"The Breathtaking Pai Canyon"

During my stay in Chiang Mia I decided to spend one day attending the "Siam Rice Cooking School," to figure out exactly some of my favorite Thai dishes are made. When the day began I had absolutely no idea what to expect all I knew was that I was to meet the rest of the group in the local market at 9:15am.

When I arrived at the local market I was greeted by hundreds of locals but with no westerners in sight and not sure who I was meeting I took at seat at a nearby table and dove into my book I was currently reading.

This must have made up quite a scene to onlookers. There was a big local market with everything from rice, fruit, and vegetables to quarters of hanging meat, drying mystery meat, and fish so fresh they flopped around on the grill. As hard as you may try you would not have heard a word of English, not too mention seen anyone other that Thai, and in the middle of this busy scene there's little ol me sitting cross legged on a table, perfectly comfortable reading my book.

It didn't take to long before the teacher from the school managed pick me out of the crowd and usher me back to the other 6 people who would be attending the course with who, all turned out to be Australian.

The rest of the morning was spent shopping for the ingredients we would be using and getting an explanation about almost every use, in the kitchen or not, for all the vegetables which were laid before us and on all the different types of rice, curries, ect. After our shopping was done we piled into a song thew and drove out to a nice little house in the country side where we spent the rest of the day.

Through the day we learned how to make six dishes from scratch including Papaya Salad, Green Curry Soup, and Tom Yum Soup which are among my favorites. We also got to eat anything we made, therefore after six dishes you can imagine your getting pretty full. The others in the group turn out to be all one family traveling around Thailand for a month because two of them had just got married in Phuket. After the course was over, being the true friendly Aussies they were, also invited me out to a bit of a wedding celebration, you may have called it, for the rest of the evening . . . . and some of the next morning!

The next day, after not very much sleep mind you, I caught a mini bus headed up to the sleepy little town of Pai to get out of the big city craziness that seems to consume Central Thailand.

Now I am Pai and enjoying the laid back atmosphere, good weather, and hammocks that I was longing to revisit Southeast Asia for.

Today I may head up to read and suntan by the pool.........hmm sounds like alot of effort. Maybe Ill just laze and read in my hammock. Tough life.

"Pounding The Curry Paste"

"Bon Appetite"

"Northern Thailands Scenery"

"Sleepy Pai"