Start classes with Pichet

Finally getting around to starting thai massage classes with Pichet Boonthume this wk. Had to delay for a while for various reasons, including Songkran - the water festival - which cancelled classes for the week, going to Pai and then staying in Lisu Village, and another wk having to travel back to Bangkok to pickup passport from Indian Embassy. So far about 8 people in class, half guys and girls. Slow season so not as busy as it would be from Nov through March. Met my first traveler from Portugal, a guy who was previously learning thai massage at a regarded school in Kathmandu Nepal. Class is pretty informal and relaxed. Start class shortly after 9am with chanting, then have Pichet do a bit of a lecture and demonstration. Afterwards and through the afternoon we are free to practice on each other.

----

Had met a beautiful Thai girl named Saly who I was able to spend some time with before she embarked to Italy. There she works at a resort as a food artist carving up watermelons and fruits and stuff into wonderful artistic creations. She was such a sweet and charming girl characteristic of so many of the Thai women, particularly it seems in the north of Thailand. It seems to be the nature of backpack traveling that you meet and connect with certain persons for several days or perhaps longer, then have to disconnect and move along. Kind of sad at times but makes me value and attempt the Buddhist principle of Non-attachment, not to be confused with detachment.



Met an interesting American girl named Liz at yoga class the other day who coincidentally graduated from Penn State University. While I mentioned that I grew up in Pennsylvania and my brother attended Penn State, I didn't describe to her my lovely experience of spending time in the county prison of Centre County. Would have definitely given her a different impression of me i'm sure. At PSU she received her masters degree in some aspect of Marine Biology and has had the opportunity to travel throughout the world and various islands including Fiji. Not sure exactly what kind of studies she was doing there but sounded quite intriguing, her explaining studying certain aspects of the ocean floor and traveling in a submarine. She was only in Chiang Mai for several days till she was off to Bombay India. Ultimately within the month or so she was traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal to volunteer teaching science to the local kids. I checked out the website of the program she was participating in and discovered it included paying a fee to take part in. I travel to India in 2 and a half wks at this point, arriving in Calcutta on a Thursday, I believe the 28th or so. I definitely want to visit Nepal while I am in northern India. Unfortunately it will be monsoon season, not a great time for doing extended treks into the himalayas.

--

Met my first Colombian family in Thailand while traveling by bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok one night. Not a very comfortable journey as the trip is over 12 hrs long sitting in a small little seat with very little leg room. For the some reason they call it the VIP bus, giving you a positive sense of foreboding for the bustrip. Once your on the bus for several hrs reality sets in, particularly if your squeezed in next to someone else. Then for some reason the bus driver always seems to turn off the lights around 8 or 9pm, right when you want to start reading to keep busy. Of course the private lights set for each seat rarely work. I brought a tiny flashlight to remedy this situation and provide suitable light for reading. For the 2nd part of the journey I had a chance to sit next to the beautiful daughter in her late twenties, I believe her name was Katalina. The first 6 hrs or so I sat next to her father, while Katalina and her mother sat one row over. Mother and daughter were attired in colorful Indian clothing. I found out talking with Katalina that she is a devotee of the Sathya Sai Baba, one of the most famous gurus of India. I have been familiar with Sai Baba for many yrs and previously thought it would be an interesting experience to visit his ashram and receive his blessing. However he is located in southern India, a bit too far from the northern areas of India I intend to be traveling. Sai Baba is known for his curly, frilly high hair and the ability to materialize objects and sacred ash from his hands. Whether or not his abilities are authentic or sleight of hand magic, it would still be a memorable experience to visit such a revered figure in India and Hindu religion and culture.