Minimal Chiang Mai

Housed in a roomy white building, Minimal Gallery is a downtown hot spot for art lovers. Located in Soi 13 Nimmanhaemin Road, this chic, minimalist bar & restaurant (and, of course, art gallery) is a space to view ever-changing art exhibitions from local artists, participate in debates and discussions about the contemporary art movement, interesting photographic exhibitions, the new style of graphic design and visual art, and other arty themes, or simply to sip a glass of wine, soak up the laid back ambience and enjoy a funky repertoire of smooth tunes.

24 /2 Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 13
Tel 081 6714662, 084 1693283
http://minimalgallery.org/

Jeff Fuchs

http://www.jefffuchs.com/

Bangkok to Ayutthaya

“When there is nowhere else to go, interacting with the existing environment in a different way, is the journey"

Brewing the perfect cuppa

Start with your favorite spring or filtered water. Heat the water to a boil, or about 210F.

Use about 3 grams of tea per 6 oz serving. Please note, for denser teas this is about 1 teaspoon; for larger-leaf teas this could be up to 2 tablespoons.

Steep for 2-3 minutes. Remove the leaves when ready -- rely on taste, not color. Use a large enough strainer basket to allow the leaves to open and release their flavor.

Get to know the tea by playing with the amount of leaf, the water temperature, and steeping time. Re-steep to make another cup!

For more about brewing tea, visit our Brewing Notes page.

Silom Art Walk

A bias for action

http://www.ad-asia.com/news/situationrepoupdate.htm

"Before I retired I was a partner in a big public accounting firm in San Francisco. I remember a client CEO of a medium-sized bank trying to shake things up. The bank had been stodgy, family-run for 100 years. The new CEO wanted to streamline operations, offer new products, and compete more aggressively. To do these things, he told me, he planned to hire people with a bias for action. That phrase--a bias for action--stuck in my mind. I decided that's the way I wanted to live. Vicki and I talked it over and made it a rule. When we're indifferent, we choose the path that involves trying something new, taking a step, or shaking things up. We bias toward errors of commission rather than errors of omission.

Consider small things. If choosing from a menu between a favorite dish or something new, other things being equal, opt for something new. Can't decide whether the weekend trip is worth the hassle of driving out of town? Take the trip. If asked to take on a fund-raising drive--pros and cons, can't decide--take it on.

The rule also works for big things."
Paul TerhorstRoving “Retire Early” Editor, International Living

Wat Umong

"Wat Umong (or Oomong) is one of my favorite temples in Chiang Mai. It can be an especially magical place just after the rainy season has ended, around early October or November.

Wat Umong is unique in many respects. For one, it's built in the foothills of Suthep mountain and is still heavily forested. But the most unique feature of the temple are the tunnels which give the wat its name (umong is the Thai word for "tunnel").

The temple and its tunnels were built in the late 14th century. On a level open space, a large artificial mound was built and then criss-crossed with tunnels. The legend is that the temple was built like this for a highly regarded monk who was nonetheless a little crazy. The somewhat maze-like tunnels kept the mad monk from wandering off.

The monastery was later abandoned and wasn't used again until the 1940's. The long disuse is probably what accounts for the overgrown atmosphere of the temple. That's why the temple is so great to visit right after the rains have gone. The brick walls of the mound are covered with moss and small plants. Other stone works are covered in moss and vines."

Michael Holland
http://thailandforvisitors.com/north/chiangmai/umong/index.html

Well travelled luggage II

Blue Elephant Cooking School - Bangkok

http://www.blueelephant.com/school/index.html

Rory Spowers

Rory Spowers has been living near Galle in south Sri Lanka, with his wife and two sons, since March 2004. Rory’s background is as a writer, researcher and broadcaster whose last book, Rising Tides, a history of ecological thought, was critically acclaimed in the UK by The Sunday Times, The Observer and a variety of magazines. He is a featured writer at Travelintelligence and has presented various travel programmes for BBC radio.

Rory’s first book, Three Men on a Bike, was a bizarre tale of cycling through Africa with friends on the original three-seater ‘trandem’ used by The Goodies on BBC TV. This trip inspired Rory to walk the length of India in 1996, making a pilgrimage from Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the country, up to Calcutta.

In 2002, Rory co-founded The Web of Hope (WoH) (www.thewebofhope.com), a UK registered charity compiling an expanding on-line database of role models for sustainability, social justice and positive change.

Som Tam at Taling Chan