Chiang Mai, Thailand (October/ November 2023)

After Korea, Kristin and I stayed in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a month. We rented a condominium at D Condo near Central Festival. Central Festival is the newest and largest shopping mall in Chiang Mai. We used to walk at this shopping mall before we left Chiang Mai since the city does not provide good walking or hiking trails. 

Near Central Festival is the D Condo complex. There are four clusters of condominiums, namely Rin, Sign, Nim, and Ping. We rented a one-bedroom unit at D Condo Nim. We walked to Central Festival from this condo and enjoyed swimming at this Olympic-size swimming pool. 

In Chiang Mai, we lived for four years until November 2020, when we had to leave the charming city because the Thailand Visa situation was getting uncertain due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. All foreigners were welcome to leave, but the return Visa was left uncertain. We decided to return this time primarily because both of us wanted to receive the Thai massage from Yeo, a Thai woman from whom we received Thai massage when we stayed in Chiang Mai, to soften our tense muscles and to rest  

Central Festival is a five-story shopping mall and it provided us with a weather-proof walking trail. Besides, its air conditioning inside was perfect for walking even when the outside temperature was scorching hot. Walking five stories three times would allow me to achieve 10,000 walking steps. Then, an ice cream cone from Diry Queen would be a good reward. 

 

We had a get-together with Gary and Cindy Moon who used to live and serve in Chiang Mai. We were good neighbors and we traveled to Hwang Shan in China. They retired from their ministry and returned to California, but they still came to complete a project that was not completed before they left. Coincidentally, they came to Chiang Mai at the same time we visited. It was a joyous reunion.

We also had a reunion with Ken and Myrna who are still living in Chiang Mai. We used to attend worship at the same church, CMCC. Ken is from South Africa and Myrna carries the Dutch passport. We had dinner after the Sunday worship at Yayoi Japanese restaurant located at Central Festival. It was joyous. Due to tightening restriction on Thai Visa, they are considering relocating to Mauritius where a lot of South Africans live and work. We wished them the best and God's grace.

While we were staying in Chiang Mai, our South Carolina friend Sara Yoon came to visit Chaing Mai while she was visiting Korea to take care of her business. The business was taken care of earlier than expected and she ended up having some slack time. She came with her friend Sara Lee who lives in Georgia, I rented a car and drove around the city to visit several places, including a Buddhist temple, a silk factory, a silversmith, and a jade factory. 

I took them to a Karen village where they could see long-neck ladies. We waited for them outside and meanwhile, I found a butterfly on a colorful wooden bench. The butterfly may have taken the bench as a flower.  

We had dinner at Ohkhatsu, a famous healthy food restaurant we used to dine at quite a few times while we lived in Chiang Mai. As before, their foods were delicious. They also enjoyed them. 

We visited No 39 Cafe that was located around a small pond.

I made a day trip to Bangkok to meet up with Rang Choi with Tae Hyeong Kim. Rang has been involved in marketing in Thailand for the past 15 years through Design M. We agreed on a joint venture project to develop mobile apps for the Thailand market. The first app he needed urgently was for handling conferences. 

After we completed our one-month stay, we flew to Bangkok to have dinner with Tae Hyeong Kim's couple. We picked up our golf bags and we took off to Dallas Texas to spend time with our children's families. 

Our stay in Chiang Mai, particularly at D Condo, was pleasant and we will likely return to rest and to receive Thai massages. - Jeffrey