Chiang Mai to Bangkok

We both felt quite refreshed for the comforts of a hotel and very grateful for a proper bed and not a single cockerel in earshot. We were pretty much packed and ready for the train later in the day but before we left Chiang Mai, we were booked on a half day cooking course. As we both loved Thai food we wanted to learn some of the basics and try our hand at cooking some.

We joined a big group of people and all sat on the floor around a low table. We chose our three dishes out of the 6 courses (we could only do three as we were only doing a half day course). We were all given a basket and off we went to the market to get the ingredients. At the market we were told about all the different herbs, spices and vegetables, as well as the noodles and some other things that go in Thai food. With our baskets full it was back to the cooking school so we could make our first dish. Leigh & Jennie made Pad Thai and I made chicken & cashew nuts and they were both delicious.

Next up it was the spring rolls which we all made together. All the dishes are incredibly simple and have the same few basic ingredients.  I’m sure you could easily recreate these at home if you had the right fish sauces to go in them.

Lastly we made Thai green curry which I was really looking forward to until I noticed a big grub floating in my curry on the hob. It had obviously come out of the veg I’d cut up so needless to I didn’t fancy trying any of it. Leigh enjoyed his though!

We then went back to hotel before being taken to the station to board our overnight train to Bangkok. The journey would take about 15 hours but this didn’t really seem that bad after all the travelling we had done. The only thing we were worried about was how clean it would be as a couple who also did the overnight train to Chiang Mai from Bangkok said theirs had lots of cockroaches on it. Once we boarded our fears were unfounded and we sat into some rather large and comfy chairs. I think the other couple must have gone super economy! We opened a beer, and read our books to pass the time. At about 10pm a guy came round and pulled the top bunk down and made the lower seats into a bed. It was good night, knowing this would be the last night of slumming it before Krabi!