The Ao Nang beach strip was where all the action was: the bars, the shops, the food and the massages. We have hung out there the last couple evenings. Similar to Panang Beach, there are vendors, stands, tailors, etc., but less of everything, more calm and less anxious. Maybe because this is a highly Muslim area, versus Buddhists. Apparently, Muslims seek a more quiet community and don’t drink alcohol like the Buddhists….hmmmmm. Sitting at the pool, we have heard the “call to prayer” during the day, typical of a Muslim community.
Anyways, got caught in a downpour rainfall the first night. Lightning and thunder. A mini-monsoon, I like to think. Tourists ran inside to buy umbrellas and street vendors covered up their goods with plastic and waited it out under the eaves of nearby shops. Molly and I went in to a bar and played a miserable game of pool, as the rain came down. The rain stopped and I have a vision of hundreds of umbrellas being abandoned in hotel rooms in the next couple days.
We had a local style Thai dinner from the people who cook on the streets with their BBQ’s, woks and mini camping like set ups. The chicken is to die for. They cook corn on the cob and make a veggie combo fruit stirfry that was fresh and full of flavor. We were inspired by the great meal and signed up to take a Thai cooking class the next day.
The Siam School of Cooking was out in the jungle somewhere. We got picked up at our hotel by the teacher. We were the only two students in the class. We had a teacher each. “Pin” and her helper had done all the shopping, prepped all the food and did all the dishes. It was just up to us to smash, cut and stir. I like that part of cooking the most. Together, Molly and I made 11 different dishes, with very similar ingredients in most. We made pud thai, fried rice, coconut chicken soup, clear broth soup with lemongrass, sticky rice with mango, chicken with cashews, red and green curry, fried chicken with ginger. We made papaya salad and seafood salad. Then we got to eat it all, but we took half back to the hotel.
Tonight ended with a nice massage of aloe vera and aroma therapy oil. This time, soft Thai music played and the sound of geckos chirping nearby added to the experience of touch. If you could add the taste of something wonderful and the moonlight, you would have all five senses covered.
Anyways, got caught in a downpour rainfall the first night. Lightning and thunder. A mini-monsoon, I like to think. Tourists ran inside to buy umbrellas and street vendors covered up their goods with plastic and waited it out under the eaves of nearby shops. Molly and I went in to a bar and played a miserable game of pool, as the rain came down. The rain stopped and I have a vision of hundreds of umbrellas being abandoned in hotel rooms in the next couple days.
We had a local style Thai dinner from the people who cook on the streets with their BBQ’s, woks and mini camping like set ups. The chicken is to die for. They cook corn on the cob and make a veggie combo fruit stirfry that was fresh and full of flavor. We were inspired by the great meal and signed up to take a Thai cooking class the next day.
The Siam School of Cooking was out in the jungle somewhere. We got picked up at our hotel by the teacher. We were the only two students in the class. We had a teacher each. “Pin” and her helper had done all the shopping, prepped all the food and did all the dishes. It was just up to us to smash, cut and stir. I like that part of cooking the most. Together, Molly and I made 11 different dishes, with very similar ingredients in most. We made pud thai, fried rice, coconut chicken soup, clear broth soup with lemongrass, sticky rice with mango, chicken with cashews, red and green curry, fried chicken with ginger. We made papaya salad and seafood salad. Then we got to eat it all, but we took half back to the hotel.
Tonight ended with a nice massage of aloe vera and aroma therapy oil. This time, soft Thai music played and the sound of geckos chirping nearby added to the experience of touch. If you could add the taste of something wonderful and the moonlight, you would have all five senses covered.
