Hi,
It was a beautiful day to be busy in Chiang Rai. We covered a shopping circuit this morning and hung out in town in the afternoon. I spent the evening at the Farm Festival and just got home.
I really expected more response from our 'Easy Monday' tune. Oh well, you can always jump in when you remember:
"You were still in school when you had that fool who really messed your mind. And after that you turned your back on treating people kind. On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind. But after while I realized you were disarranging mine. You better stop, look around, here it comes...."
So much to tell you, but so little time. This morning we went to Makro, and then down to Bus Station street where we made two stops. The most significant being the guitar store. I needed to get a new set of strings for my guitar, and also a soft case. I've finally been drawn out of my little (huge) shell and I'm going to play on Sunday at a gathering of artists doing a project. Khun Somluk, the committee chair, told Lisa to 'have Danny bring his guitar'. This has been building and now the door has opened.
This afternoon we were out in the street again. We went back to the guitar store to exchange the case for a larger one. This time I took my guitar. When they saw it they said 'Jumbo', which cracked me up because it's not really that big, but they sell a lot of medium and small size acoustics here. Our final stop was at NorThai for a look around without the crowd. It was the first time we'd been back since the opening night and it was nice to be able to really take in some of the things on display. We hung out with Kay, the co-owner, and had a nice talk about how things are going and what will happen in the near future. We saw the menu and we will probably stop by for a light meal this weekend.
The Farm Festival has been on my mind since I saw the first poster on the street. Tonight I went with my friend Em. We had a good time on the way, listening to my CD and talking about music. The sun was just going down when we arrived and we couldn't help focusing on the giant hot-air balloon that was giving people rides in the evening sky. It went up about four stories and gave them a view of the valley and the tea plantation. I don't know what they saw when it got dark. I guess the festival grounds were enough. The theme of the whole thing was pretty nicely presented, with barn type facades for all the vending booths and a big barn background for the stage. One curious note was the row of three teepees on one side of the grounds. There was lots of food, much of it BBQ or roasted and plenty of Singha beer since they were the major sponsors. Em and I drank water and walked around checking everything out. We ran into two other Chiang Rai artists and their wives, and that became our base of operation.
We basically went for the music, but the music was just OK. The opening act was a duet and they were good, but an hour was too long. Then there was almost an hour of waiting for the main act. They were billed as 'Smile Buffalo' and I don't know why. I think it was a label presenting it's solo artists under the guise of 'guest artists' with a 'house band'. A couple of the singers and their respective songs were quite good. Em and I talked about the music and how it made us feel. We had fun and it's the first time I've done something like this. He wants me to help him with some songs he's written so we'll be getting together on a more regular basis.
Here's a photo of the Farm Festival for you to get an idea of the vibe. I'll post more as the week goes on.
Farm Festival on the Hill
Have a Happy Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
~Socrates
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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