Ego's Journal

[Western Red Cedar]

I'll be arriving in Chiang Mai on December 7th. We have a monthly rental and will be hanging out with @2b1s who also gets in on the 7th. Let me know if you are available on December 8th or after and I can start a separate thread for a meetup in case anyone else is able to join.

If your schedule permits, we could potentially plan on a couple outings like hikes, flea markets, galleries, etc...

In terms of running, I don't have any specific recommendations, but I know you can catch a songthaew to the university (it stops there to and from What Phra That Son Duthop.

[2Birds1Stone]

It would be great to hang, we'll be there from the 7th, for like 5 weeks, then off to snorkle/dive on Koh Tao for a few weeks.

[black_son_of_gray]

Hope I'm not too late on the genealogy comment train, but...

Over the last two years or so, I've put in a couple hundred hours digging up my roots. I went from barely knowing the names of my grandparents (certainly not their parents), to now having constructed a tree with 169 direct ancestors. I have a nearly complete tree back to the early-ish 1800s, then branches that run up into the late 1600's or so.

A big help early on was a special promotional deal through ancestry.com where the DNA and "free trial" were combined for essentially the same price. I had full access to their database for 3 months, and I put in a lot of time there.

Resources:
There is a huge consolidation in ancestry-related websites. They are basically all owned by the same groups, kind of like brands in the supermarket. A lot of ancestry material is pulled from the same giant databases and then hidden behind paywalls. But you can likely access those databases directly, for free, if you know where to look.
* Check your local library's digital subscriptions. My library offers Ancestry Library Edition (same thing, just have to access at library), Fold3, lots of newpaper/obit archives, MyHeritage Library Edition, etc.
*https://www.wikitree.com/ Free, but you'll need to be careful to verify/vet information

[Ego]

Btw, I am back to and living in Thailand (home base). If anyone is passing from Bangkok or is in the country and wants to meet, hit me up.

Absolutely! When in Bangkok we stay in the belly of the beast, Nana. Where are you? How does an Inferno Marching Meetup in Benchakitti and/or Lumpini Park sound to you? As I am sure you know, the Green Mile connects the two.

I'll be arriving in Chiang Mai on December 7th. We have a monthly rental and will be hanging out with @2b1s who also gets in on the 7th. Let me know if you are available on December 8th or after and I can start a separate thread for a meetup in case anyone else is able to join.

If your schedule permits, we could potentially plan on a couple outings like hikes, flea markets, galleries, etc...

It would be great to hang, we'll be there from the 7th, for like 5 weeks, then off to snorkle/dive on Koh Tao for a few weeks.

Excellent! We arrive on the 3rd and have booked until the 13th. We expect to extend beyond that once we reacquire a feel for the city as we have not been to Chiang Mai since our SE Asia bike tour in 2007-8. Hikes, flea markets, galleries,... sounds great!

[OutOfTheBlue]

Absolutely! When in Bangkok we stay in the belly of the beast, Nana. Where are you? How does an Inferno Marching Meetup in Benchakitti and/or Lumpini Park sound to you? As I am sure you know, the Green Mile connects the two.

I'm up for it! Let's coordinate by PM, I'm mostly free schedule-wise.

I've heard of it but never actually walked/ran the Green Mile so that would be nice.

Staying in Nonthaburi, further up on the map, but I can definitely come meet downtown.

When I was living in the city proper, another place I liked for morning or evening runs was the National Stadium. During mornings, there's a nice talad (local fresh produce and cooked food market) across the street as well.

[Western Red Cedar]

@ego - I just started a new thread for the meetup:

viewtopic.php?t=13278

[Ego]

@OutOfTheBlue gave us a few tips on vegetarian resources in Chiang Mai. One was the Jae restaurant and supermarket Ming Kwan where we found, among other things, an incredible meat substitute made from the stems of shiitake mushrooms. Delicious, healthy and super inexpensive. A 6-8 serving package of the frozen "meat" cost 55THB or $1.60.

Jae is a Taoist religion brought to Thailand by immigrants from Southern China. Back when we were cycling around Thailand, we passed through a village in the south while the annual Jae festival was in full swing. The last day was known as the day of mortification. Not something I will soon forget. Here is a Vice documentary on the festival. Super trigger warning.

[Ego]

Consistent, healthy eating can be challenging when traveling. Here in Chiang Mai we have gradually settled into a very healthy routine. Mrs. Ego found a good yoga and I found a good gym. After the morning gym, I head over to the Chang Phuak open market and buy the fruit and veg for the day. Today I spent 85THB $2.49 on lunch. The tofu is 8THB (23 cents) per cube. The most expensive ingredient is the tempeh, which is from the regular supermarket. We have only eaten at restaurants for the two meetups, which were both a lot of fun.

