Chiang Mai is lovely.

We've been doing a lot of wandering. Jessica is getting acquainted with the maze of streets quite well. Last night was the Sunday walking street market which is a never-ending carnival. There are blankets laid out along the streets with handmade clothing, bags and candles. Food vendors set up wherever there is room and turn out handfuls of waffles, fried taro cakes, fresh steamed corn, pad thai and candy floss. The noise levels are high with the calls of beggars, children's singing and the amplified karaoke of the blind. Divine! It took nearly five hours to walk the market because though it is called the Sunday walking street it actually lines several side streets as well.
Of course we went to the summit of Doi Suthep. It is still a calming place to gaze out across the horizon and listen to the chiming of a million bells. The colours right now are stunning.


Today I went to the Thai Farm Cooking School. (Our instructor, Tommy, is above showing us fresh galangal) After visiting a local market we drove to the organic farm where we learned about the different herbs, fruits and vegetables we would be using.


This was a highlight for me and really made the whole experience worthwhile. The cooking instruction was very basic, but having the opportunity to see the roots and other ingredients in the ground was very interesting. (Photos are of a banana tree and a "pea eggplant")


On the ride home I had a great conversation with Alice, from Seattle, about her seasonal gig in salmon country (Bristol Bay, Alaska). She had just decided to move to San Francisco with the contents of her backpack. Now that's an adventure. I wonder what the best city would be for the contents of MY current backpack...