Lindsay and I used Thailand as our base in Southeast Asia, stopping there on three separate trips that spanned about 4.5 weeks in total. Over the course of an 8-month trip covering 23 countries, Thailand was the country where we chose to spend the most time. There were several reasons for this:
1) My father and his wife Ooy live there so we wanted to spend time with them.
2) The food in Thailand is delicious - so flavorful with tons of variety. It's one of the few cuisines we could happily eat every day. It's also very inexpensive.
3) Thailand has some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Those picture-perfect white sand beaches surrounded by lush jungle and turquoise waters that you've dreamed of ... most of those are in Thailand. There are dozens of islands in Thailand that are fantastic places to relax, get some sun and enjoy the sea.
4) The culture in Thailand is colorful, warm and open. Many ex-pats choose to live in Thailand, creating a very vibrant international community as well. You can experience a southeast Asian Buddhist culture, yet still have access to anything you want from other parts of the world. The main cities in Thailand - Chiang Mai and Bangkok - are two of the most enjoyable places to visit in Asia with great food around every corner, a variety of international restaurants, and tons of great nightlife and shopping.
Our trip began with a brief stopover in Bangkok before our Everest hike, then later in Hua Hin, where my Dad lives, to spend the Christmas holiday. Just before New Years, we flew down to Krabi to spend 9 days in the islands with our friends Javi and Lori, splitting our time between the laid back Koh Lanta and the strikingly beautiful Koh Phi Phi (made famous in the movie The Beach). From there, we flew to the northern part of Thailand to enjoy 5 days in the charming city of Chiang Mai, where I was able to reconnect with my friends Tony and Em Fong and their two fantastic kids, Timmy and Ava. Finally, we returned to Thailand at the end of January for a week in Bangkok. Highlights of that week included seeing Lindsay's friend Nicole and her husband Andy, an epic night out with my cousins Amy and Jay, and a trip to the floating markets.
Quality Time with Dad and Ooy
I was most excited about visiting Thailand to spend some good quality time with my dad and his wife Ooy. They moved to Thailand 4 years ago to retire there, so we haven't been able to see them as often as we would like. Happily, we were able to spend several days with them during our Thailand travels - first in Bangkok during a brief stopover on the way to Kathmandu, then in Hua Hin for 5 days over Christmas, and finally at the floating markets during our final week in Bangkok.
Our first stop in Thailand was a brief 2 day layover in Bangkok in November, before we headed up to Kathmandu to tackle Everest Base Camp. Dad and Ooy made the trip up to the city from their home in Hua Hin, which is about 3 hours by car.
 |
| Starting the evening with some drinks on Sukhumvit |
 |
| Lindsay was in heaven with her roadside mango sticky rice |
 |
| Yes, those are ladyboys behind us |
Following our India trip, we returned to Thailand to spend the Christmas holiday in Hua Hin, which is a charming little seaside town, about 200km south of Bangkok. It's best known as being the site for the Thai Royal Family vacation home. It's also popular with ex-pats (particularly Scandinavians) who own retirement or vacation properties and middle class Thais who travel down from Bangkok to spend their weekends there. My dad bought a home there in 2010 and really enjoys the lifestyle. Cost of living is very affordable compared to the States, the weather is warm all year round, there are several good golf courses in the area, and a large international community means he can get access to anything he needs from home (like the turkey Lindsay made for Christmas dinner).
Hua Hin has a number of great local dining options, ranging from street food to roadside chicken stalls to oceanfront seafood restaurants. It also has a number of international restaurants run by the ex-pats that have settled there. And of course, we enjoyed Ooy's delicious home cooking using fresh ingredients from the local markets.
