After a 5 ½-hour bus ride from Sukhothai, we ate dinner at The Whole Earth in Chiang Mai, a restaurant Alexa visited with her family when they traveled to Thailand a few years ago, and that her parents found during their trip to Thailand in 1990. We enjoyed delicious Indian and Thai dishes, including Masaman curry, garlic naan, lemongrass garlic chicken, and spicy stewed lentils, in a string-lit garden, a calming break from traffic and travel.
The next day, we wandered through Chiang Mai, popping in temples and flowery courtyards. We booked a cooking class for our second day and an elephant sanctuary trekking tour for our third. At Wat Phra Singh and another temple, old monks sat perfectly still as they meditated in the Buddhist shrines. They were so motionless that we wondered if they were actually wax figures; it was impossible to see them move their eyes or breathe, which was especially impressive given the many curious visitors wandering in and out. We spent a good 20 minutes pondering how they reached such an intense meditative state. After zooming in closely on one of the photos while writing this post, the sign confirms that they are indeed wax statues, albeit eerily lifelike – quite the illusion.
Muay Thai
That evening, we met a guy in our hostel, David, who is the brother of Alexa’s classmate – a true small world experience. He joined us as we walked to a heavily advertised Muay Thai (boxing) match that we discovered was called off, as evidenced by the empty stadium. We met a Brazilian man, Igor, who also wanted to see Muay Thai, so he joined our group as we headed to the Thapae Stadium. We negotiated entry tickets from 500 baht (about $15.75) to 400 baht ($12.60), a great deal considering the included free drink of cheap Thai whiskey mixed with Pepsi. The first few acts were clumsily staged, but the final faceoff between an expat Australian and a Thai home favorite was an exciting match that lasted until the final punch in the 5th round. The physically smaller, but more durable and determined Thai boxer was victorious.
We enjoyed a late night meal at Midnight Sticky Rice, a local favorite, which had some of the best fried chicken (and sticky rice) we'd ever had. Cooking Class
The cooking class at Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School answered many of our questions about the flavors and ingredients so different from those we are used to in the United States. Our guide, Tik, showed us through the herb garden at the school and took us to a local market to explore noodles, spices, rices, and vegetables that infuse Thai food with such complex flavors. At the suggestion of an Australian man in our group, we all bought several Chang and Leo beers from 7-Eleven before starting the actual cooking.
Alexa and I together made tom yam soup, tom kha soup, khao soi (a favorite!), pad thai, hot basil chicken, Masaman curry, and spring rolls – all excellent with Tik’s instruction and supervision. Most of the dishes shared a base of shrimp oil, garlic, chili, a spoonful of sugar, tamarind sauce, and sometimes oyster sauce, and many included egg, tofu, or chicken for protein. Armed with our new recipe books, we will try to replicate the meal as well as we can at home.
2 Comments
Sammy
1/14/2018 03:35:30 pm
Amazing food descriptions; I wanna try the recipes when i visit!! Funny about the wax statues. Looks so fun!
Reply
Alexa
1/23/2018 07:29:16 pm
My cooking skills are getting even better than my mojito-making ones! Can’t wait for you to visit!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Email subscribe:
Archives
September 2018
|