2021 in a Nutshell 2021 has been a wild swing of extremes - from 'an abundantly good life' to one likened to being on ground zero in a firestorm. From close intimate friendship to one where the same friends doze gasoline to burn you alive. Yes, spanning 2 ends of a very broad spectrum makes you live life in a manner very few people can even imagine. But on a mindful note, this experience is also so rich in insight and lessons that it makes you appreciate your 'being' and the diversity of human thinking inside their heads.
I've stayed at this boutique hotel, Nawa Saraan for the entire year, hosting coffee and bread to friends, opening up my door to new acquaintances, until I realized I had to put up my boundaries. I shouldn't be as open as I had been - it just makes me vulnerable to anyone out there with life issues and looking for someone to vent it on.
Peoplescape
Peoplescape I started the year with a lot of friends whom I invited to break bread and drink coffee with, at my place. I end the year with just a select few - some I have lost through no one's fault, most I have walked away from. The very few ones left have been filtered through a fine mesh - they are the ones I'm happy to be with. I don't mind having only a few. As much as I enjoy celebrating life with people and friends, it's something I can also do without. The attack on me made me see how my so-called friends made their choices - those who looked the other way, those who poured gasoline, those who stayed safe on the fence, and those who came forward in support of me. In a way, it's good to know them better and get the undesirables out of my space.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the vacuum created within my social sphere attracted a new set of people who do not belong to the 'woke' community. They don't invoke 'consciousness' or 'enlightenment' in every sentence. These are normal regular people who are decent, honest and shall we say, not hypocritical or even delusional about their spirituality? At the end of the day, I find them more evolved by simply living life and dealing with life in pragmatic terms...without dragging the catchwords like vibration, ego, authentic, etc.
As a general rule, I simply stay clear of woke people who are "working on themselves". Not that working on yourself is bad, but being woke and being a train wreck are huge red flags that are best avoided. In my parlance, cuckoos don't know they are cuckoos.
2021 Peoplescape
(click on their faces for the story)
Traveling
Traveling I stayed put in Chiang Mai for most of the year. Covid imposed travel restrictions and it was just best not to move around. I did go to Pai upon Aida's invite. I saw a Pai that was quiet and more grounded with its resident farangs(instead of the transient hippies). I also went to Bangkok to have my passport renewed. I just found Bangkok different from how I left it. It was foreboding, empty, expensive and people seemed to be in fear of the pandemic. I also realized just how lucky we are to be in Chiang Mai where there is still a semblance of normalcy.
Ice Bath
Ice Bath I progressed into my ice bath practice, attending Jason's Wim Hof breath-hold / ice-bath gatherings and finally doing it on my own at Nawa Saraan. I reached the 23-minute immersion on 40kgs of ice, but I felt sick the next 2 days, perhaps from mild hypothermia. I realized that I needed to learn more about heat-generation from Tummo Yoga to melt the ice and come away unscathed. I haven't tried ice bath since Sep, so I'll have to gradually ease into it when I'm ready.
the ice bath...staying up to 23 minutes in 40kgs of ice (2 big sacks)
Breath Hold
Breath Hold Another Wim Hof practice I've taken on is the breath-hold. Of course, with my yoga practice, I've long done the kumbhaka (breath-hold), but Wim Hof pushes the boundaries. I've held my longest over 5 minutes, but I started feeling strange after I broke the 4-minute threshold. Even if I'm not practicing, I would constantly feel an unsettling vibration in my chest. Additionally, I was beginning to have nightmares - something I don't usually have. I was told it was the beginning of an activation. Nevertheless, I moderated my practice. I would only hold it for 2 minutes, but not anywhere within 4 minutes. There are no more vibrations and no more nightmares, but at the same time, I'm left wondering if I have taken a step back in my practice.
Yoga
Yoga Yoga remains a continuing staple. I taught a free class at Yoga in the Park, conducted group Saturday classes at Nawa Saraan, and even tailor-fitted yoga programs to one-on-one students - Doriana, Calum and Nana.
Moreover, I continued to deepen my practice, not content with simply staying on maintenance-mode. I experimented on the bow-and-arrow switch-approach, fighting infection through pranayama, kumbhaka and visualization, substituting sleep with yoga nidra, cleansing my system through the shatkriyas, and employing different approaches to meditation - emptiness, mantra and nada.
