TEDx Chiang Mai

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, but TED is so much more!  A few of my favorite talks include topics about the ocean, overcoming adversity and nano technology!  So imagine my delight when I heard about a TED talk to be held in Chiang Mai.  TEDx events are independently organized and operate under the license from TED and held in cities all over the world.

It was an all day event located at the Le Meridian Hotel and the turn out was a full house of over 800 people in attendance.  We saw young teens, high school age and many college students as well as people from around the world.  We had the pleasure of meeting men from Russia and Puerto Rico.  And oddly enough we met a man from Berkeley, California and a woman from Portland, Oregon.

Lunch, drinks, coffee and snacks were provided and all the volunteers and staff of the hotel were marvelous.  There were several places to relax and watch large screens outside of the main auditorium.  Wireless receivers for simultaneous translation from Thai and English were available.

The topics from 22 speakers were varied and included:

The Hug Project Thailand - Protecting children from violence and exploitation.

Connecting Education and Social Responsibility - From the CEO of Microsoft Thailand.

Two Speakers from Penang, Malaysia speaking about Global Tourism and the Arts.

Vibratosax.com - The inventor of light weight, waterproof, poly carbonate alto saxophones. He even played them on stage and the sound was beautiful!

Localalike.com - A community based tourism platform dedicated to connecting local communities with travelers looking for a more meaningful and authentic experience.

OUR FAVORITE........
Mink Prada Techavijit is 37 years old and Thailand's first astronaut!  She competed against mostly men in the grueling physical and mental competition to gain a coveted spot to leave the atmosphere!    AXE Apollo Space Academy - Facebook

Mink is the tiny woman in the front

Out of the four women and 105 men who competed at the space academy, Mink is one of two women and 20 men from 21 different countries including Canada, South Africa, Thailand and China.  They had to take mental aptitude tests, combat training in a fighter jet and zero-gravity flights to distinguish themselves as the most worthy for the free flight.   SXC manages trips aboard the reusable XCOR Aerospace Lynx Rocket Plane, a commercial space plane that is expected to begin flying customers in 2014 or 2015 at a cost of $95,000 each.

Tables were set up with interactive exhibits.  Slack Line, paint a ceramic elephant, student tech projects and mystery bags to use your creativity using recycled materials put in the bags by citizens in Chiang Mai.

From tree to magazine and back to tree

We were taken by songtheaw to The Glass House Restaurant for the after party where dinner and wine was provided along with live music.  We had a wonderful time.......I only wish there were more coconut filled chocolates!

Sun loves pink elephants

Foreign Men = ATM

There are many expats from numerous countries that come to Thailand looking to boost their ego and have created an economy of supply and demand of said economy. It is the end of September and still the low season for the number of tourists visiting Chiang Mai and Thailand in general. We can see the lack of income for taxis, songtheaws, tuk tuk drivers and tour operators because we are getting pitched for tours and being quoted higher than normal rates for transportation.

Learning to speak a little Transportation Thai is helping because they know we are not tourists and they resign themselves to giving us Thai price. It is a very lean time for all businesses and of course they are trying harder to put food on the table.

Vince and I walk most places and have on occasion decided to walk home at night. Our route takes us past a few bars where the women are perched on stools near or just outside the door waiting to pour drinks and converse with customers. I joke with Vince that if he were walking alone I am sure he would be approached to have a drink with them.

The opportunity for us to be apart from each other has not come up so this was not put to the test. Until we attended the TEDx Chiang Mai talks at the Le Meridian Hotel. This was an all day event and we found comfortable lounge chairs outside of the main auditorium where we made our nest for the day.

I decided to make use of the craft area making recycled goods into something that popped into my head. It was great fun and I was also listening to the talks and frequently seeing if Vince needed anything. At a break I took him some coffee and a snack and went back to my project. I will estimate he was sitting by himself for 30 or 40 minutes.

Throughout the day we met many people and would strike up a conversation of pleasantries like where are you from, are you on vacation, etc. Vince told me a Thai woman asked if the seat next to him was taken, he said no and she sat down. The conversation was pleasant and normal for the day except, he said, when her eyes lit up upon hearing he was from America and she asked him if she could get him something to drink and eat. He told her his wife just brought him some coffee. “You are married?” He said, “Yes” and she immediately excused herself.

We talked about it at length and we wondered how long he was being watched. Unlike some other men, he was extremely uncomfortable and was very happy when my project was done and I was back at his side. I asked him if her attention made him feel happy, needed, sexy, wanted or if his ego got a boost from a 30 something woman hitting on him. He said, “No, it made me feel like an ATM!”

Everyone needs to put food on the table.  

Sun Wukong Goes To The Dentist

American Dentistry is, like other medical care, overpriced. Even though our dentist in the US was a nice man, there were many times we had to make our own choices to not have a procedure he recommended. We were not in pain, did not have cavities or gum issues and he would invariably find something wrong that, in his expert opinion needed an expensive procedure like a crown or replacing an old filling. I always felt like we were helping make the payments on his new yacht, summer home or sports car.

Due to the advice to have our teeth cleaned every 6 months along with partial x-rays and full x-rays every couple years we were diligent about our appointments. We skipped our checkup and cleaning when we moved to Chiang Mai and knew it was time to figure out how to do this in an unfamiliar country.

There are many forums with advice on where to go if you are an expat and I just became more confused and conflicted each time I read someone else's opinion. So I asked a friend from Hawaii who came to Chiang Mai for extensive medical dentistry two years ago for her opinion. She recommended Chiang Mai Dental Hospital. It was easy to make appointments in English for the next week for Vince and I and they called the day before to remind us of our appointment.

