Chiang Mai Another Moment

I had to renew my passport and I figured the best place to do it would be Chiang Mai. There's a U.S. consulate there, plus a jazz scene with unexplored gems. My friends Nu and Yok from Jazz Happens in Bangkok had told me they would be in Chiang Mai in mid-January, so I decided to surprise them.

But first, I want to comment on the horrendous air quality Bangkok faced when I left. They even seeded the air with water to make it rain.

Anyways, I greeted Fai at About A Bed and checked in. Look at me, returning to the same hostel! She said I still had time to make it to the jazz bar, and a light went on above my head. I booked a Grab to Moment's Notice, the new jazz bar, and I saw the two sitting outside. I jumped out and shouted, "Hey!" They were stoked to see me! First, they asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you went to Korea!" Second, they asked, "Where's your trumpet?" I had left it at the hostel because I was unsure about bringing it to this jazz bar for the first time. I took another two cab rides to get it. Worth it!

Moment's Notice is, like Jazz Happens, a small and intimate venue. It's also clean and upscale, giving the impression that it is indeed brand new. The owner, Tao, is a solid bass player and an overall great guy. All the staff are warm and encouraging, welcoming me with smiles and kind words every time I arrived. And I came there nearly every night! Bring my trumpet, play in on a few songs, have fun.

My passport processing went quickly despite the federal government shutdown. While I was in Chiang Mai, I drank more coffee and visited Moment's Notice. Speaking of coffee, I ran into the owner of Ristr8to!

I also learned swing dancing! I know it's something I totally could have done in America. One night at Moment's Notice, two people started swing dancing to "Under My Skin" and it really changed the atmosphere. Afterwards, I met one of them, a Chinese woman named Echo. She invited me to Chiang Mai Swing Dance at One Nimman. I went and fumbled around. Swing dance is like jazz music, though, and there are no wrong answers! I enjoyed myself!

My phone broke. One night at Moment's Notice, my phone started bugging out. I shut it off only to not be able to turn it back on. My hostel is next to the Samsung customer service center, so I took my Galaxy S6 there. They said they would first test the motherboard, then test the battery. Batteries are replaceable, but boards are not. And my problem was the board! In a foreign country without a smartphone in the 21st century seemed like a situation I better avoid. So I went to the mall to buy a new smartphone. This explains the difference in picture quality here onwards.

In addition to some swing dancers, I met some Korean tourists at Moment's Notice. I'm very happy that young Koreans not only travel but find and blog about jazz venues.

On top of all that, I explored further into the city a bit including through Chiang Mai University and some city gardens.