Perhaps my most ambitious yoga project to date is Tummo Yoga or Inner Fire Meditation. It's not an easy practice with a lot of Tibetan mantra, visualization and new Tibetan names to know. To ensure I learn it, I rewrote the entire book in HTML, summarized every chapter, and codified the core practice into a teaching format. I've already finished the project and the challenge for me is to continue my practice until it becomes second nature. It offers a very promising horizon full of heat generation and control, siddhi activation and even self-realization in the fastest way possible (much faster than the sutrayana/samadhi approach).
Pizza Nites
Pizza Nites Pizza Nite has been my Canadian tradition that I continued here, given that I have the facilities of a bakery at Nawa Saraan where I stay in Chiang Mai. Everybody brings everything they need to make pizza - dough, sauce, cheese, toppings and even drinks. Everyone gets his/her turn to make their pizza and everyone gets a slice. There is always an element of surprise with Pizza Nite - you don't know what pizza will be served. Of course, it's all about a gathering of friends for a great time with food, laughs and sharing.
Long Hair
Long Hair My last shave was Dec 31, 2019. At this year-end, my hair is already 2 years old, long enough to satiate my once high school obsession of having 'long hair' - which was cool at that time. Now that my hair is long, what now? I'm satiated, so I don't have to keep it. But I'm ok with my grays, so I don't have to shave it. I think I'll cut it to still qualify as 'long hair' but short enough to make it more manageable.
Learning New Things
Learning New Things
Fish Pond Maintenance: When Mike waded inside the fish pond to clear some debris, it was his way of saying the pond needed cleaning. I had no idea how to do it. As always, everything can be learned on the internet - websites, Youtube, pdfs, etc. By the time I was done, I knew how to operate the big sand filter (filter, waste, recirculation, backwashing, rinse, closed), the bucket filter (rocks, biological filters, media filter). I can even design and construct a fish pond from scratch now. But taking care of the koi fish was a different matter.
Learning Thai: I tried learning Thai language with just an app and Google Translate. I was getting the hang of it, but it got in the way of my yoga reading. I can't seem to multi-task. Too bad I had to let it go. Had I persevered, I could be speaking Thai now. Oh well.
Import/Export Documents: When Mike asked me to learn how to fill in various shipping documents for his shipping business, I ended up learning the entire shipping industry in the process - documentation, process flow, agencies involved, etc. Shipping is complicated. Unfortunately, Mike didn't find a use for the things he asked me to do - so despite all the learning and studying, it wasn't put to use. However, I learned something new.
Bitcoin: Again, Mike asked me to be proficient in Bitcoin. It appears he found a niche market where fast commissions could be made in hiding clean money into crypto - avoiding taxation, avoiding transport of huge amounts, anonymity, etc. Even though I used to be in Bitcoin, I still had to be up to speed. Thus, I had to open up a Bangkok Bank for a savings account, a Bitcoin account with a crypto exchange center, and learn more about the new things that came up. Again, after having transferred money within my new accounts to develop proficiency, the project was shelved. Still, I learned many new things.
Python Programming: Lastly, I've always known that I needed to know programming to take my web design skills to the next level. Inspired by my talk with Nut, I embarked on learning Python Programming. Python is very easy to learn, becoming more in use, and web-integration friendly. I just need to feel more excited about learning it aside from just knowing that it's good for me.
Covid Pandemic
Covid Pandemic Last year, it was a race on who makes the first vaccine. This year, the vaccines are out, and the increasing pressure on a global mandatory vaccination is on. The vaccines never made sense to begin with. People who already contracted the virus are supposed to be immune already - but they are still pressured to get the vaccine. Those who already have the vaccine continue to get Covid - then what are these vaccines for? Some of those who got the vaccine got sick or even died - but news is suppressed. You hear about it and see the underground videos of people just falling down in the middle of a game. Not only are people supposed to get 2 shots, they also have to get subsequent booster shots - so it's vaccine after vaccine. People who never want it are forced to get it either because of travel restrictions, job requirements or simply social pressure.
The pandemic continued to spread panic and fear across the globe. There would be episodes when controls loosen up, but then a spike would happen and again, bars, night markets and several industries would be shut down. It was horribly bad for businesses.
The imminent threat now is not so much about Covid but the mandatory vaccination. This is polarizing people. It has divided families, friendships and communities. The vaccinated thrash-talk the ones who do not want to be vaccinated, alleging that the pandemic is not getting contained because of these 'conspiracy believers'. The non-vaccinated (that's me), believe that there is no pandemic and that the vaccine is a toxic medication designed for population control or simply control. Already, many vaccinated have died but news is suppressed in mainstream media. With travel easing up, the new concern is how to travel without being vaccinated.
