Mae Hong Son Loop - Part Two - A Food Tour

Mae Hong Son Loop - Part Two - A Food Tour
January 9-14, 2014

Part of sending these photos, is to help you experience what it is like to be here.  This series of pictures takes you to some of our food stops on our bike trip.  We had everything from quite regular restaurants, to local village stops where we ate surrounded by local people having their dinner stop for the day.  We have decided most Thai people, regardless of their financial means, eat out for their meals.  Dollars and cents dictate whether you eat from the soup man on the street, the noodle lady or the restaurant serving Western food and favourite Thai dishes.  Western choices are always the more costly way to go.  

Kitchens are simple.  Often a gas burner or two, some buckets with water, a few deep fry pans and pots.  

Ingredients are fresh.  They have either just been picked from the garden or picked up from the market, after you have placed your order:)

Our next stop…the restaurant is inside a general store.

 Fried bananas, noodle soup, and some ice cold coke.

This little gem we found about 12 km away from our little jungle lodge by the river.  I needed wifi to check in on dad and mom, so Jim and I went on a mission.  Not much around, or open, but this place produced an awesome hot pot meal.

Fresh veggies, two kinds of tofu, two kinds of fish, and spicy condiments.

The fire underneath, heated the broth in the clay pot.  The fresh ingredients went in for a few minutes and voila instant deliciousness.

Glenn and Christine, does this take you straight back to Vietnam?

The locals came over, grabbed a glass and chopsticks and asked for a photo:)

Heading in for a quick morning coffee at our jungle lodge restaurant.  Coffee here is…inconsistent…sometimes instant…sometimes brewed…sometimes weak…sometimes warm…sometimes hot…sometimes iced (which is consistently yummy and big) always always in a small cup that takes no time to sip.

Ali and I picked up the yummiest scones ever made in a little bakery in Pai when we were wondering around the night markets.  Breakfast today was coffee and scones on the deck outside our room.  We were on the river with an amazing view.

Noodle soup…the pot has three sections…two for broth, one with water to cook the noodles.

Then add the yummy flavours like fried garlic and fresh herbs.

Our soup ladies are always smiling and happy to see us, but it is so tough to catch those smiles on camera.  We do a lot of pointing and acting when we order because they usually don't  speak English and our Thai is pretty slim. 

We made the locals laugh as we took our noodles to the street so that we could warm up in the sun.
Another coffee stop…make your own for 10 baht…about 30 cents.

Breakfast stop.

Making a yummy ice coca.  This became one of our most favourite drinks in Phuket.  This girl was new.  She brought out a recipe book, measuring spoons, and took great pride crafting my drink with an artful design, and sprinkles.

Voila.  Less than $1.  A cup of pure happiness.

Jim was always up close and personal with the ladies in the kitchen.

Alison enjoying her freshly made vegan dish, while the fishiest papaya salad ever is being freshly prepared.

A view of the kitchen.

The view from our table.

Visiting the facilities.  Be careful not to let the ducks and chickens out when you open the door.  It is holding the fence together. 

Morning coffee on the raft.

This is the super yummy bakery I mentioned earlier in Pai.  It was covered in flowers and super cute.  We had our first gelato of the trip.  How could we not be smiling?