People always ask this. Is it just part of a routine? “Hi, I’m Dora. What’s your name? What do you do?”
What do I do every day?… I eat delicious food, drink cold beer, meet interesting people, take pictures, and go to crossfit. Technically that’s what I do. But what I really do is learn something new every day. Today I learned about Ayurvedic herbs like Jiaogulan, Moringa, Noni, Cordyceps, Sprouted Purple Rice and Mangosteen skin. These superherbs are packed with vitamins, nutrients and even protein. While I was drinking my ayurvedic smoothie, I also learned about the back-end structure of wordpress sites because one of these days I’m going to design my own templates. So although I’m technically unemployed and homeless, that’s not “what I do”, and the next time that phrase slips out of my mouth I promise to slap myself.
Creative And Meeting Place. That’s what CAMP is! It’s also a brilliant idea. Located on the top floor of a fancy new mall, CAMP is a cafe designed for students or nomads like me to study, create, or meet, and eat. If there weren’t a million other great cafes in Chiang Mai I’d live at camp.
Yesterday I went to a gallery-district cafe with heavenly coconut cream pie. Today’s gem has macaron and honey lattes, and a tree growing through the roof. Since I’m back on the coffee bandwagon I’m spending my afternoons looking for the best little cafe in Chiang Mai. Two down, twelve to go. Tasty times!
Coconut Heaven Pie from Cake Baan Piemsuk, “Happiness you can eat” in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo by Amy Jacobs, Flickr.
I just devoured a massive slice of coconut cream pie and a coffee with coconut milk. When I ordered this the barrista looked at me like I’m nuts. “Coconut milk in your coffee? Not milk?” I nodded and the look on his face said “Ok crazy lady.” How can Thailand not use coconut milk in coffee?… It’s the great land of premium coconut milk and mediocre coffee, yet they don’t put them together?! Who’s crazy?
I’m more likely to lose something important by forgetting it somewhere than by getting mugged.
I’m short $500, my driver’s license, a debit and credit card, and my passport. It’s about time to get that tattoo I’ve been thinking about: a ribbon around my finger.
————— update —————-
I got my passport photo done at a local photo studio. The ladyboy running the shop asked if he could touch up my face. Hah. Hello Thai glamour shot – he applied foundation, eye shadow, bright pink blush and rosy lipstick. He also tied up half my hair and sprayed down my frizzy curls. My new passport will forever remind of this fabulous experience…
I’ve seen many Buddhist temples over the last three weeks so when I learned we were going to another temple yesterday I thought “here we go again…” But yesterday’s guide (a local ex-monk of 10 years) took us to a secret temple, unknown to any tourist map. It wasn’t spectacular or ornate like the others; it was simple and purely serene. Built among trees and a waterfall, this Wat’s small cement building for “the old monk” was carved like a tree. Each of the three young monks had his own little 5×7′ hut with a small porch and matching terrace overlooking the city. Their orange umbrellas hung from the rooftops like trumpet flowers.
I learned a few new things at this temple, including how to sit and meditate like a monk (legs crossed right over left, hands resting flat right over left), and that Buddha statues are always men and may look like women because they’re designed to look beautiful. But the most interesting thing I learned is that (according to my Thai ex-monk guide), a Buddha, among other things, is a monk who has achieved enlightenment by realizing the truth about Trikaya. When a monk is a Buddha he can sense things, see his past lives and his future – for some this includes the day he will die. The last Thai Buddha died about 10 years ago. Three days before his death he announced he was going to die. People didn’t believe him, until he was found dead in his bed. Then he was cremated and the proof was in the pudding – his bones burned many colours.
The purple mangosteen is a delicious fruit in Asia. Photo by Amy Jacobs, Flickr.
A mangosteen is a dark purple fruit from the mangosteen tree. By squeezing it on the top and bottom it splits open to reveal an edible white part in the middle that looks like garlic and tastes like a cross between lychee and heaven.
I also tried a sapodilla fruit. If I really had to describe it, I’d say it has the texture of a ripe pear and flavour of a concentrated apple, grape, mango smoothie, or something like that.
And then I tried tamarind. It grows in a giant brown pod. It’s sort of like a date. The fruit. It’s good too. They’re all good, but I like mangosteen the most.
