September 12, 2008 at 6:49 pm (Thoughts, Trips)
Tags: chiang rai, herbal medicine, massage, meditation
Why is it that women were considered witches if they knew anything about plants? Well, all I can wonder at is how amazing are the twists and turns of this travelling life. Everyday completely dashes any hopes of plans and makes me realize how useless thinking about the future and past really is.
I now find myself staying on a college/organic farm outside Chiang Rai, a few hours north of Chiang Mai at the pinnacle of Thailand and the junction between Laos and Myanmar. Somehow I think I stumbled upon a herbal medicine/massage guru who miraculously is eager to dispel all of the eastern wisdom to little old me. I have surrendered myself to his teachings and am giving thai massages every day and we take long walks and he picks plants and meticulously explains all of their medicinal properties and shows me how to make poultices and herbal balls out of them. It’s a dream come true. I’m also practicing more and more mindfulness and finding it much easier in the quiet crucket-fueled hum of the country, walking bare-footed in the dewy grass ablaze soley by the peaceful glow of the moon.
I feel truly blessed to be having this experience.
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August 30, 2008 at 9:26 am (Thoughts)
Tags: chiangmai, Lue Si Dud Ton, massage, saturday walking market
I’ve just completed the course in level 1 and level 2 Thai Massage. I got a certificate for 60 hours making me licensed to work in any massage shop I want here in Thailand:)! Two certificates in two weeks, not bad. Now what am I going to study? Well, I think I may add a reflexology course in there. Just two days or so while I am in the land of learning. There are more massage schools here than mosquitoes in a yoga class. It’s overwhelming trying to decide where to go. I went to the Old Medicine Hospital, which is the most renowned school here but now I think I’ll try Lanna, which starts the day with 45 minutes of Lue Si Dud Ton, which is similar to yoga and translates to the Hermit’s self-stretching exercise.
Last night I was going to go out to the irish pub to celebrate with my classmates in what was to be my first drink in over a month, but alas only two people showed up and they only waited around an hour and then went home to sleep off the late nights studying for the exams, despite the fact that everyone inevitably would pass, I suppose it feels good to pass well. So, it wasn’t meant to be and I saw a French movie and meditated instead. This is my typical Friday night. Tonight I may drag David to the Saturday night market (he hates crowds, whereas I can’t get bored of seeing the same eccentricities over and over) and walk along the long street amongst the throngs of people picking up cheap souvenirs and iced teas in bamboo cups or hill tribe clothing and cheap pad thai. I will have to wait for next week to go the very social herbal sauna at Wild Rose, where I’m informally learning about homemade face and body scrubs. My Thai life goes on…
Scenes from the Sat market…
Blind street musicians doing their thing
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Why is it that women were considered witches if they knew anything about plants? Well, all I can wonder at is how amazing are the twists and turns of this travelling life. Everyday completely dashes any hopes of plans and makes me realize how useless thinking about the future and past really is.
