A WRITER'S LIFE

Wrote an article last week about the new Mo Rooms art hotel in Chiang Mai for art4d, an art/architecture/design magazine out of Bangkok. It was nice to visit with the art4d gang, who were up from bkk for this and a few other projects.

The Mo has twelve rooms themed around the animals of the zodiac - Fee and I decided to spend our complimentary evening in the Snake room, our shared totem.

In all, the Mo is an interesting place, and I am a fan of Thaiwijit, the artist behind the venture - but, whooee, it is priced like a work of art.

VISAKHA BUCHA

Visakha Bucha is the holiest day on the Buddhist calender - celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and entry into nirvana of the Buddha. A big day, indeed.

So we decided to celebrate in high style. We swung by a family that Fee has been working with, picked up Wandii, and rode three on the motorbike to their neighborhood wat (which now takes some u-turns and underpass action to negotiate the new ring-road that was built between their house and the temple).

Wandii lives with her older sister's family, and they care for their mother who has been lying in a coma for 2 years. Wandii is always full of energy, and this carried over to the temple celebration.

We did it all - made flower offerings, sat, chanted (always fun), joined the wiang thian - three ceremonial clockwise laps around the ancient chedi, bathed the chedi with fragrant water (aided by a clever system of pulleys), fished for prizes (we won a roll of toilet paper), and shot pop guns (winning two bottles of orange drink - still in our fridge).

The combination of candles and stand-alone flourescent tubes made for some magical lighting, with the full moon rounding out the effect. And we learned, again, that carrying incense and candles in clasped palm during the wiang thian is not without the small perils of hot wax on the feet and hands. A good reminder that life is suffering :)

AN AULINO ABROAD

Above, showcasing the subtle humor and commitment to cultural sensitivity that remain hallmarks of the Aulino clan.

OK, for those of you on the wrong side of the Pacific a few weeks ago, mired as you were in 24-hour Swine-Flu news coverage, I’ve finally sat down to document the whirlwind that was aunt Peggy’s visit. So peek your head out of quarantine and come along for the ride...blog style.

Now, settled back into normalcy, we do miss our auntie Peg. Though, while a good (read: fantastic) time was had by all, the end of the trip was a bit of a pain in the ass for Peg (you can ask her for details… :)

HERMIT MONKS AND CONTINENTAL SOPHISTICATION

Ahh, Chiang Dao!

One hour north of Chiang Mai, home of towering redwoods and an impressive mountain range, Chiang Dao proved a fabulous warm-up to our actual roadtrip, which began a few days later.


We called Chiang Dao Nest home for the night – enjoyed a dip in the pool, a walk up the hill, and a Michelin-worthy Euro dinner. (Delicious and oh-so filling - western food sure is heavy!)


The walk included several hundred stairs, which ascend to the old cave redoubts of a hermit monk. The place is beautiful, and now is a bit of a retreat center for the worn-down urban Buddhist. The shrine to the late monk (header photo) contains all his worldly possessions – including his false teeth.

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE

Elephants are wonderful creatures. Sadly, they’ve been getting laid off for years, due to near universal ban on logging in Thailand. That’s where the Elephant Conservation Center comes in – giving a home to pink-slipped pachyderms, and making people happy while doing it. Very happy.

After an early morning drizzly drive through the mountains south of Chiang Mai, and within 15 minutes of our arrival at the Center, we were each (wide-eyed) atop an elephant. We were there for two days as ‘Mahouts-in-training’- bathing the elephants, feeding them, showing off their skills to the ogling public.


Here we are, mahouts and mahout-wanna-be's alike, heading into the mountains the second morning to greet our pals with a morning snack.


Peggy even made a friend during a visit to the maternity ward.

SUKHOTHAI

There’s nothing quite like low-season tourism. After a magnificent drive – we followed a green mountain ridge down to the central valley of Thailand - we were greeted in the drive by the staff at the swanky Ananda Museum Hotel who asked, “Are you Fee?”

