Wow, isn’t is something when you realise just how sick you were when you get better.
Having been off work for 2 weeks, with major headaches, part of me was getting worried, and part of me was feeling like a malingerer. Thing was, headaches aside, I didn’t feel so bad otherwise, or so I thought. Then on Friday, having booked in at a clinic for checks, sods law, I felt like a new man again. In fact I felt so different that it was then clear that I had been sicker than I had believed.
Still, I decided to go ahead with the clinic and am very glad that I did. Blood and urine tests revealed high end cholesterol and low end ‘good’ proteins. The doctor did a good job of warning of the dangers of heart disease if my cholesterol got any higher.
So now the fitness regime is back on with a vengeance. I got my bicycle fixed and for the last two evenings have done an eleven km circuit from my house, and intend to do that everyday. Also, now I’m back in form, its back to the gym 3 times a week, starting today.
Diet wise I am cutting out the bread, butter and red meats and eating much more fresh fruit and vegetables.
So, on to the Festival!
Boon had mentioned a Festival going on in Lamphun and so we decided to take a look last night.
It is the Loganberry Festival, fast on the heals of the Lamyai, its big harvest time.
So if you are looking for a great Street Market, with lots of bargains, loads of local food, and free entertainment, you have until the 16th to get to Lamphun and join in.
The Street Market has everything, from furniture and plants, to curtains and candyfloss.
Added bonuses are the performances ,on stage, by local artists, singing, traditional dancing, drums, etc; Fayre attractions, such as balloon popping, merry-go-round, bouncy castle,,etc….great if you have kids.
And for the bigger kids, they have Bumper cars!!!
The Festival is taking place on the inner moat road, west of Haripunchai Temple.
Getting in to town at just after 10am we went for food first, at Brix on the corner of Ratchadamnoen Rd and Moon Muang Rd , at Thapae Gate. The Brick Road Cafe is now closed for at least a month I believe, for complete refurbishment.
It took a bit of pushing and shoving, with the seats folded away; one cupboard tied on the back step and 3 matressess strapped to the roof but it went ok and I ended up giving him 1000 as he also did a lot of the loading and unloading.
Heading over towards San Kam Paeng on the Banthi road, I should have remembered from Saturdays ride out with Ally, the distinct lack of decent eating stops along this road.
On the way back we called up to Wat Pa Tung and I got a photo of one of the possible sites for our Foundation plans.
As apposed to the normal ‘splash about’, I actually did about half an hours serious swimming.
Our other lunchtime companions were the cafe cat, who happily ate our leftovers, and a beautiful yellow and black butterfly, possibly a cousin of that hairy caterpillar.
On the way home we called in at Chompoo where we fed the fish and I bought a new Moneybox.
We also saw these amazing looking toads.
oh, and watching Wispa playing with her latest buddy, Fleabag.
Happy to report that my fitness campaign goes on.
We watched this isolated storm making its way across the hills infront of us.
Maybe I might even get to a level where I feel able to join in with the kids playing football. Good target to have.
Its been a great couple of days at school, with the kids behaviour having settled well and the whole experience becoming more fun for both them and us.
Laying the pictures out on the ground and splitting the class into 2 groups, I called out an item, e.g ‘swing’, and one child from each group had to go find the right photo. Its a great game, that gets a little heated at times as the kids are very competitive, and i believe a great aid to learning.
After school Boon and I went into Chiang Mai for our second session at the gym, stopping on the way for high energy ‘Kow Soi’.
The ride home became a battle with nature as the winds rose and we did our best to avoid a very visible rainstorm ahead of us. At one point we hit the edge of the storm and did a hasty U turn, outrunning the storm for a while and staying dry. But as we rejoined highway 11 it was obvious that the way ahead was being hit by a heavy deluge and that it was heading our way. So we took shelter for a while and escaped the worst of it.
Once at the Montri Hotel, at the top of Ratchadamnoen Rd, opposite Thapae Gate, we took a table outside, ordered drinks and waited for Jonathan. By 4.45 I decided I should check inside and sure enough spotted Jonathan who had been sitting there for about 20 minutes unaware that we had arrived already.
On the way we first called at Chiang Mai Gate food stalls to get stuff to take home with us.
We had seen the start of a local ‘rocket competition’,
It had apparently been going on for two days.
Not normally a visitor to such high class establishments, I actually felt quite intimidated and had no intention of going in until Ally was there to accompany me. She arrived just a few moments later, enough time for me to have a cigarette, and off we went, up the steps to the Lanna Restaurant, where it would appear that the hold a Buffet every Thursday evening between 6pm and 10pm.
Before heading home we popped into Black Canyon Coffee down the road where we waited for Boon to arrive and i enjoyed Iced Mexican Coffee in a glass boot.
Its been quite sometime since we visited this place and had to search around a bit for the new motorcy parking area.
The cine complex is, undoubtedly, furbished much better, very plush looking, with beautiful carpets and neon signs everywhere;
Saturday saw us back into Chiang Mai yet again, but this time, after collecting my stuff from the printers, it hadn’t been finished the day before, we took advantage of the nicer weather and rode out for an afternoon at Huay Tung Tao. We enjoyed a couple of hours there, taking in a late lunch and taking a dip in the lake. A nice relaxing day.
Taking the Saraphi route into Chiang Mai we had to make a coffee stop just short of the Superhighway when another downpour hit. This is a good opportunity to mention this pleasant coffee stall, l’ut 89, which does excellent fresh coffee at wonderful Thai prices. So if you are heading out to Lamphun on the old road, I highly recommend stopping here on the way. It is literally 2 or 3 minutes ride from the main intersection underneath the Superhighway, on the right as you head to Lamphun.
He duely arrived, around 6pm and we had a couple of hours catching up on each others recent lives.
Bonus for Wispa when we got home.
