I'm in  , Khao Soi anyone? Email me. -- TheLoneRider

Being the Soul of Nawa Saraan Hotel

(Feb 18, 2019) Among the hotels of the Nawa hotel chain, Nawa Saraan comes closest to my heart. I've stayed here 3 years ago and I keep coming back here every time I stay in Chiang Mai. So, when the owner and friend told me that Nawa Saraan needed a soul, I thought to myself that I could be that...more »»

Peoplescape of Chiang Mai

(Jan 24 - Mar 13, 2019) Once again, being in Chiang Mai brought me back to good friends and introduced me to new people who drifted into my peoplescape as I begin to settle down and make a new life.....more »»

Movie Review: Vox Lux (2018)

(Mar 2, 2019) A school shooting claiming, Celeste, the main character, as victim was the genesis of her tumultous and mercurial rock-star life. The movie started with a powerful and disturbing scene that set the stage. Everything went well until Natalie Portman's character came into the screen and everything else seemed like caricature.....more »»

Being the Soul of Nawa Saraan Hotel

(Feb 18, 2019) Among the hotels of the Nawa hotel chain, Nawa Saraan comes closest to my heart. I've stayed here 3 years ago and I keep coming back here every time I stay in Chiang Mai. So, when the owner and friend told me that Nawa Saraan needed a soul, I thought to myself that I could be that...more »»

Movie Review: The Favourite (2018)

(Feb 25, 2019) The Favourite is a period film in the early 18th century England about 2 devious females in fierce competition with each other in winning Queen Anne's affection and favour.....more »»

Curing Cancer with Yoga?

(Feb 21, 2019) A lady who once did yoga with me approached me again for a series of daily private one-on-one practice during her entire stay in Chiang Mai. Apparently, she liked my yogic philosophy and approach entailing asanas, calisthenics, pranayama, meditation and Thai massage. But in our conversation, she also intimated that she has cancer and was hoping that my brand of yoga would supplement her treatment. I lost my Mom from that same cancer she's afflicted with. Hearing that changed my game plan...more »»

Movie Review: Alita Battle Angel

(Feb 19, 2019) Movie-making benchmark has been upped a notch with Alita Battle Angel. All the elements that go into a classic and memorable movie are etched into this compelling 125-min action sci-fi that bridges man and machine.....more »»

International Training Massage School (ITM): Level 1

(Feb 11-15, 2019) Thai Massage is world-famous and there's no better place to learn it than at Chiang Mai's most prestigious massage center, the International Training Massage School. This is my first day to earning my Level 1 Certification Course in Thai Massage. 30 hours altogether. Time to roll up my sleeves.....more »»

Movie Review: Spider-Man - Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

(Feb 3, 2018) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is an animated version of the Marvel comic super-hero. Borrowing from String Theory, several Spidermen from the multiverse showed up in one dimension when a Hadron Collider warped time and space....more »»

Movie Review: Green Book

(Jan 30, 2019) Green Book is a true-to-life movie about an unlikely friendship between a racist Italian WOP and an established Black concert pianist as they tour the deep south for a series of concert engagements. 2 thumbs up!....more »»

Meditation in a Sensory Deprivation Tank at Float Chiang Mai

(Jan 29, 2019) In north Thailand, there is only 1 float center and that is in Chiang Mai. Blissed-out from my floating experience in Bangkok, I didn't want to miss this opportunity while I was here. What's it like this time around?....more »»

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

(Jan 27, 2019) Much has been said and written about Queen's flamboyant band leader, Freddie Mercury, but this movie added new insight into the man and the band. The superb acting by Rami Malek who played the lead role breathed life into Freddie. For the 2 hours the movie played, Freddie Mercury rose from his ashes and played his music one more time to mesmerize a global audience.....more »»

Movie Review: Aquaman

(Jan 26, 2019) Aquaman is a DC comics-based action adventure movie about a half mortal, half merman and his fight to claim the throne of Atlantis. It's got many genres going for it - action, romance, drama, sci-fi with generous pouring of high-tech CGI visual magic. It all works out. Good movie to spend your buck on!....more »»

Reiki Share at the Mastermind Brain Spa

(Jan 26, 2019) I saw a posting on Facebook about a free Reiki Share and got curious. I've received reiki twice but I don't know much about it. As a self-healer, I wanted to know more. Perhaps there would be elements I could integrate into my self-healing practice.....more »»

Resuming Life in Chiang Mai

(Jan 24, 2019) With a proper tourist visa to stay in Thailand, I am back in Chiang Mai (from Hanoi) to start a 60-day mini-life. It will be a different life from most of what I experienced in 2018. This time, I have sufficient cash for a few months (instead of landing on a country with only $50) and a rood over my head. These are 2 of my most pressing concerns - but now, I can put those worries away and be more open to other things that land on my plate.....more »»

18-Day Mini-Life in Hanoi

(Jan 6-24, 2019) Hanoi, unlike most of the places I'd been to in Vietnam, has its own uniqueness. Food is very good, street culture is intense and bustling (at least in Old Quarter) and vendors are edgy. They have that grit in them. I haven't met a local I'd been close to, but I could imagine that beneath that tough exterior is kindness and generosity.....more »»

4 Days in Chiang Mai at Nawa Saraan Hotel

(Jan 2-6, 2019) After Pai, Mike and I headed to Chiang Mai where he checked me in at his luxurious Nawa Saraan Hotel. With 4 days before my Thailand visa expiration, I had to plan out my next move. Mike suggested I apply for a 60-day tourist visa with Thai Embassy in Hanoi and I could stay at a room in Nawa Saraan. Whoa!....more »»

Overnight in Pai with Mike

(Jan 1, 2019) New Year's day, Mike and I left Wat Pa Tam Wua Forest Monastery to head back to Chiang Mai. En route, we stopped-by Pai for an overnight. Pai hasn't lost its quaint hippie charm. We met many people from the monastery as Pai was a logical destination for a decompression from all that meditative bliss from the wat.....more »»

2018: A Year In Review

(Dec 31, 2018) In mid-March 2018, I left Loboc (Philippines) to start traveling again. I haven't been back since. 9 1/2 months of continuous travel with no end in sight as of this writing. The adventure has taken me to Malaysia, Nepal, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. For the most part of my travel this year, I was really just hovering on 'no cash'. I've arrived Bangkok twice with just less than $100 but had to survive 30 days. Strangely, not once have I missed a meal or slept on a sidewalk...more »»

Bangkok with $19

(Dec 8-11, 2018) Arriving Bangkok from DaNang with just $19, first thing was to get free lodging and pawn my GPS. Now with $119, I could prepare for my trip north to a forest monastery for a 10-day meditation retreat....more »»

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