I know I promised to tell you about food, but describing Thai food in 500 words is like describing the universe in one page. I thought I\’d start small and tackle breakfast. Everybody here has breakfast, often a few of them, since Thai people eat small and often. Ubiquitous Thai street chefs cook food to …
Sanuk is an essentially Thai concept. It means fun, but also enjoyable and satisfying, all at the same time. It can be about things, activities or people. Laughing is sanuk. Making new friends is sanuk. Even a funeral can be sanuk – if it\’s done right. That\’s what makes Thai people so easy to get …
They are everywhere. Large or small, clean or not, ornate or austere, the spirit houses of Thailand shelter the spirits of the land. Most Thai are Buddhists, but they are also animists, Spirits hold an important role in their lives. At homes, coffee shops, massage parlors, hotels, restaurants or small repair businesses, the Thai spirit …
I\’ve always had an oven. Even when we were so poor that we had to wash our hair with detergent and brush our teeth with salt (we couldn\’t afford niceties like shampoo and toothpaste), we had an oven. That was my happy place. Our communist ratio of 5 eggs a month, 3 kilos of meat …
It\’s been downright awful. The cold, I mean. Everybody here is complaining, and rightfully so. It\’s been down to the 60s at night. Arctic! The other day I went swimming in the outdoor pool and I was worried they were going to call 911 (or its Thai equivalent) to take me away. They didn\’t, but …
Chiang Mai, our new home, is the second largest city in Thailand and it\’s far north from Bangkok and the beaches. It was founded by the legendary King Mengrai in 1296 so it\’s about to be 722 this year. For comparison, Quebec City was founded in 1608 and New York City in 1624. Chiang Mai …
We made it. Barely. It was a long trip. We started by driving the girls to Buffalo for their winter stay. Then Tim drove us to the Toronto airport. From there we flew back to Montreal – fancy that! – for the flight to Beijing. After the flight – 15 hrs only – we missed …
It\’s getting close. Steve was packed – until I unpacked his disemboweled guitar to take a picture of it. Serves him right, overachiever! I haven\’t exactly started, but I\’ve been piling stuff around the self-packing cat, quietly seething. Which books? How many shoes? Mosquito repellant or sunscreen or both? Amish skirt, the gray or the …
None of this would have happened if it wasn\’t for Carol. Or for Sheila. And especially for the bird. Sheila was the Lead Nurse – Canadian, Eh? on my working cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore. I had tagged on to it a 2 weeks vacation in Chiang Mai, 3 hours away, to find …
Carol, Sheila and the bird (and how on earth did we ever get there in the first place) Read More »
