Holiday Greets from Chiang Mai !
-
Sawasdee Khrup, CP Friends, (polite hello in Thai : "khrup," an "honorific," is said by a male speaker, "kaa" by a female speaker; "dee" means "good" and the root of "sawas" is from India via Pali [in Sanskrit : "svasta," one interpretation of which is "good health"]. Note this greeting was created and popularized in the 1930's and onward in Thailand; i.e., it is not archaic) A lovely clear day today here in northern Thailand, with a high 87F (31C), might cool down to around 59F (15C) tonight. It is "high tourist" season in Chiang Mai, and many Thai tourists from other parts of Thailand come here during the week between Xmas and (western) New Year, which is called "the winter festival." As well as, of course, tourists from all over the world. The mahouts (same word as used in India for elephant-handlers) are roaming the streets of the high-impact tourism areas with baby elephants and full-size ones. Twenty baht (about US $ 0.80) will get you a small bag of sugar-cane of the native midget bananas grown here to feed the elephant; most of us "expats" that live here don't like to see the elephants walking the pavement; it's not what their feet were "designed for," but the mahouts make money, and the tourists are often delighted ... until the impatient baby elephant wipes the snotty snout of his trunk on your clean shirt because you are not getting the food to him or her quickly enough ... :) It's been a relatively dry year during the rainy season months (roughly late June into September), and the burning of the fields is happening earlier this year, so there's already some pollution coming in (the worst months for pollution are February and March). Thai people love to party, and my neighborhood (a small one, quite outside the city center, and a neighborhood with almost no "farangs" [foreigners] and comprised mainly of Thai families who have lived in the area for generations) has something happening almost every night involving karaoke played at stadium-rock levels, or some party following the ritual blessing of a house, or wedding, or funeral. The big football-shaped (American football shape) fruit that looks like soul-food for punk-rockers with its giant spikes (durian), is appearing on the local markets. Inside its thick hide are what appear to be two kidney shaped bags of pus. The durian has a taste and smell that are quite unique : there are those who hate it, and those who love it, but few in-between. Eating it apparently generates "internal heat." You might liken
-
Sawasdee Khrup, CP Friends, (polite hello in Thai : "khrup," an "honorific," is said by a male speaker, "kaa" by a female speaker; "dee" means "good" and the root of "sawas" is from India via Pali [in Sanskrit : "svasta," one interpretation of which is "good health"]. Note this greeting was created and popularized in the 1930's and onward in Thailand; i.e., it is not archaic) A lovely clear day today here in northern Thailand, with a high 87F (31C), might cool down to around 59F (15C) tonight. It is "high tourist" season in Chiang Mai, and many Thai tourists from other parts of Thailand come here during the week between Xmas and (western) New Year, which is called "the winter festival." As well as, of course, tourists from all over the world. The mahouts (same word as used in India for elephant-handlers) are roaming the streets of the high-impact tourism areas with baby elephants and full-size ones. Twenty baht (about US $ 0.80) will get you a small bag of sugar-cane of the native midget bananas grown here to feed the elephant; most of us "expats" that live here don't like to see the elephants walking the pavement; it's not what their feet were "designed for," but the mahouts make money, and the tourists are often delighted ... until the impatient baby elephant wipes the snotty snout of his trunk on your clean shirt because you are not getting the food to him or her quickly enough ... :) It's been a relatively dry year during the rainy season months (roughly late June into September), and the burning of the fields is happening earlier this year, so there's already some pollution coming in (the worst months for pollution are February and March). Thai people love to party, and my neighborhood (a small one, quite outside the city center, and a neighborhood with almost no "farangs" [foreigners] and comprised mainly of Thai families who have lived in the area for generations) has something happening almost every night involving karaoke played at stadium-rock levels, or some party following the ritual blessing of a house, or wedding, or funeral. The big football-shaped (American football shape) fruit that looks like soul-food for punk-rockers with its giant spikes (durian), is appearing on the local markets. Inside its thick hide are what appear to be two kidney shaped bags of pus. The durian has a taste and smell that are quite unique : there are those who hate it, and those who love it, but few in-between. Eating it apparently generates "internal heat." You might liken
Happy Holidays, Bill ji.
BillWoodruff wrote:
Many hotels here have signs with a picture of a durian with the circle and the diagonal line across it in red that mean : "no durian allowed." It will stink up a whole house in ten minutes.
Wikipedia describes the smell as:[^] ... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia. Ugh! I sure don't want to feel that smell.
“Follow your bliss.” – Joseph Campbell
-
Happy Holidays, Bill ji.
BillWoodruff wrote:
Many hotels here have signs with a picture of a durian with the circle and the diagonal line across it in red that mean : "no durian allowed." It will stink up a whole house in ten minutes.
