More about Duong

On Sunday afternoon and evenings Chiang Mai closes off a section of the inner city to vehicles and provides space- at a price of course, for vendors to set up stalls and sell local crafts, food and just about everything else you can think of. It's interesting, colorful and bustling, and by sunset is crowded with both Thais and tourists. It's a great way to spend a few hours rubbing shoulders, finding a bargain or two, listening to street music and doing some serious people watching!

One Sunday afternoon last August I rode my bike into town to have a look around

the walking street. We had done a long run in the mountains the day before, and

when I saw an area set up under a canopy for Thai massage, the opportunity to ease

back into a soft lounger and have my sore legs worked on was too good to pass up.

There are maybe a half dozen massage areas scattered around the walking street. You can opt for a "traditional Thai massage", foot massage, or just have your head and shoulders worked on. All of it feels wonderful! The prices are standardized- at 50Baht (about $1.50) for a half hour or 100Baht for an hour. Lay back, put your feet up, inhale the scent of the oil as it soaks in, watch the crowds as they parade by or close your eyes.. it's hard to go wrong.

So I went over, said I was interested in a one hour foot massage, and the person in charge pointed me to a lounger and sent.. Duong over! Well she was very good, easy to talk with, and very easy to watch. She told me that she did massage from 10 A.M. to 11 P.M. every Sunday, that she was 49, that she had been separated from her husband for two years and that she had a son "Um" who was in his first year at Chiang Mai University. At the end of the hour I asked her if I could call her, and later I did something I hadn't done in years.. after lots of stalling I actually called her! We met a few days later for lunch, spent another afternoon wandering around the gardens at the Chiang Mai Horticultural Center, did some hiking in the mountains nearby.. and have been pretty much together since.

At the time I met her she was also taking a ten week course- evenings five days a week from six to nine, to become certified in Traditional Thai massage. She is very skilled, just seems to know where to go and what to do, and by the end of the course she was co-teaching it with the instructor! And yes, it was a burden to always have to help her with her "homework!"

At the end of the ten weeks her classes' graduation took the form of a free all day massage event on the town green in a rural village. Duong asked me if I would like to go and I brought my camera along. When we got there at 8 A.M. villagers were already putting up food tables, and others were busy setting up the massage area- laying down the mats and headrests. I had met a few of her class-mates before but I was still surprised when so many of them come over to me to say "Sawadee" or introduce themselves. I was surprised also to see a few men in the class.

In addition to the class, a team of nurses had set up a station to take villagers' blood pressure and to do checkups. It was obviously a well planned and important community event- especially for the elderly. I was the only "farang" (foreigner) there but everyone was friendly or receptive even when I was taking pictures- Duong is on the right in the one above. I was able to move around and took lots of shots but of course I was mostly interested in Duong. It was the first time I had actually seen her working with people and it was amazing to see the connection she established with them- and how she adjusted to different body types and ages.

And I found myself watching her hands- much like that first time I met her. She was working with an old woman wearing a denim shirt favored by many of the rural Thais, and while one hand was massaging or probing the other would be resting reassuringly on the woman's hip or back or shoulder. It was beautiful to see.

The entire day turned out to be very special. After awhile I stopped taking pics and just moved around so I could watch other students at work. Most of them, including Duong, probably did three to six massages- 1-2 hours each. Many of them were also skilled at making a "connection"- either through eye contact or touch, or both. I loved seeing the old men and women come in and be fussed over and comforted and respected- Thais have that down pretty well!

And for an entire day, in a small Thai village far from Vermont or Cape Cod, I was "Duong's boyfriend." Who would have ever thought!

So I'm still working at getting the pics where I want them and getting the text to wrap where I want it.. I'm not sure how it will go if I try to upload any more pics from the massage class, so I'll save them for the next blurb and see how more pics and fewer words works.

Hugs all! Bob