Chiang Mai - Part Two

On our first full day at Happy House we walked down the lane nearby to see what we would see, and we discovered the Donchai Guesthouse And Cafe, and Nuy (or Noi), it's joint owner and chef, along with Brit husband Barry. These folks are so helpful it's almost confusing. We've enjoyed Nuy's cooking numerous times since that initial discovery, and we rented Nuy's sister Rem's car to drive up to Pai (more on that in an upcoming post). We drove with Barry to The King's Garden for a couple of hours of natural beauty and delight, 

and I've shared a few games of pool with him, my first in about 49 years I reckon. They are both helping us figure out the best way to get Nancy her letrazole, if that should be possible, through a senior nurse friend of Nuy's and transportation provided by Barry. 

Since that first day we've been back and forth about being here in the city. Bottom line is always that this isn't where we belong, and the stress of it adds up, even if it goes unnoticed. I had a scare last night when we went with Barry and Nuy to her friend's clinic to see about getting letrazole, and as part of the welcome Barry and I were offered blood pressure checks. Mine was 163 over 103, too high to be ignored, and it put me into a bit of a tailspin. There are any number of factors that could have contributed to this reading, including city stress, motorbike responsibilites, diet, and having inhaled Flonase just before leaving. In any case, I decided to go to a local hospital today to see what was up. Within about 10 minutes I was registered and had my blood pressure checked, and it was fine, at 131 over 83, which is the kind of reading I normally get at home on Cerro Chato. Any time I'm in the neighborhood, please come in and have it checked again. Cost? Zero. From there we went to a recommended local pharmacy where I stocked up on my blood pressure meds. About $8.50 for a month's supply. 

We hired Nuy's friend Ray to take us by tuk tuk on this excursion into town, and the relief of that was palpable for me. With Terra arriving tonight, and with plans to see this and that around the city, I guess Ray's tuk tuk will be getting some business in the next few days. An added expense, certainly, but right now it feels to me that reducing my stress level is the important issue, and this will help do that.