Last Day In Krabi

Overall, Krabi was pretty cool, but it’s one of those places where it’s a one-and-done. Nice to go and check it out, but I likely won’t ever go back. Especially since there are so many other islands / beaches to visit in this country, I’ll cross Krabi off my list and go explore all the others.

Krabi — Day 3 (Island Tour)

Phra Nang Cave Beach was the first stop on the Krabi 4 Island Tour and is located on the east coast of the Railay Peninsula.

Legend has it that the Phra Nang Cave is a stone-turned virgin who lived in Krabi centuries ago. At her wedding there were disputes between many admirers and the future husband. When a hermit from a nearby cave tried to settle the dispute and it didn’t work, he used his magical powers to turn everyone involved into stone. Allegedly, these then became Phra Nang Cave, Chicken Island, Koh Poda and other islands.

The second destination on the tour is Tub Island, sometimes written as Tup Island. The small island lies between Chicken Island and Koh Poda. Tub Island consists of two small islands, Koh Mor and Koh Tub, which are connected by a sandbar.

The third stop is Koh Gai, better known as Chicken Island, or Koh Poda Nok. The name comes from a rock at the southern end, which with some imagination resembles the head of a chicken.

The final stop, and the one with the giant rock and me in the red shirt, is Koh Poda, and it was gorgeous. Not much to do besides have lunch and go swimming, but it was a great place to do both.

Also went snorkeling at some point, but not a whole lot to write about since we were a bit far off the island so the snorkeling wasn’t that great. Still nice to be in warm water though, out and about in the sun.

Krabi — Day 1 & 2

Ao Nang is Krabi's vibrant tourist center. It has the relaxed atmosphere of a small town, the beauty of a beach resort, the modern comforts of home, and the friendliness that sets Thailand apart.

The town consists chiefly of a main street, which is dominated by restaurants, pubs, shops and other commerce aimed at tourists. The main beach is used by sunbathers to a certain extent, but there are a large number of long-tail boats which offer access to other beaches on the mainland and on nearby islands.

Chiangmai FC

Nice weekend out and about. Went to Chiangmai FC vs. Nakhon Pathom and Chiangmai won 1-0. Weird environment. No concession stands, no hawkers, no shops selling Chiangmai FC stuff. Very strict entry procedures regarding vaccines, and it was on a Sunday at 7pm, so there were maybe only like 300 people in the stands. Fun to go just to say I went, but might wait to go again until things open back up. I usually only go to local games for the environment — I’m certainly not there for the quality of football.

Not sure if you can tell, but in the lower right picture, the teams stood and faced a digital picture of the King while (I think) the Thai national anthem played. No one in the crowd sang, and some people didn’t stand up. Odd that there was no Thai flag, or maybe it wasn’t the national anthem and instead, some ode to the King. Forever a mystery.

Thanksgiving In Chiangmai

Nice Thanksgiving here in Thailand. Pretty normal meal for dinner, and it's always nice to have real mashed potatoes and Turkey. Giant cat wasn’t Thanksgiving related, but didn’t have a 4th pic for the template so there you go.

Loy Krathong Weekend

Fun, and busy weekend for Loy Krathong. Lots of people came out to celebrate, so it was nice to see the city busier than usual.

Also, not sure what’s going on lately in Chiangmai (or Thailand as a whole), but there seems to be a ton of restaurants offering THC / CBD / Marijuana-based food & drinks. Didn’t try the pizza, nor the drink, but they seem to be popular enough to keep them on the menu.

Loy Krathong - (From 18th)

Loy Krathong is a Siamese festival celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and in nearby countries. The name could be translated as "to float ritual vessel or lamp," and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water — Phra Mae Khongkha. This festival can see the traces of its origin back to India.

Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In Chiang Mai, the festival lasts three days.

And yes, that is a giant elephant in the back of a pickup truck driving through downtown. Tonight, many of the giant floats will take to the streets, so should get some cool pictures today. Yesterday, all of the floats and lights were organized in Tha Phae gate, with around 250 people hanging out and taking pictures. I expect tonight to be pretty crazy.

Some Thai Food

Weekend Food

Japanese curry with omelet over rice and a Japanese-style burger patty, sushi boat with soba noodles, and a massive box of charcuterie. Easily the tastiest thing I had this weekend. Also, like everywhere else in the world, Christmas decorations can never be set up too early.

More Birthday Pics

Officially 32

Along with all the books as presents, I also got a Bangkok football club soccer jersey, a bottle of wine, and an Airtag, which is something I had thought about buying, but ultimately didn’t, but love that I got it as a present. Fun birthday, but I did have seafood for lunch on the 7th, and a few hours later, was running to toilet and doing the “I’m so hot, no wait, I’m so cold” dance in bed with a fever. Slept it off, and I'm feeling a bit better this morning (8th) but in the future, I’ll stick with pizza for birthday lunch rather than seafood.

Before lunch, I went to a temple called Wat Lok Moli, and it was super cool. Lots of lanterns for the upcoming holiday, but also really cool statues.

