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Boom Chetawan-wan…?

Friday, April 13th, 2007

A little better?

The full school title is Wat Po Chetawan Thai Traditional Massage School.

Abdominal massage class

Our main teacher is Chintana who is a lovely, quiet and gentle woman with the strongest thumbs in the the world. We have also been taught by Nok, who is lovely also. In the phot,o it goes from left to right – Nok, Pauline and Chintana.

.Noh, Pauline and Chintana (from left to right)

Chintana learned Japanese from her students and from books, and so teaches all the Japanese students as well. She went to teach in Osaka last year.

The teachers and staff here work really hard. They are all in at about 8am up until about 6pm. They work 7 days a week (!) offering courses that start everyday. Only every 3 or so months do they have time off to visit their families in Bangkok. Luckily though it seems that they are moved around from centre to centre occasionally and with any luck back to Bangkok.

On our 3rd day was the celebration Wat Po has every year on the 6th of April to remember Jivako, the Father of Thai Traditional medicine and massage. He was personal doctor to Buddha. In the morning there was a beautiful feast laid out and we said some prayers and had a ceremony. Then at lunchtime we ate it all (although I didn’t have any of the pig’s head!). It was a lovely little event.

6th April CeremonyYum, yum

…Well we had our exam last Sunday and passed! Went really well and we are now certified! I will go on to do the Massage therapy course while Pauline lives it up in the south. The practical part of the course, I will do here in Chiang Mai and then back down to Bangkok to do the theory.

Hopefully more photos and results to come.

Sunrise over Chiang Mai

Magical Wat at Doi Suthep

Friday, April 6th, 2007

Golden Beauty

Well we had a bit of difficulty getting there as we went after school and it was too late to share a ‘songthaew’ (red pick-up truck taxi that takes about 8 passengers – you just stand by the side of the road and hail one down – if they are going the same way you just hop in the back – brilliant idea – bring it to London! -maybe then we would be a lot friendlier to each other). We paid far too much to get there but we made it and it was definately worth it. The Wat up Doi Suthep mountain is amazing. It is a working temple and Monastery. We arrived just towards sunset and the atmosphere was very special. The gold and the quiet and the monks and novices chanting was super. Just a few photos although I forgot to take some to get the feel of the whole complex. Nevermind –

Novices and Monks performing the evening prayersTemple Bells

Pauline under bloom againPauline under evening bloom

Oh my good lord. Janet Kaylo, the most famous Certified Movement analyst in the WORLD.

Thursday, April 5th, 2007
... On to World-Shaking-Small-World coincidence news.... We just came out of school yesterday afternoon, after a great first day and were just going to walk home, when you would never guess whose photo we saw on a Thai Pharma Centre delivery ... [Continue reading this entry]

Boom Chiang Mai wah wah!

Thursday, April 5th, 2007
If you don't watch tele, then you won't get this title, even if you do watch tele, you may not... obviously it's the heat. Chiang Mai sunset streets Chiang Mai is ... [Continue reading this entry]

Briefly Bangkok

Wednesday, April 4th, 2007
Bangkok by night So we're here, well we were there and now we are in Chiang Mai, but I'll go back a couple of days... Landed in good time at the airport (Kuwait City ... [Continue reading this entry]