22 Dec. 08 Chiang Mai, Thailand
…The alarm went off,and i immediately knew it was one of those mornings that i should stay in bed…my better judgement impaired by the fact that i had only “slept” for three hours,..i got up showered,shaved my teeth,and headed out to meet Jon and Ruben.
….After a bit of back and forth debate as to whether or not he should fly to Thailand for a holiday,my buddy Jon Kryml braved his fears of being murdered or taken hostage by the protesters in Bangkok International airport,and flew over for his first international travel.Culture shock is an understatement for what washed over Jonny.. After a brief introduction to Thailand/Asia via a few days in Bangkok…a quick passing thru the temples of Ayuthaya,an overnight bus ride found us in the northern city of Chiang Mai.There’s alot of things you can pickup in Thailand,..disease….fever…an infection…possibly a wife….we picked up Ruben.From the moment we stepped on the bus to Chiang Mai,..i knew the third musketeer had taken his place.A Dutch event coordinator on an extended getaway,Rubix is everything i like to meet in a fellow traveller.An adventurous spirit,funny as hell,usually hungry,..always thirsty,..and a bit nuts.
….I’m not much for role of tour guide,but as i have traveled thru Thailand before,..Jon was counting on me to sort of lead the way.Rubens’ suggestion of taking a thai cooking class over a couple of cold Singhas,came as a nice reprise from tour duties.”The class is 850 baht..and i can arrange it through my guesthouse,..we just have to meet at the 7-11 at 8:00 tomorrow morning…,it’s outside of town,and shouldn”t be too touristy…”…..This conversation took place in the early afternoon,and the idea of learning to make my own curries and tom kha gai seemed great,….sitting at a table at 3:00am still sipping beers,laughing and eating noodle soup with Ruben,.i wasn’t quite so sure that my culinary skills needed updating…….Sunglasses in place,missing my pillow with an iced coffee in hand,..i was secretly hoping for a cancellation,when a red pick up with a “siam cooking school” sticker double parked in front of the 7-11…out jumped two people whom we were assuming were the driver and tour contact…a guy aged about 30,…and..another guy?…or is that a girl?…i lifted my shades for a better look,and decided that under the circumstances,..a) i am in thailand and things arent always what they seem,..and. b) i have a roaring stinger,,,,i would just climb in back and go with the flow….Twenty minutes later,the three musketeers and a family of 5 from London were standing in a vegetable market,receiving a quick briefing on choosing thai veggies,chilies..and rices from a ladyboy named Wa.Shopping complete,heads still shaking from a combination of weirdness and alcohol we jumped back into the pick up and made our way to the school,where we were divided into two groups…the brits were castoff on the driver,….Ruben,Jon and I were fed to Wa….”Ok big boys…cum with me,..you’re mine…”…The next 10 hours were spent slicing,.dicing,..and chopping under the direct supervision of a horny mid-op transexual…we were informed in every graghic,imaginable way how to “pound our chilis”..and let our spring rolls “slide into the oil”… and of course the best way “to hold our tools”…to get the most effective end result..”sometimes its better if you use two hands”…. Hangovers melted,. a six course meal cooked and devoured,we were transported back to the city center with a Thai education that you can’t find just anywhere,and an invitation to comeback for a late night lesson in desserts if any of us were interested…..a whole new way of looking at sticky rice that i never needed.
Ruby in the market with Wa
Ruby pounds his chilis..Jonny cant believe his eyes..
A hangover and a cleaver
naughty chopping...
