Thai Cooking Class

The Menu: Pad Thai, Green Papaya Salad, Chicken Coconut Green Curry, Spicy Basil Shrimp

For my birthday this year, Sam's mom and dad gave me the money for a Sur la Table cooking class. Sam decided he would like to take one with me, so for Christmas I gave him an IOU. We decided to take "Secrets of Thai Cooking"since we loved our 2011 trip to Thailand so much.

We decided to take the class on Monday night, since it was right after we got back from our trip home for the holidays. I wouldn't recommend coming hungry, because we had to cook everything before we ate, and our 6:30 p.m. class was supposed to be over at 8:30 p.m., but that's when we started eating. Sam was about to pass out by the time we finally got to serve ourselves.

Sam was the star pupil! Our instructor brought him up to stir the curry.

All in all, the class wasn't what either Sam or I expected. There were 14 of us, situated into teams of 4, 4, 3 and 3. Each team prepared a portion of the recipe, and then the chef had us take turns preparing the final dish.

For the most part, we just watched other people putting it together and ate dinner super late. It felt like we were basically paying for the recipes, which we did get to take home with us, but we probably could have found them online. The techniques she used, such as how to cook the food in the wok, was pretty much what I remembered from the streets of Thailand.

One of the downsides to the recipes is the ingredients are all, obviously, pretty exotic. While the chef assured us that everything can be found at the 99 Ranch Market, the items come in larger quantities and have a shelf life of roughly three months. So we'd have to make the whole meal more frequently than once a month, and that's unlikely.

All our dishes prepped for dinner!

Koh Phi Phi

Blogger is finally back up and running!  They were doing some site maintenance so I couldn't post about our trip from Railay to Koh Phi Phi- more amazing travel luck for Sam.  We paid 450 baht per person in Ao Nang which included a 30 minute taxi ride and the cost of the ferry tickets from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi.  At the port, we found out the tickets for the boat alone cost basically what we paid so our taxi ride was essentially free.  Nice!

Koh Phi Phi Viewpoint, before sunset

We didn't get on the boat early enough to be on the top deck, so we were stuck in the bottom.  It was close to 2 hours of near asphyxiation by gasoline fumes.  I am so not looking forward to making the return trip today.  :-(

Upon arriving at the island, we were greeted by a porter from our hotel- pretty swank?  Well no, actually.  In the time since our Lonely Planet book was published (they named this their preferred place accommodations) things must have changed here at the Chunut House.  The man at the front desk informed Sam and I we needed to pay in cash up front rather than by credit card at the end of our stay.  This wouldn't have been such a big deal if the reservation confirmation hadn't told me that I could pay by card, or if we hadn't depleted our baht during our travels to Koh Phi Phi, or if we hadn't just disembarked from the boat ride of deathly fumes.  We finally got into our room to find the safe nonfunctional, the bathroom consisting of a concrete annex to the bungalow and a million degrees, and tiny mosquitos everywhere with no bug nets. Great.  Sam pointed out to me that this place is roughly 1/3 of the cost of our beautiful room on Railay- you get what you pay for in Thailand!  

One other funny note, our hotels in Khao Lak and Railay both had king size beds which feel huge to Sam and I because we've got a queen size bed at home.  Well here, at Chunut house, we've got a double, and as I write this, Sam (asleep) is rolling all over the place and continues to crash into me.  This has not been the best sleep of the trip between the fear of the mosquitos and Sam's thrashing.  :-)

Disappointing accommodations aside, Sam and I have enjoyed Koh Phi Phi.  Yesterday we went SCUBA diving again.  This time we booked with a legitimate dive company, Island Divers, and had a fellow American dive instructor, Mckenna, who went to CSULB and lived in LA for 5 years before moving to Thailand 15 months ago.  She was awesome!  She highly recommended that Sam and I check out the wrecked boat off the coast of San Diego from WWII, she said it is really neat.  (Certified friends reading this blog, please consider that an invitation if you'd like to come along!)

Our first dive was at the King Cruiser Wreck, a passenger ferry that ran aground on Anemone Reef and sank on May 4th, 1997.  It was very cool to dive a wreck- I think when we get back to the states I might pursue wreck specialty certification.  We got to swim through short hallway and into part of the ferry.  There were lion fish, some very neat rock fish, and also some pretty awesome schools of brightly colored fish.  Unfortunately I was sucking my air pretty heavily so it was a shorter dive than anticipated.

