The Sounds of Chiang Mai

A Boston-bound Thai massage practitioner messaged me on Facebook a few days before I left Chiang Mai.  He implored me to take recordings of the sounds of the places I loved or wanted to remember.  He said it was one thing he regretted not doing.  (He is Ross Knights and a very experienced Thai bodyworker in the Boston area, if you’re in the market for one.)

Although I didn’t capture every sound I would have liked to share — because I used Audicity on my laptop and you can’t always bust out a laptop — I do have some lovely recordings that take me right to the source.

Every morning, I had a ritual.  I’d get up earlier than Chiang Mai’s wats were opened, walk across the smaller sois to my favorite place for breakfast and coffee.  Eventually, regardless of where I was studying that day, we’d chant the morning wai khru (prayer to the teacher) and start the day. You’ll need to click the links for the audio files to open and start playing.

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This next recording is from Saliomjoy, the breakfast spot with the best latté art you’ve ever seen.  The place is overrun by languages.  You may be able to make out the French, some accented English, some Thai: Sailomjoy.

Finally, before you begin Thai bodywork, you pray.  Traditionally, you pray to Buddha, Dr. Shivago (the father of Thai medicine, Thai massage and the Buddha’s personal doctor), and the lineage (your family or line of personal teachers).  This is Jack Chaiya’s, of Lek Chaiya’s School of Nerve Touch, version of that prayer, AKA the Wai Khru: Jack Chaiya’s Wai Khru.