I speculated that 2021 would be a pivotal year that will define how the 'new normal' will be. I was assuming that Covid would be gone and society resumes its onward movement. But no, Covid remained despite the mass vaccinations. As of this writing, a new Covid variant, the Omicron has already spread to more than 100 countries, perhaps requiring a booster shot in addition to the 2 shots that most people have already taken. I could imagine it's going to be wave after wave of Covid variants with booster shots layered upon booster shots. I strongly suspect this succession of shots are all designed to corrupt the human body. I will avoid this vaccine at all costs.
Patries Pizza making has always been my staple, but this year introduced me to exploring the culinary pleasures of baking pastries and artisan bread. A conversation with Simona inspired me to make the German Kipferl Christmas cookies. This was followed by doing the complicated Stollen Bread, then cinnamon rolls, cornbread, Hobnob Cookies and New York Cheese Cake. In the kitchen, I was a kid lost inside a toy store. I increasingly default to making my own food instead of eating out.
Kombucha I started doing my own kombucha. I get to harvest 3 gallons of kombucha every 10 days which fits just right with my morning water therapy. I now add grated ginger on the 2nd bottling and the taste is exponentially better.
Ice cream My neighbor lent me her ice cream maker and started me into making my own ice cream. I started off with my hands-down favorite, rum raisin ice cream. Even after I returned the ice cream maker, I continued making my own ice cream using the hotel food mixer. I would experiment on using the healthier coconut cream instead of whip cream, using dulce de leche instead of regular sugar or even using mashed bananas as filler/thickener.
Middle EASTERN dishes Leaning towards Middle EASTERN dishes, I ended this year making baba ganoush and hummus. Tahini is such a versatile blender's base.
Tourist Visa
Tourist Visa Thai Immigration has been routinely extending visas over the Covid pandemic. Whereas it used to be unpredictable what the policy might be, this year saw consistency - filling up a multitude of forms and B1900 for a 2-month extension. In December though, word is coming out that extensions may no longer be liberally given. As of this writing, my visa is extended until Feb 2022.
Challenges
Challenges There are a few major factors I'm looking at that determine how 2022 will play out.
Vaccination - while not yet mandatory, there is increasing pressure to get vaccinated. In Chiang Mai, entry to events requires proof of vaccination. I wonder how this affects international travel. Soon, the covid visa extension will not be offered. Moreover, my extension expires in Feb and I have to leave anyway. This 'next chapter' is a very big question mark.
Palawan - this is likely my next destination. No telling what happens here. There is no certainty and I'll simply have to go with the flow.
Yoga practice - this remains a constant challenge because there are many things I'd like to do but cannot - until I reach a certain level in my practice. But I remain devoted to my practice - research, writing and actually doing the practice.
On the Horizon
Leaving Chiang Mai Things are still floating in the air to make long-term plans, but the immediate one is to leave Chiang Mai. Being away from Chiang Mai would be a welcoming change, despite the abundance and blessings this place has given me. My universe has been giving me strong signals to move on. If I can get cheaper airfares by waiting until after the holidays, I'll do that. Where? The Philippines is the soundest choice for now - Palawan awaits with Greg's offer. I also feel the need to talk to my Dad and clear things up. I no longer feel like traveling. I would rather settle down, grow roots and just deepen my yoga practice.
Ending Thoughts I'm leaving this year still feeling heavy about the attack I had to survive through. My social landscape has radically changed. I've unfriended a lot of 'friends' who just stood by while I was burning at the stake. Deep inside, I know this had to happen because I asked to go through the entire span of the human spectrum. It gets easier by the day, and I'm sure at some point, that I can smile back to this episode, being wiser and more experienced.
The uncertainty of the world still hangs in the balance as I also find bearing in what lies ahead when I eventually leave Chiang Mai. I've stayed here 3 years, and I have to say, that the abundance and bliss are unparalleled. Perhaps the attack on me was the other side of the abundance coin - yin and yang, happiness and sadness, craving and aversion. In hindsight, I would still choose to go through that nasty episode than go through life not knowing what it's like to burn at the stake. It's all about having that 'bucket list' human experience...like falling in love, like being heartbroken, like losing a loved one, etc.
