The Lady of Yourhouse

Written by: Paulista Bunga and Nadhiya Najab.

“Welcome to “Yourhouse Guesthouse”! Take off your shoes and treat this as your own house as this is no longer my house” was what greeted us as we arrived at our destination in Chiang Mai. “Yourhouse” guesthouse was where we would be spending our nights and whatever free time we had and because of Aunty Sin it was a place we called home for the duration of our stay in Chiang Mai.

Miss Sunanta Thakas, fondly referred to as Aunty by most of us became an integral part of our visit to Chiang Mai as she was more than just our land lady but also a friend and a primary go-to person for anything we could possibly need from breakfast to telling us about places of interest, helping us get tickets and most importantly discounts for almost everything we could want via her impressive connections within Chiang Mai.

Auntie Sin: All smiley at work

Her warm personality and her perpetual smile each time we met her left a definite impression on us, making us wonder what put that smile on her face. So we sat down with her to find out more about her past, her present and her plans for the future.

Coming from a very poor farmer’s family, she was determined to have a better life than if she had remained in her hometown of Lamphun and so she came to Chiang Mai at the age of 20 to help her cousin run the guesthouse. She was involved with almost every aspect of the operations from the restaurant to reception, provided her with enough experience and confidence to open up her very own guesthouse in 1990. Starting small with only 6 rooms, she has gradually expanded to three properties with 44 rooms in total. The guesthouse we are currently occupying is “Yourhouse” 3 the latest addition to her operations, coincidentally the only one belonging entirely to her.

According to Aunty Sin, down the street from where “Yourhouse” guest house is situated used to be quiet and full of greenery but today when we walk down the street we find a number of other guesthouses and eateries, all catering to and competing for the patronage of visitors. The increase in competition together with the political situation earlier in the year resulted in a decrease in the number of foreign tourist to Chiang Mai with room occupation rates dropping to as low as 5%. However, after having experienced the hospitality and her friendliness we have no doubts that once the dust settles around the political situation “Yourhouse” will be back in business and she will hopefully have to fight off the customers wanting a slice of heaven at the hand of Aunty Sin.

The fluency of her English and her occasional use of French words when conversing with us had us wondering what influenced her to learn the languages. She told us about only having had four years of formal education but her interest in the hospitality trade increased her enthusiasm to learn different languages to be able to better communicate with her guests. Her French was further improved when she married a French man in 1989. This marriage however did not last very long as they separated after 8 years because the differences in work ethics which made it difficult to maintain their relationship. This had not stopped Sin from achieving her goals in life. The end of her marriage with her husband who was also a friend and business partner had reinforced her determination to never mix business with pleasure.

Auntie Sin coming to show support for our cultural performances

Attending to the needs of her guests is a full time job which leaves her with very little free time. Aunty Sin however does not see this to be a shortcoming because she enjoys the opportunities available to her to meet new people and considers this aspect to be the highlight of her job. When she does get the opportunity, Sin likes to meet up with her girl friends for a “ladies lunch” where they talk, gossip and catch up with each others lives. Though she spends little time outside her work, there is a connotation that her work is her life, both social and personal.

In terms of her plans for the future, they are not definitive. Realistically, she would love to expand her business to include a Thai cooking school conducted in French and also a swimming pool. Presently however, she lives for the day, as it provides enough fulfillment to better prepare her for the future.

A warm, bubbly and welcoming person, Aunty Sin has definitely made an impression on each of our travelers ensuring that if we were to visit Chiang Mai again a stay at “Yourhouse” would definitely be high on the “to do” list.

In front of Yourhouse, no, Ourhouse.

Video: Farewell Gift by Joe

Photo Album: Day 7

See More

Thai Massage for Dummies

Written by: Marsella Agatha

As we might continue to place upon ourselves the stresses on daily basis, the nurturing hands of masseuses would be an extraordinary method to sooth your senses and free the tension within the body. Thai massage as one of the wide variety of massages, is renowned for the healing treatments for mind and body which has been proved for over years.

Thai massage originated in India then made its way to Thailand through the transmission of Buddhism. This exhilarating treatment has been traditionally practiced by the monks to induce a calming effect on the minds as it gives relaxation with meditative quality. Thai massage bases its treatments on numerous practices, namely Chinese acupuncture, Ayurveda and Yoga; this treatment bases its principles on maintaining the flow of circulation in the body by focusing on the ten invisible energy lines called Sen. According to Mr. Lex Red, the teacher of Chang Daeng Thai massage school, it is vital to remove any blockages along these energy lines to enhance a smooth flow of blood circulation and energy throughout the human body system.

