Chiang Rai

We took a van to Chiang Rai. We got off near a market, where we walked around and explored. All of the fruit in Thailand is ripe this time of year, and the local “lang ley” Chiang Rai pineapples were sweet and delicious.

We continued on through the streetside markets of Chiang Rai. A woman was slicing up a durian on the side of the street, and I bought some. We split it up and shared it amongst ourselves, and then gave the rest to a woman begging on the side of the street.

As dusk fell we walked towards the Chiang Rai night bazaar. It was not very crowded, but many merchants were still out selling fresh food.

Gray rain clouds began to close in on us. We bought some som tam and even a hot pot, which we put in the middle of the table, adding vegetables and raw meat and making a delicious soup that kept us warm in the raging thunder storm.

Royal Gardens (Doi Suthep)

Zoey and my parents came to visit me in Chiang Mai. It was great being able to show them around and give an idea of my lifestyle here.

We woke up early in the morning to drive up to Wat Doi Suthep. It was raining lightly, and the skies were blanketed with mist. First we went to the royal gardens, where the Thai royal family stays for vacations. The orchids and colorful flowers were beautiful in the damp misty haze.

By the time we got to the temple, the air was fresh and the skies were clear so the view of Chiang Mai was spectacular.

(Photo: R. Zoey Setiawan)

Lanna Music / Level 10

Today was the Lanna Music School Chiang Mai solo piano recital.

I have never really played piano for a serious classical recital, so my heart was racing. Everyone did very well. The young Thai musicians - Nong Fa, Nong June, and Nong Fang were really amazing. They played very difficult Chopin, Debussy, Gershinn, and Bach songs with great expression and technicality! I played Chopin's Nocturne in E flat minor and Etude 10-12 "Revolutionary."

I replaced the inner-tube and back tire on my Yamaha motorbike and filled the tank with 91 gas, and now it rides smooth as I cruise on Moon Muang and around Chiang Mai.

Tomorrow I will perform at Kruu Book's house - some Chopin pieces for the intermission of his vocal performance.

I am also studying written Thai language more seriously. It is exciting to start to decipher words and understand the way the Thai system works. It is totally different than English! The written language delineates not only the phonetics, but also 5 tones and the duration of each sound (like accidentals). It's complicated but a beautiful, musical language.

I just finished teaching Level 10 at AUA Chiang Mai. It was the most advanced class I have ever taught. My first class was extremely sharp (especially Lien from Hanoi, Vietnam, Ting Ting, Nim, Tangmoe, Kik, and Jin). (Photo: Crystal {Philippines} and Lien {Vietnam}, Level 10)

During breaks Park and Au taught me the rules of mak hot (Thai chess), which I first played with saamanen in Singburi. We crumpled up some dried leaves and and picked up some small stones to create the playing pieces. On the last day of class I challenged Au. I came up with a strategy and had my first decisive victory!


Currently reading:
"If I Die in a Combat Zone" - Tim O'Brien

Currently listening to:
Bill Evans Trio - "Alice in Wonderland"
John Coltrane - "Crescent"

BURIALS - PDX 2009
MAJORITY RULE - Page 99 split EP / Interviews with David Frost / Emergency Numbers

Songkran

Songkran 3

Thai people were crowded onto the backs of pickups with large barrels of water, driving down the street yelling and splashing water on cars and pedestrians and motorcycles in all directions.

On the corner of a sidewalk on Nimmanhaeman a young boy hid in a large metal barrel of water, body immersed in the water with only his head peeking out, jumping up, screaming in joy and soaking anyone passing by.

A group of people on the side of the street wandered into the middle of the road every time a motorcycle cruised up, obstructing the way and forcing every motorcycle to come to a halt, dumping bucketfuls of water over everyone’s head.

I went to a coffee shop on a Nimmanhaeman Soi where I was safe and dry for the moment, to read Invisible Man and listen to Eric Dolphy live at the 5 Spot in NY.

