Chiangmai, Thailand: Some shots of food

I take a while to conceptualize and organize my photos into coherent stories, so much so it takes almost a year to churn these out and I decide to go with posts on food, and what to do. 

How original.

I've a fear for spicy food (Indo food can be quite a killer) so I'm usually not so into curry, except those that are sweet and rich in coconut milk - cue: Thai green curry. That aside, I do enjoy my fair share of Thai fare, and the food up north in Chiangmai is same-same yet different from what you can find in Bangkok, or the typical Thai food in Singapore. Given that northern Thailand is so close to China, it's little surprise there's a hint of Chinese influence in the food here.

Before (and during) the trip, we did have a list of to-eats. And sometimes, we just stumbled on the gems, gems that we didn't expect and didn't taste too bad. As usual, it's hard to go wrong with food in this part of the world.

1. Chang Phueak area (street side food, chances are it opens at night)

Each stall typically sets up their own dining area, so they might be reluctant to have you bring their food and drinks to another "stall". We had that issue with juices!

Khao Kha Moo Chang - pig trotters
You can't miss this, think and see feng fei fei, cowgirl, and the super efficient way they fill and clear tables.

Of course, there are other stalls to patronize, but usually you order and eat in front of the respective stalls. And you can try to request for an English (or Chinese) menu.





2. Khao Soi Khun Yai

Crispy fried noodles in a sweet curry sauce. Crispy. Fried. Need I say more? If a stall can survive on selling that one signature dish, and appeal to locals and tourists alike, you know you have a winner.

 



Here's Khao Soi from another random restaurant - okay, you can try, same-same but different.



3. Hipster Offerings 1 - Coffee Establishments

There are tons of notable hipster cafes and restaurants. Perfect to chill and watch time go by (for those disinterested in shopping and massages). #toolittletime

We had coffee at Akha Ama Coffee La Fattoria. More on our coffee journey here.

 



We also just stumbled into a hipster cafe for breakfast-lunch (read: I don't know the name of this restaurant and where it's located). They had macarons (meh) and green curry pasta. Here's a sampling:

















4. Hipster Offerings 2 - Ploen Ruedee Night Market

For your international food fixes

 



5. Sunday Night Market (or any night market for that matter)

If you can, make sure your stay covers a Sunday night! Not just for shopping, the area is peppered with food stalls for freshly prepared street side fare. Just whack what looks enticing and smells delicious.

 











6. Warorot Market

A local told us to she gets her "wares" from Warorot Market. It's also the only place we could find a good range of Srichand products. Also, random food tastes good too. Or maybe because we were hungry from the shopping.




7. Mall Offerings - MAYA Mall

With that many night markets (there is only so many harem pants one can buy), I didn't think there was much a mall can offer. WRONG. 
Not only does it have jelly bunny shoes, cosmetic stores, taokaenoi retailer, and the food court concept (all with the modern comfort of air conditioning).

 







8. The usual favourites: Bird's nest and Shark's Fin

Honestly, we just stumbled upon this around our hostel-hotel (in the Northern Gate area) and it became a must-make-an-effort-to-try-this. I just go with the flow and glow with my Bird's Nest.

 



Other (pretty) random food like thai milk tea, thai food, and dimsum





Having had some pretty authentic dim sum in Hong Kong, or Singapore for the matter, come by if you want to try the Northern Thai Chinese's take on dim some. We were hungry and popped into a random hostel for food recommendations. Our standard MO when hungry.

 







Did we eat everything we wanted? Probably not.
But could we have eaten more? Probably not.
Therefore,
We'd be back, Chiangmai!

Chiangrai, Thailand: Coffee Journey

I enjoyed Chiangmai and Chiangrai. Very much. It's that plain and simple. I would revisit, in a heartbeat. I haven't returned to Bangkok in years, but I think I might still choose Chiangmai over Bangkok (I think), or maybe take a long train ride and visit both. 

The main reason for our visit was for the Akha Ama coffee journey up to Maejantai village in Chiangrai, to see and experience coffee picking firsthand. Our friend, B, had gone on the journey, not once, but twice, so that sure counts as a pretty good reason to embark on it too in my book. In fact, on our trip, there were several international travelers who were repeat coffee journeyers. That's the allure of the village, and the journey. 

Compared to B's previous trips, I think they were able to accommodate more people (with more villagers generously opening up their homes) and when there used to be more foreigners, there were more locals on our trip, I assume, because of the growing awareness and appreciation among locals (both wonderful scenarios). 

If you are interested in embarking on the journey for yourself, there is something beautiful about going in green, with open eyes, ad more so, an open mind. But if you want a glimpse of what to expect, bearing in mind that your experience may differ substantially, and my memory almost one year on is sub-par, read on!

The Coffee Journey (25-27th November 2016)

We booked our places once we knew it opened (around August) after religiously stalking their Facebook page, and website. B and R had these super antennae for sniffing out these updates. Upon confirmation (and payment), we were provided with the itinerary, which since is not shared on their website publicly, I won't either. But I would say it involves two nights in the village - two lovely nights, with all meals provided - you'd be very well-fed! (You do not, and should not, expect a 5-star hotel experience. But I love the hospitality and simplicity of the stay.)

