Learning, learning, learning!
So I decided that I wanted to learn on this trip and boy have my prayers been answered. I am completely saturated in Thai massage yumminess right now and I my belly is full of 4 wonderful Thai dishes I just learned how to prepare. I am learning a little bit of Thai here and there as I go, I still really can only say Hello/goodbye, thank you, and how much. Pretty touristy if you ask me!
I decided to attend a school called Sunshine Massage School, they seem to be a pretty intensive school and the gentleman who runs the school went to a school here in Chiang Mai, I wasn’t here for the start of their workshop series, or I might have gone to the source. My instructor has been practicing Thai massage for most of her life through her grandmother, went to school in Bangkok at Wat Po, and then 6 years ago went through this program. It is fascinating to see what she likes and dislikes about our manual, we change things here and there, skip things, add things. My kind of learning…”breaking the law, breaking the law”. My classmates are all bringing a little bit to the class too, so it is really special, I guess that is a given. It has been fun because we are asked to switch partners each time we learn something so that has been really fun learning on almost all of my classmates, and having them learn on me. I forgot about the receiving part of learning.
After class we all seem to go our own ways, some people are here with spouses or friends, and some have lived here for years, months, etc so we all go onto our lives. I have been taking my little jaunt to the walled city for my evening entertainment, seeing some of the temples, people watching, just soaking up the sounds, smells, and sights. On one of my evening strolls I happened to see a cooking school and thought maybe I should attempt to cook Thai. Some of you know how I feel about my cooking, I am not the most confident in the kitchen. When I was in college some friends knew my phobia and sent me to cooking class, I think I still have the recipes, I don’t know if I have used them. Maybe it is time because…I just cooked 4 fabulous dishes and I have a recipe book for more. After my dishes I feel like maybe, just maybe I can try this cooking thing some more. I was able to finally figure out how to make my favorite, Papaya Salad, this salad has eluded me since Maui 6 years ago when I first had it at Saigon Cafe. Another favorite that was introduced to me just recently is Tom Kaa Gai, coconut milk chicken soup, it was great to relive that night as well, I ended up telling my fellow classmates, “Don’t eat the wood” and now I know what the wood is, Thai ginger and Lemongrass. I was also able to prepare a Chicken Pad Thai, pretty yummy I needed a little more spice, and a Red Curry Chicken Noodle plate by the time I got to the last one, I was FULL so I didn’t get to enjoy it as much. The best part about these recipes is that for my vegetarian/vegan friends I can make Tofu for you, they tell me how in my recipe book!
So now after a week of being in Chiang Mai, I have learned how to work the front of the body in Thai massage, I have 4 delicious plates to practice when I get home, I have seen upteenhundred Wats, and I am meeting some really amazing people.
Last night I was able to meet up with the woman I met on the train, Sabina, for dinner, we went to a swanky restaurant on the river. It was great to get to talk to her again and have some company for a meal but I noticed that even though we were going to pay 3 times as much for our meal, the food tasted the same as at my fun little vendor places, and now I can make the dishes myself. I guess it goes to show me that money doesn’t buy everything, knowing locals and how to cook is the secret.
Thai take-away (drive thru)
She had to go to the Night Bazaar to check on an order so I asked if I could join her. These markets are wild, there are venders everywhere and they are selling almost anything. I get overwhelmed quickly so I have to step back but watching her work her bargaining I realized this was a great teacher in getting the price down. Next time I want something I have some techniques. We decided to take a quick rest on a patio and sit for a second hoping to be served by one of the nearby cafes when I looked up and there was a baby elephant in the middle of the road. I keep forgetting I am in a place where this is normal. So of course I grabbed my camera popped up and got a couple of pictures. What a fun little (big) baby!
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