Sunday, June 26, 2011

Laos

Introductions to a country are sometimes quintessential to your enjoyment while you're visiting. When you have to take a long boat ferry just to get across the border, while a few semi trucks loom behind you, also taking a ferry to get over a 100 m wide river, a simple smile grows across your face signaling your arrival to Laos.



Unfortunately, my happy smile soon wore off after I discovered that my overnight travel arrangements was a "VIP" bus that was nothing more than a rickety box on wheels, filled with more bags of rice in the aisle then people in "chairs". After a tumultuous night, we crashed into the first guesthouse we could find, hoping to regain some lost sleep and sanity.

Upon resurgence from the depths of despair from the lack of sleep, we were greeted with stalls of sandwiches and fruit smoothies, ate for about a dollar each, and again, all was right in the world.





Happy that my smile was returning to my nourished body, I was able to enjoy the simple views, that Luang Prabang, Laos has to offer.









Luang Prabang has 32 temples, more than we were going to see in our short time there. We did have time to enjoy some white wine, along the Mekong River



And stroll back to our guesthouse, to see cute Laos children playing in the street, and the smile had for sure returned.



We spent the evening enjoying the sunset view from Phu Si, a temple situated on a 100m hill above town






Sunset and Mekong in Laos



And tried to dive into the local food. In the Laos language, there are no words for yours or mine. Everything in their culture is "we". This idea of we is applied to everything that they do, including their food. We picked a spot to eat called Lao-Lao Garden, home to one of the last few places where communal seating and a hole in the middle of the table was made available to those who wanted to try Laos barbecue.

Laos BBQ consists of a basket of mixed vegetable, eggs, mushrooms, glass noodles


With a plate of raw chicken, pork, and water buffalo


All cooked over a hot reverse like skillet over burning coals, all in the center of your table.


You carefully ladle broth in to boil the vegetables and noodles while the meat cooks on top, and the juices are mixed into the broth below. Served with lime juice and a tamarind BBQ sauce drizzled on top, it was a fabulous meal, and fun to make and eat too.

We also ordered a drink to go with dinner with the lao-lao whiskey, the local drink made form rice that is about 50% alcohol. We had a delicious same-same sour, the Lao-Lao whiskey with honey, lemon juice, and a bit of hot sauce.



Amazing just to eat and cook by candlelight and coal.

My time in Laos was frustratingly short, just for the pure fact of timing and schedules, and I was sad to not spend more time in such a beautiful country, where simple road side stops just simply, in this simple quiet country, take your breath away






Charming Chiang Mai

After our most amazing experience trekking, we only had one night to explore one of Thailand's biggest yet most cultural cities, Chiang Mai. The night that we had however, was perfect. Our guesthouse was located in the old city, a small square cut around with a moat and a decrepit old brick wall, built about 700 years ago. The location was key for two reasons-it's proximity to the cities oldest and most beautiful temples, like Wat Phra Singh



And second-it was on the same street as the Sunday night market, as viewed from the step of the temple



After we spent some time listening to Buddhist chants from inside the temple,



We set out with what minimal energy we had left after our trek to the streets. This night market was one that puts American craft and street fairs to shame. Countless stalls continue on for blocks going every direction, and in about three hours, I think we only covered about half, moving at a quick speed at that. Aside from traditional souvenirs and knick-knacks, there was an effortless display of food, and it seemed to be pretty traditional Thai, even down to the bugs






Nursing a temperate stomach, we opted for food we thought we could handle, with some surprises thrown in there

There was a tasty banana spring roll, oozing with deliciousness, especially as the honey was poured on top



An interesting sticky rice pancake,


That was indeed very sticky. It had some spices, or something like a sesame seed and some sugar, in the middle that was tasty, whatever it was!



