I spent the afternoon with Dang today, a textile shop owner who buys fabrics from the Northern hill tribes and brings them back to make clothing, bags, and quilts. She is the first Thai woman, aside from my teacher that I had an extended conversation with. I talked to the market and vendor women, but those were short and in passing. Mostly my interactions have been with men, so when Dang pulled out a stool and offered me water and pommel I didn’t say no.
We talked for hours about food, fabrics, Thai herbal medicine, massage, faarangs, and Buddha. The latter two are topics I really wanted to write about here, but the words just are not ready. I feel worn out from being foreigner. There is just nowhere to hide, and the more I interacted with Chiang Mai the more I felt my faarang footprint. It’s a loaded topic, and one that is best spent over a bottle of wine and good food.
I’m so glad that I recorded some of my tales here and that you indulged my story telling. Thank you, and see you soon.
