Living off the land

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Eating organic rice and beans is something I turn my nose up at normally in supermarkets, but now i think i know the true meaning!

We have decided to splash out on accommodation and pay the astronomical price of 800 Baht (16 pounds) for our own mountain view bungalow, about 5 km outside of Pai. Why you ask? Cos it's sooooo nice. After staying in budget huts, this place is like a palace. It's not actually far off. There are 5 bungalows, but because it is low season we have it to ourselves. Pai Na Pai Ta Home is where we are at, and we liked it so much last night that we have agreed to stay another night, again alone on the complex. Kob - the lady who runs the guesthouse has been so good to us. Last night she recommended a special northern dish, which she cooked, and which was gobbled straight up by us both. In our meal of rice with chicken with herbs and chilli, everything was obtained from their back yard... I didn't ask about the chicken, as far as I'm concerned -out of sight out of mind!

The rice was harvested last summer, which they produce from May-October, as they have rain season then. It's way too hot and dry to grow rice now, so everybody in northern Thailand feels the squeeze until May/June, as tourist numbers are also low, which I guess is why we have been made so welcome at Pai Na Pai Ta. Kob also handmakes clothes, jewellery and hammocks. You name it, if it can be made with a needle an thread, I'm pretty sure she can make it. She has a shop out the front by the main road, which faces the main road.

For breakfast we had rice soup, a Thai delicacy, which was so tasty. After that, we were also given home grown and filtered coffee, and maountain tea(that tasted of coconut and herbs). Today we have been scooting around different waterfalls, one of which we have not visited, but was well worth the 15 km drive(doing an average of 15mph it takes a while). Also last night with our dinner we had some fresh beans, which were in a hard shell and were very yum, called tua. I ended up eating most of them as they were so moreish, and they were on my side of the table! Becky had a hammock incident last night, where she couldn't get out of it once she was in it. Very funny to stand and watch, but when it happened to me today, she did exactly the same, and it's not so funny when your stuck in foetal position suspended in the air by monster reams of cotton. When struggling to exit a hammock is the hardest part of your day, you know that you have got it good!

A meal that we both have put ownership on and no doubt you will hear us go on about when we get back, is Kao Soi. A northern noodle soup dish, is best eaten with Beef. Also, they ask you if you want Thai spicy or farang. Thai spicy is very hot. I would compare the Kao Soi journey to 'The Usual Suspects' or 'A Day In The Life' by the beatles, as the creschendo of the meal is right at the end, when that spice is the hottest down at the bottom - you gasp for air and your tingling lips enjoy the aftertaste. I really want to learn how to make it, as we actually could eat it 3 meals a day!

Kob is preapring a Thai yellow curry for us tonight, as we haven't sampled one yet. I'm sure it will be as amazing as the bungalow that we are staying in! She has also said that we can have a Thai lesson tonight too!!

Kao Soi.... Try it!!!!

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Comments

[Jane Maguire]

Your Blogs
Congratulations on your interesting and informative travel blogs. It really brings the country to life in my imagination. You could both be professional travel writers and make a good living. Well done and I'm looking forward to hearing further about your travels. love Jane. xx