Meander Asia

Khao Soi is the national dish in Northern Thailand (Lanna peoples) (and parts of Burma and Laos). Contrary to my expectations, the fare is super-favorable but not at all spicy-hot. And I’ve found vegan & vegetarian fare readily available. Khao Soi, a green papaya salad and coconut water has become my go-to. The typical cost is $5 main course, $3 papaya salad, $2 coconut water or mango smoothie.Unless I get a dessert  (typically mango sticky rice, but rarely), I don’t recall spending more than $10 for one of two meals I have each day; the other (breakfast) more like $6, mushroom omelette or avocado toast and a latte.  Khao Soi Ingredients  yellow noodles vegetable stock palm sugar mushroom seasoning vegan ‘fish’ sauce mushrooms coconut milk coconut oil  salt Chili Paste dried chiles red jalapeños shallots garlic lemongrass lime leaves galangal (ginger) salt Spice Mix cumin powder coriander powder turmeric powder Garnish fried wonton strips shallots sour mustard li...

​Life has been lovely in Chiang Mai. And as busy as I’ve chosen to be.  I previously mentioned my Airbnb host, Amy, and she’s quite remarkable. She organizes an outing most every day of the week. She says there are over 600 people on her listserv, and she doesn’t make a dime in profit. Tour guides in Thailand must be both Thai and licensed. Others need not apply. So she offers her services, hoping folks will come early and have a coffee at her café.  However the name, “Creativitea,” is nowhere to be seen at her storefront. The entrance is obscured with trash containers, wayward scooters and bikes, and dead plants in pots. Doesn’t look like a place that serves a good cappuccino. Or a place you’d want to drink it.  You know me, I mind my own business as long as I can, but I couldn’t help but offer to fix a 1/2 dozen things in my room: a broken shower-head, a missing clock battery, a table lamp that shorts out, and several other things. I said I had a background in property ...

​The crash-burn-love of Bangkok, the settle of temples and stupas of old Ayutthaya & Shokhothai, Chiang Mai. Oh, my. File that one away; keep it warm in hand. The entry into the city is daunting for me; I have all antennas up. It doesn’t take me long to find the groove though, find a neighborhood, make myself at home. Dip into the mystery of the old city, all it offers to share. Take respites in temples, find veggie restaurants and street food.  Figure out the transportation, though mostly on foot. Socialize. Tell a joke that gets a laugh, or elicits a smile. Then disappear to the evening quiet of my neighborhood, tuck in for the night, let it sink in. But, no matter how well I do it, the deft way I move in the city, recoup at night, there comes a time to flee. And so here I am, biding time in Chiang Dao, heading soon to the caves and hot springs, then perhaps I’ll have a poem.

​🎄🎄🎄❤️🎄🎄🎄

​ Weekly laundry service  provided (!) and first grocery shopping. Success! Yay!  [sage advice, above my headboard]  I had another interesting meetup with a remarkable young man,  Nyanthar. He's Burmese and connected throughout Asia in eco-human rights issues. He’s essentially in exile in Chiang Mai, supporting the underground eco-political activists in Burma. It’s amazing their underground communication network between towns there.  Leave it to me to gravitate to the exile communities: Tibetans in Kathmandu, the Burmese here. Of course it makes sense: peaceniks & tree-huggers, “alternative-types” (his phrase) find each other all across the world - ☺️.  Nyanthar is Buddhist, too. Among many other things, he was teaching mindfulness to kids in Burma. And a magazine editor, before it was shut down by the military following the coup. He’s given me all kinds of tips and connections.  Frankly, I was awed and humbled in his presence, and I was gladdened ...

I’ve just checked into my Chiang Mai home of the next two weeks, and it’s going to be quite the trip with my host. She’s American, has daughters there, hasn’t been back in 10+ years. Seems a wonderful mission she’s on: art and scrapbooking, and a student from the university teaching robotics to kids. And she arranged day trips every day this coming week - her treat to herself and her friends - recovery from her harrowing last few weeks. She has a rap about being able to get reliable help these days. She recruits from the university through FB, but they don’t want to work. They’re 21, and the boy asks for a chair so he can sit down to stir banana bread mix. And then he thinks he can freely eat it. The girl says she’s tired after a couple hours and needs to lie down. She may fire them both, but the one guy she liked didn’t come back after one day, so she’s out on a limb. I thought about offering to step in and help out. Then thought the better of it - ☺️. Amy is just a bit harried, if no...

​As I think about it, most of my life’s preciousness comes through kindness. Certainly from loved ones, sometimes from kin, from strangers, most of all. What got me thinking about this is the sweet delights I’ve been experiencing: showing up for a 2nd time at a restaurant earns a greeting like a long-lost friend. Then shown to “my” table. The wide smile as I carefully, slowly count out my money. Exact change! Much appreciated. And just now, the warm smile from the bus station master, granddaughter on his lap, when I arrive 10 minutes early, as requested.