Among the plethora massages that exist, none intrigued me as much as Thai massage. Therefore, I had been contemplating on the idea of experiencing this form of heavenly practice on one of the last days of this In Search of Chiang Mai trip. Chang Daeng Thai massage was recommended by our guesthouse host, Aunty Sin, a convenient place just fifteen minutes away from our guesthouse.

They offer several types of massage namely Thai, foot, and oil massage. The use of oil is not essential in the traditional Thai massage yet nowadays, it is acceptable to blend the use of oil in the modern Thai massage. The appliance of oil will enhance numerous benefits, i.e. softens the skin, nourishes the skin, gets rid of dry spots on your skin, and eliminates toxins from your body. The relaxation process is enhanced with the choice of being massaged on a paddled floor mattress or bed. Mr. Lex Red distinguished between those two; the first is designed for a stronger pressure massage while the latter is designed for the light or medium. Another characteristic of Thai massage is that it does not require the removal of clothes as an authentic loose fitted clothing will be loaned - to facilitate comfort during massage.

The massage begins on the right leg and ends on the left, each spanning 25 minutes. Followed by a hand massage for 10 to 15 minutes and then back massage for another 20 minutes. The final 10 to 15 minutes is spent massaging the head. Each Thai massage movement also incorporates slow stretching movements which are carried out continuously to ensure a release of tension in the body, thus leading to a complete relaxation and soul rejuvenation.

Some of the techniques are very much feels like Yoga; the practitioner will manipulate the client into different yoga positions throughout the session. It gets painful on each of the tense areas. In my case, it was around my leg: I could not help but scream when the thumb of the masseuse pressed my nervous muscle in order to release the blocked energy along the Sen lines. With that said, the massage did relief the tension in my legs, and my body as a whole – this becoming a testament to Thai massage’s effectiveness. For only 450 baht (RM 45), one can experience two full hours worth of Thai massage, which acts as a very effective form of stress relief. A refreshed spirit, calmness, balanced nervous system and an increased energy are some of the tremendous benefits that can be reaped from the overwhelming bodywork experience of Thai massage.

In Chiang Mai, you can stumble across Thai massage parlours at almost every corner, however not all of them are equally professional. The original Thai massage, involves many specific steps, ability to know specific parts of the human's body and also a lot of experience. Therefore, it is vital to try to find a masseuse who knows how to do the real Thai massage in order to reap the full benefits of this uniquely Thai experience.

For the Love of Balls

Written by: Eng Sze Jia.

Of course, I could have chosen to stay back at the guest house to catch up on sleep and avoid the crowd, but what a waste it would have been if I had done so, instead of being out there to witness a sea of supporters of Holland and Spain! If there is one area of knowledge I fail in, it’s my knowledge in soccer. And with that, the existence of the World Cup has systematically marginalized me from all its hype and daily conversations with people who would ramble on and on about the matches that happened the previous night.

Unlike mamaks back home, the vibrant Chiang Mai night life is filled with great bars and taverns that are frequented by many tourists and backpackers. The main reason why I decided to go out that fateful night was because my roomies convinced me that by staying back I would be missing out on a chance to witness a moment in world cup history a) in another country, b) with this sort of company, and c) in a place like Thailand. We did not need to endure an extra hour of sleeplessness that night, since the time in Thailand is one hour behind Malaysia.

But on a more honest note, I am a skeptic of the (in)famous Paul the octopus. I went out also because, along with my bunch of friends, I really wanted to watch it predict the results of the match wrongly. As soon as we walked down the lane into the main road, we saw a sea of people who were wearing orange and crowding in front of the The Wall - a Holland bar, whose existence is not surprising, since Chiang Mai is frequented by many Europeans. There was also an Irish bar just across the road, situated at the opposite of the Holland bar. A litter of red stood here and there seemingly unperturbed. The orange people kept on coming; climbing out of tuk-tuks and zooming around with scooters flocking the area.

In our troop of seven, there were two Spain supporters; decked in the Spanish jersey, we braved the stares as we walked past one bar after another and cheered with fellow Spanish supporters.

Since the bar that we planned to go had its crowd spilling into Ratwithi Road, we walked around in search of a cosy place that could accommodate us (and our rather tight budget) somewhere nearby. We finally settled at John’s Place two blocks away from the screaming Holland fans. We sat at the balcony, where we were greeted by the beautiful night scenery of Chiang Mai’s historical moat.

The part that affected me the most was that tourists were complete strangers to one another but became friends through undignified collective euphoria. A howl would echo in unison every time the team missed a goal. In addition, we were united in a lack of comprehension of Thai commentary. Yet the occasional names mentioned in English gave us a sense of place. It made us feel like we had finally arrived in Thailand. As I occasionally glanced at the road while watching the match, I noticed there was barely any traffic.

