The city's East gate.

We began the last leg of our trip with another wonderful meal at Chaing Dao Nest then hung out checking email, backing up photos and just generally relaxing. Shortly after a wonderful lunch our transport arrived. This time we specifically asked for a van. The owner of Chiang Dao Nest was a little confused why we wanted to pay more for an actual van, but it was worth it. Adrian still got a little motion sick, but it was much more comfortable on the windy roads.

A couple hours later we arrived in old Chaing Mai. Chaing Mai was once a walled city with square outer wall encompassing about a square mile. Except for a few sections and gates that have been restored, most of the wall is gone. It has been replaced by a corridor where the wall once stood, that now serves as a public walk way and a border between the old city and the newer city.

Jam circles are a staple of the lindyhop world. When you get some of the best dancers in the world together, they are spectacular. A song comes on, someone starts clapping and the next thing you know everyone is gathered around a 2 meter wide circle on the floor to watch the action. At lindyfest, with hundreds of dancers on the floor, seeing anything can be impossible unless you happen to be there at the right moment.

The first 2 jam circles that I was present for, one on Friday and the other around midnight on Saturday were a wash for me. I was stuck in the back, barely able to see. I could only take pictures by holding the camera over my head and pressing the button. However, as the band wound up its final set on Saturday evening (well Sunday morning) at 3:00AM, I suspect their encore might spark a jam so I grabbed my camera and began milling about near the stage.

I was right, and I was rewarded with a place on the edge of the circle, lying on the floor next to the stage. That is as good as it gets. Sweat from the flailing dancers was the least of my worries. Getting kicked in the head while looking through the view finder was a real risk. These pictures were taken with my 35mm f/1.8 lens with the aperture wide open using a SB-600.  Even so the amount of light was barely sufficient for portraits, much less fast action with the song surging along at 200+ beats per minute. All I could do is point the camera and try to hit the button at the right split second. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and while these photos are not ideal exposures, they are some of my favorite photos to date.

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Lindyfest, held annually in Houston, is a large lindy hop event. It draws large crowds from all over the world and includes teachers and performers from the top tiers of the lindy hop world. 2010 was no exception. What is different this year is that I stopped dancing long enough to try to capture a few snap shots.

This post includes images from the visiting professional dancers and instructors, Houston’s own Hepcats and a group of local kids instructed by the Hepcat’s own Jerry Foote (who co-DJed my wedding if anyone is keeping score). Jerry’s kids’ performance was particularly inspiring. A group of 11 to 14 years olds got up and performed 2 routines, one lindy hop and one hip hop in front of 500+ hard core dancers right beside the pro lindy hoppers. They never missed a beat. That is guts!

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The Chiang Dao Nest Sign.

After 2 days of temple hopping we were ready for something more relaxing and Chiang Dao fit the bill perfectly. Chiang Dao is a small town 2 hours North of Chiang Mai in a mountain valley. We traveled over night, this time in a second class sleeper car the Chiang Mai then caught a taxi to Chiang Dao. The drive was somewhat trying. This wasn’t a normal taxi, but a Thai taxi, which is just a small pickup with a camper shell on the back. Both Adrian and I got motion sick on the windy mountain road.

The ride was quickly forgotten once we arrived at Chiang Dao Nest, a small bungalow resort nestled into the side of the valley. It proved to be another wonderful choice. We were greeted with a glass of iced lemon grass and ginger tea and a short orientation to the area. Shortly after we were shown to our bungalow, complete with wonderful views of the mountains. Over the next several days we explored the surrounding area, including the Chiang Dao cave, a beautiful dry cave filled with small shrines.

On a cold and rainy night I decided to catch the metro to the national mall. The theory being that the blowing, nearly freezing rain would ensure that no one else would be out. Man was I wrong. The Lincoln Monument and Viet Nam Memorial were full of jubilant teenage tourists, which was somewhat anti-climactic given the somber nature of these memorials. Never the less I enjoyed the freezing walk around the various monuments in the vicinity of the Lincoln Monument.

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