Some afternoons after class, I walk around the old town and shoot textures and basically anything that grabs my attention. There’s something very meditative about photography when it’s unhinged from any particular mission or objective. Very enjoyable, indeed.

If I’m in town long enough, I’ll then hitch a ride with my host, Khun Dow, the mother of the family where I’m staying. She runs a small vegetable shop at a medium-sized market a few blocks outside Chiang Mai’s old town.

The market is in the middle of a busy residential neighborhood and you can buy just about every imaginable variation of fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers there. I love Asian food markets and especially those in Thailand where there is always an abundance of smells, colors and sounds to keep me busy.

I got to “Kit Kom” market a little early yesterday and walked around the block a couple of times. It was about 7:00 pm (we leave for the homestay at 7:30 pm) and the area’s sidewalk shops were about to close. The sun had just gone down and the day’s heat was slowly dissipating. Folks were just hanging around, chatting and I guess getting ready to head home. During my wait, I walked passed and smiled at the flower lady, complimenting her beautiful arrangements (with my limited Thai vocabulary). Like most people here, her default facial expression was covered in a smile, so she beamed back and thanked me politely.

I’ve always wondered why it’s so easy for some people to smile so spontaneously and so seemingly hard for others.

I am now into my second week at the Qigong course and things are intensifying. Which is good, as long as I can replicate my learnings upon returning home…