 |
| Local chicken place near Dad's house |
 |
| Delicious Thai flame grilled chicken |
 |
| Visiting the local market to pick up dinner |
 |
| Ooy made some spicy mussels with Thai basil, using ingredients from this stand. |
 |
| Vegetables at the market were fresh and very inexpensive |
 |
| Ooy making one of our favorite dishes - Pad Krapow Moo (Basil minced pork covered with a fried egg) |
 |
| Sangthai was the best of the local seafood places, always packed with locals |
 |
| You start by picking your desired seafood items - lobster, crab, fish, etc - then picking your preparation |
 |
| This soft shell crab covered with basil, chili and garlic was outstanding |
 |
| We also had fresh grilled lobster with garlic (we also had the crab fried rice which was SO good we forgot to take a picture) |
Knowing how much Lindsay loves Christmas, Dad and Ooy made a much appreciated effort to bring some holiday spirit into their home for us. They bought a Thai Christmas tree and decorations before we arrived, so we spent our first day in Hua Hin decorating the tree. We also found a bit of holiday cheer at the mall and were able to take in Christmas Mass at the local Catholic Church. Having spent Thanksgiving hiking in Nepal, Lindsay and I were deprived of a Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided to cook up a classic Thanksgiving feast for the Christmas holiday. She outdid herself, as you'll see in the pics below. I get hungry just looking at these!
 |
| This may not look like a Christmas tree .... |
 |
| ... but add a few lights, ornaments and tinsel, and we're feeling some serious holiday spirit |
 |
| A little holiday cheer at the local mall |
 |
| Just because you're in Thailand doesn't mean you can't enjoy a Starbucks peppermint mocha with Santa |
 |
| Lindsay preparing our Christmas feast |
 |
| Home baked gougères |
 |
| Look at the beautiful bird |
 |
| Stuffing just like Momma Blaauw makes |
 |
| Home baked apple tart for the Frenchmen (my dad and I love tarts) |
 |
| And of course you need homemade pumpkin pie |
 |
| A meal fit for a king! |
 |
| I picked a good one! |
 |
| Carving the bird |
 |
| That's a tasty plate of food. Lindsay and I spent hours pushing those potatoes through a sieve to make them so smooth. |
 |
| Cheers to a great holiday in Hua Hin |
Koh Lanta
No trip to Thailand is complete without some island time. Thailand has hundreds of islands with thousands of beautiful beaches, so it can be challenging to choose where to go. Our friends Javier and Lori were planning an Asian adventure at the same time as our travels, so we decided to join forces for a week in the islands to celebrate the New Year together. In discussions on potential locations, we settled on two spots - Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi.
 |
| Our friends Javi and Lori |
Javi, Lori and I had already spent time in the islands off the east coast of Thailand - Samui and Phangan - so we decided to try something we hadn't yet visited. We focused our search in the Andaman Sea, looking for islands that weren't too over-developed, but still offered reasonable connections to Bangkok. We settled on Koh Lanta as our first destination - one of the larger islands in Thailand with several nice beaches. The island is still only accessible by ferry, which means it never feels crowded, even during the busy holiday season. In contrast to some of the other islands in Thailand, the crowd on Koh Lanta tends to be a bit older, and it doesn't have the party scene that you would find in places like Phuket. It's a great place for families or couples looking to chill out on a quiet beach for a few days.
We chose to stay on Klong Nin beach, which ended up being an ideal choice - a beautiful long sandy beach lined by lazy beach restaurant/bars and bungalows. Klong Nin is about 20 minutes by car south of the main town of Saladan. As you move south down the west coast of the island, the beaches get less crowded and more charming.
 |
| Klong Nin Beach in Koh Lanta |
 |
| Klong Nin Beach in Koh Lanta |
We chose a hotel called Eurolanta White Rocks Resort. It had some favorable reviews on Tripadvisor, but ended up being a disappointment, as the hotel was dirty and poorly run. The location was excellent, however, and we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the rooms, so it worked out fine.
 |
| Our hotel in Koh Lanta - the Eurolanta White Rocks Resort |
There were several good spots along the beach for drinks and food. Our days typically ended with sunset drinks followed by a beachside barbecue.
