We travelled north by train and bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, passing green pastures and rice fields, mostly flooded by the recent rains. The train line terminated early due to railway works and we were hustled off the carriage in an unknown town to search for a bus in the middle of the night, an exciting but tiring experience.
We stayed in the older area of Chiang Mai, a central square surrounded by a moat. We explored the close-by weekend markets which were filled with colorful local crafts, foods and entertainment.
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| Sunday Night Walking Street Market, Chiang Mai |
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| Street Food, Chiang Mai Markets |
We spent a day at a country farm learning to cook Thai food. This included selecting our own ingredients at the local markets and picking fresh herbs in the garden. We bought freshly pressed coconut milk and cream, and learnt about different rice grains and noodles.
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| Curry Pastes at the Local Market |
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| Market Items |
Our instructor Neung taught us ten different recipes. We were surprised by the meagre number of ingredients required to create delicious authentic dishes! We discovered just how easy it is to make curry pastes from scratch. In Thailand a woman who can pound curry pastes with noise and speed is considered a good candidate for marriage. In the heat of the day and the gas burners, this is not an easy task. We tasted everything we cooked and took the left-overs home wrapped in banana leaves. At midday we rested in hammocks in the shade with very full bellies.
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| Traditional Pad Thai |
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| Mango Sticky Rice |
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| Leftovers |
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