Our second dive was at Anemone Reef, and it was my favorite dive in Thailand.  There were lion fish everywhere, some porcupine fish, puffer fish, and we saw 3 kinds of eels.  Very neat!  Sam and I were diving with Rachel from England who had just finished her certification courses the day before, and Jos from Holland who had been diving since he was 14 but didn't seem to have a very good handle on his buoyancy.  They were very much following Mckenna around the whole time we were underwater, so Sam and I had to hang back a bit.  Well 40 minutes into this dive, Rachel was low on air so she and Jos went up to the surface and McKenna took Sam and I on to another part of the reef were we got to see some baby eels and a school of smaller barracuda before we had to surface.  It was really beautiful, even with only 10m of visibility, so I can't imagine what it would be like in peak season with up to twice that.

Sam's photo of the sunset from the viewpoint

The last dive was at shark point and I'm sad to say there were no sharks, or at least none that we saw.  There was one lone large barracuda circling the joint and a bunch of really colorful schooling fish.  We missed out on the stingray but I think Rachel and Jos got to see it.  

When we got back to the island, I couldn't resist buying a t-shirt from the dive shop.  I have a Dive Cancun shirt from my first diving experience in 2007, and I figure since I am doing so much diving out of the US I should at least pick up a shirt from each country if not each shop.  Worst case scenario, I could always have them made into a quilt like some of my friends have done with their old swim and softball t-shirts.  Sam took a hike up to the viewpoint while I rested and he took some great photos of the sunset.

Sitting in our fridge because I couldn't eat it :-(

Last night we watched the Manchester United v. Blackburn futball match live from one of the pubs.  I think Sam cannot get over that the soccer games are shown live during primetime hours here because he always seems to be able to find one on TV for us to watch.  Dan Colby- Sam really wanted to text you during the game.  We then went to Papaya Restaurant, where we had eaten an amazing Pad Thai snack after diving, and I ordered Phanaeng curry that was supposedly only 15% spicy but that I couldn't eat it was searing my lips with heat.  I guess that's one way to diet- order things you can't possibly ingest!  LOL

Now we're off to catch the hopefully-less-smelly ferry over to Phuket for our last night in Thailand  It's amazing to me that we've already finished this portion of the vacation but also that we still have over 2 weeks left abroad!  We miss you all and hope you're doing well!

Are you for SCUBA?

Sam and I finally made it diving today!  We took a long tail boat out to Koh Si and Koh He- two tiny islands that are really more like large rocks and we circled each one while underwater in less than an hour.  Our first dive was fun, but the water clarity was terrible.  We did see a pair of stingrays, some sea slugs, and crabs, but there was also a VERY strong current we had to swim against at the last leg.  The second dive was infinitely better!  We saw a sea snake, several large puffer fish, Sam found a school of squid, and I found a lion fish.  When we got back on the boat and headed to shore, we were delighted to eat a home-cooked meal of sweet and sour beef with veggies and rice.  Pretty sweet compared to what I've eaten on dive trips in the states. Also, these two dives mean that I've done as many dives in the US as I have done abroad- kinda interesting when you think about it.  

When we got back to the hotel, we found two lounge chairs and relaxed.  Sam read his latest book while I fell asleep for a couple of hours- I'm a little teeny bit pink as a result.  Oops.  Hopefully it's nothing a little aloe vera and shade can't fix for me. 

We watched the most amazing sunset from our chairs at the end of the day.  It was quite possibly one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen.  I like this photos so much I made it my desktop background on my laptop.

Pick your dinner!

After the sunset and some seriously needed showers, Sam and I headed to our hotel's restaurant where we saw a fantastic seafood BBQ on our way home last night.  We were blown away by all of the options- red and white herring, mackerel, barracuda, shrimp, blue crab, clams, and squid.  It was ridiculous!  

The chef cooked the exact shrimp you picked out, and cut the filets to order as big as you wanted directly off the side of the fish- which I had never seen before.  Everything was by charged by weight, as you can see they had a scale off to the left.  

Between the two of us, Sam and I tried everything except the two herrings, and we agree without a doubt this was the best seafood of the trip.  The view wasn't bad either, we got a table at the edge of the restaurant overlooking the beach and the bay.  It was probably our coolest dinner too, because we are on the windward side of Railay and there was a nice breeze keeping the air moving.  

All things considered, we are sad to be leaving for Koh Phi Phi in the morning, but excited to see what will come next on our adventure!

Railay

Our bungalow at Railay Bay Resort & Spa

I am so content here on Railay Bay that I can't imagine leaving- Sam and I have been joking about canceling our plane tickets and living here for the rest of our lives.  It is SO laid back here, it's the PERFECT vacation location.  

Sam and I hung out at the beach late into the evening last night and then we headed out to find a place to eat.  We are noticing that our guide book isn't very helpful with restaurants because many of the places we've wanted to try have either closed for the season or are no longer under the same ownership.

Luckily, the food has been pretty good regardless of where we've eaten.  Sam is on a serious curry high so we order some variation of that dish it seems like every meal but is probably more like once a day. 

