Just thought I'd take the opportunity to do another update between the morning and afternoon session of Thai Cooking School!
This morning I learned about different Thai ingredients and made a red cury paste, which I used for a really delicioua penang curry that we ate for lunch. Later we are learning about and making soups and stir fries for tea. I'm also going to get the low down on a desert consisting of Thai sticky coconut rice with mango - because it is to die for ... well almost!
Today, on the course which is entitled 'Let's Wok with Tee', there is me, a German girl called Helena and the teacher 'Tee'. We each make a different dish so that we can learn how to cook lots of different things.
I have a recipe book and detailed notes, so hopefully I can cook up a proper Thai treat for you all when I finally get settled again :o)
Yesterday I hired a very rickety mountain bike and got in some serious excercise peddaling around and about. I think I must hve covered about 20-30km on the bike and also walked about 10km. The scenery is so beautiful. The walk was through the forest and through and along a stream/river in search of a waterfall. Unfortunately I had to give up and turn back before I got to the falls because they were further than I thought and I didn't want to be in the forest after sunset! There were lots of beautiful butterflies but ost of them were too fast for me to photograph.
I saw a snake as I was cycling along the highway back to Pai but it too was quick and had disappeared by the time I had stopped and got my camera out! But I managed to get this chameleon ok. Hasn't he got fantastic colours?!
The rains have come early here this year. It is mostly very hot and dry but every day for about an hour it absolutely hammers down. That' what it's doing at the moment. Hence I don't feel too guilty at being in the internet cafe!
Got quite a packed day tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I plan to go to the hot springs and then Pai Canyon, so will probably hire a bike again. Hopefully I can find one with gears that work this time! At 9pm I'm catching an overnight bus to Chaing Khong, then crossing the river into Laos. I'm then taking the slow boat down the Mekhong to a place called Luang Prabang. The boat trip takes two days, we stop overnight in a small town called Pak Beng and arrive in Laos on Monday evening at about 5pm. So that's how I shall be speing my 35th (ouch) birthday! As a real treat, I have just booked myself into a nice hotel for a couple of nights - check it out! http://www.grandluangprabang.com (This is the website for where I'm staying at the moment by the way http://www.pairadise.com)
It's low season here at the moment (which I didn't realise when I booked). So things are fairly quiet - but in a way that's quite nice. I've still not hooked up with anyone else, but I suspect that is more by choice! I've met lots of nice people but it is all fairly transient and you realise not everyone is on the same wavelength. It's not a problem though, I'm really enjoying the experience and taking each day as it comes.
Well I think that's it for today. I will ask the guys and cooking school to take some photos, since several of you keep nagging me for more pics.
Right I'm off for a coffee :o)
TTFN
Nx