With beer in one hand and clenched fist in the other, Spain’s goals were an emotional release for those who had been supporting Spain, and also for those who wanted to go to bed. As many thank yous, goodbyes and profanities were exchanged, it was a pity that the two Spanish supporters had to wade their way through a sea of orange. Such is fate that they had the last laugh. The Octopus was right. Blast!

We can only speculate if the magic of the octopus would continue to live on.

A Delight for the Tight-Fisted

Written by: Abeer Yusuf

There is only one word that can aptly describe the shopping in Chiang Mai- ridiculous.

Roads and rows of souvenirs and knick-knacks line street after street, enticing one to pursue the time-consuming sport of shopping. Vibrant colours of token t-shirts and traditional sarongs flash past wandering eyes while sounds of tourists bargaining for lower prices in broken Thai fill the air. Welcome to Chiang Mai, land of dirt cheap prices and wealthy wallets.

Here one can seem to waste away thousands, only to come back and see that their amount of shopping is directly disproportionate to the amount spent (I meant this in a good way); not to mention, the quality of goods makes the money spent all the more worth it.

Shopping in Chiang Mai is till today very much traditional; shopping malls not having taken over the presence of the markets, unlike most other tourist destinations. In fact, there are only 2 shopping malls within the city, which are mostly favoured by the local students in search of some ‘air-conditioned’ respite from the blistering heat. Three of the most prominent markets here are the Night Bazaar, the Sunday Market and Warorot (Kad Luang) Market. Locals are obviously sold goods at cheaper prices as compared to foreigners, but prices are not highly marked up excessively for tourists, thereby not denting wallets much.

A young boy using his laptop while selling bananas

In analysing the shopping on offer, the writer has come up with three levels of identifying the goods sold. First, the ubiquitous t-shirts, key chains, magnets are the usual fare one can expect to find anywhere in the world, with the name of the particular city and country branded onto it. Second, the unique things Chiang Mai has to offer, which sometimes requires a bit of searching and looking below the surface, is not always obvious to the skimming eye; perhaps not always cultural but always creatively unique. Third, the things that belong to no particular region, currently in high demand, are modern artefacts that have no particular origin, homogenous commodities local to none, yet global to everyone such as paisley bags and hair bands.

The first market of interest was the Night Bazaar. Located in an upscale tourist area, the entire shopping compound is almost endless. Stall after stall offers enticing products like brass bracelets, flower shaped candles in lacquer boxes as well as traditional Thai silk and menswear. Bargaining here is a must-do, because each vendor will convince you that he is offering you a ‘special price’, ‘just for you’ which no one else has had the opportunity of being offered. Obviously, the price initially offered is a highly marked up price, therefore the best tip is to go as low as one can go, attaining a happy balance with the seller somewhere in between. There is one particular market situated within the Bazaar, where most of the stuff being sold outside can be found and bought at wholesale prices.

There is also a food court where dinner can be purchased using the coupon system. As such, it’s a good idea to get to the Bazaar early (it opens at around 7pm) to avoid rush hour and sweaty fellow shoppers. Another idea would be that since the Bazaar is on every night, and is just as crowded, any purposeful shopping that needs to be done could be done on Sundays when the rush is diverted to the Sunday market.

Coffeemobile!

The Sunday Market is perhaps the most important market in Chiang Mai, where both locals and tourists come out in throngs to simply shop. Beginning at Rachadamneon Road and stretching on for almost five kilometers. The only way to properly describe this market is epic. Literally everything and anything is sold here, from bees to stools shaped as cans to green pots that grow grass all over themselves. It may sound a bit nonsensical at this point, but one really must experience this extravaganza for themselves. The writer herself is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of markets, but in terms of the sheer awesomeness - for the lack of a better word - this market takes the cake. Case in point – mobile vans functioning as coffee bars. Not weird enough? Throw in a TV blaring Thai entertainment in the same van.

An elder one man band

As the entire market rests on two sides of a lane, the centre of the road functions as an island for performers to showcase their talents. Men and women, young and old, all perform for the walking public, with hats and musical cases open for any hands generous enough to contribute. Another extremely interesting concept is the amount of support the market gets. Along the entire stretch, there are a number of temples which for this one night (roads are cordoned off too) open up their premises to let sellers in, to sell their wares. Many sectors are even divided into food, clothes and such.

Yet another interesting observation is how the vendors all display their identification tag, which formalizes the entire night market process, not only preventing hawkers from unfairly poaching on potential customers from the licensed sellers, but also allowing the sellers to formalize the sale of their goods. Some vendors even wear a uniform. A word of caution though- bargaining as a true skill is really put to the test here, as vendors rarely refuse to mark down exorbitant prices.

