Slippery wallets, crazed tuk tuks, mangos

Pop's dramatic disco

After leaving little Pop and the rest of the host fam in the North Eastern district of Chiang Mai, we settled into our humble abode within the city. The start of the rainy season is officially here as of last week, and we saw the worst of it with a solid three day rain with no breaks. I'm not sure what this symbolized in the manner and aura of the city, but things turned to the worse for me on the last of the three rainy days. While I was heading to GEE English chipper as ever to teach my one student, my wallet slipped out of my pocket on the truck taxi ride there, only for me to notice it missing amongst the chaos and rain during my teaching lesson. It seems to be a 50/50 chance that the wallet slipped into the taxi (truck bed with bench seats) or fell out as I exited the taxi in the middle of a dead stopped intersection with rain dumping, leaving it to the grasp of any motorbiker or driver afterward. Not a great feeling, as many of you know, loosing a wallet right after visiting an ATM. That was my first lost wallet. Later on, while attempting to reach the tourist police to inform them of a wallet that could possibly show up in their office in the hands of an incredibly honest soul, I got hit by a tuk tuk. That way my first time being semi-run over by a tuk tuk. It beats me how the three-wheeled motorcycle carrying two farongs (foreigners) in the back hit and ran over my calf/ankle/heel without breaking it, but maybe the fates figured I had been screwed well enough that day to get a broken leg on top of it all. Following the police report (of the wallet, not the crazed tuk tuk driver), we got a late dinner, one of the many things since bought by Julia, at a special grilled chicken place that ran out of chicken when we ordered only to have more chicken magically appear on the grill as we left.

I figure I had to get all my bad luck out on one day. The rest of the trip should be as wonderful as winning the Quidditch Cup! Harry Potter is infiltrating my miiind, maaan. I have to read all the books and finish all the movies by the time the 6th movie one comes out here next week. Did I mention that I played with a monkey last week? That has been one of my dreams since I was about 7. It was like an extremely athletic baby with a fruit addiction and a fascination with motorbikes. On another note, it's mango season right now. I never knew how sweet they really were compared to the garbage they call mangoes in the states. See, I have some good things going for me to counter the lack of a wallet!

The monkey slappin me five at Keuong Mae Guong Reservoir. He was most likely someone's pet but seemed young to be away from his parents

I have been tutoring a medical student from the Southern most part of Thailand. She's already really smart so teaching had been a breeze. Julia has been stuck with more difficult...tasks. The computer age has reached Thailand in full force, though, if you were wondering. Most younger students related their newly learned English words and phrases to games like "Head Hunter".

For my last lesson with the med student today, Julia and I joined the med student and her boyfriend in a tour of Doi Suthep, the mountain in view out of our apartment window. The trip included an "Upper Elementary English II Conversation lesson" with which the GEE head complied. There are exactly 305 steps up to the Doi Suthep temple at the top of one mountain, offering a hazed but incredible view of Chiang Mai. The temple displayed a multitude of golden Buddahs, most with a personalized shape different from many we've seen so far. A monk said a blessing to me and tied a traditional white string on my wrist symbolizing...well a number of things. I've heard it means health and good fortune, but also the connection of the circle of life amongst other meanings. Far out. After the temple, we continued on to the "palace," or the king's old vacation home equipped with tens of acres of flower gardens, fern gardens, streams, and soothing music playing from hidden speakers within the trees. Even further in our touristy adventure we found ourselves in a Hmong mountain village completely devoted to the production of tourist merchandise. The did have some gardens here and there in the once-traditional hill step fashion, but every building had items outside it for sale. Hopefully they don't catch the shotty economy bug creapin out from the city.

A view of 200 of the 305 steps to the top of Doi Suthep
Chiang Mai from the top of the mountain. Haze is evident
Our friends/ my student
J and I from above the Hmong village

We're heading to the organic market, JJ Market, tomorrow to see another of my host moms. She drives two hours twice a week and sleeps maybe an hour that night preparing all her food to bring up with the other wives from their village Mae Ta. Sunday we will catch a 6 hour bus ride to Mae Sot for an orientation with a program in that area. Looking forward to a few days on the border of Burma!
(More pictures to come, it takes forever to load so they will be published later...)