Thailand Trip Report

[RanzB]

So... On Wednesday was the cooking class. We chose the in-town option from Asia Scenic Cooking School, from 8ish til around 3:30ish.

Cost was 1000Baht and worth every penny in my opinion.





We started at the school but were taken to a local market, where we had a gander at some of the local ingredients on offer, including fresh produce, meat etc.





We then headed back to the school where we checked out their backyard garden, where they grow a lot of their own herbs and aliums etc.

The courses you can make are a selection of:

Salad
Spring Roll
Stir Fry
Soup
Curry (+ making the paste from scratch)
Dessert

 

[RanzB]

I went with the stir fried basil and chicken:



Papaya Salad:



Spring Roll:





Curry and Paste (Khao Soi)

 

[Zenbaas]

Awesome photos and feedback man. Have been there twice and will probably make a plan to go in the next 2 years or so again. Love the place.

 

[RanzB]

Soup choice was tom yum goong:



And dessert was mango sticky rice:



The course really was a ton of fun and if I definitely recommend it.

After the course we rolled out into Chiang Mai. TF had been wanting a tattoo in Thailand but hadn't found the right place yet so we walked around for a few hours. We stopped by the women's prison massage centre, but they were already closed and in any case I wasn't that comfortable with the idea.

Around supper time I wanted to try a different khao kha moo place I had heard about, and it turned out I had heard right.



This dude's version had a lot more flavour than the Cowboy Lady's dish. Not knocking hers, but his was just one dimension better. So good..

After supper we headed to Nimman Road proper, close to Maya Mall. Things were in full swing, with a night market, some concert happening in a Chang mini-stadium thing in front of the mall, and the streets were buzzing.



I stopped at a night stall and had these little pork sticks, I had seen them everywhere but these seemed special..





I had one. Then I had another.. Then I had two more.. I had to tear myself away..

 

[Readsalot]

You haven't tried satays yet? Or have I missed it?

Don't know if it's just me, but I couldn't stop eating them. There was one street stall close to the place we were staying that sold them and I stopped there nearly every day to pick up a bag of them. Then I'd usually have to fight off the rest of the family to make sure they left me some!

I stopped at a night stall and had these little pork sticks, I had seen them everywhere but these seemed special..
...
I had one. Then I had another.. Then I had two more.. I had to tear myself away..

Congratulations! You have now discovered satays!

Long may your addiction last...

 

[RanzB]

On Thursday TF was booked for a trip to the Ethical Elephant Sanctuary so I was by myself. I walked over to Khao Soi Mae Sai, a km or so from our apartment in Chiang Mai. This is one of the most recommended Khao Soi places in CM, and it's easy to see why. It was way better than Khao Soy Nimman. Also - cheap.

I ordered the chicken khao soi.

****ing fantastic. It was so good I ordered the beef next

Even better with added pickled cabbage and onions.

 

[RanzB]

Hope you had dragon fruit

I did. It was ok I guess. Reminded me of pears.

You haven't tried satays yet? Or have I missed it?

Don't know if it's just me, but I couldn't stop eating them. There was one street stall close to the place we were staying that sold them and I stopped there nearly every day to pick up a bag of them. Then I'd usually have to fight off the rest of the family to make sure they left me some!

Congratulations! You have now discovered satays!

Long may your addiction last...

Is that satay? I thought satay was the skewer one with the sauce.

Awesome photos and feedback man. Have been there twice and will probably make a plan to go in the next 2 years or so again. Love the place.

Yeah I need to go back...

 

[Barbarian Conan]

Coming to Chiang Mai?



Unpleasant because it was too hot?



Apparently Ko Lanta was similar back then.

Yup. As in go stand outside for a while and wait for the burning to stop.

I had a similar experience in Sydney after a way too mild dish at a different restaurant. It was delicious for a first couple of bites, then I lost the ability to taste anything.
In SA hot curry has been pretty consistent for me. I like this about SA.

 

[Readsalot]

I did. It was ok I guess. Reminded me of pears.





Is that satay? I thought satay was the skewer one with the sauce.



Yeah I need to go back...

Yebo, those are satays. As far as I know they use pieces of bamboo to skewer the meat before grilling it.

When I bought them they would give me a little extra sauce on the side. A satay sauce doesn't have to be peanut sauce, but it's the most common and popular variation so most of the time peanut sauce and satay sauce mean the same thing.

Happy eating!

