So here goes...
(Important: street food dishes are between 10 - 50 BHT, which equals $1)
Breakfast:
We woke up early due to jet lag (OZ is three hours ahead) which means we're finally back on a "normal" schedule of waking up at a decent hour. By 8am we were downstairs in the Shanti Lodge ready for breakfast. I had been salivating in my dreams about yogurt, home-made granola and tropical fruit and that's exactly what I got - a gigantic bowl of it along with a pint-sized cappuccino (shocking after our minuscule coffees down under). Nolan chowed down a veggie omelet, toast and an identical coffee.
After breakfast, we gathered ourselves and walked across the street to 7- Eleven, which seem to run rampant in this part of the world, Oz included. I bought a "Big Sheet" of seaweed (which is apparently very good for my thyroid), swallowed that, and then we went on our merry way to the Grand Palace.
 |
We hit the main street, walked a block or two, and BAM! Street market galore with one food stall after the next! We scoped out some delicious boiled eggs coated in a thick outer shell of ??? but delicious when topped with cucumbers and hot chilly sauce! After this, I felt a bit full...after all, it was only 9:15.
Luckily, as we entered another block of food, we stumbled into a man praying three times to a temple barely visible between two buildings. He told us we should also do this for good luck. Following our prayer, he launched into a "getting-to-know-you" conversation that felt slightly like it was leading to a "good deal," or a "free tour." After 15 minutes of chatter with this fellow teacher from Chiang Mai, he had written a complete Sanskrit list of sights to see in my mole book and a tuk-tuk driver pulled up to take us on our merry way for as long as we wanted at only 20 BHT. Miraculous!
Food was never far from the mind, but in the next few hours, we saw three temples and numerous Buddha statues from many different time periods/places, conversed with another teacher in the lucky temple, were surreptitiously dragged by the driver to three suit stores in hopes that we would buy something and get him a coupon, and finally landed near Kho San Road. We chose from one of the many ramshackle eateries on the street composed of tin tables, plastic stools, and clear cups so thin you feel as if you might break it just by picking it up. We chowed down a delicious fish curry with veggies and a pork and shrimp dish washed down by a refreshing Singha.
Next, we headed to Kho San Road...and were stopped by the sight of a fruit stall. We quickly ordered a mango with chili and sugar, and at the next stall over topped up our bulging stomachs with a cocount pudding in some kind of crispy shell - to die for!
Full as bulls, we headed down the garish backpacker road amidst stalls selling identical products, and bought a Lonely Planet for SE Asia and checked off some other items on our lengthy to-do list.
Back on the street, we headed home, somewhat aimlessly having been hopelessly turned around by our morning tuk-tuk adventure. On the way home, we picked cooled off (slash gave ourselves serious brain freeze) with a cocount shake and a Thai iced tea, both replete with condensed milk - horribly bad for you. Because I had had enough sweets, I bought a bag of tamarind candy, which I've been chewing on all day.
 |
| Tamarind Candy |
Back at the Shanti Lodge, we rested and caught up on internet work. Two hours later, we had large Singha's by our side. Three hours later, we'd downed a som tum (green papaya salad - my FAVORITE!), a quarter of roasted chicken, a strange tasting sausage-shaped thing, and a tasty noodle soup with mystery meat balls amidst locals.
Goodnight!
Dimity-in-a-food-coma
No comments:
Post a Comment