Pink Shirts and Starbucks Coffee

Chiang Mai from my window today

Dear friends and family,

It’s another beautiful day in Chiang Mai. Not a cloud in the sky - everything seems to be glowing. It will be hard  to leave this city when I finally decide to. Just about everything I need or want is a short bike ride away - my massage therapist, Chinese doctor, delicious food and smoothies like the  banana/coconut/ ginger one (yum) I had yesterday at the Juicy 4U cafe, in the crowded-with-tourists part of town. I live away from all that, across the moat where you don’t see backpackers passing by, looking for a place for the night. I like my cozy hotel room with a view.

gee . . . thanks

And, I like writing in harder to find modern cafes, with less farang distractions. I was sitting in one the other day, next to the front window, when this older Buddhist monk walked by and looked in. I could read his mind, I’m hungry. Looks like a good place for a free meal. He came in, considered the possibilities, and sat down at a two top, between me and a six top. He stared straight ahead. (just like in this picture) I watched it all go down. The six middle-aged Thai’s sitting at the six top went into action. They adopted the monk on the spot and started ordering food. Before you knew it, out came three entrees, a fruit smoothie and four deserts. He grinned. Ahh, the vow of poverty. I went over, camera in hand, and asked the proud six if it was OK to take a picture of their monk. They all gushed and excitedly asked him. The celebrity monk primped himself, made sure his robe was in order and regally posed. Here’s his picture. btw--he ate it all.

Chiang Mai is such an easy place to live. This morning, after unconsciously throwing my two favorite white shirts in the wash with some never washed red something--getting two clean pink shirts out of the deal (ugh) and deciding pink is just not me - I had the idea to die them maroon. Before I left on that quest, I went down to the street and filled up two gallons of purified water for ten cents, then got on my bike to find a dyer . . . but found the mall instead, and bought another favorite white shirt for $9 - then broke my resolution to give up coffee--because Starbucks controls my rationalizing mind . . . you know how it goes. . . what’s one little old cup of coffee . . ?  

It bigger than it looks

I still have 64 more to break . . . One of my 65 resolutions was to challenge my comfort zone 65 times this year. Another was to visit 6.5 countries or states; the point five being more of Thailand. So, I have been looking at maps of Southeast Asia. I decided not to go to Kathmandu as planned--another time. For ten years I have been writing about Mt. Kurama outside of Kyoto, Japan. I decided to go there for the spring equinox—to frolic in the cherry blossoms and eat lots of sushi or whatever. I also want to see .5 more of Thailand and I’d like to visit the amazing Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia and maybe go to Vietnam on my terms--on the way to Japan. So I’ve been looking into planes, trains and buses going east. I still want to go to Burma. In my novel the detectives fly from Mandalay to Putao - but in real life I’d either have to charter a plane or take back country local transport hundreds of miles. Getting there is so much easier in fiction. (I'm still open to finding that patron travel companion) Looking at the Burma on the map, Chiang Mai is below the A in Burma. Mandalay is in the center of Burma and if you follow the river north, Putao is near where it ends, way up north. The mountain range in this picture is in the orange (Tibet) just north of there.

Meili Snow White Mountains - Khawa Karpo left peak
This is one of the most sacred places in the world to the Buddhists and Hindus.
The Khawa Karpo peak is so holy that no one has ever climbed it

I’ve been thinking about my mother and am a bit disappointed with myself not having her picture in my computer. Today would have been her ninety-first birthday. (01/16/1921) I always thought she would live to be over one hundred, and it was quite sad that this dear woman and friend--left at eighty-six. It may be out of character for an older man like me to admit, but I do miss her. She glued our family of seven children together, always had a lovely home that we/I could return to, plenty of food to eat and a willing ear to hear the stories we/I had to tell; always offering sage advice. Happy Birthday, Clara, wherever you are; I want to believe wearing angel wings. I would also like to wish a Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Cecille, who is much like my mother to her family--an all-ways there loving mother with an open heart; to me a dear sister and friend.

One of many temples in Chiang Mai

I was going to end this blog with ten more of my 65 resolutions, but decided not to. They’re mine and I suppose nobody cares whether or not I pray for peace every day or resolve not to mix whites with never washed reds; or proclaim I’m done with drinking coffee and have a cup two weeks later. I have a few guidelines that keep me sane . . . which I will most likely break now and then and . . . writing while sitting in Starbucks I just happen to see two big men walk by, wearing pink shirts . . . who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Much love and blessings,

David Dakan Allison