 |
| Enjoying some sunset cocktails on the beach with Javi and Lori |
 |
| Barbecued ribs with a delicious chili glaze |
 |
| Fried snapper with chili tamarind sauce - one of my favorites! |
One of the great aspects of Klong Nin is how relaxed it was - you can stroll along the beach with your bare feet in the sand, stopping at any of the beachside bars/restaurants that strike your fancy. For New Year's we visited one of our favorite spots - Otto - where they had a fire show on the beach and a live DJ.
 |
| Lighting a lantern for some New Year's blessings |
 |
| Otto set up this great sign for New Years ... |
 |
| ... then lit it on fire |
When we weren't relaxing at Klong Nin, we rented some scooters to do some exploring. We drove up to Saladan for some shopping, visiting some of the more secluded beaches down the coast, and volunteered for a dog walk at an animal rescue center that Lori found.
 |
| Hiking down to Bamboo Bay Beach |
 |
| Bamboo Bay Beach |
 |
| Lanta Animal Welfare Center |
 |
| Lanta Animal Welfare Center |
 |
| Volunteering for a dog walk |
Koh Phi Phi
Our second stop in the islands was Koh Phi Phi, which is made up of two islands - the larger Phi Phi Don, which has all of the accommodations, and Phi Phi Ley, which is a national park. The islands are two of the most beautiful in Thailand, with dramatic limestone cliffs covered in lush greenery and surrounded by bright blue waters. The movie The Beach was filmed in Maya Bay on Phi Phi Ley.
On the negative side, Phi Phi has been over-run by the backpacker crowd and parts of the Phi Phi Don is wall-to-wall with hotels. However, there are still a few spots on the island where you can stay away from the crowds and have the beautiful scenery all to yourself. The Outrigger Phi Phi Village is one such location, and probably the nicest resort on the island. With a private beach, infinity pool with a swim up bar, comfortable private bungalows, access to great diving, and a location next to the charming Phi Phi Island Village, it was the perfect spot to wrap up our time in the islands.
Koh Phi Phi can be reached by ferry from Phuket, Koh Lanta and Krabi. We traveled directly from Lanta, which took about an hour. All ferries to Phi Phi arrive in Ton Sai Bay, which is the densely populated center of Phi Phi Don. From the Ton Sai Pier, we crossed a narrow strip of land to the gorgeous, but over-developed, Ao Lo Dalam Bay to board a long tail boat to our resort. A 20-minute trip around the northern tip of the island brought us to the Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort.
 |
| Boarding the long tail boat in Ao Lo Dalam |
 |
| The boat took us around the northern tip of Phi Phi Don |
 |
| The dramatic Phi Phi coastline makes it one of the most beautiful islands in the world |
 |
| Spectacular scenery on our way to the resort |
 |
| The Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort has a beautiful setting on this private beach |
 |
| Arriving at the resort |
 |
| Outrigger Phi Phi Island Resort |
 |
| Our private bungalow |
 |
| Gorgeous views of turquoise blue waters from the private resort beach |
 |
| Gotta love the swim up bar |
 |
| View of the ocean from the infinity pool |
 |
| As the tide moved out, you could walk a couple hundred yards into the ocean. The water was only a couple feet deep. |
 |
| View of the resort in the morning when the tide is out. You can see how much larger the beach became when the tide was low. |
The Outrigger was in a great location, offering seclusion, unspoiled beaches, loads of outdoor activities (kayaking, etc) and proximity to a charming little town if we wanted groceries or a bit of nightlife. Just behind the Outrigger was Phi Phi Island Village, where there were a number of low key bars and restaurants run by locals. The food was overpriced at the resort and the local restaurants were a lot more charming, so ate most of our meals in the village. There was also a foot path to beautiful beach in La Nah Bay on the western side of the island.
 |
| La Nah Bay, about a 15 minute walk from the Outrigger |
 |
| Phi Phi Island Village |
 |
| Enjoying a margarita at one of the local bars |
 |
| Dinner at Pad Thai, one of our favorite local places |
 |
| Tiger prawns in green curry |
 |
| The chefs at Pad Thai |
We chartered a long tail boat a day to explore the coastline of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. We made a few stops in Phi Phi Ley: Phi Ley Bay for some swimming in the brilliant turquoise waters, Sama Bay for some snorkeling and Maya Bay to enjoy the stunning scenery.