Wikipedia describes the smell as:[^] ... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia. Ugh! I sure don't want to feel that smell.
“Follow your bliss.” – Joseph Campbell
Oh, but it tastes so goooood!
All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.
-
Oh, but it tastes so goooood!
All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.
Only if you could stick a couple of corks up your nostrils.
“Follow your bliss.” – Joseph Campbell
-
Sawasdee Khrup, CP Friends, (polite hello in Thai : "khrup," an "honorific," is said by a male speaker, "kaa" by a female speaker; "dee" means "good" and the root of "sawas" is from India via Pali [in Sanskrit : "svasta," one interpretation of which is "good health"]. Note this greeting was created and popularized in the 1930's and onward in Thailand; i.e., it is not archaic) A lovely clear day today here in northern Thailand, with a high 87F (31C), might cool down to around 59F (15C) tonight. It is "high tourist" season in Chiang Mai, and many Thai tourists from other parts of Thailand come here during the week between Xmas and (western) New Year, which is called "the winter festival." As well as, of course, tourists from all over the world. The mahouts (same word as used in India for elephant-handlers) are roaming the streets of the high-impact tourism areas with baby elephants and full-size ones. Twenty baht (about US $ 0.80) will get you a small bag of sugar-cane of the native midget bananas grown here to feed the elephant; most of us "expats" that live here don't like to see the elephants walking the pavement; it's not what their feet were "designed for," but the mahouts make money, and the tourists are often delighted ... until the impatient baby elephant wipes the snotty snout of his trunk on your clean shirt because you are not getting the food to him or her quickly enough ... :) It's been a relatively dry year during the rainy season months (roughly late June into September), and the burning of the fields is happening earlier this year, so there's already some pollution coming in (the worst months for pollution are February and March). Thai people love to party, and my neighborhood (a small one, quite outside the city center, and a neighborhood with almost no "farangs" [foreigners] and comprised mainly of Thai families who have lived in the area for generations) has something happening almost every night involving karaoke played at stadium-rock levels, or some party following the ritual blessing of a house, or wedding, or funeral. The big football-shaped (American football shape) fruit that looks like soul-food for punk-rockers with its giant spikes (durian), is appearing on the local markets. Inside its thick hide are what appear to be two kidney shaped bags of pus. The durian has a taste and smell that are quite unique : there are those who hate it, and those who love it, but few in-between. Eating it apparently generates "internal heat." You might liken
BillWoodruff wrote:
The latest "craze" to hit Chiang Mai (and Bangkok and Pattaya, etc., I am told) are large fish tanks full of a little fish named "garufa rufa" which you pay to dangle your legs in so the fish can nibble away the dead skin and whatever.
I saw this while visiting Singapore early this year. I was wondering what that was about. And now I know. :) Happy holidays to you too.
-
Sawasdee Khrup, CP Friends, (polite hello in Thai : "khrup," an "honorific," is said by a male speaker, "kaa" by a female speaker; "dee" means "good" and the root of "sawas" is from India via Pali [in Sanskrit : "svasta," one interpretation of which is "good health"]. Note this greeting was created and popularized in the 1930's and onward in Thailand; i.e., it is not archaic) A lovely clear day today here in northern Thailand, with a high 87F (31C), might cool down to around 59F (15C) tonight. It is "high tourist" season in Chiang Mai, and many Thai tourists from other parts of Thailand come here during the week between Xmas and (western) New Year, which is called "the winter festival." As well as, of course, tourists from all over the world. The mahouts (same word as used in India for elephant-handlers) are roaming the streets of the high-impact tourism areas with baby elephants and full-size ones. Twenty baht (about US $ 0.80) will get you a small bag of sugar-cane of the native midget bananas grown here to feed the elephant; most of us "expats" that live here don't like to see the elephants walking the pavement; it's not what their feet were "designed for," but the mahouts make money, and the tourists are often delighted ... until the impatient baby elephant wipes the snotty snout of his trunk on your clean shirt because you are not getting the food to him or her quickly enough ... :) It's been a relatively dry year during the rainy season months (roughly late June into September), and the burning of the fields is happening earlier this year, so there's already some pollution coming in (the worst months for pollution are February and March). Thai people love to party, and my neighborhood (a small one, quite outside the city center, and a neighborhood with almost no "farangs" [foreigners] and comprised mainly of Thai families who have lived in the area for generations) has something happening almost every night involving karaoke played at stadium-rock levels, or some party following the ritual blessing of a house, or wedding, or funeral. The big football-shaped (American football shape) fruit that looks like soul-food for punk-rockers with its giant spikes (durian), is appearing on the local markets. Inside its thick hide are what appear to be two kidney shaped bags of pus. The durian has a taste and smell that are quite unique : there are those who hate it, and those who love it, but few in-between. Eating it apparently generates "internal heat." You might liken
