hot and sweaty

The weather in Chiang Mai is a little cooler than in Bangkok. But it is still hot and humid. We are at the end of the rainy season and the weather is going to get even a little cooler. I don't know the exact temp cuz everything here is in C.

I had my second Thai lesson this morning. It is slow going. The tones are killer.
And I've been walking around the CM University trying to get a job. Nothing so far, but I met a nice guy from California who has been teaching here for 14 years. He says I should just show up on the first day and they almost always need teachers. He also said I will have no problem finding a job somewhere which is encouraging. He also told me I'm going to have major visa problems which is discouraging.

I am hot and sweaty from walking around campus all day. Thais don't walk much. They always drive on their scooters or cars. I've also been traveling in "Sung-tows" which litterally means "two-rows". They are basically pickup trucks with a metal canopy over the back and two rows of benches along the sides. That is their form of taxi in CM. They also have Tuk-tuks which I think I already wrote about. Either way you have to bargin a price with the driver before you get in.

I am going to check out a bar nearby which is supposed to have lots of ex-pats who are teachers and work at NGOs. I hope someone will be able to help with a job. I stumbled across a new language school that is looking for English Teachers. They were very interested in me. Should be good....

Chiang Mai

Was feeling really unproductive in Bangkok so I decided to head on up North. I took an overnight bus ride to Chiang Mai where I plan on settleing for 7 months or so.

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and has about 160,000 people in it. Not nearly as crowded or crazy as Bangkok, but it has all the city ammenities.

I got a used bike and have been exploring the city. Met some other travelers and even a few locals. I think it may be frustrating that so many people come in and out so frequently. A guy from Santa Cruz I met comes for a few months every year and he said the average stay is 2.5 days. Maybe it's just the neighborhood that I'm in though.

I looked into a long term place today, but am not sold on it. I'd like to find a place where I won't have to move out of while I'm here, but I don't know the city well enough to pick an area yet. I'll do some more research tomorrow.

So my first day in the city was grand. I already have a few job leads and plan on making a bunch more calls tomorrow. I found a place that will be showing the Red Sox games! And also stumbled across the meeting pub for the Hash House Harriers (a national running club). And found a gym and massage place, both that come with high recommendations.

Today I had my first Thai lesson from a sweet Thai woman. She taught me a lot in the first half hour, but it is slow going. The word Mai can be said in 5 different tones to mean 5 different things. It is so tough. I am practicing.

Thai dii nit-noy

I forgot to share the hightlight of my market expereince yesterday.

Just after I got to the market I went up to a vendor to get these little fried eggs. They have a grill about the size of a large serving plate with little half-circle divits- about 1.5 in diameter. It looks like a big, black painters pallate. And they crack these little eggs- I'm not really sure from what bird- into each one. One 50 cent order is for about 10 of these eggs, served with vinegar on a bed of cabbage. Yummy ('Alloy' in Thai).

I spoke to the man only in Thai: saying hello, asking how much, ordering, and thanking him. He spoke only in Thai to me too. As I was leaving I heard him tell his partner (in Thai) that i speak Thai well. I turned around and smiled and said 'nit-noy' ('a little bit'). He clearly got a kick out of the whole thing, and i did too.

Thai Massage

I found a few massage parlours that gives swedish massages. It's a little more expensive than a Thai Massage( one hour is $6.10 versus $4.40), but with the Thai massage they twist you all over the place, and it has been troublesome for my knee. Last evening after my hot and sweaty day at the market I got one. So fabulous. My theory on why all the Thais look so young is that they treat their bodies right and they get massages all the time because they are so cheap. Unfortunately that doesn't pan out exactly because the massages are not cheap for the Thais. Things are so cheap compared to the US because they have such a little profit margin, and therefore don't make much money at all.

I found a gym!! I have been slacking on my fitness routine and am so excited to go for a run. I have been able to run a few times when I've been out of Bangkok, but it is not only too hot to run here- there is no room at all. Auto and pedestrian traffic EVERYWHERE. Walking is often a problem. So I am off to the gym for a nice work out....