the dictionary in my computer: Normalcy has been criticized as an uneducated alternative to normality, but actually is a common American usage and can be taken as standard: : we are anticipating a return to normalcy.