My birthday was wonderful...all my new friends here made it really special!!! They made me a poster they all signed and hung it in the dorm! Then we all went to an awesome Italian restaurent for dinner! The next morning we left to spend the weekend in the Gulf of Thailand on an island called Koh Samet. We stayed right on the beach and spent all day in the same spot --
food delivered to us and all! It was so relaxing and a wonderful way to spend my birthday! But my birthday also would not have been nearly as nice without hearing from all you!!! So thank you...it made it the best!Last weekend we had a long weekend because of a Buddhist holiday on Monday...so I went with four other friends on an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and the most popular place in the north. From there we took a city bus to Pai, which is 3 hours and 762 curves around a mountain away....the way there was miserable because it was freezing and no one was prepared!!! It was an open-air bus and the bus driver I think found it somewhat amusing how unprepared and miserable we all were -- Thai people never complain so we tried to just suck it up! The ride home was the exact opposite -- we were in a van and the driver was taking the curves a little quick -- unfortunately there was no fresh air and I had a little trouble keeping breakfast down -- whoops! Fortunately their was a guy dancing and singing the entire way to the hip-hop CD the driver had put on which kept it very amusing --- even though it was 8am!!! The ride however was completely worth it!!!!
Pai is beautiful! It is on a river up in the mountains...the weather is perfect and it has a small-town feel. It is very hippie but is slowly becoming very popular with Thai people as well. Our big adventure there was a cooking class...probably one of the best things I have done here! Life here is definitely defined here in a large part by the food....which is more than fine by me!!!! It was really fun and much easier than I expected learning how to cook Thai food. Almost all dishes are cooked in a wok...hence the name of this post and the name of the cooking school -- "Woking with Tee." We went in the morning learned how to make curry paste and made 6 different kinds of curry for lunch. Took a break and went for bike rides around Pai to work up
another appetite. We came back for dinner and made several kinds of stir-fry, salads and soups. I got a cookbook and will hopefully be able to recreate some of these foods when I get home!Learning how to cook the food was a great way to learn what I am eating everyday! I can now order something besides my usual chicken friend rice, not only because I know what I am getting but also because I just learned the names of most Thai dishes in my language and culture class. My pronunciation though is questionable so I never know what I may be getting...the other day I accidentally ordered ice instead of water! Oops!!!
The food though is amazing...everywhere...even at the free buffet we stopped for on the overnight bus to Chiang Mai! I eat from street vendors or small family restaurants almost every night...and they are by far the best!!! There are at least 6 places within 300ft of our dorm! I think I have eaten more noodles and rice in the past 6 weeks than I have eaten in my entire life. All the food is so fresh...which makes me believe I am eating healthy even though I know I am not because it is all fried!!! One big adjustment has been to how spicy everything is...key phrase "my pet" which means little spice! Once you learn how to say that...life is far more pleasant! Although they take one look at my "farang" or foreign face and
automatically make it ten times less spicy...it still comes out sometimes and is nearly unbearable! My taste buds are quickly adapting now and I find myself adding spice to almost everything! They also have the world's best smoothies and make them everywhere...the fruit is unreal and better than I have ever had (Sorry Pops!!!).For those times when Thai food just isn't doing it for me...which is happening more and more these days..there is one place up the street called Black Canyon, which is an attempt at western food. Then there is always the 7-11, which the people in my dorm keep in business, which is 100ft from my door and where they are happy to grill up a nice ham and cheese sandwich for only 22 baht which equals about 65 cents! There is also a nice restaurant on the top floor of my university that serves good American food for the days that I want to splurge and maybe spend $5 on a meal!
Thats the other best part about the food...I normally eat on less than $3 a day!!!
The best discovery in food in recent weeks was bagels in Pai...bagels are my livelihood at home and I have been missing them desperately!!! Having one in Pai was kinda a tease but I am hoping to maybe find some at this western grocery store that I have yet to visit!
After our cooking class, we returned to Chiang Mai, where spent all day Monday trekking up a mountain overlooking the city. We were literally crawling through the jungle and zig-zagging across this river for two hours. It was the best workout I have had since I got here and so much
fun! I looked back to tell my friend how much fun this was just about the time we started crawling through the thicket for literally ten minutes --- not as much fun but really awesome when we came out on the other side and saw this beautiful waterfall! I made it with few scraps and only one fall in the river...where I fortunately saved my camera! Sticking to the food theme...our tour guide actually caught his dinner while we were hiking! He used my empty water bottle and filled it with small fish and minos. I on the other hand was on the other side of the rocks helping a fish...who could have potentially been dinner....get back to safety! This is the dry season and the river in some spots was almost nonexistent...the poor fish got beached!!!I on the other hand have been food to the mosquitos and bed bugs which are infesting my bed! I can not go outside without bug spray...one night I made the mistake and as my friend put it, "It looks like the mosquitos had a buffet on your legs"...lovely! The bed bugs on the other hand, I thought I had gotten rid of about a week ago only to wake up last night to more bitting me...I am actually off to school to figure out what they can do so that I can actually sleep at night and not get eaten alive....literally!
I hope all is well with all of you...I miss everyone so much and hope to hear from you all soon!!!!