I remain grateful, I remain collected, and I already feel the transformation taking place. Yes, as it is said in Desiderata, "...with all its sham and broken dreams, it's still a beautiful world", I will rework that to, "...all its exhilaration and broken dreams make it a beautiful world".
(Jan 31, 2022) 2021 started off bright and promising but ended up on a melancholic note of reflection and re-alignment. I un-Friended most of my Chiang Mai 'woke' friends and ultimately left Facebook, happy to just have a few but trusted friends. This created a void that seems to be filled in with the onset of 2022.....more »»
(Jan 1, 2022) Donald Hoffman, through experiments backed by empirical data and mathematical equations, posits that reality as we see it is not objective reality but simply a sensory perception manufactured by our mind to give our species a survival advantage.....more »»
(Dec 31, 2022) 2022 ushered a new chapter in my life. After 4 years in Thailand, I had to leave and find solace in my own country and settle in Cebu City...more »»
IMPORTANT PLACES
Bus Station Train Station Chiang Mai International Airport Nong Buak Hard Park - free yoga classes daily
HOTEL
Arun Dara Villa - 7 exclusive rooms, 1 swimming pool for every room, grand opening
Nawa Sheeva Hotel - big rooms, high ceiling, salt-water pool, restaurant, cafe
Nawa Saraan Hotel - low density (4 spacious rooms), stone garden setting, Koi fish pond, Old City location
Arun Suite - 3 bedrooms in a 3-storie guesthouse within Old City, ideal for families
MOTORBIKE RENTAL
Tawan Bike - motorcycle rental | +66 91 635 2863 | Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200
Chiang Mai FYI / Tips
crop-burning season in Chiang Mai is between late Feb to early April. But laws change everytime. This year, 2019, there is a 61-day ban on burning so the farmers started burning early. When my plane was approaching Chiang Mai on Jan 24, 2019, there was already a thick blanket of smog covering the entire city (and beyond). But within the city itself, you won't feel it (but that doesn't mean the air is healthy). To monitor air conditions in real time, refer to site: Chiang Mai Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI)
hot season begins March and lasts until June
wet season begins July and lasts until September
best time to visit Chiang Mai is mid-September to mid-February - after the monsoon and before the burning
you have to try Khao Soi, this is north Thailand's culinary staple
the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located in the Old City
to exchange your dollars to Thai Baht, the Super Rich Money Exchange give the best rates. There are many branches scattered around Chiang Mai
get a red cab (songthao) outside the train station for Baht 50 (instead of paying B100 if inside the train station) to Old City - if you haggle nicely enough...I did!
shared red taxi (songthao) - B30 standard fare plying all over Old City
for only B50/day, best to rent a bike to go around the Old City - it's a 2.5km2 with lots to discover
FREE daily yoga classes from 9:00am to 10:15am at Nong Buak Hard Park (southwest corner of Old City). Resident and passing-through teachers take turns conducting yoga classes.
Blues/Jazz Bars in Chiang Mai
North Gate Jazz Coop - at Chang Phueg Gate, great Tuesday jam session, Blues on Sundays at 11pm by the Chiang Mai Blues band
Boy Blues Bar - at the Night Bazaar. Mondays at 9:30pm is open mic
My Secret Cafe - near Wat Phra Singh. Tuesdays at 7:30pm for the changing front-act and 9:00pm for the Panic Band
Taphae East - 88 Thapae Rd. (just north of Night Bazaar). Fridays at 9:30pm by Chiang Mai Blues Band
Chiang Mai Cost Index
B60 Chiang beer
B250 1 hour drop-in yoga session
B200 one hour Thai body massage at WAYA Massage(highly recommended)
B50 noodle soup with meat
B50 coffee
B40 pad thai
B30/kilo wash-only laundry
B50/kilo wash+iron laundry
B100-150 dorm bed/night
B250 fan room/night
B30 internet cafe/hour
B170-190 Movies Sat-Sun and public holidays
B130-150 Movies weekdays
B100 Movies Wednesdays (movie discount day)
B750 1/2 day Thai cooking lessons
B900-1000 1 full day Thai cooking lessons
B400 Muay Thai boxing ticket
B2500 starting room rate at the luxury hotel, Nawa Sheeva(highly recommended)
Transportation
B450 bus, Chiang Mai to Bangkok
B160-180 bus, Chiang Mai to Pai
B1250 bus, Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
B1650 slow boat, Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
B210 bus, Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, 3-4 hours
B360 Green VIP bus, Chiang Mai to Mae Sai (Thai border town for visa run to Tachileik, Myanmar)
B50 bicycle rental, 24 hours
B200 motorbike rental, 24 hours
B273 #51 sleeping train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
Book Online - direct booking with State Railway of Thailand. Best to register first. If going to BKK from CNX, click "Northern Line".
