Category: Thailand
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Day 795 – Chiang Mai, Thailand – The Buddhist Temples of Northern Thailand
Having grown up in austere protestant American churches conspicuously devoid of ornate or lavish decoration, I never felt particularly connected to those holy places. My personal spirituality always manifested in elaborate, intricate, and shamanically hypnotic self-made shrines and environments. A visual language that more fit the internal beauty that I experience the world as,…
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The Best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai
I have somewhat of an obsession with the northern Thai specialty, khao soi. It’s a typical northern Thai curry noodle soup that is ubiquitous in Chiang Mai but uncommon in American Thai restaurants and even uncommon in Bangkok and southern Thailand. To my shame, I visited Chiang Mai about 4 years ago, but had…
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Cuisine de Garden – January 22, 2022 (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Cuisine de Garden was originally opened by Chef Leelawat “Nan” Mankongtiphan in Chiang Mai in 2011. A self taught cook, later formally trained in Japanese and French cooking, Chef Nan has appeared on television cooking shows and competitions. After the failure of his original French restaurant, Nan reimagined Cuisine de Garden as a locally…
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Day 795 – Chiang Mai, Thailand – Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields
Northern Thailand. There is something haunting in the mist covered mountains and emerald rice fields surrounding the city. Something that I connect to. A reverence for the spirits of trees and nature. Of something beyond our earthly pursuits. A kindness that permeates the people, a resilient joyfulness, and a welcoming disposition. It’s something that…
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Getting a Sak Yant tattoo: the sacred art of Thai Buddhist magic tattooing.
Through all of my adventures and travels I have never been able to commit to a tattoo. I have hundreds of ideas for tattoos and saved images tucked away in computer folders. But if I’m going to carry this around into my golden years I always wanted it to MEAN something. It’s an understatement to…
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Fresh seafood and Rasta vibes on Railay Beach (Krabi Province), Thailand
Traveling to Railay Beach is like going to meet a Bond villain. The peninsula is divided from the mainland by a mountain range. So the only way on or off is by a wooden long-tail boat rigged with a full car engine directly powering a propeller on a long pole. After you land in the…
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Fantastic pork knuckle (Khao Kha Moo) and other street food delights in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Whereas Bangkok can be an urban grind choked with traffic Chiang Mai opens up considerably. The town is much smaller and the city center is very pedestrian friendly. With less traffic to fight, the food can get more mobile. I was fascinated by these fully mobile food stands. The cook can just drive around town…
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Explore the Soi Rambuttri food market and more in Bangkok, Thailand
I came to Thailand with dreams of revelation. An openness to be transformed. The praise of those who’ve come before me ringing in my ears. I came to Thailand to eat. To get lost in the mysteries of unknown cuisines, lost in the tumult of street vendors and the surprise of point-to-buy guess work. I…
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Thailand 2017 – Day 1
Day 1 It’s 5am in the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and I find myself huddled at a tucked away food court table competing for the few convenient plugs. Shiny plastic forms of hot air balloons loom overhead in a sort of 70s kitsch timewarp postcard. Up an escalator and down a long hallway that seemed…