Day 8- Learning how to cook

G and I woke up in Chiang Mai ready to start our explorations. We had reservations with a cooking school at noon. We didn't want to do the full day class because we wanted to explore on our own that morning. We started with breakfast in the courtyard of our boutique hotel. Even though tables were set for other people, we always had breakfast alone and enjoyed each other's company and reflecting on the previous day's amazingness.

 

I had fried rice with a fried egg on top, miso soup, and mango. nom nom nom. Seriously awesome and worth every calorie that it contained. We were in Chaing Mai March 29-April 1 which means that we got to witness all of the mayhem before the Songkran, Thailand New Year Celebration, which is April 13-15. Here is a tower of sorts that they make all across the city to be able to shoot fireworks as it is made of bamboo and filled with sand. We got most of our information from locals who stopped us on the street to make sure we were finding everything that we needed. At first we were skeptical of all of the unsolicited help, but we realized quickly how genuine Thais are in Chaing Mai.

 They were holding elections while we were there and these are the only election signs that you would see. Much better than what we see for elections here in the States.

We came to LOVE tuk-tuks. They were quick, cheap, you got fresh air while getting to see all of the sites. I also loved it because Chaing Mai is the most difficult city that I have ever navigated. I had read in multiple places that we needed to get a Nancy Chandler map to be able to get our bearings. We went to a couple of 'bookstores' and I finally found the much needed map. We didn't go anywhere without this map and I would highly recommend spending the 300 baht. We went back for G's second fitting for his suit. My pants were ready as well as his shirts. We loved they way his shirts fit him so much that we got them to make 3 more for us to pick up with the final suit product. 

After exploring all morning, we were ready for our cooking class. G was a only being accommodating to his wife when we agreed to the cooking class, but I think he ended up having more fun than me! We chose the Siam Rice Cooking class based on a recommendation from The Seattle Smiths. It was absolutely awesome! I will leave it to these pictures and videos to show you how much freakin fun we had. *And we learned a little something! We have purchased a wok and have made some amazing Pad Thai and G has surprised me with some tasty stir fry!                                                  

 

 

We earned our certificates!!

After cooking class we walked around the Old City shopping and looking at temples. G and I stopped in at the Writer's Wine Bar where we met Cat, a 72 year old from Oregon. She moved to Thailand 5 years ago for the healthcare. She was very interesting to talk to as she has traveled around literally the entire world. G and I love meeting new people!                                       

 

G thought he was real, but I quickly knew that it was a wax figure. Kind of creepy.....

We got ready for dinner and took a tuk-tuk to The Riverside which is a restaurant located on the Ping River on the other side of town. We sat outside and enjoyed fish (yes, the whole fish. Eyes and all) and fresh veggies. The Riverside was also known for their live music and we enjoyed dancing and hanging out with the locals. The music was all American and we knew almost every song. Naturally, I didn't want to leave. 

 

Today was my most favorite day. G and I had so much fun exploring Chiang Mai and spending time with each other. The best thing about ending this day was knowing that we were going to ride the elephants in less than 12 hours!?!?!?!?