Getting Caught up!

Okay Okay.. Far to much time has passed between the 'sick in bed with food poisoning for two days' post and this one.  With apology, on with the update.

Pai was a lovely little town.  Far more hippie than anything one could have expected, but amazing none the less. Some music was played at an open mic or two, lots of coffee consumed, and an over-saturation of night markets happened too.  Those things can really get crowded, and when the point comes that you want to move and actually GET somewhere, it can be a real challenge.

These two fellas are some pretty amazing musicians that were kind enough to have guests.  It was amazing to share a stage with an international group of really skilled performers.  I mean serious talent from across the globe.

Sunrise and sunset in Pai were spectacular times of day. This photo absolutely does not do this justice. At all...

This is the best photo taken so far.  This adorable little girl was enjoying some fruit shake in her mother's shop on the market street in Pai.  Not sure if it's the outfit, her innocence, the perfectly imperfect way the hat sits on her head or what, but so far it wins. 

Night markets.  Everywhere you turn there are night markets, and Pai is no exception.  There are better photos that capture the madness, but as Pai is small, this gives you some idea of what is happening!

This is Fred the tree.  He was planted after spending the afternoon with a new friend, who appears below. There is an amazing conservation area outside Pai who is doing forestry and elephant rehabilitation work.  Really an amazing thing they have going on.  Grass roots, and funded entirely from the donations provided from those who visit.  You can visit their website at www.conservenaturalforests.org to get a better understanding of what they are all about. 

Also, this is the new friend referenced above.  Everybody meet Kamee!  Lovely, very pregnant, and consuming 40kg's of bananas (among other things) daily!  They believe she will give birth in April or May, so it will be fun to follow along and see how that all turns out having met her.  What an amazing experience....

 This past Monday brought a return to Chiang Mai ahead of a night train to bangkok happening later this week, the main purpose of which was to hit a cooking school that came highly recommended by a university friend.  A stop at the market on the way to the school (with a lovely group of people I might add) brought some amazing photos, and a serious education about Thai food, and the market and farming experience.

 So.  Many.  Peppers!

A bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice made from these babies, (which ironically seem to look less appealing than oranges seen in north american grocery stores) was absolutely delicious, or 'arrrroy' as you would say in Thai!

Nothing here for scale, but these avocados are easily the size of grapefruits.

And lastly for today, the cooking.  ALL the cooking.  The recipe book that was provided at the end is highly coveted at this point. And rest assured that making Thai curry paste of any colour from scratch is involved.  The outcome though, 100% worth the effort involved.  This is Tom Yum Soup with shrimp....

Spring rolls with scratch made sweet and sour sauce...

On the left, Yellow (massaman) curry, and on the right a sweet basil cashew chicken and vegetable stir fry.  Fast, simple, and delicious.

Lastly the sticky rice and mango that is a staple of the dessert genre here.  We were told to go to town with presentation today so things got a little bit nutty.  The rice is tinted blue from local flowers being simmered in coconut milk and folded into the sticky rice.   Visit at www.thaifarmcooking.com











So that's the update from the last few days.  It's great to be able to advise after discovering the current season does not provide for flights to Chiang Mai from Pai, the driver who operated the van back to Chiang Mai on sunday was NOT the crazy sort as the whackjob who drove TO Pai.  No motion sickness.  No fear of loss of life.  All good. 

Tomorrow is largely a laid back day prepping to get to the train station for the overnight train to Bangkok.  A good friend from high school will be there this weekend to hang out, and it's been something amazing to look forward to for a couple of weeks.  So, up next... Bangkok!