Putting Life Into Perspective Have you ever seen a coffin being made? No, I hadn’t either until we moved to Chiang Mai, where they make them on the street. In fact, around the western side of the old town there’s a coffin shop that displays new coffins as though they are the latest must have household items, like a new washing machine or dish washer. I’ve actually got my eye on a rather nice red wood stain model … [Read more...]
Thailand’s Life Changing Smells
First I got the satisfying smell of fresh laundry, the tangy scent of washing powder and old fashioned starch and just a little bit of bleach. I spied a backyard full of sheets and multiple racks of clothes drying in the sun as I sped past on my little motor scooter. Just as I was wondering how many back yard businesses there are in Chiang Mai I was hit by another one of Thailand's smells; a powerful blast of … [Read more...]
My Wild Life Change Holiday
I recieved an enquiry last week for a Life Change Holiday and was asked what wildlife could be seen in and around Chiang Mai, so I thought I would dash off a quick article which covers the things that I have seen recently in and around Chiang Mai. I haven't made it up, but when I read it back it seems unbelievable really and just shows how blasé we (I) can become with regular exposure to unusual things and incredible … [Read more...]
Five Life Changing Things To Do In Chiang Mai
There are numerous life changing things to do in Chiang Mai that are both unusual and unique, it’s a place where the harder you look the more incredible it becomes. Here’s a short run through of things you might consider if ever you want to come out for a Life Change Holiday. Presenting Alms Chiang Mai has the greatest density of Buddhist Temples anywhere on the planet. Over six hundred in total (apparently). The … [Read more...]
Coping With Bereavement: Same Thing Different Place
Part of The Life Change Blog series. A while ago I attended a 3 day funeral and body burning at a Buddhist Temple just outside Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. It was the steepest learning curve since my secondary school art teacher gave me an album called Hot Rats by some goatee bearded genius called Frank Zappa at the same time as giving me an art book called Fat, Felt and Flat Batteries by the modern German … [Read more...]
The Bar Girl Ferry Man: For Every Problem There Must Be A Solution
The Life Change Blog: There's a fat bloke down the market who's job it is to deliver bar girls to different locations around the south of Chiang Mai. What makes this all the more unusual is that he ferries these young women around on the back of a dirty old motorbike. It really is a wreck, covered in rust, blowing out thick black smoke and making a noise like a sack of old saucepans falling down a well. The … [Read more...]
The Guy Who Burns The Bodies: A Different Kind of Therapy
Just to the south of Chiang Mai is a beautiful little “body burning place” set into a wooded hillside. Just to be clear from the off, “a body burning place” is a place where bodies are cremated. There is a central open sided pagoda where the bodies are burnt, and enough sheltered seating for about 200 people. If you didn’t know what it was you might be forgiven for thinking it was some kind of ornamental barbecue and … [Read more...]
The Blacking Men: What They Teach Us about Life Change and Resilience
A lonesome and solitary “ting” from a bicycle bell announces the arrival of the Blacking Man. Cycling slowly and forlornly along the back streets of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand these wiry old men, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, look like they are escaping their own funeral. Chiang Mai is an amazing place and it’s changing rapidly. Even in the few years that I’ve been here I have gone from making … [Read more...]
Oyster Omlette and Sticky Rice Burgers: Food That Can Change Your Life
Welcome to The Life Change Blog. An ongoing collection of articles about Life Change and Thailand. Almost everything is strange in Thailand; you pay your electricity bill at the 7 Eleven convenience store where at the same time, if you feel a bit peckish, you can buy a hamburger with a bun made from sticky rice. I can ride my motorbike without a crash helmet the wrong way up a one way street and wave at a … [Read more...]
The Forgotten Waterways of Chiang Mai, Thailand
Is it me or is there something wonderfully romantic about forgotten waterways that meander unnoticed through our modern cities? Chiang Mai is a beautiful city and has many waterways that add interest and intrigue to an already interesting and intriguing city. It's also one of only a handful of cities in the world that is still fully surrounded on all sides with an impressive water filled moat which is inhabited by … [Read more...]