Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


	S.P. Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 11/1 Soi 3 Bamrungburi Rd., T. Prasingh, A. Muang., Chiang Mai 50200 Tel. 053 - 814 455-6 Fax. 053 - 814 457 E-mail: guidelin@loxinfo.co.th

Following The Upward Spiral

Text : Martha Berner
Images : Apirak

Like many of the foreigners who one day find themselves living in the great city of Chiang Mai, when Nick Wiszynski first came to Thailand, he was on his way to someplace else. "I just wanted to leave America." Nick found someone to help him break it down to the basics. "Get a passport, then you get a plane ticket. And once that ball rolls…then you're off. Voila." Nick was 19 years old at the time and had a crush on Japan. "Japan was uh…not so fun, kind of tough at 19. I had no idea how to take care of myself, in terms of work and 'going out and getting it done' kind of thing - especially in a foreign country. But I think that's great though, that's the best way to do it. To have absolutely no idea and just jump in. That's how you learn a trade, or in this case, the trade of travel." But Kyoto, cold and expensive, was not what Nick had hoped for. "It was ten days of sleeping outside. " Having just come from Thailand, the novice traveler knew he could rest his head there for a mere 100 baht a night.

After four years of teaching English in and around Chiang Mai, Nick finally found what he was looking for. "Street performing came two years ago. My contract [teaching English] was going to end and I had to decide to go home or extend the contract, neither of which I wanted to do."

And then something very unexpected happened that would change the direction of Nick's life, perhaps forever.

“They had actually come three years ago to Chiang Mai. What they are is a bunch of travelers, young people on bicycles, tall bikes,” (an unusually tall bicycle most commonly constructed by individuals from spare parts), “not regular bikes. Imagine ten of these guys just rolling down the street - it's very surreal. They're traveling the world on these bicycles for four-plus years. I was pretty amazed when I saw that this was possible.” Nick says that meeting the Cyclown Circus was like having a blinder lifted from over his eyes. “Through fate a year later, I bumped into one of the Cyclowns as they were coming back through Chiang Mai and one of the guys was leaving and he sold me his tall bike.” For Nick, the puzzle pieces were finally coming together. “So I thought, 'Ok, I can quit my job, join up with these clowns (quite literally!) and ride a bike to China. It took me a month and a half to get to Hong Kong through Laos. I took a few trains, did a little bit of hitchhiking, but mostly I pedaled. China was cool. I got to be on TV and in newspapers. It was fun.”

After about a month and a half the group split up. The budding street performer concluded that, while incredibly grateful for the eye-opening experience that would kick-off his life's ambition, he was perhaps better suited for a career in solo performance. “The end of their journey was just the start of mine.”

“I don't think I would be doing what I do now, with coins and cards, if I hadn't come to Chiang Mai. And I don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't doing this. Chiang Mai sucked me in by its charm of course - as it does everyone.”

After spending some time that summer in London, polishing his new-found trade and meeting some of the world's most famous buskers, Nick returned to Chiang Mai and began working his trade on the streets of Thailand. He performs six to eight shows a week, or as often as he can.

“The street shows are working, for now. Sometimes planned, sometimes spontaneous.” Nick works for tips and makes enough to get by. But he lives on a budget. “I have to really watch my budget, which is another great thing about Chiang Mai - you can actually get by on a budget, while at the same time enjoying a coffee, or a massage. In Chicago? Forget it.”

Nick's show, “The Upward Spiral”, is a charming blend of magic, music, and (mostly) silent comedy. He carries himself with an air of humility and confidence, instantly warming a crowd he so masterfully gathers (and keeps!). After a few rounds of impressive tricks and wit, the Midwest native gracefully explains to the crowd (first in Thai, then in English) that if they enjoyed the show, a tip of appreciation would be welcome. But there's a catch! - It must only come from the heart.

“It's called The Upward Spiral because a downward spiral is when people keep making bad decisions in life and things go wrong, and not positive. And the upward spiral is the opposite. When you make good decisions and good choices and everything around you gets better.”

While Nick comes and goes from Chiang Mai now (carrying his show to and fro), of the quaint little city in the mountains of Thailand, he says “Chiang Mai is always going to be a part of my life, for sure.”