The third market, where again, everything can be found, is the Warorot Market. Open during the day and favoured by the locals, its the busiest market where food, flowers and even fowl can be found in true, market style; brushing against tons of sweaty shoppers, bothered by the heat and sticky from the grime and grease of the atmosphere.

Hand-painted cards

So what’s good for tourists to buy? Apart from the first and second levels of shopping described above, there are traditional Thai music CDs, hair pins with beautiful exotic designs, organic skincare brands (on the streets yes!), hand-painted cards with traditional motifs, silver jewelry, and fairy lights in inventive shapes. Keep an eye out especially for brass jewelry as it is unique to Chiang Mai together with cheap traditional Thai original art. Temple ornaments are also easily available and make unique home décor.

Fancy lights which go for very cheap

One stall even sells clothes for dogs at the Sunday Market while another sells bikinis, all in one place. An interesting situation to look out for in these markets is also how the vendors combine the pursuit of entertainment with business where many vendors have their own portable DVD players or laptops which they use when not attending to a customer, a trait not quite common elsewhere. It is always an experience to eat local street food, such as ‘ancient ice-cream’ or taro puffs. Dinner at markets, as written above, is easily available, and at relatively cheap prices.

All together, shopping in Chiang Mai is an experience like in no other place, maybe not even Bangkok. Just make sure you plan your trip to include a Sunday.

Friends Without Borders

Written by: Eng Sze Jia.

Friends without Borders is an international NGO that focuses on promoting Human Rights and educating people about the issues related to indigenous communities, migrant workers and refugees. For instance, the people who they work with in Chiang Mai, Thailand are mostly Burmese refugees. These refugees risk their lives coming to Thailand in search of a better life, which their country’s authoritarian government cannot provide. These people who flee political violence are vulnerable to be exploited by agents, traffickers, on the way to Chiang Mai, and upon arriving at their destination.

Pin, the coordinator of the organization, explained to us a variety of dangers that both adult and children refugees face. The organization works to educate migrants about the rights they are entitled to, and also raises awareness about the plight of the refugees among the general Thai public. Apart from written publications and conferences, they also produce short films which provide a more visual account of their cause.

Hongsa’s School Bag (2009), produced by Th’blay Paw tells the story about an 11-year old boy of the Mon ethnicity who was born in Thailand. Hongsa lives with his parents who are migrant workers in Thailand. He receives the opportunity to attend a Thai special class for migrant children. He also yearns for a new school bag. In addition, he faces different types of pressure with the hope of gaining access to education and therefore, to a better quality of living. This film successfully shows what is at stake for migrant adults and children in Thailand.

There are humanitarian efforts in Thailand that allow children to attend Thai schools upon completion of a special course that teaches them Thai. However, children still face trouble in integrating themselves with the local children. Burmese children are often told not to mix with the Thais in fear of offending them and getting deported. At the same time, they are also misunderstood by the Thai society which segregates the two groups of children. Burmese children are also vulnerable to extortion, physical and sexual abuse. Pin explained that some girls or boys who are abducted become victims of human trafficking. Boys are sold to work at sea, while girls are raped and abandoned or forced into prostitution.

Mon people are Burmese who live along the Thai border. There are an estimated number of 3 million migrant workers in Thailand from Burma. Based on the media monitoring project that the NGO has conducted, Pin explained that mainstream media does not portray migrants in a favourable light. The media also uses migrants as a scapegoat of violent crime during the recent political struggle. Hence the migrants are usually misunderstood by society.

The Thai government requires them to obtain documentation. However, the procedures of applying for legal documents can be very difficult to access and expensive. Registration only allows them to be a temporary resident for 4 years. The reality is that they extend their stay beyond that permitted period. Hence, these Burmese migrant workers, both documented and undocumented, face risks of deportation or detention. Also, their job opportunities are nowhere near promising, only being allowed to take up jobs that locals are unwilling to do. In addition, they continue to risk deportation by their employers for misbehavior or improper conduct.

Pin explained that workers are paid less and do not always live in comfortable conditions. She said that Thailand seems to appreciate their labour as a means of boosting their economy, yet do not want to accommodate their family. Migrants of Mon ethnicity flee from political violence as a family instead of moving individually (individual migration). Children who are born in Thailand do not obtain proper documents, which make it difficult for them to gain access to education and health care. They constantly live in fear from deportation. If an adult gets caught and deported, this effectively separates the parent from the child. Upon being sent to the border, migrants are charged a fee by human traffickers to be sent back to Thailand. Hence they slip into debt again.

Migrants are an exploited people. It is therefore crucial that their rights are fought for.

 Goofing around outside Friends Without Borders Headquarters