​It’s not bittersweet leaving Shokhothai for exciting Chiang Mai. I have friends and contacts and no doubt holiday celebrations and convenings and tours to choose from.  I have unexpected leisure of this afternoon til my bus at 4:30. Though I have my things in two places (a long story I may not tell), I’ve got my ticket, and I’m ready to roll. No angst; no pressure. I have Ben’s bike, and I found a way to raise the seat, so I’ll do some tooling around despite the heat of the day.  I lived in Florida 40 years, so I sorta know how to do this. And I replaced my lost-hat & bought sunglasses to please my dermatologist and ophthalmologist. So I think my sun-king karma is good for now. Plus it’s cooler in  more ways than one. It’s probably eventful wherever you go. Surely in meditation. In Shokhothai, whether the historical essence or everyday events, it’s been charming and eye-opening here. The children’s parade that  awoke me yesterday… …and morning alms at the break ...

​Laying my head on a pillow at night is one sweet delight and likely the greatest unknown when traveling. No matter the photos & descriptives, thanks to travel apps, your imagined “glorious” room is always a surprise. There’s so much personal in this. For all of us. We’re at our most unguarded, vulnerable, swimming between worlds, our bed and pillow our intrepid ship. The day’s adventures are the stuff of dreams. And then the fluff of the pillow, no other head from the night before imagined. The soft of the bed. Or stone-hard bed like last night. Ben’s Place stood out from the start. Her tiny photo so cute (!), the photos of the place, too. Free bike! Her logo on the towels & pillows! Aesthetics! And like a shoebox. I mean tiny home: three rooms in the place, two with bunks and my “deluxe” private room, maybe 5’ x 7’, a fan with that massage table bed. I might give her an A for trying. How can you fit so much cute in so much tiny? The sink, I discover, is outside the back door....

​ สวัสดี saL watL dee [a polite greeting or farewell used when meeting or parting]  hello; goodbye; good morning; good afternoon; good evening; good night; greetings  — I love how the Thais bow upon meeting and leaving - or as the way to acknowledge or say thank you. I understand there are slight variations, but common in most Southeast Asian countries. Without language, the hands together and a slight bow, or more simply a nod of the head, is really all you need to make friends and get around.  (Other than my iPhone, Google Maps, Airbnb, Bolt or Grab (or country-appropriate ride app), Revolut app & debit card (for holding different currencies), enough cold cash (some small bills please), 30# (less) of clothes, toothbrush, charging cables, meds and such. A modicum of tech savvy is helpful, and quick wits, a love of challenge, and a thirst for learning. And, don’t forget the flip-flops! You almost always remove your shoes before entering. (It gets bore-some, tying ...

I’m moving north from Bangkok with several stops along the way. Perhaps no surprise, but Buddha and Buddhism is everywhere! Oh, the temples! By my reckoning, much more visible than in India and Nepal. Arriving in Sukhothai at orange-dusk last night, I was later washed-over by the brilliantly lit sight of the moated Wat/Stupa in town. You can approach it over four lantern-lit bridges coming from the four directions. It was stunning at night and, after the magic and adventure of morning and checking out tomorrow’s cute little guesthouse (with the weed store next door); and a fine latte with an oat-coca biscuit - and definitely the heat if the day - my trusty shoes walked me over the north bridge to the Stupa where I found a shaded stone bench awaiting me.. It’s a wholly holy peaceful scene. Not a soul about. I wish I had brought my inflatable meditation cushion. Around the far side, there is hubbub. It’s all quietly done, but they’re setting up for an event, rolling out tons of gold ca...

​ A bus ride is a nice thing. I was hoping to ride the rails mostly, but buses seem to be the go-to in Thailand. The ride all the more enjoyable sitting behind two women, one from England, the other German, as they chit-chatted about many things under the sun, including their aches and pains, but mostly travels. They were seasoned, for sure; the Brit saying she spends every winter in Thailand or Vietnam and, occasionally, India for good measure. I admired her pluck. She spoke of first coming in 1980, so I expect she was in her 70s. Petite as can be, well under 5’ with many purple touches: clothes, cell phone cover, streaked purple hair. And a particularly friendly smile, though unto her self setting out once we arrived. I do glean good tips on places to go and general logistics. Travel as I learn, entertainment in and of itself! I learned of welcoming indigenous villages to visit near the Myanmar border; how trains are the thing in Vietnam. The sunset colors were awash as I arrived in ...

