Monday, September 15, 2014

Listen

Hi,

The weather in Chiang Rai continues to be hot, with a pretty good chance of rain every day.  We seem to be back in the cycle of clear skies, progressing to cloudy skies, and then rain in the afternoon or evening. 

'Old School Friday' was that classic slow jam "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners.  It's 'Easy Monday' time:  "Hot town, __ __ __ __, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.  Been down, isn't it a pity, doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city.  All around, people looking half dead, walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head."  Hint:  I think my friends in California will relate to this song.  Also, my friends here in Thailand.  There is a season involved.

Saturday morning it looked like it was going to be another hot day.  We hadn't had rain for two or three days so we decided to water everything.  Mid-afternoon we were presented with a big downpour.  Some days you just never know what's going to happen.  

Shopping on Sunday is something we usually avoid because of the crowds.  This week we broke with tradition, and common sense, and went to Makro in the morning, Big C in the afternoon, and the mall in the evening.  The crowds were there, but we managed to get what we needed.  At Big C, it's always more fun when Cat comes along.  She also helps us read the ingredients on labels and that has been a real asset.  

Sunday evening we went to the Night Bazaar for dinner, but our usual restaurant was closed for 'new building'.  I guess that means remodeling.  We strolled the food court, which brought back memories of when we first moved to Thailand.  The Wancome Hotel where we stayed for our first month here, is very close to the Night Bazaar and we used to go there almost every night for dinner.  There was one food stall where we'd get our main dinner, and another where we'd get our watermelon shakes, which are like a slushy.  This time, nothing appealed to any of us so we ate at another favorite place.  Cruising the aisles of the Night Bazaar, I asked Cat if she'd ever been inside The Nine Shop.  It's a unique place that sells hand-painted T-shirts and shoes featuring zany little characters.  We went in and she fell for a pair of tennis shoes that were very cool.  Today's photo are the hip tennies.


There was a lot of art in our Monday.  This morning we went to Art Bridge and viewed a new exhibit of paintings by an artist from China.  He creates giant canvases of landscapes that are very colorful.  We will return on Saturday evening for the official opening, which should be interesting.  This evening we went to The Curry Hut, a little restaurant owned by a friend of ours, for the opening of a small exhibit by two local artists.  One artist had a series of paintings of peace signs, and the other did abstracts in acrylic.  The whole thing was rather psychedelic and felt like we'd stepped back in time.  The crowd was a mix of Thais, expats, and young teachers from other places, giving it a real international 'hippie vibe'.  

One of the things we enjoy about Chiang Rai is the fact that it is emerging as a melting pot of cultures, on a small scale.  It stays interesting and stimulating.

Have a Great Week,

                    Peace,
                              Danny 

"When you talk, you are only repeating 
what you already know;
But when you listen, you may
learn something new."
~The Dalai Lama

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