note -- big difference between booking direct with the State Railway and booking with an online 3rd party agent. 12GO was charging B1330 for the same trip that only cost me B941 with the State Railway.
note -- Oct 2022, I took the #10 Train from CNX to BKK, upper berth, 2nd class, a/c, sleeper, B941. The train was clean, fast, comfortable and modern. If you have heavy luggage that will cost more money in flight checkin, I would suggest this train. Otherwise, the flight now is so much cheaper it doesn't even make sense to take the bus or train.
Bangkok to Chiang Mai by Train from Bang Sue Train Station
10:22pm - #51 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 12:10pm, sleeper, 3rd class B270 (non sleeper), 2nd class B438, B728 upper deck, B798 lower deck
Loei to Chiang Mai by Bus
From Loei town center, take a tuk-tuk ride to the bus station, B30. There is only one bus station.
As of June 28, 2020 (still on Covid schedule), there are only 3 night trips: 8:30pm, 9:30pm and 12 midnight. 9 hours, B470.
The bus makes the following stops at the following times from a 9pm Loei departure: Phu Ruea (9:50pm), Phitsanulok (12:40am), Uttradit (2:20am), Lampang (4:35am)
Final bus stop is at the Red Bus Arcade, Chiang Mai, 9 hour-trip, arriving 6am (from 9pm Loei departure).
Take a red songthaew to Old City, B50. They'll try to charge you B100, but they'll take B50 (just assure the driver you won't tell the other passengers).
How to Get a 60-Day Thai Tourist Visa and then Extend by another 30 Days
This process is BEFORE Covid 19. Not sure what it is now.
60-Day Thai Tourist Visa
NOTE: There is no need to go back to your country to get the Thai tourist visa. Any major city with a Thai Embassy will do. Apparently there is also no need to have an invitation from a Thai establishment to justify the visa.
Bring the following to the Thai embassy:
a) proof of money (bank statement will suffice)
b) flight booking to Thailand
c) onward flight back to your country from Thailand
d) filled-in tourist visa form
e) 2 passport pictures
f) hotel booking in Thailand (they didn't ask me for this but better be safe)
g) passport with at least 6 months validity
After handing over all the documents, they will ask you to come pick your passport with the visa the following day from 4 to 5pm. That's it!
NOTE: after 2 successful attempts, I was already questioned the 3rd time.
30-Day Extension
NOTE: When your 60-day visa is close to expiry and you want to extend your stay. No need to leave Thailand.
bring the following to the Immigration Office:
a) passport (make sure your Tourist Visa hasn't expired yet)
b) Baht 1900
c) photocopy of your passport + visa duration date stamp + TM6 card (white immigration card) and sign all the copies
d) completed TM7 visa extension form (available at the Immigration Office)
e) one 4cmx6cm passport picture
submit the above to the Front Desk. They will give you a stub with your number on it. Take a seat and wait for your number to be called
when your number is called, your picture will be taken. Then go back to your seat. They will call you again.
when they call you again, they'll give you your passport with your extended visa. That's it!
when there are no lines, the whole process can take only 10 minutes
arrive early - in case there is a snag (visa snag, documentation snag, transport ticket snag, etc.), you will have ample time to troubleshoot the problem if you arrive early (to the airport, to the bus terminal, etc.)
put detailed itinerary on the Calendar apps of your smart-phone according to timelines - this is where you do all your thinking and planning. Once written down, you don't have to think anymore while you are on the journey...you just follow the steps. This frees your mind for something else that might happen while you are already en route
avoiding scams - as a general rule, I ignore the touts or anyone I don't know who call out to me. The calling comes in many forms - "Hi! Where are you from?", "Excuse me! Excuse me!", "Where are you going?". I don't look them in the eye and I remain non-verbal with them. If you reply to them, you just gave them an 'in' to hound you. In order not to look rude, I smile and wave the 'not interested' hand to them, without looking at them.
power bank - hand-carry your power bank. Do not check it in. You can be called in when you are already inside the plane to go all the way to the loading dock so you can personally remove the power bank...and chances are, you'll have to surrender it to them. And you might delay the plane departure!