I decided I have a new favorite curry which I intend on learning to cook- Phanaeng Curry.  I had it with prawns last night and it was amazing.  It's much sweeter than it is spicy- a huge bonus for me!  Sam is really into all the hot spices so my tongue has been on fire a lot so far.  :-)

After dinner we headed to The Last Bar to listen to some live music and play some pool. I think the last time I played pool was in the garage of Sam's house junior year when Kevin still had his pool table.  It made me miss Isla Vista and all the good times I had there in college.

We also met up with a bunch of Americans who are out visiting friends before their wedding.  Riki and Aaron grew up in the bay area and both lived in LA for a while as well.  The four of us watched an amazing fire show on the deck of the bar and ended up hanging out well into this morning.

After a slow start this morning (our hotel has an amazing breakfast buffet by the way) Sam and I walked down to Walk Street and booked 2 dives for tomorrow- so exciting!  We're anitcipating poor visibility but I don't care because I am so thrilled to get to dive in Thailand and I know it's going to make Sam's week.  

We took it easy in the lounge chairs on the pool deck that overlook the bay all afternoon.  I think Sam and I both took naps and we read our books and enjoyed the sunshine.  There were a couple of rain showers, but they kept the heat down and only lasted a few minutes so we weren't too hampered by them.  It was nothing compared to what we went through at Khao Lak!

Tonight we found a great restaurant that used to be called The Rock Bar, but has changed names and ownerships and it's unclear what they call themselves now.  Sam thinks it was the best prepared food we've had yet, but I'm not so sure.  On our walk home we passed our hotel restaurant and decided we are going to there tomorrow night because the seafood they are serving is off the hook!

Heaven on Earth

Sam in the Long Tail Boat before we got splashed

Sam and I left Khao Lak this morning and traveled by taxi to Ao Nang where we caught a Long Tail Boat to Railay Bay.  The bay is cut off from the main land by some limestone formations that make in inaccessible except by water.  We decided to upgrade our reservations and stay in another bungalow, this one isn't quite on the beach, but it's much bigger and nicer than the one we stayed at in Khao Lak.  Hopefully the weather will hold out and we won't be spending as much time indoors here as we did at our last stop.

Railay Bay is bordered on two sides by some magnificent sheer faces.  The flatiron mountains in Boulder are the only thing that I have seen that resembles them.  From what I understand, it is a rock climbers dream here, and we saw several boat loads of people dressed in their climbing gear offloading while we were sitting on the beach this afternoon.  

All in all, it was a great day, and as soon as Sam finishes his book we are headed to dinner.  We are very excited to check out the menu tonight at dinner because we are in Thai seafood paradise.  Sam would like to try the lobster but I have been incredibly happy eating shrimp.  

Keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds out- we are going to try to arrange some diving while we're here but I'd be more than happy if we stay on the beach all day suntanning.

See ya Khao Lak

Today was definitely a bust.  I talked Sam into renting a car rather than a motorbike because he wanted to drive up to the Khao Sok National Park (which is about 90 minutes away from our hotel) and the weather has been so bad I didn't feel comfortable making the trip unless we had a little shelter on the journey.  Sure enough, we went through some pretty insane rain on our way up into the mountains, but I navigated like a pro despite having to drive on the right side of the car on the left side of the road!  

We got to the park and checked out the center.  They had some interesting literature about the flora in the park, and we picked up a map of the waterfalls we wanted to hike to.  Just as we walked up to the path, we saw a couple from Holland coming down.  The guy looked at Sam and I, and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't go up there like that.  We just pulled 30 leeches off our socks and sneakers."  At that moment I looked down at his poncho, which he was holding inside-out at the bottom, and there was a leech chillin' on it.  I nearly fainted.  Leeches are a deal-breaker for me.  He and the girl he was with proceeded to tell Sam and I they hadn't waded in water or stopped moving as they walked, but somehow the leeches got all over them.  Disgusting!  Sam and I walked up to the end of the pavement and we debating for quite a while- Sam did try to persuade me that he could get leeches off no problem with a cigarette butt- but at the end of the day we decided that the last thing we need is leeches.  Also, as we headed back to the car, Sam mentioned that 1 out of 10 times the leech dies before it lets go and then there can be issues with infection.  Wow, really glad we decided NOT to risk that one!

As a consolation, Sam and I drove out to the dam to see the river- it was beautiful!  We decided to head back down to Khao Lak to get some rest and hang out.  On our way back down the hill we stopped to check out the waterfall next to the highway.  It was very pretty, and just about the brightest spot in our day.  

