Category: Travel
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Pick Your Poison
Q: Do you want Covid-19 (Corona Virus), or the worst air pollution in the world? A: Uh, yes please Ahh, burning season in Chiang Mai again. Aside from stinging eyes, chronic sore throat, and choking down toxic air, there’s the global pandemic going on—Covid-19. So how has life been impacted? Washing Eggs I buy my…
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Going Incognito
Trying to go incognito. The day after New Year’s, I entered a neighborhood pharmacy. Since I live in a Thai neighborhood far away from the tourist sector, the chances that the staff spoke English were low-to-zero. Therefore, I had already programmed my phone to translate my issue into Thai. Although I am studying Thai, I’m…
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Monsoon and Mary Christmas
Photo essay Monsoon going out with a bang—literally pounding the roof of the car for three hours. Dinosaur donuts hit the spot on a rainy afternoon. Kayaking on the Ping River. Welcome Cold Season! Doggie duly outfitted in a fleece vest. Pretty café. I sit all afternoon in a library filled with books of art,…
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Warm Heart, Charred Lungs
“I can’t breathe. I can’t stop coughing. I have to get out of here asap.” That was 7:00pm. I had phoned Evelind while wearing my pajamas and facemask. The next day, Evelind and Michael drove me to Chiang Mai. I had to leave Warm Heart. My cough for the past month suddenly got worse. Months…
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Signs of Love
The Crêpe Station Brigade Somtum Lady cradled the jumbo plastic bowl at her station. Due to a slow somtum business day, Crêpe lady had bestowed her with whisking duties, which is why Somtum lady grasped the large bowl of crêpe batter at her station. Her whisking motion is exactly the same as her making somtum…
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Buddha of the Food Court
They actually changed the music—muzak—at the food court. Lately they’ve been looping a country-sounding Thai-crooner. Change her lyrics to English and she could stand in for fill-in-the-blank-female-country-singer. Sorry—that is obviously not my forté. The female Thai teachers of one of the Thai language schools continue to squish tables together. I notice a different white male…
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Where I Live Chiang Mai: Photo essay
Waffle and Muffin like chicken I live in an apartment whose owners have two dogs: Waffle and Muffin. Both males; Waffle is seven years old, and Muffin is one year old. Hence, he is the hyper one, and sprints to the front door whenever I come in, while Waffle sniffs in his elder-status aloofness. They…
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Muzak in the Mall: The Greatest Love of All
Omelette-on-rice-with-green-curry-combo I take my lunch in the food court of an outdated mall. They only have one track that loops “The Greatest Love of All”—nonstop—muzak-style. The food court serves mainly the employees of the mall, each represented by their respective color coordinated polo shirts; other local Thais, students, and on the weekends—families. There are a…
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No More Punching Penises
This dog is in a heat-induced coma in front of 7-11. This article states that the Royal Rain unit has been dousing the up-country regions in water to alleviate the extreme haze and dangerous levels of pollution. Personally, I don’t think it made a dent. The pm2.5 AQI (air quality index) was 251! Acceptable AQI…
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Teaching A, B, C: Volunteer in Phrao
Beautiful Lanna style house: Warm Heart offices and orphanage The Thais call the north “up-country”. This is a region dotted with cozy villages, red-dirt roads, roosters, and unfortunately—a lot of smoke. Every year for three-to-four months, farmers to clear their fields by burning everything. Although hazy, it is beautiful here. Many evenings as I sit…