A group of people including a police officer huddled around a teenager collapsed and motionless on the ground. Apparently he got in a drunken motorcycle accident. Ambulances came blaring down Nimmanhaeman.

Antalai mak mak! Mao! exclaimed the girl in the coffee shop as she brewed some green tea (Very dangerous! He’s drunk!) Eventually he regained consciousness and drove off with two of his friends on the bike.

Songkran 2

Young kids on the side of Sirimankalajarn were laughing, splashing buckets of water over every car and motorcycle passing. An ambulance with sirens flashing came blaring down the street.

Book – a Thai musician who has performed for the royal family – allowed me to practice on the grand piano at his house. I rode to Soi 11 and worked on 10-12 and Nocturne in F Minor.

I jumped in a songtaew with some people from Bangkok to get to Wat Prasing in the old city, where I planned to meet my old friend P Tin from Singburi (central Thailand). Driving alongside the moat we were soaked with water from many people dunking buckets into the moat and throwing the moat water into the backs of songtaews and onto the cars. “Aaaa! Mai sa-aaht!” screamed a Bangkok transvestite from the back of the songtaew (the water from the moat isn’t clean!)

The old city was overflowing with people, and I felt claustrophobic among all the bodies; it took about half an hour just to walk from Wat Pra Sing to Wat Chedi Luang. But it was so good to see my friend P Tin, who drove 6 hours to see the festival in Chiang Mai. Last time I saw her was over a year ago in Singburi. We lit candles and paid respects at Wat Chedi Luang and then talked near Rajadamnern over fresh pad Thai.

Songkran 1

I’m listening to Thelonious Monk on Sirimankalajarn / Huay Kaew. It’s Saturday, the day before Songkran festival and the streets are already soaked.

During this holiday, Thai people release the bad of the previous year and welcome the new year (2552) by splashing water around the old city of Chiang Mai for 5 days straight; an epic water fight in which no one is spared.

Chiang Mai is the chaotic center of the festivities; the city fills up with Thais from other provinces and international visitors, but many of the Lanna people return to their provinces of origin during the holiday to visit their families.

Cruising on my motorbike past the 3 Kings Monument to pick up some fresh watermelon juice from a local vendor, a young girl squirted me with a water gun and laughed.

I went to Lanna Music school to work on Revolutionary 10-12 and practice Chopin’s Nocturne in F Minor, when it started pouring rain from out of nowhere, sky booming with thunder and lightning. The rain died down as quickly as it came.

Riding home out of the old city on my motorbike from Wat Chedi Luang along Moon Muang was terrifying. I cruised slowly and cautiously, in survival mode. The streets were not only slick and wet from the rain, but people along the moat were already filling up buckets of water and splashing them onto the street. People soaked me with bucketfuls of old water and laughed as I was riding my motorbike down Moon Muang.

According to the Bangkok Post thousands of people get in accidents and hundreds die every year during Songkran. I have vowed not to ride my motorcycle into the old city during Songkran…I don’t want to risk it!

Red Shirts

In December anti-government protestors - sua luang (yellow shirts) occupied both Bangkok’s international and domestic airports, demanding that the prime minister step down from power.

Now the opposition party previously in power – sua deng (red shirts) are gathering in mass protests in Bangkok, red-shirt taxi drivers blocking the streets and masses of people overtaking democracy monument.

X-Prime Minister Thaksin, who faces serious prison time in the Thai kingdom of he ever returns for corruption while he was in power (he fled the trial for which he was convicted guilty) is supposedly encouraging the protestors through videos from undisclosed locations.

The situation seems to get more chaotic and violent by the day.

Most of the action is in Bangkok; but today I saw a red-shirt, grey mask concealing his face all except eyes and mouth, bombing down Rajadamnern on a motorcycle like a kamikaze, the Thai national flag waving wildly on the back of his bike.

