Hi,
During our first weekend back in Chiang Rai we discovered that some things have changed. Today and tomorrow are the celebration of a major Buddhist holiday in Thailand and the city has many visitors.
Our 'Old School Friday' tune was "If 6 Was 9" by Jimi Hendrix. Now for an 'Easy Monday' song for a little fun.
"Now look at them yo-yo's, that's the way you do it. You play guitar on the MTV. That ain't workin', that's the way you do it. __ __ __ and the chicks for free." Hint: A commentary on the supposed simplicity of the new video age. (555)
Saturday we went into town and discovered heavy traffic around the Healthy Market where we buy our fruits and vegetables. At first I thought it had something to do with the upcoming holiday, but the cars just drove around the block and exited on Bus station street. Hmm. Later we discovered that the main street through one part of town has been blocked off for new storm drains. We didn't get caught in any traffic, but I started figuring out alternate routes. It's going to be weeks before this project is completed so we'll just have to deal with it.
Some of the traffic around town is because of the holiday that began today. It is Asalha Puja Day and it commemorates the Buddha's first teaching. Many devotees travel to their home towns to celebrate with family. It is a public holiday so banks, schools and some businesses are closed. Chiang Rai has many temples that attract tourists, even without a holiday, so this weekend was especially busy.
Sunday we expected a long line of cars when we approached Big C, but it wasn't the case. All the shoppers were already inside. I always enjoy shopping during the build-up to a holiday because there are lots of families roaming the store in little clusters. Sometimes three generations making their way down the aisles and you can almost feel the excitement. After we left Big C we went to Central Plaza. It was so crowded in the 'inside' parking that we left and decided to just go home. On our way home we saw some of the huge storm drain pipes that are to be installed. There will be businesses that will probably lose money while their customers have no access. The way most of the streets were originally constructed, there is no simple way to re-route traffic in times like these. I guess they never imagined that the town would grow this dramatically.
We had dinner plans with our friends Stephan and Claire at Art Bridge, but when we got there the restaurant was closed. They have been enlarging the kitchen due to the popularity of the place. We went into town and ate at the Night Bazaar, which is always fun. It gave us a chance to actually walk through the construction zone and get a close look at what's going on. We hadn't been downtown for dinner in weeks and there were changes in the Night Bazaar. New vendors, old vendors with new products, and the look of preparation for the next wave of 'High Season'. We can always tell the changes in the tourist season by the number of large custom buses in town and the amount of new products on the tables in the Night Bazaar.
Today our friend Sutheera came over for lunch. She will be getting her doctorate in business next month so there was lots to talk about. She also had questions about our trip to America. We are still learning about Thai food and today was no exception. Sutheera brought us a bag of a special dessert that was way too good. They look like little tacos, but it's actually coconut filling with some kind of crispy noodle on top, folded into a sweet flour disc that looked like a tortilla. Yum. The picture below tells the story (except for the taste).
Have a Great Week.
Peace,
Danny
"The meaning of life is to find your gift.
The purpose of life is to give it away."
~Pablo Picasso
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
No comments:
Post a Comment