I have forgotten that I own a camera. However, I did get one good shot right after the rain last week. Let me know what you think; it's the view from my balcony.
I did find a fairly phenomenal cooking class Saturday. I have made a pretty serious coconut milk soup (spicy!!!), spring rolls, a cashew chicken stir fry, and a Penang curry from scratch. The last involves a pestle and mortar, and makes fabulous leftovers. Aside from that I've been eating out pretty consistently, snacking in the apartment. Truth be told, I'm not spending that much more money eating out. Meals are smaller, and ordering is tricky, but I had some noodles on the street last night for ten baht, or about 33 cents. I felt so thrifty that I bought myself an ice cream on a stick for the same price. I'm also making my own coffee every morning, although I must admit I'm quite fond of these little 12 baht cans of iced coffee.
Classes are going well. Lesson plans are easier to write than I expected, but I'm writing some fairly ambitious plans. In other words, when I start gathering materials, my lessons will be much simpler. I start practicing teaching in a week. Then we will know how effective my planning really is.
I'm getting around town really well now. I'm still walking everywhere, although I have taken the obligatory tuk-tuk ride. It's one of those terrifying traffic experiences that you have to do once. A tuk-tuk is basically what a tricycle would look like if it grew up and became a motorcycle. It's everything you think it is, plus the bonus of riding on the wrong side of the road. And I mean that both ways: in Thailand, they drive on the left, and tuk-tuks are notorious for crossing the yellow line (if it even exists).
I've made it to the Night Bazaar and the Sunday Walking Street. The former has apparently declined with the slump in tourism, and seems to mostly be souvenirs and whatnot. I did meet the most friendly Thai puppy there. He was about a year old (I'm guessing) and wanted to follow me home. He was also about five inches tall, and nothing but hair and a little nose poking out. Sunday Walking Street is a weekly street festival downtown. They close off traffic and set up stands and booths with food and wares. I was really sad not to have my camera. I'm a terrible tourist.
So the verdict? Chiang Mai is a good place to be. The food is cheap and fabulous (if you can handle a little spicy). The people are friendly to the funny looking kid who doesn't speak Thai (that's me). And my class has been much less painful than I expected, which is a huge relief. So I'll try to get some pictures up as soon as possible. The best way to motivate me is via Skype. Email for a Skype date and tell me what I should photograph for you.
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