Chiang Mai, Thailand
19 Feb 2010 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wayfaringwordhack After another 8-hr bus ride (the first being between Ayutthaya and Sukhothai), we arrived in Chiang Mai. We had been pretty spoiled with the quality of the hotels we had stayed at up to that point, so imagine our severe disappointment when we were taken to a dump called Garden View Hotel, just south of the Old City. It was second in the Depressing Category of all the hotels we've stayed in around the world. It would take a bit more for it to beat the nightmare that was the extreme Oasis Hostel in Sajama, Bolivia.
No sooner had we shucked our bags then we headed back outside to find something a little more to our tastes for the morrow since it was only the first night in Chiang Mai that was covered by our "package" deal. Not far down the road, we found an excellent address, The Castle. I highly recommend it. It was clean and charming; the service was friendly, prompt, and helpful (it's family-run); and the breakfast was far better than down the road. This link goes to a YouTube video they made for it. Their homepage took me a little while to open.
Our room booked for the next night and loath to return to the Garden dump, we rented a scooter to explore the city (reservation kindly made by The Castle staff). Map in pocket and a vague idea of where we were (no thanks to the owner/manager? of the Garden), we promptly got lost. A kind stranger set us back on course but expressed his doubts (very politely) that the Garden Guy knew what he was talking about when he sent us off to "Chinatown." Apparently, where he said it was, it wasn't. :P
Instead, we headed to the Sunday Walking Street and enjoyed a night of strolling through the market and eating tasty steamed dumplings and papaya salad, Thai style.
We bought two lamps, too! Let's hope they make it back to France.
The next day, we visited the post office--had to send the lamps back--and had an absolutely terrible meal on the top floor of some computer shopping center. It was so bad, I couldn't eat it for fear of being sick. We went down the road and paid too much money to have something that I wasn't afraid to eat.
With a weird tummy, maybe it wasn't the time to think about taking a cooking class, but I had no choice. With plans to leave Chiang Mai the next day, it was a case of now or never.
So, while Julien went off to take graffiti pictures, I went to learn how to make Thai spring rolls, pad thai, and chicken with cashew nut stir-fry at the Asia Scenic cookery school.
First, our teacher took us to a small local market where she explained a bit about the different types of noodles and the process of making coconut milk and cream.
We then had a wander around so we could take photos. Of course I had to show you "soup in a sack." The first time I saw this was in a bus in Bolivia. I saw people eating their food through a straw, neatly stuck into a plastic produce sack.
Then it was back to the kitchen and to work!
See how professional I look folding my spring roll:
The hands of a Master Chef! :P
And on that note, bon appétit... Time to eat! Another post on the trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang after lunch...or supper. :P
No sooner had we shucked our bags then we headed back outside to find something a little more to our tastes for the morrow since it was only the first night in Chiang Mai that was covered by our "package" deal. Not far down the road, we found an excellent address, The Castle. I highly recommend it. It was clean and charming; the service was friendly, prompt, and helpful (it's family-run); and the breakfast was far better than down the road. This link goes to a YouTube video they made for it. Their homepage took me a little while to open.
Our room booked for the next night and loath to return to the Garden dump, we rented a scooter to explore the city (reservation kindly made by The Castle staff). Map in pocket and a vague idea of where we were (no thanks to the owner/manager? of the Garden), we promptly got lost. A kind stranger set us back on course but expressed his doubts (very politely) that the Garden Guy knew what he was talking about when he sent us off to "Chinatown." Apparently, where he said it was, it wasn't. :P
Instead, we headed to the Sunday Walking Street and enjoyed a night of strolling through the market and eating tasty steamed dumplings and papaya salad, Thai style.
We bought two lamps, too! Let's hope they make it back to France.
The next day, we visited the post office--had to send the lamps back--and had an absolutely terrible meal on the top floor of some computer shopping center. It was so bad, I couldn't eat it for fear of being sick. We went down the road and paid too much money to have something that I wasn't afraid to eat.
With a weird tummy, maybe it wasn't the time to think about taking a cooking class, but I had no choice. With plans to leave Chiang Mai the next day, it was a case of now or never.
So, while Julien went off to take graffiti pictures, I went to learn how to make Thai spring rolls, pad thai, and chicken with cashew nut stir-fry at the Asia Scenic cookery school.
First, our teacher took us to a small local market where she explained a bit about the different types of noodles and the process of making coconut milk and cream.
We then had a wander around so we could take photos. Of course I had to show you "soup in a sack." The first time I saw this was in a bus in Bolivia. I saw people eating their food through a straw, neatly stuck into a plastic produce sack.
Then it was back to the kitchen and to work!
See how professional I look folding my spring roll:
The hands of a Master Chef! :P
And on that note, bon appétit... Time to eat! Another post on the trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang after lunch...or supper. :P
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no subject
Date: 19 Feb 2010 12:02 pm (UTC)C met soup in bag for the first time this winter. We'd had my parents over for dinner and since we were out of tupperware, I proceeded to put the leftover soup in plastic bags for them to take home. Very common in Asia, but apparently not so in Europe. :p
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Date: 19 Feb 2010 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Feb 2010 12:32 pm (UTC)C was less impressed!
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Date: 19 Feb 2010 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Feb 2010 12:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Feb 2010 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Feb 2010 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Feb 2010 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Feb 2010 09:52 pm (UTC)I'll be your gringo, baby!
Date: 24 Feb 2010 04:40 am (UTC)Re: I'll be your gringo, baby!
Date: 24 Feb 2010 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 20 Feb 2010 02:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Feb 2010 04:12 am (UTC)