We also discovered the Chow-Guaiacum and decided to try a bite, after I had seen people eating this odd, slippery substance in water several times before around Bangkok



As the sign says, it was a giant piece of vegetable jelly, served with sugar, and ice



To us, it was about as appetizing as it looks-not very. The jelly had almost a hint of licorice, and I think the brown sugar sprinkled on top gave the dish a smoky flavor-eating it tasted about how you would expect a melted piece of black licorice would after it had been dipped in a vegetable soup.

After that adventure we found some food we could really sink our toothpick into, street made wontons



After what seemed like a whole family affair, with the daughter on the prep, Mom on the construction of the wonton, and Dad on the grill, these were the best wontons I have eaten


They were, quite naturally, so fresh and melted in your mouth. A delectable treat to end the night and our time not only in Chiang Mai, but Thailand.

Through the jungle we go

We have left the streets of Bangkok for a more intimate experience with Thailand, a trek through the jungle outside Chiang Mai.



The trek started off with a pleasant visit to an Orchid farm. Where we learned, briefly, and by ourselves how orchids are started

From jars...


To beautiful flowers...









After a quick bite of our packaged pad Thai



We headed up the hill...



to get to where we were going to sleep for night number one, the Jumbo Elephant Camp



Home to, naturally, Asian Elephants


First things first was a bumpy ride upon this magnificent creatures.






It was pouring down rain, making the steep terrain slippery, but the elephants mastered the rocks and branches as gracefully as they could, when they weren't reaching for their next bite of the 200-300 kilograms they consume everyday



After such a busy day, we all had worked up an appetite, so Jackie and I offered to help cook with our guide, Yo, for the group. The menu was very appropriately green curry with rice.

First step, soak the green baby eggplants


And wash the vegetables


Cooking was a one pot process, with each piece being cooked separately with the chicken and eggplant in oil and green curry spice, just a bag of dense slightly damp spices, scooped into the bowl






And a quick wok to the vegetables with some soy sauce and oyster sauce


We finished cooking just in time to see the sun setting over the pond



Before we sat down to a lovely outdoor meal on bamboo tables



Luckily, we had some help to do the dishes afterwards too....



There may be something utterly cliche about wanting to sleep in a bamboo hut when you travel to the jungle of Asia, but it is a really cool experience, especially if your hut is perched on a hill, above a beautiful valley home to some lovely elephants



View from the top!


Day two started with one of the most fun activities we did on the trek, bathing the elephants






Plus a ride after they were done with their baths











So unbelievable, words can't really describe. We were sad to leave our new friends in the jungle, but had to move on, or I should say move up, to stay the night in the Lahou village, high up in the hillsides. Our trek for the day started out as pretty moderate, passing lush forest and a beautiful stream and waterfall



All was well until two things, one it started to pour down rain, and two, we reached a vertical incline of about 50 degrees, left with nothing to do but just climb up the slippery, muddy slope. But when we reached the top, the view was just incredible






The people in the Lahoa village were very accommodating and so friendly



Again, I helped Yo with the dinner preparations for the night. Similar concept, a one bowl cooking process, but this was different with no electricity or gas to power anything, so we cooked by firewood and candlelight



Or with the flash on to see what it was



Yo started the dinner by putting potatoes on to boil soon after we reached the village. They were just done when we started the rest of the meal-yellow pork curry with cabbage and noodles. Yo trusted me in cutting the cabbage, on a cross section of a fallen tree



And while I was doing that he mixed the coconut milk, yellow curry powder, previously cooked potatoes, and pork, and bada bing, our yellow curry was made!

We used some noodles that had been previously cooked for us by the people of the village with the cabbage, blending some mushed up garlic (smashed in bag, skin still on)



With the oil, noodles, cabbage and oyster sauce to finish the meal



While we properly finished our trek the next day, by climbing back down the mountain and white water rafting, I think culturally, we finished when the group of village came to us after dinner to sing us some if their favorite songs, dressed in all their traditional dress



Pleasantly off key, and effortlessly adorable, they stole our hearts and left us with a goodnight lullaby in the Thailand jungle.