Once we were back in Khao Lak,  Sam and I took showers and settled in to watch some Entourage before getting ready for dinner but the power went out.  We waited three episodes (about an hour) but there was no luck with the power and we discovered the water was nonfunctional too, so we found our clothes in the pitch black and went to dinner.  Luckily the power DID come back on while we were eating, and now we're getting packed up and ready to hit Railay tomorrow- hopefully so that we can get some diving and beach time in!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sam and I rented a motorbike this morning and took a ride out to one of the waterfalls on our way North up the coast.  We stopped and ate lunch along the way because the rain started again and we were pretty wet.  Then we also tried to find a dive company who would take us out, but we really are too late to get anything out of Khao Lak. 

Since we couldn't go diving, we took a trip down the coast to the Similan National Park Headquarters and the pier.  It was pretty neat to see all the boats in the harbor and some of the countryside and local people.

Tonight we took the motorbike back out and went to dinner at Pinocchio's, an Italian Restaurant that was highly recommended in our Lonely Planet book.  Nonna & Papa Santi would approve!  They import their wine and cheese from Italy and the pastas and pizzas are made onsite.  Back in 2004 the restaurant was destroyed during the tsunami but  they have rebuilt.

Most importantly, Sam and I want to wish all the mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day!  We wish we could have spent the day with our moms (shout out to Camille and Sue) but there's always next year.  

Rainy Season

So, our epic travel day has been followed by a very stormy time in Khao Lak.  The weather has been incredibly windy, rain has been heavy at times, and we've lost power a couple of times yesterday afternoon and this morning.  Also, the Similan Islands, which Sam really wanted to dive, are closed for the season due to the rough seas & poor visibility.  Apparently yesterday was the last day for several of the companies and they said it was nearly impossible to see anything because the water is so churned up.  C'est la vie.  Obviously we'll have to come back during the high season!  :-)  And there is a possibility that we'll be able to dive out of Railay or Phuket later this week.  

The weather let up last night and it was actually pretty nice, so we walked up to the main road and had dinner at Jai Bungalow which was pretty good.  Sam and I agree that so food so far has been very good overall.  There hasn't been anything (yet) that's been inedible, the prices are incredibly reasonable, and we've tried one new thing at almost every meal.  

Yellow curry & prawns 

Papaya Salad

Barracuda & vegetables 

Now we're off to see if we can visit the Khao Sok National Park and see some of the rainforest.  

Back to Thailand

Sam and I hopped on a bus in Siem Reap yesterday morning at 8am that arrived in Bangkok at 5pm.  We went directly to the bus depot to catch the 7pm overnight train to Phuket, and then get back on another train at 8:10 finally arriving in Hat Khao Lak at 10:15 this morning.  Did I mention that on the final let of our trip the bus was over-crowded and one of the little girls was carsick?  Yeah.  So Sam and I are treating ourselves to a nice beachfront bungalow for the next three nights before we head over to Railay.

The overnight bus wasn't that bad, nor was the additional 2 hour bus ride today, but altogether is was a little too much traveling for me!  Upon arriving our first order of business was to wash our dirty laundry, take showers, and brush our teeth.  It's amazing how much better I feel just having accomplished that!  Now, after surviving for 29 hours on a canister of Pringles and a sleeve of Ritz crackers, I am sure you'll pardon me for cutting this a bit short as we need to find a decent meal!

We've got functioning wifi in our bungalow so stay tuned for more posting the next few days!

View from our room

View from our porch

Bangkok

I'm not much of a big city person, and Thailand is a little bit big for me.  It reminds me of Hawaii- hot, lush, and very humid.  We spent yesterday wandering around Bangkok looking for a massage place Justin had recommended to us from his recent visit.  After a series of comical events we finally found our second choice massage parlor which, after wandering the city for 3 hours, was amazing.

Best $10 spent of the day

Then we came back to our hotel and decided it was time to take the plunge and eat some street food.  Most of what we'd seen was of questionable origin, and the food looked like it had been sitting out, uncovered for a while.  We chose the lady outside our hotel and were very pleased.

First encounter with Street Food!

And one last photo before we head out for Cambodia- the sunset in Bangkok last night.

From the rooftop pool at the Rikki Inn in Bangkok

On the Plane

There is a cool option for scheduling posts to go live at a specific date and time, which I thought would be neat to take advantage of.  When this post hits the internet Sam and I will be about half-way into the first leg of our trip.  We should be landing in Hong Kong around 4:15pm PST, and then we hop on a second flight that arrives in Bangkok, Thailand around 7:35pm PST.  I have promised to post that we've arrived safely at some point on our first day- but I want to make this disclaimer known now: I may not get a chance to update everyone on our status until we get checked into our hotel which will be sometime in the middle of the night back in California.

After our bon voyage dinner with the Grants- getting ready to leave for the airport!

I hope you're looking forward to some great posts and pictures- we'll be in touch soon!

xoxoxo

Gianna & Sam