It was another post-card weather day here in Chiang Rai. The air was fairly clear and that’s always a plus. Bangkok is having a terrible time with smog/haze and there is no rain in sight. Wind has been forecast and that may help a little. They are asking people to drive their cars less or not at all.
We really had an ‘Easy Monday’ song this week. If you missed it, here’s a little more: “I’ve got so much honey the bees envy me. I’ve got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees. Well, I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way? __ __ (__ __, __ __) Talkin’ ‘bout __ __ (__ __).” Clue: It’s by a prominent group from a motor city label that had a supremely successful stable of hit-makers.
Today was Lisa’s birthday. We did something new by going to the hot springs. People have been telling us we should check it out for the longest time. We followed directions and found it. I had a different image in my mind of what would be there. I expected some exotic scene with water bubbling up and people climbing over rocks to find cozy pools of steaming water. In reality, it was a series of modern pools with the hot mineral water piped in for convenience, and a sign stating the 49.6C temp (121.8F). As we approached the first feature, there was a big pool with a bench around the sides. People sat and dangled their feet in the hot water while chatting or reading at a big table in the middle. Next to that was a big rectangular pool for the whole-body experience. In a house farther down the path, there were the private rooms. We booked one of those at a rate of $3 an hour for two people. A woman showed us the room, filled the concrete tub and showed us how to rinse off afterward. We spent a little over 15 minutes in the water. As we left the room, the woman who booked the room was surprised that we were leaving. We couldn’t do a whole hour, but we will return. We stopped at The Wanderer for coffee and roti before going home. The whole experience left us very relaxed.
Today’s photos shows the building with the private rooms and then our pool.
After lunch and a quick nap, I was off to acupuncture. The afternoons at the hospital and clinic are very busy these days. I remember when it used to be the best time to go because it was so calm. Now it resembles the mornings. Maybe the 3-day weekend had something to do with it, but there were a lot of people in there.
We went to Sobroso Mexican Restaurant for dinner with Cat. What we didn’t know was how busy she had been the last two days. She had arranged a surprise for Lisa and it worked perfectly. She ordered a small chocolate cake from The Wanderer and arranged to pick it up and delivered it to Sobroso, which is very nearby. I must add that she carried the cake and a bunch of dried flowers in one hand while driving her motorbike with the other. Then she came to our house and rode to dinner like nothing was going on. After dinner, she stood up and in the reflection from a window, I saw a staff person carrying a candle-lit cake. All of a sudden, the whole place was singing and I realized what was going on, they were coming our way. Needless to say, Lisa was blown away. A moment later, so were the candles.
Back at the house, we had some serious discussions about ‘life stuff’ and would probably still be talking if we hadn’t reminded her of her early class tomorrow morning.
This has been a very cool day.
Have a Happy Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
“Without deviation from the norm,
progress is not possible.”
~Frank Zappa
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