Dry Season

We headed up to Mae Hong Son. It was pouring rain, the first of the season, which the locals welcomed in rejoice; the cold rain made the air fresh, cleaning out the toxins and washing away the smoke of the slash and burn agriculture pouring in from the surrounding hill-tribe villages.

After the rain died down we rented Honda motorbikes and cruised all around the surrounding area of Pai.

The first night we rode to a red canyon descending deep into the rocky soil below, silhouette of mountains on the horizon, as the gray sky faded to black. The next day we rode past the canyon, over WWII bridge and onto a dirt trail that led to the temple on the hill. We ascended the hill and reached the temple to see a view of the entire valley.

We returned into town and headed east, riding into a Chinese village. We climbed up a steep mountain, where many villagers lived and young children were screaming with excitement at the sight of a gang of fighting dogs. We drove off road through red soil,eventually arriving at a waterfall.

The next day we hiked for about 25-30 kilos through the mountains of Mae Hong Son. I was amazed at the contrast between what lay before me now and the way I remembered this environment; I walked through this terrain almost a year ago, during the rainy season when the jungles were lush and green, the rivers were high and it was pouring rain. It was a totally different environment now, during the dry season. Everything was hot and humid, and the effects of slash and burn agriculture left entire stretches of the forest burnt to the ground, blackened branches fallen into scorched ash. The dense smoke comes sifting down into the villages and down into the city Chiang Mai. Jakka-jahn insects shrieked in the trees.

T and P Manit led us into the cold darkness of three different caves on the outskirts of the tribal villages. Bats fluttered through the darkness as we entered into the caverns, tiny crystals in the stalagmites and stalagtites sparkling in the light of our candle / flashlights. One of the caves had a large wooden coffin in the center, which once contained the bodies of villagers.

We stayed at a tribal village, where chickens and pigs and stray dogs roamed. We drank whisky with some villagers and then ate tom yum mu, rice, and mixed vegetables before falling asleep on the bamboo floor with aching muscles.

We returned to Chiang Mai and watched KILL BILL Vol 1. and 2.

Atsuko Seta

On Monday we saw a Japanese pianist named Atsuko Seta from Osaka, Japan perform at AUA. She was absolutely amazing. The first half of the performance was all pieces by Chopin. She even played two songs I have been working on (Nocturne in C# minor, and Etude 10-12 Revolutionary), and I really enjoyed hearing her interpretation of the music. She was very fluid and precise in her playing; her dynamics and command of the instrument were extremely inspiring.

The second set consisted of Japanese music. She played shamisen style music from northern Japan written during the aftermath of WWII, which she arranged for piano. She was able to produce a sharp staccato sound out of the piano, emulating the percussive sound of bachi against the strings of the shamisen.

Wat Umong / 3 Kings

My friends from the Bay Area took the train from BKK to Chiang Mai, arriving on Saturday. The air was the worst I have ever seen it; everything was veiled in a dark gray haze, and the vast majority of pedestrians and people on motorcycles were strapped with surgical masks or respirators to filter out the smog.

Haggard, unshaven, and strapped with huge backpacks, they met me in front of Central Kad Suan Kaew; Kyle wearing an old torn and unwashed Dead Kennedys shirt, Teddie limping up the stairs, covered with wounds from swimming through the coral reefs of Koh Tao and burns from jumping through flaming jump ropes on Ko Pha Ngan. It was such a relief to see these familiar faces!

The next day we went to Wat Chedi Luang. We met a young monk from Laos who stays at the temple, and we proceeded to sit down with him and talk about his lifestyle and beliefs. In spite of the occasional difficulties of the language barrier he was very patient, and wanted to do everything he could to explain Buddhist concepts and guiding principles to us.

Later we talked to another monk from Laos studying at the school adjacent Wat Chedi Luang. He was preparing to visit America for the first time in early April, so he was asking us about the culture & pace of life in New York, where he plans on going after conducting an interview with the American Embassy in Chiang Mai.

The first monk told us about a temple in Chiang Mai called Wat Umong, which he described as a “forest temple”. Intrigued, we took a songtaew to this temple.

When we arrived, there was a loud constant noise that sounded like the grinding of a motor. The abrasive sound came and went in waves. I was confused about the source of this noise. Later I learned that it was coming from swarms of insects in the trees that Thais call jakka-jahn. These insects thrive in the hot and dry season. They are large and black, but usually remain unseen, hiding in the leaves and branches of trees. The only traces to be seen are in the vibrations of the leaves. Street vendors fry them and sell them on the streetsides of Bangkok.

Wat Umong is an expansive territory hidden in dense forest. We made our way through the many trees and Buddhist relics to a brick structure with large tunnels on the inside. We came to the entrance and entered the cold darkness. At the end of the tunnels, Buddha images were illuminated with the wavering light of candles. Smoke of incense filled the air.

We continued past an ancient tree with an enormous trunk and roots extending deep into the ground. He walked over a bridge towards a pond, where many people were sitting peacefully on an island and feeding bread to the catfish.

On Sunday we wandered through Chiang Mai walking street. As midnight approached we sat in front of 3 Kings Monument, where Thai kids were break-dancing to Wu-Tang Clan, skateboarding and doing tricks on a rail, and doing tricks on fixed gear bikes.

Air

During this time of year people in the surrounding villages burn their crops (as part of the traditional process of slash and burn agriculture). Unfortunately it is common practice for villagers to scorch all of their trash, leaving bags of plastic and other non-biodegradable waste smoldering on the side of the road, creating terrible fumes.

As a result, the days are hot and the air quality is getting increasingly worse. Combine this with the stench of foul dark fumes constantly belching out of the exhaust pipes of tuk tuks and songtaews, and the conditions more closely resemble Bangkok (the Kingdom's capital city with air arguably worse than our own City of Angels).


Sometimes the air stings your eyes. At some points in the day the air is hazy and the visibility is not clear; sky blue turns to dark gray on the horizon. At night the moon is tinted a dark yellowish orange color from the toxins. Chiang Mai natives explain that the best indicator of the air quality is whether or not you can see the temple Doi Suthep on the mountain to the west.

A British man who has been living here 9 years told me that after a routine check-up at the hospital the doctor asked how much he smokes. He was not expecting this question, because he never smokes cigarettes; still, the impurities of the air have affected his respiratory system as if he has been a chain-smoker for years. Lately I have been feeling the effects too. Any serious aerobic exercise outside leaves you feeling dirty, with burning lungs.

Many people riding motorcycles are wearing surgeon masks or respirators to filter out the pollution, which is more characteristic of Bangkok conditions. I know one man who, after he puts on the racing helmet and respirator, looks like a Storm Trooper as he jumps on his
motorcycle and cruises down Rajadamnern.

On my motorcycle I now wear a combat helmet and an air filter mask like the guitarist in Tokyo noise / grind band Melt Banana.

I am at the midpoint of Term 2 at AUA Chiang Mai. The classes are going very well. I have a police captain (SWAT team instructor) in my first Level 5 class, which keeps me on my toes. He is older than the rest and a little more serious, but I like his character and I'm honored to be his teacher.

Last night I watched an amazing David Lynch film. I love the dark surreal atmosphere he creates. The dreamlike images keep repeating in my mind.