Turns out we were basically the only one’s there, which explains the 80% off deal we scored (not to mention the free pre-dinner massages for Fee and Peg).


Woke refreshed and ready to site-see. We drove to the World Heritage Site, the epicenter of Thailands hey-day about 700 years ago, and geared up. A little sunscreen, fetching straw hats, and off we went on our rental bikes. Nothing like a little Buddha-spotting to start a morning out right.

THE TOWN THAT TEAK BUILT

Phrae, highly recommended little burg that time forgot. The northern train line bypassed it, and the teak trade has been caput going on 20 years now. So old Phrae, huddled snug inside its medieval ramparts, offered plenty of charm and was overflowing with small town hospitality.

We stayed a couple nights and were known entities by the time we departed.


Just outside of town, while beginning to make our way back to Chiang Mai, we passed a military base that was followed by what was presumably the temple associated with the base. Made for some strange adjacencies, like the war monument in front of some new, garish, standing buddhas. The place oozed money and more than a touch of tackiness - making it a perfect roadside attraction.

SAAMSIP-SAWNG

Belated blogging birthday greetings to the lovely Fee, who turned saamsip-sawng this past week. (in deference to our current culture-straddle, I'll leave her age in thai -important info for proper greetings here, while omitting it from polite western convo, hehehe.) I find myself in the happy two-month period, before I even the score in late May, where Fee is old while I remain young.

You will be happy to read that Her Magnificence was well honored, with a total of four (count them, four) birthday dinners in a five-night birthday extravaganza. In all there was so-so food consumed on a beautiful mountainside, delish homemade indonesian with friends, northern thai goodness amidst wood antiques, and a closeout thai/german repaste.

The above shows Fee blowing out the candles in a so very tasty (and super-seasonal) strawberry clafoutis. The beauty of clafoutis is that not only is it delicious - thanks! to Gernod and Marisa - but you get to enjoy saying clafoutis over and over. It never gets old, not unlike our dear Felicity... J'taime, baby!

DOPPELGANGER

Couldn't find the umlauts for the A, but we've been meaning to take this picture for awhile.

Here I am with the Thai moviestar Ananda Everingham looming in the background. Due in large part, I believe, to our shared semi-pitiful facial hair*, I sometimes get (disappointed) double-takes around town.

Maybe it's my choice of tasty chocolate truffles** over his zero calorie cola that gives me, though an inch shorter, a 5kg weight advantage (negated, I guess, by the camera's 10 lbs...)

(* shaved off later that day)
(** apologies to those not privy to the intra-Ippolito family joke)

JERSEY FOR A DAY

I can't resist posting this*, coming direct from the 'awkward-indoor-nighttime-candid' section of the archives.

Further proof that even PhDs just wanna have fun. Big belt buckle, maybe some leather, and she's ready for the Willowbrook Mall (circa 1987) ;)

Fortunately, nature and a little humidity returned Fee's hair to the luscious curls that I fell in love with.

(*photographer's note: taken under direction to 'jump-up-and-down' to showcase, ala Pantene ads, her bounce and lustre.)

BEACH NIGHTHAWKS

Before heading back north to the mountains, and with added impetus of a visit from our friend Patrick, we decided to grab some beach time.

The above, taken from our bungalow's porch, is a photo of Patrick and Fee reliving their college days, perched above the silent Candlelight Beach of the oft-throngy island of Koh Samet. A favorite weekend getaway of (too) many Bangkokers, it was delightfully peaceful during our mid-week jaunt.

An unexpected feature of the beach was it's location at the thinnest point of the island - so, though facing east (like all Samet's beaches), we could walk up to the ridge to catch the sunset over the jagged west coast. Will post a western pic if I can find one...

TIME FLIES...

...Like a pigeon.

In an effort to fill our reader(s?) in on happenings here over the past six weeks, I've taken some photos out of the 'recent past' archives.