Just another ordinary Sunday - ☺️. ​ I started my day with matcha “fluffy” pancakes at Walk In at Grandmother’s Guesthouse which turned out to be sweeter than expected: topped with whipped cream, sprinkled with matcha, with a side of matcha ice cream and red bean paste.  Then to Wat Maheyong, a Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya, originally built in 1438, restored in the 1700s - ☺️.  Described as “a serene escape  for tranquility and spiritual enlightenment with lush surroundings to immerse in mindfulness practices that rejuvenate the mind and soul.” After a hours-long meditation and dharma talk in the company of a few thousand, the best iced latte at the cheapest price: 50 baht ($1.40). I also scored several 10-packs of turmeric capsules at 20 baht each.  It’s quite the campus, renowned for its meditation retreats and, yes, lush tranquility - and great lattes.  Returning home, I decided to wind down  a quite incredible  one-hour “timeless”   massage wi...

​ Founded around 1350, Ayutthaya was the second capital of Siam and the primary trading capital of Asia. (I’ll be visiting the original ancient capital of Sukothai later in the week.) By 1700,  Ayutthaya had become the largest city in the world, with a total of 1 million inhabitants. International merchants came from the Arab world, China, India, Japan, Portugal, the Netherlands and France, and merchants from Europe proclaimed Ayutthaya as the finest city they had ever seen. Then in 1766, the Burmese  invaded Ayutthaya and burnt the city down to the ground. I mean, why the hell would they do that? Siam has been a mystical and mythic place for me since I was a youngster. I’m not sure how I would have heard of it. A children’s book? Later, I saw The King & I, my first Broadway show. My mother-in-law, Marcia, treated us to the experience. At the time, I thought it was a bit of fluff. Those were my very serious days. But I was captivated by the bald  Yul Bryn...

​ Ayutthaya. Arrived & rested. A dear fellow Willy greeted me with good English at my guesthouse and invited me to “ask me anything.” I just asked him for a recommendation for a good Thai restaurant, and I’m now riverside awaiting veggie and prawn curry. The small spray bottle the waitress brought to the table is mosquito repellent, not sanitizer, I find out after the fact. Oh, no, mosquitoes! I was wondering if “riverside” meant “mosquitoes.”     Willy lit up when he told me there was music, and I must say the woman with the guitar has a lovely voice in flawless English and creative takes on Roberta Flack, Bob Marley and the Beatles, currently “Hey Jude.” (Sigh.)      The prawns are from the river; a fishing boat powers by.  “Less spicy,” I say. Yeah, right. Wisely, I also said: “the small  portion.” Because it’s a big bowl full! And very spicy. I order a 2nd lemon-lime Schweppes. It’s becoming my friend. It sure feels good to be out of the city, ...

And there I was bragging about carrying two small packs weighing a total of a mere 30#. I thought this, compared to the standard 50# allowance, would land me in smugland. I now realize 30# is too much to carry, much less need, and I’m spending the 90-minute bus ride, bags piked high on my lap, contemplating what’s going to jump ship - or go overboard, as the case may be. I hear my Chiang Mai friend of a friend has a friend with a thrift shop whose profits go to support Burmese refugees. I’ve got shirts and a turtleneck, I’ve got socks and. black jeans. Some tech stuff too. The umbrella or the raincoat? Here, they use the umbrella for sun protection, so maybe that’s a deciding factor. The apple and almonds and Clif bars mostly consumed. A couple magazines and maybe a Buddhist book I can leave behind. Maybe get to 22 pounds. I’m going to aim for it.

​There are circumstances in life. In many (little) ways, you get to steer them, decide them. For example, I could’ve set out earlier for the bus station. My bus was at 1p; I arrived 1:08. There’s backstory here: my tardy tendency and not wanting to leave the communal lounging  nook at my hotel of the past 7 days.  They teamed-up to make me late, and I wallowed in some fretful moments. Not quite biting my fingernails as much as kicking myself. But, hey. it’s not as if it’s failure. Per se.  At least in the short term, I’ve got nothing but time. — It was the most-pleasant drive. I’ll never know their names or story, but the drivers, the “Grab” experience is so user-friendly. Mostly, they’re cabbies. I don’t understand why they are competitors in the US. But what do I know. This driver spoke more English than most. He pointed out the domed Capitol, which I hadn’t seen before. “Like your country,” he said. I was grateful he understood the different bus stations. That’s always...

​ Temples and monasteries, spectacle(!), cannabis lounges, Thai massage offerings from A-Z. And “ladyboys.”   I didn’t know about ladyboys (“kathoey”) until a friend asked whether I’d been to a ladyboy show. But once you know, a quite common site.  Thailand is both traditional and tolerant, flavored by the principles of Thai Buddhism.  Buddhist scriptures mention 3 genders: man, woman and kathoey. The belief is that everyone has been kathoey in a previous life and will be again in the future so they should be treated with kindness and compassion. As a result, the  Thai language is generally gender-neutral. Thailand is widely believed to have the largest and, in any case, most visible transgender population in the world including an estimated 300,000 kathoeys who are honored and respected.  Phenom Thailand. 

