I was tired when i departed for Chiang Mai, i was coming off the cloud of a perfect & very romantic day exploring Bangkok with the Belgian beamer who happened to be in town from Hong Kong. Harried from packing my last bits up quickly to get to the airport, but excited to see Thailand’s second city. I felt a sigh of relief when i arrived, it had a totally different feel to Bangkok, very busy still and traffic everywhere. But the buildings are much lower and more open, The atmosphere is much more relaxed and it reminded me of a more developed Siem Reap. Especially with the river running lazily through the city and people living more of their lives on the roadside, with local food vendors on every spare patch of pathway. Offering a multitude of treats from spicy northern sausage to the more touristy banana pancakes.
I found the rather lovely sounding Ginger and Kafe at The House for dinner and took the free hotel tuk tuk to get there. A table for one is never normally an issue, but what i didn’t realise (shamefully) is that i had arrived just as celebrations for Loy Krathong were kicking off, and so had a coach load of Japanese tourists. There was no table for little old me, i was happy sitting at the bar. It’s often the most social and comfortable place when dining alone so i hopped on the stool and settled myself in.
There were a raft of healthy juice options on the menu which was boding well for my upcoming detox. I had a green gold,
Green gold, really?! was yummy though
which turned out to be orange! very tasty though and strangely moreish. Then it came to food and the following dialogue occurred between me and the waitress:
Me: What would you recommend? What’s your local speciality?
waitress: “Can you take spice madam?”
Me: “I’m pretty good with spices, what would you recommend?”
Waitress: “Well this one is mild, and this one’s not too hot and this one…”
Me: “errr OK, how about this one? is that a local speciality?”
Waitress: “Oh well that’s Thai spicy Madam”
Me (keen to try local dishes of course): “I’ll have that then please”
Waitress (looking very concerned): “Are you sure Madam?”
Me: “Yes please”
Waitress: “OK, if you’re sure”
Oh my word she wasn’t exaggerating! But being stubborn i carried on, quickly learning that the way to manage eating it without crying was simply not to breathe in while chewing. Then the heat doesn’t have a chance to make it far enough up my
The chilli infused culprit for my night of tears! I would have it again though… glutton for punishment
nose to affect my eyes. The restaurant staff were most concerned about my welfare for the whole meal, with a “madam, you OK?” or “Are you crying madam?” every time they passed me. It was hilarious, delicious but hilarious i had to steel myself every time i took as bite as i was not going to be defeated. It was two of the house specialities that i picked, a spicy chicken dish accompanied with crispy belly pork. You can rarely go wrong with belly pork, and fried pineapple rice.
Lesson of the day, ask for medium until that starts to taste bland, then work my way up to Thai spicy! It’s clearly a badge that needs to be earned.
Full from my stubbornness i bought my first souvenir of the trip (sorry folks, i just can’t carry stuff around with me!) for little Lacey back home in the UK. From a selection of wonderful locally made clothes, gifts and accessories in the shops that make up the House complex. From there i walked into town to grab a tuk tuk back to the hotel and happened upon the beginnings of the water festival. There were a series of beautiful lantern displays set up adorning the main gates into the old city. A beautifully bright display of glowing lanterns, from bright rainbow shades to softer tones adorned with traditional Thai prints and emblems. They really were a sight to behold, it makes me grin with wonder when i stumlbe across events like these. There was such a fizz of excitement in the area about the upcoming days events, Loy Krathong is a big deal in Thailand, but i think Chiang Mai go to town on it. I’m looking forward to the pre party parade tomorrow night already!
Ciao from a very numb mouthed Cake Lady, not sure i will be able to taste anything ever again!
x x x x x
