Tuesday, September 9: It occurs to me there is a small cast of hundreds who have been unfailingly supportive throughout this quest to taste, cook and experience as much regional Thai food and culture in this Thai Food Adventure as possible.  Natch, I’ve extended myriad verbal thank-you’s (khup kun kah). Let this particular blog serve as  another in expressing my sincere appreciation to the chefs, guides, drivers, hoteliers, shop keepers, curators, concierges and long-tail drivers, not to mention every hardworking and talented food stall chef, butcher, fishmonger, baker and restauranteur for their delicious wares.  And especially to Trails of Indochina.  I am one happy camper!

Check out of Puripunn at 8 a.m. and head north to Khum Lanna, a private residence turned completely sustainable, open air, cooking school in the northern province of Phrao along side an invigoratingly rapid flowing river.  The country vistas en route are stunning – nature’s perfect  limestone monoliths covered in greenery, rising up from plantations and field after field of grazing water buffalo. First mission at Khum Lanna is a review of the gardens and the fresh ingredients available for our use today.  This site is Thailand’s answer to Stone Barns Center for Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York.  Or is it the other way around!  Anyway, aubergines, herbs, long beans, kafir limes, pomelo trees, wing beans, pumpkins, galanga, pandanas, lemon grass, at least three types of basil and so much more thrive in these well-tended gardens.  This kitchen has twelve individual cooking stations with woks, pans, burners, chopping boards and carefully sharpened knives.  Unbelievably, Kay and I have Khum Lanna to ourselves.  (I could easily become accustomed to private instruction.) Six courses to prepare.  Marinated BBQ pork, Moo Yang; coconut, lemon grass and galanga soup, Ton Kha Gai; curry with chicken, Gaeng Panang Gai; stir-fry chicken, ginger and chiles, Moo Pad Khing; mini spring rolls with bean sprouts, Por Pia Tord; and, finally, dessert – bananas poached in pandanus leaf and coconut milk with tapioca, Gluai Buat Chee. There is a rumor of honeycomb wrapped in banana leaf and grilled, but we are out of time.  Arroy jing jing!

Note: There are lovely sleeping accommodations at Khum Lanna as well.  This means that Khum Laana has just become an overnight adventure for Thai Food Adventures NORTH:  Imagine an afternoon of cooking Khum Lanna style followed by dinner of one’s own savory creations, a cozy bonfire to ward off the mountain chill and a traditional, moonlit Yi Peng paper lantern ceremony.  Now, that’s a northern night worth remembering.

We head for Chedi in Chiang Mai – a hotel so different from Puripunn that they could be ying and yang.  Still, neither hotel takes a thing away a thing from the other.  Naturally, we make a market stop on our way back to Chiang Mai.  Now, to the untrained eye or palate, one may wonder,  “Why another market?”  Answer: With Khun Kay at the helm, the nuances of each regional, let alone town-to-town, market shall not go unnoticed in any regard.

Heading back to Chiang Mai, well sated, we remember that yet another culinary experience has been scheduled.  We are to be guests of a friend of a friend who  just happens to be a local resident!  Now, Thai cuisine is light and very healthy, but when one consumes three full meals a day with multiple tastings along the way, one’s “fat” pants begin to feel a little snug – especially when Khun Paul pulls out all the stops, all the local specialities!

Wednesday, September 10: Travel day from Chiang Mai to Phukett.  It’s only a two hour flight, but you know how these things go.  Get to the airport, wait, fly, wait some more and finally arrive at Le Meridien hotel in Khao Lak.  We are skipping Phukett this trip, opting for the culinary diversity of Khao Lak and Krabi. It is teeming with rain. Our plans to visit the islands and the forest are quashed. The rivers are running high and the fishermen know well to say out of the roaring seas.  Still the passing vistas of magnificent mountains and calming rubber tree plantations practically dull the warning of a pending  tsunami!  Yes, I said tsunami.  A tremor in Indonesia has put the newly sophisticated tsunami warning systems on high alert and the locals are taking no chances. No way, no how.  Next stop: Le Meridien Khao Lak, further up the coastline in Khao Lak, where we are heartily welcomed and the fruits de la mer beckons like sirens from the Andaman Sea. Chef Woody has prepared a veritable feast of seaside savories and his efforts are not wasted on this native Bostonian, nor on Kay, Le Meridien’s manager Torsten Richter or Maria Steckermeier, Le Meridien’s talented Food and Beverage manager who pared Chef Woody’s cuisine beautifully with crisp sauvignon blancs and reislings.  Menu:  a delicious rice salad; a shrimp stir fry;  crispy noodles and more.  Sorry for not remembering the Thai names bit I think the tasty wines may have had something to do with that!  That and a grappa or two.  Beverages aside, I gravitate to the sea naturally, and the churning Andaman coastline did not disappoint.  Come with us in February to experience the Le Meridien Khao Lak on the Andaman for yourselves!  Thank you, Chef Woody, Khun Torsten, Khun Maria and Khun Vipa for making this New Englander feel right at home.

