22nd September
Thursday
A week since I left Kenya and what a week its been. Time is so strange - it crawls along at times and then others it feels like a week in a day. Away from everything normal and even on a totally different time zone, time does certainly feel odd. My days are busy but not rushed and filled but with enough time to have space around what I’m doing.
My third full day in Chiang Mai and I woke up feeling like my routine was already a bit to established! However, I went to yoga as planed and it was the glorious Mai. Her class is a perfect balance of poses which both challenge and are achievable. I am still finding my yoga ‘feet’ and my Warrior 1 is a bit wobbly but I did ok. I even have my own mat in my own corner in the studio. The class was light and fun and Rose always makes the experience quite special or maybe its just the Chiang Mai vibe.
Massage at the temple after yoga and my second Mai of the day - my sweet masseuse. She had worked my knots really hard the day before so I was let off the hammer and chisel treatment and only had an hour of general Thai massage. After two hours of yoga, it felt amazing to be pulled and clicked in the Thai massage way. No fluffy white towels and certainly not a spa experience but the quality of Mai’s massage is up there.
Kalm Village for lunch and a call and a huge downpour. I dodged the puddles and got home to catch up and get ready for a night out with my Kenyan friends - Erwie, Edward, Jan and Bruce - who I haven’t seen since Bangkok.
The House by Ginger is wonderfully atmospheric - like a theatre set of an Edwardian country house. Delicious food and great conversation. Lovely to catch up and hear what everyone has been doing in and around Chiang Mai. The range of cocktails that came and went on our table was pretty impressive and I of course could only watch. When pudding came, however, I whipped my spoon out and dived in.
It wasn’t really a decision but after supper we found ourselves at Chiang Mai’s top drag bar - RamBar. It wasn’t elegant or beautifully designed but what it lacked in style it more than made up for in outrageous fun. I was a drag bar virgin so loved the whole absurd and over the top glitter ball craziness. The girls were fantastic and the short show left the enthusiastic crowd wanting more. It helped being with Eddie who is a total drag queen magnet! Fun night out.
Heading home after RamBar I did have a few doubts about my plans for next week. The incongruity of a hanging out at drag bar and then heading to a Buddhist monastery for a 5 day silent retreat is hard to resolve. Time to slow it down a bit to get into the flow of Om.
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