 |
| Departing for our long-tail boat ride |
 |
| On the way to Phi Phi Ley |
 |
| The brilliant turquoise waters in Phi Ley Bay |
 |
| The girls having some fun in the water |
 |
| Snorkeling spot in Sama Bay |
 |
| Lindsay looking ready to find some fish |
 |
| The spectacular Maya Bay |
 |
| Panorama of Maya Bay |
 |
| Maya Bay |
We had a blast during our vacation in the islands, and Javi and Lori were awesome travel companions. After a couple more days of relaxing at the Outrigger, we made our way to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai was one of our favorite cities in Asia. Though it's the second largest city in Thailand, it feels more like a village. There are beautiful Buddhist temples around every corner, lots of greenery, and very few high rises. The city is well placed in the northern countryside with lots of access to activities like trekking, zip-lining, rafting and elephant camps. Many ex-pats choose to live here to escape the traffic/noise of Bangkok while still getting access to international food and culture. We stayed in downtown Chiang Mai at the Le Meridien, which was a really nice (and affordable) option, well located next to the night markets that Chiang Mai is famous for.
 |
| Our room at the Le Meridien in Chiang Mai |
My friend Tony and his family - his wife Em and kids Timmy and Ava - moved here a few years ago from London and were excellent hosts. We joined them for a few meals around town, which were delicious. The kids were great fun, and it was a pleasure to catch up with Tony and Em.
 |
| Lumdee Te Khuadang - a northern Thai restaurant |
 |
| Lindsay paying her respects to the Chairman |
 |
| Our hosts - Tony, Em, Timmy and Ava |
 |
| Northern Thai vegetables stir fried with eggs (pak siang da pad kai) |
 |
| Northern Thai curry (kang hung le) |
 |
| Northern Thai fish salad (lab pla) |
 |
| Northern Thai sausage (sai uo) |
 |
| Northern Thai flame grilled pork |
 |
| Thanon Pachana - a local communist run restaurant with delicious middle Thai cuisine and a strict dress code |
 |
| Orange curry with flowers (kang som) |
 |
| Green curry with chicken (gang khiao wan) |
 |
| Thai omelet |
 |
| Panang curry with pork (panang moo) |
 |
| We grabbed dinner at Galae restaurant one evening in a beautiful setting on a lake, just behind the Chiang Mai University |
 |
| Enjoying the company at Galae Restaurant |
 |
| Ribs marinated in honey (sri krong mu oob nam puang) |
 |
| Fish/shrimp cake (tod man pla) |
 |
| Fried fish with chili sauce |
 |
| Glass noodle salad (yum woonsen) |
Chiang Mai is a charming city to explore, with temples around every corner. You're free to wander into any of the temples you'd like. We stopped at several while exploring the city. These are just a few of them.
 |
| Lindsay releasing some birds at one of the temples |
Chiang Mai is famous for its night markets. They're a bit touristy but enjoyable for an evening stroll. After visiting the markets, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the lively Riverside Cafe, on the banks of the Ping River.
 |
| Visiting the Anusarn Night Market |
 |
| Relaxing at the Riverside Cafe |
 |
| The standout dish at the Riverside Cafe was Khao Soi - a delicious northern Thai egg noodle dish with curry and chicken |
 |
| Lindsay found what appears to be a Mexican tuk tuk driver |
One of the most enjoyable days we had on our entire round the world adventure was our cooking class in Chiang Mai, called "A Lot of Thai." The class is a family run business where Yui (Siripen Sriyabhaya) teaches the class and her husband Kwan, handles the booking and transportation. The teaching kitchen is on the patio at Yui's house, and even her kids get involved. Her daughter was happy to participate in a cooking demonstration and her son manages the beverage sales. Yui is an outstanding teacher - patient, clear in her explanations, very knowledgeable about the chemistry of cooking, and most importantly is an excellent cook. She makes Thai dishes in their classic homestyle versions. The dishes we produced with Yui's help were some of the tastiest dishes we had during our entire trip to Thailand. She even made me feel like I had some hope as a chef ... that's an accomplishment.
