Courage

Hi,

The weather in Chiang Rai has been a mix of cool mornings, hot afternoons, and showers thrown in for good measure. We had a pleasant weekend with a couple of adventures.

Well, that 'Old School Friday' song was "Baby, What You Want Me To Do" by Jimmy Reed. 'Easy Monday' is easy:
"It's been __ __ __ __, and I've been working like a dog. It's been __ __ __ __, I should be sleepin' like a log. But when I get home to you I find the things that you do will make me feel alright..." Hint: Really? I told you it was easy.

Saturday we went to coffee with our friend Atom. We had heard about a new place near the highway, on 'our side' of the river. It's a very large house that has been converted into a coffee house/restaurant right on the river. We sat under a very large old tree and looked out on the water. The ambience was great, but the coffee wasn't so good. We had a good time anyway. There's still nothing like our favorite spot, Doi Chaang.

Sunday we went to Big C for lunch and shopping. Our usual choice there is Black Canyon, but they were closed. We're not sure if it's because of all the renovation, or the fact that there's one across the street at Central Plaza. We ended up eating at S&P, where we had a delicious roasted chicken salad. They also served a little sample plate of Moon Cakes.

Sunday evening we went to Jaffee's Mid-Autumn Full Moon Party. We met new people and had a very fun time. The chef from Le Meridien prepared some Malaysian delicacies that we timidly tasted. We didn't try the sting-ray, and I shied away from the spicy peanut sauce. We met a woman who weaves shawls, table cloths and other items. The interesting thing is that she makes everything from scratch. She dyes the cotton using natural colors from plants, flowers and insects. It's quite a process and takes a long time before she can begin to weave. It was an international crowd and the conversations were lively and diverse. Most importantly, the clouds drifted and we got to see the full moon.

One of the things that we discovered at the party is that very few people here know the names of the streets. I thought it was just us foreigners, but it turns out that lots of locals use landmarks like us. Getting directions was also a topic of discussion. Quite often if you ask for directions, people will point you in the right direction with no details. Somehow we manage to get where we want to go.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,
Danny

"Courage is the power to let go of the familiar."
~Raymond Lindquist

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