Last week we moved to a bright, airy apartment in the old town that has a full kitchen with a large wok! My chef knife was confiscated when boarding a train in Spain, so I am using my Leatherman's as a kitchen knife. The knives that came with the place are dull.

I forgot to take a photo of the market, so the first one is stolen from the internet.

[Laura Ingalls]

Yum
I love me some baby bok choy .

Crappy Airbnb knives
Not so much.

Congratulations on cooking in a place that lots of people don’t bother.

[Ego]

Crappy Airbnb knives
Not so much.

It is surprising just how frustrated I get from bad knives. There is a guy here in Chiang Mai who refurbishes discarded Japanese chef's knives. I was tempted to buy one but the Laotians don't like knives on their trains so I will have to endure a bit longer.

Enjoy London!

[C40]

If you wanted, instead of trying to bring a sharp knife along with you when you travel - you could instead bring a small whetstone and use that for sharpening the crappy airbnb knives. It's also possible - to a certain extent - to sharpen knives with other stuff -- by learning how to find the right kind of rock laying on the ground - or using certain household items that you'd nearly always have like the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup

[Ego]

... or using certain household items that you'd nearly always have like the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup

Ooooh. I am going to try this tomorrow. Will report back.

[theanimal]

This is what I use and what I'd recommend if you can get your hands on one. It works at home, in the mountains, and when traveling elsewhere. I bet you could find one at the swap meet once you get back home.

https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Guide ... 009YKHZ96/

[Ego]

I used the file on my Leatherman's to get the blade in shape, then I waited until Mrs. Ego left for yoga and continued sharpening with the emery board she uses to file her nails (Please don't tell her!), and then used the bottom of a coffee mug to bring it to near razor sharpness. Thanks for the suggestions. Animal, I will have to watch for one of those when we get home.

[jacob]

Thanks for the suggestions. Animal, I will have to watch for one of those when we get home.

This looks like something you could easily make yourself. Take a flat stick and glue two wooden wedges on each side with a couple of inches of overhang behind the wedge to hold it. Use tack spray and cut out some 800 grit sandpaper for one side and 1500 grit for the other side. The wedges could be different angles, e.g. a set of 20 degrees and a set of 15 degrees. Using tack spray, the sandpaper can be taken off and replaced when it's worn down. Wood may be too soft, but you could also use something different like plastic depending on travel regulations.

[Sclass]

That’s a great idea. I’ve used wet dry paper to sharpen knives away from home. All you need is a strip stuck down to a flat countertop edge. I stick it down with water. I’d likely use something more aggressive like 400-600 grit on cheap knives I didn’t care about. Faster. You can carry a strip as a bookmark.

I haven’t tried but folding some soaked wet dry around a rod may make a decent serrated sharpener too. I usually bring my Diamond serrated rod to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years dinner to touch up my host’s electric knife. Traditionally I do the carving so after a few years the old knife has become dull. IIRC my wife bought it at a rummage sale and just left it in a drawer there to use during holiday parties.

I’ve posted the sharpener before. It is pretty compact for travel use and can double as an edge straightener and serrated sharpener. It folds up like a Bali song.



ETA - wait a second. That photo jogged my memory. The Wave has a Diamond file that is an excellent hone. Which you just said you used above…

[C40]

I used the .... to bring it to near razor sharpness.

Awesome!!!! That's another success using the 'Just pick it up" life philosophy. I wasn't sure how well these kind of methods would work, as so far I've only used purposed knife sharpening tools.

I have a memory that stuck with me over decades - once my grandma sharpened a knife a bit on a big ceramic croc pot that happened to be nearby where she was working - I guess that's one of my formative memories that contributed to my liking of 'just pick it up' strategies

[theanimal]

I love it! I had the thought this morning that you could also strop the knives with the back of a leather belt if you have one with you. You could do this after honing it on the ceramic.

[loutfard]

Thank you so much for the hint. I have a pile of ceramic desert cups gathering dust. They're just perfect for this.

[Ego]

A couple of weeks ago we met a Chinese woman while hiking in Chiang Mai. She has an MBA and held a good job for several years. Eventually she became fed up with her life and made a very ERE decision to quit. She lowered her expenses significantly and began consulting on the side. She is now on the hunt for a different, lower cost place to live.

I was wondering if she was a rare example or part of a larger trend, so I did a little research. Today, the youtube algo presented me with this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIDsvIQ0UvM

Perhaps it is time to translate ERE into Chinese.