 |
| Our teacher Yui and her daughter |
The class lasted all day. We made three dishes in the morning, took a mid-day break to visit the local market, and then returned in the afternoon to make three more dishes. We both really liked the way in which Yui focused on only dish at a time, and had every person in the class cook their own dish. Often times in cooking classes, you'll share duties and won't participate making several of the dishes. Not so in Yui's class. She started by explaining one dish and then demonstrating how to make it. Immediately afterwards, we would make the same dish (while she made rounds to answer any questions) and then eat it. So we ended up eating 6 small meals throughout the day.
 |
| The teaching kitchen at Yui's home |
 |
| First dish of the day - Pad Thai |
 |
| Showing off our pad thai |
 |
| The second dish of the day - red or green curry chicken. Damien chose to make red curry. |
 |
| Lindsay made green curry |
 |
| Third dish of the day - Tom Yum Goong with a more traditional clear broth |
 |
| We took a tour of the market at mid-day when the market was a bit quieter |
 |
| Yui explained the various produce available |
 |
| This woman made some of the best shakes we had in Thailand and they were only 25 cents! |
 |
| Enjoying my watermelon shake |
 |
| Yui explained the differences between the different types of rice |
 |
| Fourth dish - cashew chicken |
 |
| Yui's daughter helped out with the cooking |
 |
| Lindsay rolling spring rolls |
 |
| Fifth dish - spring rolls |
 |
| Last dish - mango sticky rice |
 |
| Kwan (next to the van) uses this classic van to shuttle around the class |
Bangkok
We returned to Bangkok at the end of January to take a little breather from travel and enjoy the city. Bangkok is a big, congested, chaotic city, but it has several charms beneath that rough exterior. The dining scene is fantastic. In addition to great Thai food you can find high quality cuisine from any part of the world. Bangkok also offers the conveniences of a major international commercial hub, with great shopping and entertainment options.
There was a lot of press at the time about the protests in Bangkok, much of it focusing on the very limited pockets of violence. Our apartment was located just a few minutes from one of the major protest sights. The sight looked much more like a giant street party than a protest. We learned that the opposition party was paying villagers to stay at these sights around the city. They received new tents to sleep in, good quality food, and were treated to entertainment throughout the day on one of the large stages set up around the city. The Thais love any excuse to party, and this seemed like as good as any. Looking at the picture below, it's hard to be worried about the anti-government protests. On the contrary, we passed through the protest area on several occasions to enjoy the entertainment.
 |
| The protest was basically a giant party, complete with food stalls, souvenir T-shirts and live bands playing throughout the day. |
While in the city, we were fortunate to see a number of our friends and family. We had a great night with my cousin Amy and her husband Jay, who were passing through Bangkok on their honeymoon. We enjoyed a couple nights out with Lindsay's friends Nicole and her husband Andy, who moved to Bangkok a few years ago. We also met up with my dad and Ooy to visit the famous railway and floating markets, about 90 minutes outside Bangkok.
 |
| We met up with my cousin Amy and her husband Jay for dinner at Eat Me, a very excellent restaurant in Bangkok |
 |
| Cousins reunited! |
 |
| We had some good old fashioned creole food while watching the Superbowl. Lindsay was very pleased with her crawfish. |
It's definitely worth traveling outside of Bangkok to visit some of the unique surrounding markets. We hired a taxi for a day to drive us out to three of them: the Maeklong Railway Market, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the Amphawa Floating Market. The markets are about 90 minutes from Bangkok, about halfway to Hua Hin, so my dad and Ooy drove out to meet us there for the day.
