Notes from Thailand Dec 2021

[shain]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

Did you get a chance to smell the coffee blossoms?  When we were in Bali visiting a waterfall, our guide knew all the plants in the area and would show us arabica and robusto coffee plants in different stages - I was amazed when smelling the robusto flowers - it smelled like jasmine!

 

No flowers when we've been there, but we got to try the ripe fruit. Just looked up coffee flowers online - it looks much like jasmine as well.

[heidih]

10 minutes ago, shain said:

 

No flowers when we've been there, but we got to try the ripe fruit. Just looked up coffee flowers online - it looks much like jasmine as well.

Since bees are imortant in Robusta coffee pollination (they boost Arabica as well) and the little guys like scented flowers, and coffee is grown in sort of tropical conditions - all makes sense

Beautiful setting! 

[shain]

Pai

 

Panang curry tofu. Not too peanutty, hearty with lots of sharp kaffir lime. 
Khao soi, quite sweet, egg noodles and fried noodles. Very rich, warm spices not sure. With the customary pickles and onion.

Green curry. With pea eggplants, ball eggplants, mushrooms, plenty of ginger and basil. Didn't really like the pea eggplants.

Thai beer, served from a water pitcher, because the Covid limitations forbid selling alcohol past ten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fried things for breakfast.

Sweet toasted coconut filling.

Sweet mung beans.

Also crisp battered sweet bananas.

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by shain (log)

[heidih]

Did you find the pea egglants bitter or not enjoy the texture? I've only had them twice and enjoyed.

[TdeV]

Thank you, Shai N. A most enjoyable tour.

[shain]

10 hours ago, heidih said:

Did you find the pea egglants bitter or not enjoy the texture? I've only had them twice and enjoyed.

 

Mostly the bitterness, but the texture was not helping either

[shain]

Walked around town for a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Having fried junk (delicious junk) for breakfast, we opted for an early healthy lunch.

Thai omelette with fish sauce, spicy sauce. Sticky rice.

Green bean salad with salted crab. A very intense chlorophyll flavor, not our favorite.

Som tam with salted eggs.

 

 

[heidih]

Chlorophyl intensity because the green beans were raw pounded? I've only had the green papaya + salted crb with a few green beans in the mix.

[shain]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

Chlorophyl intensity because the green beans were raw pounded?

Exactly. 

[shain]

Hua Chang waterfall hike. The way from Pai is mostly a dirt road, passing through rustic villages and farms. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trail itself is 5-6 hours long, crossing the river dozens of times, your legs don't get a chance to dry, but the water temperature was great.

 

 

Kid seemed to have been having a blast.

 

 

Someone left an offering. Though I'd wish they'd skip the plastic bags.

 

 

Lots of butterflies in this one sunny spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by shain (log)

[KennethT]

When hiking, how do you cross the streams?  Do you take your hiking shoes off or do you go through and the shoes get soaked? 

[Shelby]

Beautiful waterfalls.  

 

The spiders! 

 

 

[heidih]

Wow - I scrolled through but will do a slow pass with a cup of tea and really watch later. The  one tree trunk that looks like bright orang fruit at top - ID? Referring to Kennth T'  shoe question I imagine you wear sandas or shoes that folks do when river rafting and such.

Edited February 16, 2022 by heidih (log)

[shain]

11 hours ago, KennethT said:

When hiking, how do you cross the streams?  Do you take your hiking shoes off or do you go through and the shoes get soaked? 

 

Good sandals

[shain]

11 hours ago, heidih said:

The  one tree trunk that looks like bright orang fruit at top - ID?

 

Synantherias sylvatica, according to google.

[liuzhou]

7 minutes ago, shain said:

 

Synantherias sylvatica, according to google.

AKA Amorphophallus sylvaticus

 

Mostly used in traditional medicine in India, I believe. I've seen it there, but never in Thailand.

[menuinprogress]

Browsing this thread brought back great memories of visiting Chiang Mai. Thanks for sharing!

[shain]

Burmese style tea leave salad from a night market vendor.

 

 

Nam prik noom with sticky rice.

Tom yum.

Khao soi.

 

Ginger tisane, sweated with honey and some cinnamon.

Edited February 19, 2022 by shain (log)

[shain]

Breakfast. A mediocre Hoi Tod (sometimes AKA oyster omelette). Plain coffee, cold spiced coffee (the latter had very pleasant anise-like spice, but too sweet).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some fruits.

 

 

[Smithy]

Thank you for these pictures, @shain. It's a fascinating virtual trip for me.

 

I believe the top fruit (pink exterior, white interior with many many seeds) is a dragon fruit. Is that right? What about the bottom fruit? Loquat, perhaps?

[shain]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

I believe the top fruit (pink exterior, white interior with many many seeds) is a dragon fruit. Is that right? What about the bottom fruit? Loquat, perhaps?

 

That's a sapodilla, tastes much like dates.

The first fruit is indeed dragon fruit.

[curls]

@shain thank you very much for sharing your trip with us. When you went on that hike, did you go with a guide or are trails so well marked that visitors can go hiking on their own?

[shain]

16 minutes ago, curls said:

@shain thank you very much for sharing your trip with us. When you went on that hike, did you go with a guide or are trails so well marked that visitors can go hiking on their own?

 

We didn't have a guide. This track is well trodden enough, even though the marking is non existent, you can usually see the footpath. At some river crossing it's hard to tell where the path resumes past the water.

We had GPS waypoints, but didn't need them.

[shain]

Snails in red curry with leaves.

Warm fire roasted eggplant salad with onion, shrimps, eggs, holy basil, chili,

Delightful fried crab in pepper sauce with chilies and garlic.

 

 

 

 

 

[shain]

The same wonderful lunch was elevated by a beautiful pond-side garden.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by shain (log)