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Archive for January, 2006

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70: Baan Thai Cooking Course

Tuesday, January 31st, 2006

Booked another cooking course for tomorrow at Baan Thai Cooking School.
They are supposed to be very good as well and are pretty much opposite my Guesthouse so easy to get to.

More after I have done the class..

68: The Italian Experience

Tuesday, January 31st, 2006

Some experience I though I should log here since it was unexpected and a “First” as far as Italian Restaurant Experiences are concerned ..

I’m surprised how well I’m doing with the local food (knock on wood!) and I have almost exclusively eaten Thai Food since I arrived here almost 7 weeks ago. However once in a while I do have a craving for some western food and give in… Overal I have probably eaten non-thai food about 5 times now, Italian Food being the usual choice. It seems to be the easiest or rather the most successful option as far as finding a “genuine” Cuisine. Many Thai Restaurants offer Western Food a la Steak, Chips, Pizzas, Pastas and various other versions of regular European Food. I was never very convinced about those items on their menu though so never opted for them.

What I have chosen was (much to my shame but I have to admit it) McD at some point (I was desperate for food ok?;-) but other than that it was Italian Restaurants. Italian Restaurants seem to be run by genuinely Italian people (though not sure if the cooks are;-) and sofar pizzas were quite nice.

The other day I had one of those cravings again and went to Stefano’s, a Italian Restaurant tucked away in a little side road off Tha Pae Gate just outside Chiang Mai’s Old Town. I knew what I wanted so ordered Spaghetti Carbonara, Bruscetta and some Red Wine without looking at the menu too much (I know, very predictable but that’s me:-).

The Wine was good and had the usual effect of putting me asleep after one large Glas;-)
The Bruscetta was fab, very nice indeed.
The Spaghetti – well… that’s the unexpected part. It’s the first time EVER I had Scrambled Egg Carbonara in an Italian Restaurant!

We have managed this more than once at home being useless (or too impatiant due to starvation) and pour the Egg/Cream mix over the pasta too soon when it’s still steaming hot (at some point we also still had the heat one which didn’t help;-)

I didn’t bother saying anything and to be honest it was quite funny, I was in disbelieve though that this would happen to an Italian Cook;-) Either way the Food tasted ok but Scambled Egg Spaghetti Carbonara from an Italian Restaurant was worth a blog entry so here it is 🙂

69: Thai Cooking Course

Monday, January 30th, 2006
I did a Thai Cooking Class today at the Chiang Mai Thai Cooking School run by Sompon Nabnian who is a bit of a local Celebrity Cook having even done some Thai Cooking Series for TV (shown on ... [Continue reading this entry]

67: Chiang Dao Cave & Samoeng Loop

Sunday, January 29th, 2006
After the 3-Day Trekking I was keen to get out again and see more but I didn;'t want to go on a tour again partly because I had specific destinations in my mind which seemed easy enough to reach by ... [Continue reading this entry]

72: Doi Suthep Trip

Friday, January 27th, 2006
Went on a Day Trip to Doi Suthep, the nearest mountain to Chiang Mai, on the 27th of January. Doi Suthep is the location is the location of Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the Royal Palace and naturally also some Hilltribe Villages. Wat ... [Continue reading this entry]

66: Doi Inthanon Trip Photos

Sunday, January 22nd, 2006
Doi Inthanon Trip Photos are now available over at my flickr space. Alternative Views: Detail View List View I have also updated the Doi Inthanon blog with a few links to relevant pictures.

65: 3-Day Trekking Report

Saturday, January 21st, 2006
I'm back from my 3-day Trekking Tour to Doi Chiang Dao National Park in the North-West of Thailand (near Chiang Mai) It was absolutely fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed hiking through the jungle* but staying with some of the Hilltribes ... [Continue reading this entry]

64: Upcoming 3-Day Trekking

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006
Heading off on a 3-Day Trekking Trip tomorrow. I booked it with Panda Tours who have an office near Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai. I did the Doi Inthanon Trip with them and that was quite well organised so ... [Continue reading this entry]

63: Good Gear Bad Gear

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006
Good Gear Bad Gear How about summarising a few "findings" about my gear after the first month of travelling (well mostly staying in a place rather than actually travelling;-): Things I love: 1) Single Most Important: Silk Sleeping Bag Liner. I use it ... [Continue reading this entry]

62: Doi Inthanon Day Trip

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006
Have been on on a Day trip to Doi Inthanon National Park in the south-west of Chiang Mai. Doi Inthanon is actually a mountain (Doi) and the highest one in Thailand at that. It reaches 2565m above sea level. We were ... [Continue reading this entry]