The Maeklong Market is famous for its location on a set of working train tracks. Every hour when the train comes through, the vendors move their produce/spices/etc off the tracks, then quickly reposition their stalls for business as soon as the train has passed. It's quite a sight and worth a visit if you don't mind hoards of tourists jostling for position to photograph the spectacle.
 |
| Maeklong Train Station |
 |
| The vendors set up their stalls along the railway tracks |
 |
| As the train approaches, they quickly clear the way |
 |
| The Maeklong Market is a busy local market that extends well beyond the tracks |
After the Railway Market, we visited two floating markets - Damnoen Saduak, which is more of a tourist market, and Amphawa, which is more of a local market. They are near to each other, so its worth seeing both if you make the trip from Bangkok. Damnoen is a bit more like you envision a traditional floating market - small boats traveling through narrow waterways lined with stalls. Amphawa has some boats selling goods, but the market is actually a collection of stores, restaurants and stalls that line the Amphawa Canal.
 |
| Damnoen Saduak Floating Market |
 |
| Fruit and vegetable vendors at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market |
 |
| Boarding our boat for a tour of the floating market |
 |
| Overlooking the Damnoen Saduak floating market |
 |
| Amphawa Floating Market |
 |
| Dad and Ooy on our boat tour of the surrounding canals |
 |
| Local temple along the Amphawa canal |
While we didn't go out of our way to search out delicious food in Bangkok, we ate well during our stay. Because Bangkok has such a great diversity of visitors and ex-pats, you can find great food from all over the world, and it's all very affordable. Highlights included Krua Apsorn, Issaya Siamese Club and Kum Poon for Thai, Din Tai Fung for juicy pork dumplings, and Eat Me for International upscale cuisine.
 |
| Krua Apsorn |
 |
| Miang Ka Na - ginger, lime, onion, chili, roasted peanut, dried shrimp and pork, wrapped in betel nut leaves with a bit of hoisin sauce |
 |
| Thai Fried Chicken |
 |
| Stir fried crab with yellow chili |
 |
| Stir fried mussels with basil and chili |
Based on my cousin Amy's recommendation, we ate a great meal at Issaya Siamese Club on our final night in Bangkok. The restaurant is run by the same chef that owns Kittichai in NYC. The style of food is upscale Thai and it's located in a colonial-style home surrounded by gardens - a great place for a special occasion.
 |
| Banana flower salad |
 |
| Pork ribs |
 |
| Steak tartare with garlic chips |
 |
| Veal cheeks in panang curry |
 |
| Brussel sprouts with ginger and honey |
 |
| The presentation of the petits fours was a show at the end of the meal. It included various homemade treats: macaroons, cotton candy, jellies, and truffles. Desert, which consisted of panna cotta and ice cream, was great as well. |
 |
| Kum Poon, a good little northern Thai restaurant at Central World mall. A good stop if you're waiting to catch a movie there. |
 |
| Flame grilled chicken, northern Thai style with fried sticky rice balls |
 |
| Mushroom larb |
 |
| Din Tai Fung is one of Lindsay's favorite restaurants (there's one in Arcadia). We found their Thai branch at the Central World Mall. Someone looks happy |
 |
| Juicy pork dumplings! |
 |
| Special custard buns |
The one restaurant we were disappointed by was Nam, which as ranked among the San Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants in the World. It was ok, but overpriced and nothing was particularly memorable. Certainly not worthy of being ranked so highly.
 |
| Selection of Thai canapés |
 |
| Mussaman curry of beef with potatoes and shallots |
 |
| Clear soup of roast duck with thai basil and young coconut |
 |
| Relish - minced prawn simmered with young chillies and coriander - with fresh vegetables and smoked pork |
 |
| Stir fried soft shell crab with chili, salt and coriander |
 |
| Grilled beef salad with cucumber and mint |
 |
| Coconut milk with Thai fruit, sticky rice, and assorted jellies |
 |
| Durian with sticky rice |
Thailand is a magical place - filled with delicious food, friendly people, great cities, and beautiful coastline. I'm thrilled that my dad decided to retire there. We'll be visiting again soon enough, and you should, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment