I boiled some eggs today.

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January 13th



Saturday morning we woke up and met an older lady who would be teaching us how to cook a traditional Thai meal. We started by going to a fresh food market which had everything you could imagine and other things you couldn’t have imagined. They had tubs of live fish and frogs as well as whole pig heads. There was lots of normal food too, but I only remember the abnormal. The lady picked up fresh garlic, rice noodles, and little tiny shrimp. I was told we would be going back to her house where she has an outside portion for her cooking classes.

There was a fountain surrounded by beautiful flowers first thing when you walked in. She had a small area with couches and tables and then a large station with 14 woks ready for us to cook with. The first dish we were making was green curry that had eggplant, basil, pepper, and chicken in it. The consistency of the dish was soup and you were to put it over top of rice. The next dish we made was called Papaya salad which had thinly sliced papaya, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, red pepper, mini shrimp, peanuts, and a zesty dressing over top. We could choose how many peppers we put in it and even though I put in one, it turned out to be very spicy.

For our main dish we made Pad Thai. While most restaurants in America make it with peanut butter this just had a touch of crushed peanuts in it. It was super easy to make but the only challenge would be to find all of the ingredients in the United States. For dessert we made sticky rice and mango with coconut cream over top.

Once our food was completed we all sat down and started eating. Everything was delicious and Pad Thai may be my new favorite food. There was an older couple waiting to start their class after us and as we were finishing eating they sat next to us with their own meals. We started talking to them and discovered that they were from Manchester, UK. Their daughter had traveled to Thailand in the past and so they were spending three weeks exploring all over Thailand. It was cool to hear what they have done so far, as well as talk about our adventures.

Before we left, we received a cook book that had all of the dishes we made today as well as over 60 other recipes. I already couldn’t wait to take it back home and to start cooking 😊

Our next stop of the day was the Umbrella Factory. It was outdoors with around 6 stations to walk around to. They had people working each station showing us how umbrellas are made. Each is made so intricately and carefully. We got to the final station which was were the painting occurred. This station had 8 artists who were willing to paint on any item you brought up to them. Unfortunately, I had not brought anything to paint so Libby and I went into the gift shop to look around. We found beautifully painted scrolls as well as some scrolls with nothing on them. I bought one and took it out to have someone paint flowers on it. I let her take control of the colors and the end result was so beautiful; definitely worth the time it took. While we only spent a short amount of time here, it resulted in me getting my favorite souvenir thus far.

Apparently there were Hot Springs close to the Umbrella Factory, so we were all surprised to hear that we were heading their next. Walking into the hot springs, the place was PACKED. We were told by our buddies to buy fresh eggs at the mini mart when we walked in because we would be boiling them in the springs. A little confused, I didn’t question what I was told to do. It was another cold day in Chiang Mai, so people from all over came to heat up in the springs. They had long pools that increased in water temperature. We tried putting our feet in the 50-55 C water but instead, it was an ab workout as we tried to keep our feet from touching. After a while we gave up and headed to the area where you boil your eggs. The eggs came in a basket with a handle and there were hooks on either side of the pool. People put their basket in the water and attached them to the hooks. If you wanted a soft boiled egg you left it in for 5-8 minutes and for hard boil 10-15. After 15 minutes was up we got ours out and headed to the 40-45 C water pool. We cracked our eggs and poured the soy sauce they gave us over top. It was kinda a weird thing to do but also really fun. Before we left I got an iced cappuccino and it was the best coffee I had had in a while. Back home I started making French press coffee almost every morning but here, I am lucky if I have enough time to drink a cup each day.

Near the hot springs in San Kamphaeng, there was another walking street close by. Our plan was to stop at Walking Street for dinner and some more shopping. I am learning that there are many walking streets and they are primarily for food not clothes, but to foreigners, the shops are more exciting than the food. I wasn't very hungry after eating my eggs so I only tried some of Mean's sweet potato fried balls. They were sweet potatoes in breading in the shape of a ball. They were extremely good and Mean told me that they are her favorite food. While clothes and items were much cheaper here, it was less touristy souvenirs and more every day items. We walked the whole thing, and Libby was able to buy a gift for her brother. As we were making the turn at the end of the street to turn back, I saw a familiar face. It was Mint! Mint for those who don't remember was the nurse who befriended Katie and I in the Neuro ICU. She graduated from BCNC and had an American buddy four years ago. She said she contacted one of our Thai buddies to see what we were doing and headed to San Kamphaeng. She walked around and talked with us for a while.

A lot of people got done shopping earlier than expected so we decided to go back to BCNC. Mint hopped on the bus and got a ride back home (she lives close to BCNC). Because many of us did not get dinner at Walking Street, they told us they would stop at McDonald's. Now, at home I rarely eat McDonald's, and although I have loved the Thai food so far, a burger and fries sounded amazing. When we stopped at the McDonald's the first thing I noticed was how nice it was. I know they are rebuilding and refurbishing a lot of McDonald's in the states, but this one was super nice. I bought my meal and it was 109 baht! I was so surprised by the cost of the food at McDonald's. Keep in mind, at the hospital cafeteria I bought Pad Thai and a frappe for less than 100 baht. It was interesting to see how the least expensive restaurant in the states, is a more expensive place in Thailand. The burger and fries were eaten in under 3 minutes (oops) and tasted just like home. The bus ride ended with lots of singing and some sleeping but our hearts were quite content after a long day.

Next up: elephants.

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