Most Thai people I talk to (from various provinces of the Kingdom) identify with neither red nor yellow shirts - not wanting to take sides in the conflict, just hoping to see some semblance of peace and unity in the country’s government.

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.

Solitude is a hard-won ally, faithful and patient
-Henry Rollins

Wat Arun, Bangkok

As the boat approached Wat Arun the ancient temple was illuminated with bright lights and there was music emanating from the shore.

The courtyards of Wat Arun were crowded with people. Nam prik and other Thai food was being sold in small kiosks.

Climbing up the steep stairs of the temple as the sun was descending over the city of Bangkok, the Chao Praya river was soaked in deep orange and crimson tones.

Loud music blared and increased in tempo as night fell and energetic Muay Thai fighters sparred outside the temple. The boxers were fast w/ reflexes like lightning. During some of the fights they used weapons like swords, bows, and whips.

During one of the matches a young girl dressed in sky blue was armed with nothing but a metal shield as 4 attackers with weapons approached her.

Screaming with all her force and gritting her teeth, she countered their strikes with speed and agility in a mass attack, overtaking them and rendering them defenseless.

Back in Chiang Mai, I am continuing to work on Chopin's Etude Opus 10-12 in C minor Revolutionary - a fast and powerful piece that is challenging me with syncopation, subtle melodic variations, and new techniques.

Currently listening to: DRAGON STRING ATTACK - God of Shamisen

Rama VIII Bridge

I woke up Sunday morning and walked through the hot and humid Bangkok streets to Saphan Kwai BTS Skytrain station.

I met up with my friend Nay in a park near Rama VIII bridge.  We took a water ferry down the Chao Praya river near Wat Prakeaw, and then crossed the river to get to Wat Arun temple.  

Bangkok

After finishing the most intensive term yet at AUA Chiang Mai, I decided to head down to Bangkok for a short break.

Saturday night I took a 9-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai into Bangkok.  As the last hours of daylight faded and the bus disappeared into the night I drifted out of consciousness listening to the droning sounds of Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The bus arrived early in the morning, the city sky still pitch black.  Tuk tuk drivers got all up in my face begging to drive my somewhere, anywhere, as I was still struggling to wake up.  Rats skittered across the streets and disappeared into gutters of the trash-strewn streets leading up to Sukhumvit.  

Eventually I stopped near Saphan Khwai and got some sleep.

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.

Back in Chiang Mai

I feel like I just shifted dimensions...suddenly I am back here on Soi 8 in the old city of Chiang Mai, on the other side of the world.

During most of my conscious time on the 14hr flight from San Francisco to Taipei, Taiwan I read Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine" - and then zoned out to some Icelandic tunes.

Trying to get my mind adjusted to this place and time, I woke up around 8AM and went to Sailomjoy for some kaow neo ma-muang, pad thai gai kai dow, and hot cappucino. It felt good sipping my hot cappucino and thinking about my direction for the new year.

I had an amazing time back in California during my brief break in December. Highlights include: -Staying at a house my father designed on Stinson beach (and going for a beautiful hike w/ my family, overlooking the vast expansive ocean and the cityscape of San Francisco emerging from the fresh bay mist, with Mt. Tamalpais towering behind us)-Seeing Elijah, my close friends, cousins and extended family -Kicking it w/ Victor Dods at 99 Bottles and driving around Santa Cruz w/ Z listening to Estradasphere's Quadropus-Cruising around Cannery Row listening to Coltrane's Giant Steps and going kayaking in the Monterey Bay w/ Z, where we saw jellyfish and other forms of marine life in their natural habitat-Riding to the top of Mt. Diablo w/ my family on the first day of the New Year (especially the spectacular view from the top - pure white clouds stretching across the horizon).

Last night Jeab and I went to Wat Prah Sing to light incense and pay respects to the grandmother of Book (an amazing local musician and vocalist who regularly performs for the Thai royal family). Young children were playing percussion and traditional stringed instruments, the music echoing through the old city.