Birthday Update

With my birthday coming up on Sunday, I’ve been busy sorting out a party for Saturday. Not a lot of friends in Chiangmai, but those I do know, know people, so it should be a good turnout. Other than that, just gym, work, reading, and figuring out some travel plans (some beach in Thailand) for December.

Editing for my 2nd novel “A Viral State” should be finished soon, and currently working with a graphic designer to get the cover finalized. I'm still aiming to have it finished by Christmas.

Out and About on Halloween

Some street art, an ancient temple, and then these 2 guys, who bought a box of assorted alcohol, and wheeled the grocery cart into the food court of the mall, and had lunch while dipping into the box and drinking at noon on a Sunday. Happy Halloween!

3 Kings Monument - Chiangmai

At roughly the center of the walled city, in the district where the former rulers of Chiang Mai built their palaces, stands the monument to the 'Three Kings' — King Mengrai, the founder of Chiang Mai; his contemporary and reportedly good friend King Ramkamhaeng of Sukothai; and King Ngam Muang of Payao.

Three Kings Monument Square was erected in 1984 as a tribute to the three founders of Chiang Mai. The statue itself is made of bronze and is located in front of Chiang Mai Cultural Center.

According to legend, the three worked together to lay out the city of Chiang Mai. The sculpture has become something of an iconic image representing Chiang Mai.

*Get ready to see a lot more lanterns on the blog. Loy Krathong Holiday is coming up (November 18-20), and lanterns are a staple of the celebrations.

Seafood Dinner

Had a bit of fresh seafood, as well as cooked, such as the left bottom pic, which was a mix of spicy seafood in a Korean sauce. Top right is snails, and though not technically a seafood, still delicious.

Thai Craft Beer

Sometimes I forget that there is more to beer than just Chang, Leo, and Singha. Went to a big supermarket, and they had a massive selection of imported beers, as well as local craft beer. Went with Maha Nakhon and was not disappointed. Followed that with dinner, which was bok choy, a boiled egg, and roasted duck over rice.

Weekend in Chiangmai

Heard about a rugby match, so I decided to go with friends. Definitely not what I thought it would be. No bleachers, no concessions, just a giant field, and we were entirely unprepared. We sat on the grass for a bit and then decided to bail. Picture with red lights is from a market, and the “Go China” graffiti is from a bar, and it looks like someone added “Corona” but not entirely sure if it is supporting China in the fight against COVID, or making fun of them.

Sunday Around The Town

Started off with bagel breakfast sandwiches, went shopping at the mall where I ran into a TON of middle school kids all getting vaccinated and with that, a big outdoor food festival to keep them well fed. And yes, there was also a clown. Ended the day with Netflix and some classic Thai food — Grilled chicken, spicy papaya salad, a spicy vegetable soup, and some minced pork with herbs. Nice relaxing day until back to the grind tomorrow.

"Status Update"

Not a whole lot going on these days. Here’s where I’m at:

• Picking up a new 1-year education visa on October 20th

• Novel is being edited. Will be returned to me around the 1st week of November

• Working with a graphic designer to figure out a cover for my novel

• The last piece is to get someone to do internal formatting after it has been edited, and then I’ll put it up on Amazon

• I'm still working my four jobs. Saving most of it since not a whole lot to spend it on these days

• Tourists are set to return to Thailand (vaccinated from a set number of countries) on November 1st, so we should see some more life breathed into Chiangmai over the next few weeks

• My birthday is in 3 weeks, but no plans yet

• Fighting off the existential dread of being 31, in a rocky relationship, and feeling isolated working from home all day (only 4 hours, but nothing to do when I finish work around 4 pm)

• Looking to sign up for Thai classes once in-person teaching resumes

• I’ve taken to not being involved in the bar at all. I didn’t personally invest, and GF is turning it into a girl bar, which is the opposite direction of what I wanted it to be. There’s also no role there for me. I can either go there at night and spend money, drink (which I don’t want to do), and watch my GF drink and flirt with customers, or I can stay at home while she works all night. She already has a bartender and a cook, and I’m not a hot girl, so can’t talk to customers. I knew it wasn’t going to be good for our relationship, but it’s turning into a headache, and I’m evaluating if this is how I want to spend my time, both alone and with someone who is working in that line of work

• Looking at doing some traveling within Thailand once quarantine is dropped for domestic tourists

That’s about it. I'm almost finished reading Killing Commendatore by Murakami, and I’ll look to finish a few more books before the end of the year.

Doitiddow Mon Jam

Mon Jam (ม่อนแจ่ม) is a mountain community/village about 1 hour from Chiang Mai, near the town of Mae Rim. It’s famous for being home to the ethnically diverse Hmong Tribespeople, and the cold weather combined with gorgeous mountain views.

Around $100 for 2 tents, and then we had a big hot-pot / bbq for dinner. It didn’t get too cold, but it was strange to want to put on a sweatshirt compared to the constant heat down in the city.

I’d recommend going for just 1 night. Would get pretty boring if you stayed any longer than that