Chiang Mai for a Bit

Due to a sudden emergence of Monday morning English Camp duties, my stay in Chiang Mai was the shortest of all, and this brevity was by far the most regretful. Chiang Mai quickly proved to be my favorite city in Thailand thus far, and I doubt I will encounter any worthy rivals for first place.


Accommodation was plentiful and cheap, and every room was within walking distance from places to eat. The food was also definitely the best I've had so far, in terms of variety and affordability. At the "Cafe de Siam" I had an amazing roast chicken sandwich with spinach, grilled vegetables and real cheese on Rosemary Focacia for about 2 dollars US, which was pretty much a conglomoration of all the farang foods I missed—cheese, good bread, and leafy greens—rolled into one satisfying bite. I also went to a surprisingly incredible Mediterranean restaurant called "Jerusalem Falafel" before I left. The icing on the cake was a little place called "Chocolate Fact," which was dedicated solely to chocolate cakes, ice cream, pastries, drinks and my own selection... fondue.


I spent most of my time in Chiang Mai wandering, visiting temples, buying local crafts, and just enjoying the beauty and ease of this colorful city. I stumbled on a "monk chat," where a monk answered tourist inquiries regarding his religion, and I bought some handmade wooden earrings for about 30 cents. The people were all downright friendly. While tourism had a strong presence, it hadn't sucked the soul from Chiang Mai the way it often does other cities.

On Saturday night I finally took a Thai cooking class, where I learned to make all the dishes I know oh-so-well. Our instructor was a beautiful young Thai woman with a playful but sweet disposition I'll now fondly associate with notherners. I mastered some of my Thai favorites: Pad See Ew, Panang Chicken Curry, Coconut Soup and Chicken with Cashew Nuts. I was surprised to see that many dishes were not only similar, their base ingredients were literally the same. The main differences were choice of vegetables, size of noodles, and consistency of dish. Otherwise, all you need is plenty of fish and oyster sauce. Love that sodium!


Over the past few days I've been working at English camp, which is a summer enrichment program that involves less children and more work. After my long trip, however, it's nice to be back in Amata. I wouldn't go so far as to call this school my new "home," but it's the closest I have when it comes to stable places and familiar faces. The kids are little devils sometimes, but keeping things fun has kept us both sane. Here's a few snapshots of the end of semester (don't be deceived, they're only happy because I'm giving them free time), and a clip of their favorite game: BINGOOOOO!!!