Moht Yim (Smiling Ant)

Hilary, Noah and I had a fun and relaxing weekend. We got Thai massages Friday night. They are very intense and a little bit painful at first. As far as I can tell, the massage is based on the body meridians which are lines of circulation. The masseurs also use some kinds of accupressure and stretches that remind me a lot of yoga. After attending a mandatory meeting on Saturday morning (boo!) we went to the Healthy Boy vegetarian restaurant. It was delicious and very cheap. Also, the food had a more Indian taste so it was a nice reprieve from Thai food. Saturday night we met up with Hilary's friend Dave who is a teacher in Lampang. He took us to a nice restaurant and then we met up with some other foreigners at a little quiet place called the Au-Si Bar. After some drinks and conversation, we went down to Moht Yim which is the really happening club in Lampang. You have to pay a cover to get in, but you can bring your own drinks and there are live shows all night long. The best word to describe this place is a spectacle. There was this huge dragon head coming out of the wall and it awoke to signal that the show was starting. It's eyes lit up different colors and it's head swung back and forth. Then the band came out and started playing "Who Let the Dogs Out" and suddenly a bunch of dancers came on stage dressed as dalmations. They did these choreographed dog dances and rolled all over the stage. After that number, the MC came out. He is what the Thai call a "lady boy"...basically a drag queen and he does some jokes and sings some songs. Throughout the night various singers, dancers and performers filled the stage. It was really cool. Everybody in the building was dancing and singing along to their favorite songs. Some of the music was Thai pop and love ballads but there was also a Snoop Dogg song and some love songs in English. It was definitely an experience!