Chiang Mai, Thailand

In Chiang Mai it is currently rainy season. We decided to go anyway since there is no beach where we could relax.

Actually, the weather in Chiang Mai was great. It was mostly sunny and it rained heavily once a day. This is inconvenient when you are riding a scooter on your way to the night market and the road turns into a river under you. But this situation led us to the best restaurant in the market, which served Western gourmet cuisine at a few francs.

But since we also love Thai food, we decided to attend a cooking class. First, we went to a local market where they showed us the vegetables, fruits, and spices that are used in Thai dishes. We already knew some of them from our trip, but there was still a lot to discover. For example, Thai ready meals. These are precooked meals that are sold in a small plastic bag for one franc. Definitely healthier and fresher than our microwave food.

Then we started cooking the dishes we chose. Everyone could cook three different dishes and we prepared the spring rolls and curry pastes together. We were amazed at how quickly the dishes were prepared in a proper wok on a gas stove. And of course, we got to eat the cooked dishes at the end. Maybe there was a bit too much chili paste in my soup, but I still enjoyed it while sweating. :)

Highlights of our stay were definitely the night markets, where a lot of junk is sold, but you can still find great stands with handmade items made by locals and sold at the market.

We continue to Pai with slightly heavier luggage.

Text by Oli

Image editing by Rahel