Every evening I go for a walk near the university of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the students don’t cook much, first because almost none of the apartments here have kitchens. And second, you can buy food very easily and cheaply right on the street.
There is a wonderful little juice place where I get my daily fix of fresh squeezed orange juice and carrot juice. Every day when I show up, they start pouring the juice for me. I don’t even have to ask. Then they give me a little stool to sit on and I watch the students getting their food and drinks. Read the rest of this entry
My home town of Chiang Mai, Thailand, gets unbearably hot during the months of March and April. This is the perfect time to escape to the beaches of southern Thailand where the climate is much more pleasant at that time. This time I spent a few weeks in Phuket which is Thailand’s largest island. It is not exactly an unspoiled hidden gem, but it is highly developed and quite expensive. But on the upside there are great beaches, lots of different restaurants to choose from, the scenery is beautiful, and there are many interesting excursions you can go on. If you are looking for an undiscovered remote island with budget prices, and you don’t mind roughing it, then Phuket is not for you. But if you like the combination of great beaches and a large variety of things to do along with the convenience of all modern amenities, then Phuket might just be your ticket. I had fun with my camera and even more fun putting together this beautiful video. If you like it, please leave a comment.
Thailand is known for a great variety of delicious tropical fruits, and when you go to a Thai market, they are bursting with piles of colorful fruits and vegetables. But few vegetarians, if any, live off fruits alone. There is such a thing as a fruitarian, but it is way out on the extreme side of vegetarianism, and very few people try to follow this for an extended period of time.
Are all vegetarians health conscious?
The availability of produce in Thailand is definitely a plus for vegetarians. However there is another side to the story. Although most people think that all vegetarians are extremely health conscious, this is not necessarily so. India is one good example. There are many millions of vegetarians in India, but there is lots of white sugar, white rice, heavy milk products and sweets, and deep fried food in their diet. Many Indian vegetarians are seriously overweight. Read the rest of this entry
Chiang Mai, Thailand, Flower Festival, Parade Float
Chiang Mai, Thailand, is the undisputed festival capital of Thailand. Between November and April Chiang Mai puts on several huge festivals that draw crowds of tens of thousands, visitors from all over Thailand and from all over the world. A major festival is not just a one day event. Normally they last three days and in one case, Sonkran, even seven days. During those times Chiang Mai turns into a giant party, a traffic nightmare, and a major holiday destination for Thais. Train tickets in and out of the city are sold out weeks in advance, and it seems that half of the population of Bangkok converges upon Chiang Mai. Read the rest of this entry
There is an annual vegetarian festival in Thailand. The timing is based on the Chinese calendar, and this year it was held in late October. It is a ten day event which is loosely observed all over Thailand. In most places it just means that some food vendors switch to selling vegetarian dishes.
However in some areas in the south of Thailand events take a bizarre turn. The origin of this festival stems from 1825 when a traveling Chinese opera company fell seriously ill and managed to cure itself by eating a vegetarian diet and performing rituals and ceremonies. This impressed the Chinese community in Thailand so much that they decided to establish a yearly vegetarian festival to celebrate and promote this self-healing method. Read the rest of this entry
Thais love food! It is everywhere. No matter where you are in Thailand, you are almost always within walking distance of food. In many western countries you have to drive for miles to find something edible, but here it is everywhere. Restaurants, food vendors with carts on wheels, mini restaurants set up on motorbikes with sidecars, food markets, food stalls, floating food vendors, grocery stores, supermarkets… You can always find something to eat regardless of the time of day or night.
Food in Thailand is so important that a common way of greeting someone is “did you eat already?” You see people eat in public at all times and in all places. Eating is not considered a private affair. Read the rest of this entry
Every evening I go for a walk near the university of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the students don’t cook much, first because almost none of the apartments here have kitchens. And second, you can buy food very easily and cheaply right on the street.
Thais love food! It is everywhere. No matter where you are in Thailand, you are almost always within walking distance of food. In many western countries you have to drive for miles to find something edible, but here it is everywhere. Restaurants, food vendors with carts on wheels, mini restaurants set up on motorbikes with sidecars, food markets, food stalls, floating food vendors, grocery stores, supermarkets… You can always find something to eat regardless of the time of day or night.