A neighbor in Bangkok kept a flock of trained pigeons on his rooftop, and would exercise them daily around dusk. Oftentimes, I'd be swimming, looking up as they flew figure eights and other patterns somehow dictated by the Australian flag (upside-down at that, though right-side up to Aussies?) the man would wave. A few blows of his whistle had them flying back to their roost.

They were lovely to watch. We even got some video, as one part of our grossly-unfinished homage to BKK. More or that later.

ON THE CORNER

I'm a big fan of corner shophouses in Chinatown here, especially those that maintain the old wood structure. Ran into this worn down beauty after a dim sum brunch with friends. After eating, we wound through the narrow alley of a chinatown choomchon (community), then ended up on a road parallel the river, home to the building above.

We parted ways at the building - they turned right, heading back into the thick of chinatown, while I ducked left to take the river ferry home.

JE' KITUNG

A little something for the memory bank.

I am certain to be missing this next year in Cambridge - yam muu takrai - a pork lemongrass salad, picked up from our favorite neighborhood lunch spot. Eating alone, with Fee conferencing at Ramatibadi Hospital, the meal set me back $1 - sticky rice an extra 15 cents. Oh, so tasty.

LESE MAJESTE

http://socialistworker.org/2009/01/20/facing-prison-for-dissent

BKK SPACES: PED OVERPASS

Modern Bangkok has a penchant for flyovers - rather than integrate pedestrian crossing into massive intersections, the city goes vertical. And there is something about them - a feeling of being above the fray.

HAZY THURSDAY

Taken from the observation deck from the Baiyoke Tower, the tallest building in BKK. Looking southeast, into the morning haze. Used the tower to photo some abandoned towers in the area, while Fee ducked into a conference on a lower floor.

AMPHAWA

Yesterday afternoon, our friend Noon (pictured above) was kind enough to take us on a trip back in time.

We hopped in her CNG-hybrid tinysedan and headed to Amphawa, a town about an hour west of BKK, which has retained its canal-side charm against all odds. Amidst the pleasant throng of Bangkok day-trippers, we nibbled on sweets and, sitting on the canal wall, shared squid and curry from floating vendors. We even managed to buy tasty chocolate truffles that appeared zelig-like while crossing a bridge.*



After dark, we head out on an hour-long boatride. The main attraction were lightning bugs (Noon was disappointed when we admitted that our childhood summers were filled with them) - but the air was cool and we relished the quiet, so absent from the soundscape of Bangkok.

CHA'AM, CHA'ILL

While Fee met with a scholarly monk a few weekends ago, Kevin snuck out to the beach.
Kevin was unashamedly tagging along a weekend trip to Cha'am, about 2.5 hours south of BKK, with a group of friends of a friend. The core of the group graduated in the same architecture cohort from Silipakorn University, the top arts school in Thailand, and most all were coworkers at Art4d magazine, as well as practicing architects and photographers.

The primary focus of the one-night trip was certainly food - a trip to the local seaside market turned into an umpteen-dish feast, which covered two picnic tables on the deck of a very po-mo orange and green beachside house. The eating and drinking and talking went on long into the night. And Kevin realized just how cryptic inside jokes can be, especially when delivered in rapid-fire, call-and-response, slang-heavy Thai. In such times, one learns to laugh simply at others' laughter.


With quite a number of serious photographers in the bunch, there were several periods of photomaking. One, late Saturday night, involved long-exposure 'writing' with flashlights (see the magazine name above, kevin is the 4); another, a long, slightly hung-over group session on the beach before heading back to BKK Sunday afternoon.

3...2...1... 2552* !

We rung in the new year here.

*(As Buddha had his 'a-ha!' moment under the bodhi tree 543 years before JC plopped out in a manger, the current Thai year is 2552)

Absolutely lucked into an improbably quiet spot on the otherwise built-up Ko Chang. Really, if you're in the area, we can't recommend Saffron by the Sea highly enough. Had mellow days of reading on ingenious bamboo hammocks, a little kayaking, a daily dose of mellow snorkeling, and fantastic food.

Gave us both a newfound appreciation for rocky beaches. Yes, heresy perhaps, sand is overrated...