Day 1

Quite a bit of time is taken travelling from Chiangmai to Chiangrai to the village, but it's a good time to get to know your fellow travelers, or take in the country sights. We had a stopover for coffee (and lunch - soooo good!) and had to switch from a song thaew to a 4WD (to go up the mountains, obviously).

It was about here when the driver pointed out that we were crossing the Chiangmai-Chiangrai border.











A debrief and orientation around the village upon arrival







Spotted in the local school





Puppy up for grabs. Feed it and it's yours. Or so I heard.





My homestay.
It's my host's living quarters and honestly I was stunned and embarrassed to say the least when I stumbled back in the dark to sleep when they were out watching their usual late night drama. It was still a very good and sound sleep! #thanksforopeningupyourhouse The daughter of the host family informed me (in fluent Mandarin no less!) that they would be building an annex of sorts to host homestay guests in the near future, as the village welcomes more visitors. #stillstayhomelyplease

Out on a rock waiting for my slow leisurely fellow travelers to get ready while counting down to the sunset







Dinner - Literally from farm to table (or banana leaf on floor)
Imagine just plucking some fresh vegetables (of known origin - your backyard) just before dinner, naturally sweet, and no seasoning required. #thelife



Day 2 - the main coffee day

How else to complete the journey with free flow of coffee before, during, and after meals. Of course, I get distracted all over before breakfast, by wildlife.





The raccoon dog







We have visitors





Who really just want to use the bathroom. #thanksforqueuing





Snooping around the village before breakfast. Lots of action going on.

















And it's time for breakfast! Haven't figured out how to cook porridge like this. One day!





The other queen of snacks stayed with a host that ran the convenience store. Coincidence? I think not. I had to sneak some snacks for tasters, even up the mountains.





Post-breakfast, it was a walk to the coffee farm for some introduction to coffee appreciation (and coffee cherry plucking)





An issue with planning such a trip is that you have to time the trip nicely to coincide with the time when the cherries are ripe of picking. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it wasn't a good time, with more green than red.



Evidence that I did try and didn't slack off (that much). No one has told me how big those pants (from Istanbul!) make my bum look. No one. #stillcomfy





Combined harvest of four people. Four unsuccessful careful people.





Got distracted... by weeds.



Then it was time for some food tasting. To sensitize our sense of smell and taste I presume. First, smell, then taste. In between? Get distracted.















Lunch. I don't have to know exactly what's on the menu, but I know for sure, I'm in good hands!



What we did with fruits, nuts, spices, is repeated, this time with... coffee. (duh) Whole beans, ground coffee without water, then ground coffee with water.



The model answer. The funny story goes like this - I didn't understand the procedure and thought the worksheet was an anticipation guide of sorts, so I sniffed the whole beans and made my best prediction guess of the flavors. #threecoffeesothreedistinctflavors #testtaker



Some post-picking processing. While they get some help with machinery, clearly some aspects remains very manual and they are selective about the beans that "make the mark" - which explains the well-deserved price tag of coffee



Lee's mother - hard at work, and mind you, she has a hand in prepping all our meals in the village too! But I would say, an active mind, and an active life, makes for a good long life.



The walk back to the village. While walking you wonder when it will end, when you reached the destination, you wish it would be longer. Time-tested. 



Well played, my friend, well played.



All ready for dinner! I think it was just before this that I also freaked out my host's daughter while waiting to use the bathroom downstairs. Which was huge by the way, huge. Also, I had to use it by the light of my mini dynamo torch. (I'm sure there's a bulb but I'm not sure where the switch was).



Hanging out at R's "pad"



Dino snack is good! Also, I was inspired to eat instant noodles as snacks by the local travelers.





Food, clean air, fresh scenery aside, the night sky in Maejantai is beautiful.
As captured by my phone below. #notnamingnames
So beautiful you have to see it for yourself. (Again, I think any star-studded sky would look just as good, I'm just born and bred city gal.)
P.S. Huawei phones take good night shots







Note to self: chicks can hop in and out. Chickens, cannot.



Day 3
The usuals. The goodbye.
Oh and finally, we meet the cat.

 




















Snazzy idea.













Coffee chickens. Kind of reminds you of kopi luwak?





Up to the "observatory"









I spy a cat. Do you?



Breakfast - our last meal in the village. B loves this food. I'm a B-eliever too.



Altogether now... Awww....







And it's time to bid farewell to the village.









As a fan of fishball-related dishes, I want to try this again!



Closing remarks:

You don't have to be a fan (huge or otherwise) of coffee to partake in this journey with Akha Ama. I know I'm not, and did not become a convert (yet). Nonetheless, it's no reason, in fact, there is no reason, not to enjoy this well thought out, co-ordinated and hosted
Coffee Journey.

A bonus: You can't have this food anywhere else. 

P.S. I don't see anything up for Coffee Journey 2017 so they might not have it this year. A pity but I'm sure they have their reasons. And I'm so glad we went for it in 2016! Of course, I am still hoping to re-visit sometime.