Blind Faith 
January 14, 2012
This morning completed week 1 of the Anusara Immersion. Jonas practiced with us during the 3 hour session, and I noticed that we don't hold the postures quite as long when he is actively participating... The class still kicked my ass though!

There was a reservation snafu at the resort; there was a wedding planned for this evening and the were 10 rooms overbooked so they asked for volunteers to stay in Chiang Mai for the evening. I figured a night in the city would be fun, so here I am. Unfortunately my body is still on yoga schedule, no late nights here, rather turning in at 11.

Spent the afternoon wandering the city alone. I needed some solo time to explore at my own pace before meeting up with some folks for dinner at the Riverside. Chiang Mai has the reputation of being the cultural center of Thailand as it historically was a trading hub with the north to China and India. It's an interesting mix of ugly modernist concrete buildings and historical architecture. I spent most of the day in the old town which is full of tiny streets and alleys (sois), is square in shape, bounded by a canal on all four sides and chock full of temples (wats) many with gold leaf stupas. With the wats come the monks, and you see them walking the streets in their saffron robes. There is a temple next door to our hotel and you can see a long clothes line running in the yard, covered with monk robes out to dry. There are also numerous used bookstores, I spent a lot of time looking through the shelves where they have fiction sections organized by Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. So tempted to fill my backpack. Going to go back tomorrow and jot down some titles and authors. I miss independent booksellers with personal recommendations. Too much kindle!

Chiang Mai is also known for exceptional bodywork, namely Thai Massages. There is a massage school that is part of the women's prison, where bodywork is performed by inmates as part of their rehabilitation program. I skipped that and opted for one that is part of the school for the blind, where all practitioners are blind and known for their heightened sense of touch (plus proceeds go to support the school). It was really good and really interesting, they had 'talking watches' to tell them how long the massage has been going on for. It made me think of Mimi teaching the blind....
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  • Ruby Fish  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Ruby Fish
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  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  •   Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
  • Loi Kroh  Canon Powershot Sd750 5.8 - 17.4 Mm
    Loi Kroh
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