Suratthani, Thailand

Nov 29 - Dec 01 '18

A short entry about Suratthani. Once again, a city like any other. But what made it special was our hostel. Our 22nd accommodation on the trip and by far the best. And that was thanks to the incredibly kind owners, a small Thai family. During our 2 days there, we didn't need to take a taxi because the boss drove us everywhere. On the first evening, we ate in a Thai restaurant with the family and a Dutch guy from the hostel. Although we've already tried many dishes here, it turned out once again that it's best to let the locals show you what's good. They ordered around 12 different dishes, including fish soup, papaya salad, a mountain of crabs, and other things that we couldn't quite identify. Everything is placed in the middle of the table and everyone helps themselves. Additionally, everyone receives a small bamboo container with purple sticky rice, which can be eaten with your hands and dipped into all the soups. Some of the food is so spicy that it flies away when you least expect it. The papaya salad was completely red, you couldn't even see the salad under the chili peppers. Luckily, you get ice water and plenty of napkins to try to keep your teary eyes, nose, and everything else under control, while the Thais happily keep eating. In the end, we had the best mango sticky rice we've ever had. The whole meal only cost us €5.30, simply wonderful.

Even though we hadn't booked breakfast, the boss came up to us every morning and said he cooked or bought food for us. We didn't expect such hospitality from a hostel, it truly was a jackpot.

We also went to the night market with them (after the restaurant!) where they bought us 5 more things.