The city is a madhouse. F****ing crazy. A parallel universe with its utter wonder and amazement and food. What I had to do to get to the park and back! Oh, my. (“Damn that traffic jam” - James Taylor.) It seems green-space is a mere token to the onslaught of urbanism we call civilization. But all I had to do is sit back and relax. Catch up on waylaid correspondence. Talk about privilege! I thank the universe for kind and patient drivers! For the first time I played the translations on Google Translate, and it worked great! My driver  understood, got a tickle out of it, gave a chuckle. I also gave him a decent  tip, not at all common or expected in this part of the world - ☺️. ​

Lumbini Park - Monitor Lizards No one knows exactly how many lizards are prowling through Bangkok and its tapestry of more than 1,600 canals, known as  khlongs , where the lizard thrives. The city, local people boast, has more canals than Venice. JX Ang lives close to the park, and says he has become a fan of his scaly neighbours. “It’s actually really nice to see them when you’re going about your day, and then suddenly you see a nice little Godzilla swimming through the water,” he says. Ang fondly recalls a time he witnessed more than 10 lizards leisurely soaking in a park fountain on a hot day. “It was like a massive lizard Jacuzzi. It was awesome.” (Unlike the larger Komodo dragon, which has a venomous bite capable of taking down a water buffalo, the Asian water  monitor is considered mostly harmless to humans – making it easier to ignore - ☺️.)  My photos can’t do them justice. This one’s about 4’ long. 

​My one extravagance so far is hiring a cab (“Grab”) to get anywhere far away, (or close by if pedestrian appeal is missing). Like any city, there’re cranes and construction and roadwork and mayhem. Beholding it from a car is not so bad. As with any city, there are soft parts (parks); there are hard parts (traffic and construction). I’m delightfully challenged to try to soften the city experience.  And so it cost me 6 bucks to travel in the cool of a cab to Lumbini Park, Bangkok’s “Central Park.” I now know not to be dropped off at the “main gate”. Traffic jam all the way, poor guy; I tipped him 40 baht.  Surely there’s another gate rather than the main one, an overload of crass amusement. Except for the centrality and calm of the memorial honoring Queen ‘s recent passing (“Queen Mum," a cabbie said), it  was a brutal walk through a gauntlet of sensual stimulation and a long way to  the soothe of the green space that I was seeking. Now, expansive views and more oxyg...

​ The Chao Phraya River, Thailand's major waterway known as the "River of Kings," flows through Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand. Serving both  Bangkok's commuters and offering visitors easy access to the city’s  temples and palaces, it’s a  great and quite peaceful way to get around at 21baht (.66USD) per trip or 150baht ($4.66) for an unlimited day pass. Note: I did not take these stock photos. Thank you to whoever did - 🙏.

Topsi, my dear n ew Thai acquaintance, explained the miniature and often ornate “spirit houses” I see at the entrance to many houses. They’re intended to provide a shelter for the “spirits”  that can cause problems if not appeased. They often include images or carved statues of people and animals, and the more  elaborate houses may include an altar for  offerings and votive candles. 

​I look up and see schoolgirls - the same morning schoolgirls - and there’s the McDonald's. I’ve come full circle! I wonder  if I’ve learned as much as they have. At least I can say I’ve experienced more. Or maybe not. I’m en route to the Golden Mount , one of my intentions before I ended up at the Golden Palace where all the dead queen things were going on. I’m ready for the temple, though they say it’s 344 winding steps to the top to watch the sunset. It might be the end of me once I come down. I’ll probably call a cab, or rather a “Grab, Thailand’s version of  “Uber.” Actually, I’m already dragging. It’s hard to admit I’m not the man I used to be. I say: “Why not an iced latte”? My 2nd time at McDonald's today, in Bangkok, no less, and it seems I’ve got the touchscreen ordering thing down pat.  Of course there aren’t any tables available with so many relieved and giggling schoolgirls. I figure they must be the privileged ones to be able to hang out here. There are, h...

​So early to bed, early to rise and make my way to the 7am Vipassana meditation at Wat Mahathat. So proud of myself(!) weaving my way through packs of white-bowed girls and black-tied boys heading to school. I wonder what their lives will be like? They look sleepy and full of promise. My hotel in the Old City is tucked away on a side alley, the only morning sound the Asian Koel, a  cuckoo, distinctive in its black plumage and  green beak and  secretiveness. The walk in early morning traffic is anything but mellow, Much as any city these days, except no horn honking. The relative quiet of life here and in this part of the world in general (or so I hear) is notable. I watch my map, drawing closer, growing still prouder that I’m actually going to be a few minutes early, unusual for me.  “You’ve arrived!” Except it’s not here! The wrong Wat. Actually something under construction in burgeoning Bangkok.  I haven’t had morning coffee, let alone my morning meditation....