Thursday, September 11: Once again, today’s plan includes visits to fishing villages on our way to Krabi. Hopefully, we will find the legendary black crab restaurant recommended by another trusted foodie, Khun Sylvia at Trails of Indochina. Though the rain has eased, the sea continues to tip white.  There will be no island foraging today.  Still, we visit the markets and piers where the local fisherman are unloading fish from further north where the sea is more calm.  In Khao Lak, these chao lay (fishermen) are not taking any chances.  The memories of the 2005 tsunami are strong with ruins everywhere.  In fact, the Lam Kaen Pier – adjacent to the Tablamu naval yard and piers – we are visiting is supported by the Clinton-Bush restoration effort, and other supporters.

Now, about that black crab: we found it!  Laan Poudum is a roadside brother and sister establishment and gives a whole new meaning to “finger licking good!”  Get out the lobster bibs as there is no other way to enjoy these spicy pieces of black crab (poudum pad manow perfectly cooked in lime sauce still in the shell) than with your fingers.  But wait, the culinary bliss does not stop here.  Kay orders yum mamuang goong sot, a green mango salad with chilies galore and prawns; hor mok pla sod – steamed fish curry on banana leaves; stinky bean salad with shrimp paste – sorry, can’t recall the Thai name for this dish. Maybe because it’s not my favorite, though I am not sure if it is the stinky bean or the shrimp paste that does not appeal to me.  And you should know that I was the sole decenter at this table, everyone else loved it!  The crab, I keep coming back to the poudam pad manow – is to die for!  Indulging in this savory is more labor intensive than a Maine lobster, but worth every finger licking, lip smacking morsel!  Maybe the best discovery for this farang (foreigner) throughout our entire adventure.  (Ya think!) Stop me lest I gush!  Thank you, Khun Tong Chai (him) and Khun Wanna (her), our chef du jour.

As we drove northward, we stopped at roadside stands to ogle oysters the size of softballs and clams larger than the largest quahog I have ever dug out of Katama Bay, rubber and cashew plantations, freshwater fish and shrimp farms, hot-springs hotels and resorts, basket stands and, yes, more restaurants.  To say that I was flabbergasted when we pulled into a noodle stand (kanom jeen) for our second lunch of the day, is an understatement.  However, I was over ruled and, it must be said that we don’t have anything like this back home: one bowl of cold rice noodles each with four curries and at least twenty different fresh herbs, spices and chopped toppings such as basil, dried shrimp, pickled onions, garlic, morning glory, eggs and so many more toppings from which to choose.  I know I would have enjoyed this on its own, however the poudum pad manow remained at the forefront of my taste buds!

Next stop:  The Tubkaak Resort in Krabi.  As close to heaven as I have ever come in a hotel. And the sea had calmed so I wasted no time at all strolling through the shore in my jeans at least up to my knees during a tour of the property by Khun Sunyadech Srimanee (Sonny), manager of The Tubkaak.  Again, this New Englander happily embraces the Andaman.  My room was a zen experience replete with inside/outside shower and a hand made bathtub filled with rainwater and orchid petals. Kay’s was equally fabulous with an added touch, the chef’s personal herb garden was steps away from her doorway.  More bliss!  Chef Pornthep did not disappoint at dinner when he served grilled jumbo prawns, steamed snapper, vegetable stir-fry and more, fresh from the garden and sea.  Sonny stirred the conversation with details of Tubkaak and his life on the Andaman.  I prodded Chef Pornthep Thongrak for pictures of is 14 month old daughter and was met with pictures of his second child – a brand new Harley!  His second.  Sometimes a chef’s life is not all about the food after all!  Must be something in the air in the south because the laughter flowed as easily as the refreshing Andaman  Sours.

Friday, September 12: Check out.  Fly to Bangkok, drive to Hua Hin.  Check into hotel Anantara.  Hua Hin is to Bangkok what the Hamptons of yesteryear were to Manhattan.  Very close by and, therefore, a very manageable weekend getaway for city types and their families.  In fact, Hua Hin’s most famous resident is His Majesty the King.  Flags are flying, King Rama IX and his family are in residence.  And Kay and I are off to enjoy a relaxing few hours by the sea and dinner alfresco with the waves practically lapping at our feet.  The Anantara is perfectly situated and, yet, it is taking me longer to warm up to Hua Hin.  Stay tuned: we have four more days to go!

Sawadee ka!  from Khun Susan