 

[Barbarian Conan]

Your post is making me jealous. I had a lot of fun in Thailand, but you are just taking it to the next level!

 

[RanzB]

Yup. As in go stand outside for a while and wait for the burning to stop.

I had a similar experience in Sydney after a way too mild dish at a different restaurant. It was delicious for a first couple of bites, then I lost the ability to taste anything.
In SA hot curry has been pretty consistent for me. I like this about SA.

I'm Indian, so I welcome the heat Nah I get what you're saying. too bad there isn't a consistent scale of spiciness.

Yebo, those are satays. As far as I know they use pieces of bamboo to skewer the meat before grilling it.

When I bought them they would give me a little extra sauce on the side. A satay sauce doesn't have to be peanut sauce, but it's the most common and popular variation so most of the time peanut sauce and satay sauce mean the same thing.

Ah OK, TIL Man those things are awesome.. Had them at pretty much every subsequent market we visited..

Happy eating!

I flew back yesterday

Your post is making me jealous. I had a lot of fun in Thailand, but you are just taking it to the next level!

Thanks bud, it was a lot of fun and I'll definitely be heading back.

 

[bokka1]

Thanks for the ongoing trip report, I really enjoyed that.

 

[APoc184]

Definitely.

Certainly convinced me of our next holiday destination.

 

[RanzB]

After Khao Soi Mae Sai I was stuffed, so I walked around Chiang Mai Nimman area for a while, seeing the sites. The night before we had arrived at Maya Mall but it was closing, I decided to go check it. It's a mall. Pretty much.

KFC prices in Chiang Mai:

I didn't stay for that long.

I was interested in getting a Sak Yant, a Buddhist tattoo with 'sacred' connotations, so I headed to one of the official shops to enquire about price, but they didn't have any bookings unfortunately.

Chiang Mai has a couple of highly rated roasted chicken places, one being SP chicken, which was a ways away. I hopped on a songthaew (30B standard fare pretty much anywhere in the city) and made my way there for lunch.

To be honest I wasn't really impressed. It was standard roast chicken and not done particularly well. My own roast chicken blows this one out of the water, even with the sauce they provide. When I go back I'll try Cherng Doi, maybe that one is good.

 

[RanzB]

Thanks for the ongoing trip report, I really enjoyed that.

Definitely.

Certainly convinced me of our next holiday destination.

Good to know people are still reading

Apoc you'll love it.

 

[bokka1]

I always ask people what would they do differently once they return and have time to think about the holiday.

I will give you time to contemplate.

 

[RanzB]

I always ask people what would they do differently once they return and have time to think about the holiday.

I will give you time to contemplate.

I already know. Will do a wrap up at the end and it will include that.

 

[RanzB]

After SP chicken I got back to Nimman and did some admin, picked up some laundry from the shop below our apartment (40-60baht/kg) and headed out for a coffee. Ristr8to in Nimman is quite highly rated so I stopped off there for an iced coffee which was delicious if a bit on the high side for Chiang Mai. I also snagged a glass noodle sausage from a street vendor

I then headed back to the flat where TF was waiting, back from the Elephant Sanctuary, an experience she absolutely loved.

Supper was at a local Nothern Thai style restaurant called Tong Tem Toh in Nimman. It has absolutely crazy lines and an interesting way to sort through the crowds.

I don't know if I'm a fan of Northern Thai cuisine. I prefer the balance of flavours from 'normal' Thai food rather than the influences from the North. Or maybe I've just eaten at some places that I don't enjoy. Not sure yet. More experimentation has to be done.

 

[RanzB]

It was a big elephant day for TF.

Having found a tattoo place she was happy with the previous day, it was time for her booking.

Not the best pic, but I think it came out really cool and she loves it The parlour was Forever Tattoo in Chiang Mai, and I think the cost was 1500B.

After the tattoo parlour we headed to the food night market at Warorot Market. We didn't eat or buy anything except a few waters, it's not really a big market compared to some of the others.

We headed back to the Cowboy Lady section as TF wanted a banana nutella pancake for dessert. I grabbed a watermelon smoothie, delicious and also cools you down in the heat.

To end the night we got massages, my first and TF's third. I'm not really a fan of massages but after days and days of pounding the pavement it really does bring a lot of relief, and most of the masseurs seem quite skilled, even if they all seem to have their own styles.

Half an hour foot massage was 150B.

 

[poffle]

I love their foot massages. It's heavenly and so cheap. You did Thailand well!