Impressions of Thailand...

Let me say first that I'm sitting in my hotel in Bangkok, eating for all the world what appears to be corn fritters, LOL! I had to fly halfway around the world to eat good old-fashioned comfort food! And I have to say, they are SOOOOOO good!

My lunch was gained the way most Thais eat here. You walk down the street, past numerous little carts. You see what looks interesting, and you get a little take-out baggie of it. My lunch has: spring rolls and the afore-mentioned corn fritters, BBQ chicken leg, cucumbers, an Asian pear and a Blue Mountain espresso. All for about 110 baht or about $3.15. Eating Thai-style is very inexpensive and entertaining: each meal you get to play, "Guess what THAT is?" LOL! The corn fritters came with a honey-chili-peanut dip that is so HOT but oh-so-good. Deb would be in heaven. Dad would be in hell!

The one thing that has struck me most about this country is the profusion of odours. Some good, some neither good nor bad, only new, and some just downright awful. Your nose is assaulted constantly: the sweet smell of a profusion of plants and flowers; the smells coming from the numerous food carts selling crispy-fried anything; incense from the many temples; the odd funk of the mushroom-based broths in many soups; coffee carts; must and mildew from the humidity; odours from the sewers; body funk; tobacco and perfume...it is almost overwhelming!

Market-hopping has been fun. During the week, there are fewer shoppers and you can haggle your way into some good deals. Stephen took me out to "show me the ropes" so to speak, and I promptly haggled a wooden fruit bowl down for 50 baht less than he paid...here endeth that day's lesson!

Chiang Mai was very much a small vacation city, and Bangkok is a bustling metropolis. I posted on Facebook that, with a few exceptions, you'd think you were in New York or Toronto. The people drive on the left, very British. And they have great respect for their King, as shown by decorated overpasses. They also have great respect for their religion, Buddhism, and there are many vegetarian restaurants, preferred seating for monks, and advertisements to not sell replica Buddhas.

Some of the more interesting things I've done: patted a tiger; used a squat-only toilet; tried the coconut jellies (a local "dessert"); braved the zip line; got up close and personal with a giraffe. The jellies were, to be kind, different. They had a consistency between chewed wax lips, white paste glue, and stale Jello. They had a taste similar to glue and Pepto-Bismal. Yecch!

 

 

 

Tomorrow, I will be finally saying "Good bye" to the fat person I was. The abdominal flap that has been my companion for the past 40 or so years is leaving, and so is the final identifier of my former self. Yes, it may seem like vanity, but it is absolutely crucial to my sense of self and identity that this last piece of me literally goes away. I salute my independence tomorrow, and the start of my new journey. It will be several months to see the full and final effect, but well worth the wait.

 

 

For now, TTFT! Ta-ta from Thailand!

Terri

Not Nunavut this time, but a world of an adventure!

The adventure this time all takes place in Europe and Asia! I left with my current roommate, Stephen, on July 6th for a 3-week holiday in Thailand. The first stop was a 14-hour layover in Vienna, Austria, long enough to allow us to leave the airport and tour the city. What a beautiful place!

We toured the city in a horse-drawn carriage and saw many places where people like Mozart and Schubert lived at one point.

We ate wiener schnitzel for lunch and it was delicious!

The airport in Vienna is so comfortable! They have computer benches in sets of four with plug-ins and free WiFi. They have lounge areas, and also couch-style seats where you can lean back and nap! These Europeans know how to travel! I'm beginning to detest western "all for profit, get nothing free" philosophy.

We bit teh bullet and upgraded our seats to Business class for the 11-hr flight to Bangkok overnight. Talk about LUXURY! The seats were HUGE! We had an individual pod to ourselves, the seat reclined into a flat bed, the on-board CHEF took our dinner and breakfast order, I was given several glasses of champagne, we were given overnight bags complete with a pair of clean, new socks! WOW!!!!

 My meal...marinated prawns in beetroot cram with crisp cabbage and bacon salad, caramelized pea soup with truffled potatoes, fillet of salmon with tabbouleh salsa, fennel and sauteed spinach, two-tone chocolate trifle, fresh fruit, coffee, and more champagne. Oh my!

The seat even had a massager built in!!!!

We got to Bangkok about 2:00 pm (1:00 am Toronto time) and had a short wait until our flight to Chiang Mai. It is lovely here, Set in a valley between mountains that eventually join up with the Himalayas, it is a mixture of old and new, and the people are very friendly.

Our hotel is the Maninarakorn, very comfortable, with a nice pool and free breakfast buffet. I had jasmine rice with egg and some veggies in a stir fry for breakfast along with pineapple and papaya.

Our first full day, we took in a cooking class. I made hot and sour prawn soup, pad thai, spring rolls, green curry with chicken, and sticky rice with mango.

 My pad thai and hot prawn soup.

I'm making the green curry paste here.

We took a cab-truck to the market to shop, took a train to Lamphur district, and rode a bicycle to class. Interesting trip highlight...stepping into the bathroom of the train to find a hole in the floor, two foot-shaped pads and a hold-on rail...LOL! Welcome to another world for sure! And as there is no proper sewer system here, toilet paper is prohibited in many places so they have a hose-option for hose down, drip dry...unique to say the least!

Today we booked a driver and went to many factories. We took in the silk-making factory, jade, silver, fans, and so on. Then we went out to the Sankampraeng Hot Mineral Springs, kind of like a mini Yellowstone and provincial park all-in-one. Apparently the springs are hot enough to cook eggs, which they will sell you, in a bag, to do just that!

We swam in the mineral springs, had a foot massage (they cost about $6.00 for an hour) and then had lunch. I have found some Thai food I like, but not too much...I should come back much thinner, LOL!

Tonight I'm going with what I know, and we're headed to a Chinese restaurant beside the hotel. Tomorrow, Tiger land, a cruise on the Mae Ping river, and some shopping at the Night market. Then on Friday, the zip line through the rainforest canopy. Look it up on "Flight of the Gibbon Chiang Mai" to see. I'll rent a helmet camera for video-taping. Then on Saturday we'll go for an elephant trek and see what else sounds good. From there, who knows?

More to come as the days roll by!