Lanna villages

I just went on a beautiful bike ride through rice fields and small villages of northern Chiang Mai; expansive rice fields irrigated by the canal running alongside them, lush  agricultural land bordered by the Ping river.  

Central to all the small villages scattered among the fields are bright Buddhist temples.

Brad and I also passed a house with walls made of mud...the owner of this building has gained a reputation in the area for her work with victims of domestic abuse.  The site is a retreat for spiritual healing.

Yesterday I was practicing the last half of Chopin's Nocturne 9 No. 2.  The basic structure and themes carry on throughout the song, but the variations are complex with syncopation and ascending chromatic scales. After that I had ripe pineapples from Chiang Rai.  Amazing, sweet and delicious.

I went to see some free jazz at North Gate jazz club on Moon Muang in the northeast corner of the moat.  The guitarist was spazzing out like he was in the clutch of some trance during his incredible, crazy solos.  

Now I am listening to Blues and Abstract Truth as Peppermint cafe closes and the streets of Chiang Mai fill with merchants of the Sunday market.