We arrived 30 minutes early in case we needed to fill out paperwork. It only took a few minutes and they took me right into the room. Just like every other dental office around the world the items were the same. What was not the same was the three assistants for the dentist! The dentist asked me what I needed today and I told him, "Examination, Consultation, X-rays and Cleaning." OK!

One of the assistants took me to a small room for x-rays. She asked me to remove my necklace, and earrings and placed a long heavy lead apron over my head and upper arms which draped to my thighs. She adjusted the machine and asked me to stand near it and place my chin on a rest and bite with my front teeth on a piece attached to the chin rest. My forehead was also resting against a support and she left the room to take the picture. My eyes were closed , but Vince said the machine makes a complete rotation around your head and takes a digital picture.

As soon as it was done they sat me in a chair in front of a monitor and showed me the pictures. The doctor pointed out places on the picture to show me what parts were what. He was happy with how things looked with both Vince's and my teeth and then I was taken into the exam room again.

The next thing that was completely different from previous experiences in the US was the dentist cleaned my teeth. He was examining at the same time and scraped a small bit of tartar from a few places, polished my teeth and I was done. He said, "I don't know what to do with you" which meant that he was pleased at how everything looked and could do nothing more to improve on how my teeth were.

I wonder if the 30 minutes of cleaning in the US is also to make the dentists more money. I have had the new and latest gadgets using sonic water pulse to clean and of course the old fashioned stainless steel tools....I kind of like the old fashioned way. I felt special as I was being completely taken care of by the dentist and his 3 assistants and his expert opinion based on what he sees daily in his practice was reassuring. There was no high pressure sales pitch to come back in 6 months or to buy fluoride gels or fancy mouthwash.

Full mouth x-rays, consultation, exam, cleaning, polishing and tons of one on one patient care all for 1,100 Baht or $34.07 USD each.

They were even kind enough to take pictures with Sun Wukong!

Curly Hair In Thailand? What's A Girl To Do?

New York New York Hair Studio

New York New York Facebook Page

Living in Southeast Asia, with the majority of hair any stylist works with being thick and straight, I thought I would have a hard time finding a salon to work with my fine naturally curly hair. Enter my friend Angela Scott from the blog Tieland to Thailand and her recommendation of New York New York Hair Studio in Chiang Mai.

Like Angela said in her blog post  it was very easy to call and make an appointment in English. You can also see Angela’s before and after pictures of her gorgeous hair.

I showed up a bit early and the place was packed.....always a good sign. A very nice woman brought us some cold water while we waited.

My stylist was Vera and she asked me what I wanted. I told her that I love to use the expert opinion of whoever is working on me and I would let her decide. She said she loved my curls and wanted to work with them and not go too short or I would loose them all together.

Having my hair shampooed in the US was always a chore, pretty boring and uncomfortable. Not so here. The chairs have a leg rest that lifts your legs so you are reclining and your back is not stressed. The bowl is curved for your neck but has another platform for your head to rest on so your neck is very comfortable.

I was shampooed by an assistant and part of the service here is to massage your head and neck. When I say massage, it is unlike anything I have ever felt at a hair stylist in the US. This was thumbs and fingers pressing just the right spots all over my head and temples........really getting in there and giving a proper head massage.

So this is how it went.

Shampoo and massage for two or three minutes.

Rinse and massage for another minute.

Conditioner and massage for another two or three minutes.

Rinse and another product for another two or three minutes.

Yep, I was feeling like a nap by this time.

The assistant then took me to the station and she combed out my hair while someone else stood by with a towel to catch any drips of water, which he did by quickly reaching out with a towel to gently squeeze a piece of hair. I wanted to giggle.

The chairs probably raise and lower, but the stylists have rolling stools they sit on while cutting. It is so smart. She worked on me for nearly 40 minutes while several assistants stood by watching her concentrate on my curls. After the cut, I was taken to the shampoo area again where an assistant rinsed my hair. Then two of the assistants diffused my hair and gently scrunched and twirled till they were happy. Vera came over to check and see if she wanted to do anymore snips and sure enough she found some spots she had to make perfect.

The appointment took an hour and cost 550 Baht or $17.13 USD. I gave her a tip and she told me she would be giving it to her assistants. Nice!

So, the answer is yes you can get a quality hair cut, head and neck massage and be pampered like you are royalty at a fraction of what it would cost in the US. I am very happy and will be returning to New York New York.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Hiring Someone To Clean

I love a clean house, but I don't love to clean. In Thailand it is not unusual to hear about expats and even locals hiring cleaning women to come in once a week. But I was determined to do it myself and the thought of having someone in my home was a strange concept. Buying and figuring out how to use the cleaning products was a challenge with all the labels in Thai.  

Scrubbing the shower, bathroom and kitchen along with dusting and mopping the floor takes hours and while I can physically do the job, my time is becoming more precious to me. I would much rather exercise while hiking the streets of Chiang Mai and enjoy my workout in the pool under a beautiful blue sky! 

The condo building has women that clean units for moving in or out and also for hire as often as you like so I finally let go of the “Pinkies Up” notion that hiring a cleaning woman would make me appear a snob and made an appointment. 

Three women showed up and spent the next hour: 

Dust mop hard wood floor 

Wipe outside of kitchen cupboards and counters 

Wipe outside of refrigerator 

Clean windows 

Sweep and mop the terrace 

Wipe and dust all open shelves, chairs, end tables and coffee table 

Clean bathroom, shower, sink, floor, toilet and mirror. 

Change sheets on bed 

Remove cover on two standing fans to clean blades and the front and back wire cage 

All this while smiling, singing, laughing and enjoying their time in my home. 

Inside       200 Baht or $6.24 

Terrace    100 Baht or $3.12 

Total in US $9.36