I've never been to Thailand before and so I'm constantly overwhelmed by a deluge of new sights, smells, and sounds. This place is incredible and unlike any other that I've ever been. Actually, I'm really at a loss to explain it. Chiang Mai is a big city and it has a lot of western influence such as a couple of shopping malls and yet it is distinctively Asian. We went to a mall yesterday and they were selling dried worms, locusts and quail eggs for snacks, and yet on the next floor was a cosmetic store. The Night Bazaar is one of my favorite places here. It opens in the late afternoon and stays open until about midnight. You can buy all sorts of Thai things there as well as flowers, fruits, and traditional jewelry; it's full of mystery and beauty. There are so many people there every night from all over the world. The aisles are really tiny and crowded and you hear people speaking in languages from every continent. It is a tremendously international sort of place.
Today we have finally met a bunch of our friends from the Northeast and though we haven't seen them in over 2 years, it was like we had just seen them. We had a meeting for several hours and caught up with each other. There was about 13 of us. The big conference starts this weekend and we are all looking forward to it.
I'm also learning a lot about teeth these days. The dentists here have been very helpful and kind. They've taken x-rays and have found out that the root canal that I had done in Shillong was not good and so they drilled out the old filling there and are re-doing the root canal therapy. One root canal is already not very fun, but two on the same tooth is a little disheartening. But it is actually really good news because I won't need a crown after all.
So we are in Thailand and very much enjoying this time.
