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  1. Things to do on Ko Muk

    February 19, 2012 by Nina

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    Ko Muk is the only other island we visited in Thailand, besides Koh Tao. We wanted to escape the over-visited islands like Phi Phi, Phuket, or Koh Phangan. Although the dining options on this island were very limited, compared with Koh Tao, I found refuge in the BBQ at Rubbertree Resort. Costing only 169Baht, this delicious feast was a steal. With the best chicken I’ve ever had, Roasted Corn, Kabob, a Baked Potato and Pork, I was in food heaven; and Julian’s food was at least as good. He had the Cashew Pineapple Baked Rice, which came inside a half a pineapple. The baked pineapple was so succulent, and combined with the crunchiness of the cashew, it was just wonderful.

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    I would say that the Muesli breakfast, available all over Thailand, was disappointing compared to the Khao San Road Muesli we were used to, but if you’re craving this breakfast, then Sawadee’s has a decently priced breakfast located on the beach. As I said in my other post, we loved the Masaman Curry at Charlie’s as well.


    Which is your favorite island in Thailand? Would you travel to Ko Muk just to visit the Emerald Cave?


  2. Traveling Through SE Asia for 6 Months

    February 18, 2012 by Nina

    My Fiance and I are traveling throughout Southeast Asia from January 10, 2012 – whenever our money runs out, hopefully summertime 2012. We don’t have much of a plan, except that our flight goes to Bangkok, and after our one-month visa expires, we are flying to Ho Chi Minh on February 8, with a 3-month multiple entry visa.

    We got pretty sick of eating Pad Thai and Thai random meat soup and were dreaming of Butter Bretze, French Baguettes, Cheese, and pizza. Now that we’re in Ho Chi Minh, our bread cravings (no where to be found in Thailand) have been satisfied. We fell in love with HCM, and are currently looking to rent a serviced apartment for one month before heading to Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia.

    I will try and update as much as possible; because we’ve been eating from mobile street stalls and markets,  I cannot always provide an address, so I will be writing my posts in a different style than I usually do. Please keep up with our journey by checking my blog weekly!

    We look forward to eating our way through Southeast Asia until I go to Graduate School in the fall!


  3. Charlie’s

    February 15, 2012 by Nina

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    Charlie’s is the most famous resort on Ko Muk. It’s pretty run-down, as far as resorts go, but was still too expensive for our budget. Its bungaloos are located on the main beach, which it shares with Sawadees Hotel. Still, we enjoyed eating here because the restaurant has an excellent view, and at night, they move the chairs onto the beach and have grilled fresh seafood. Though I enjoyed the BBQ more at the Rubber Tree Resort, Charlie’s did have the best Masaman Curry on the island, and reasonably priced. After three weeks of Pad Thai, I was excited for the BLT on a Toasted Baguette available here, which didn’t disappoint (though the bread is certainly not toasted). The Banana Fritters were a great dessert as well.


  4. Things to do in Chiang Mai

    February 7, 2012 by Nina

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    Chiang Mai is a great little tourist city, located in Northern Thailand, with much more comfortable weather than Bangkok. It’s a wonderful city where you can rent a motorbike for $7/day and visit waterfalls, or spend the day walking around the old city visiting wats. There were two highlights for us, food-wise: 1) Mingkwan Vegetarian Food has some of the most interesting food in all of Thailand. Each day they have a selection of about 15 entrees, including some of the best wontons I’ve ever had, and some great noodle and veggie dishes (hard to find in Thailand!).

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    2) Another highlight were the perfectly blended Green Tea Oreo Frappes we had from this man’s stand. It is located right near Fang guesthouse, and we went here everyday. There are many stands in and around Chiang Mai that are similar to this one, but no frappes lived up to the ones our friend made. He would carefully clean the container of Carnation (don’t think about it), boil the green tea, blend the ice with delicate pulsations, and then stop at the precise moment when he would add one oreo to the middle of the frappe and blend for a second longer. He took such care when he made the shakes, that we couldn’t help but love him. You might be thinking, just one oreo?!? But it was just perfect. We actually had a shake in Trang that was similar but made with three oreos, and it was horrible. But careful, once you try one of his, you’ll be hooked.

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    The  funniest food we’ve had so far was this: (yes that is sundae in a hot dog bun, with sticky rice topping)

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    A great place to have Pad Thai is right under the Night Bazaar Pavilion, for 50baht.

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    The Chiang Mai night market is pretty uninteresting as far as night markets go, but in the food court is some good, cheap sushi for 5baht a piece, and some of the best Shrimp Shumai I’ve had.

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    A great coffee shop that has such good Iced Cappuccinos you’ll drink them in just one sip is located near Wat Chedi Luang.

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    A delicious Thai snack, and in my opinion there aren’t many, is Baked Coconut Balls. They’re available as street food, just about anywhere.

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    As usual, don’t forget to have fruit! My personal favorites are pineapple, mango, and watermelon as they are the freshest.

     


  5. Things to Do in Bangkok

    February 2, 2012 by Nina

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    You will most likely stay on or near Khoa San Road, which means you definitely can’t miss Mr. Yim’s Fruit Shakes, $1 Muesli with Homemade Yogurt, or 5baht ice cold water.

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    The best Pad Thai out there is at this woman’s stand. When we got it, she was located in the middle of Khoa San Road, in a line of three identical Pad Thai stands. Julian got one from here, and I chose the one next to hers, and this Pad Thai was infinitely better. Still, if you can’t find this one, and find yours is not perfect, you can always add tons of hot chili flakes to make it yummy. Many street Pad Thai Stalls allow you to choose your noodle, with up to five options. I have tried them all, and find the traditional one best, with the yellow spaghetti as a close second, but have fun and try them all!

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    Thai Iced Thai is a classic must, but have you considered having a wonderful Iced Cappucino? This beauty is from My House GuestHouse on Rambuttri Road, where they also play movies at 1pm, 7pm, and 9:30pm each day. So it might be a good idea to come cool down at 1 and have one, or two of these lovely drinks for only $1.

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    Thai’s favorite food, second only to Pad Thai, it seems is Fried Chicken. When in a non-touristy town, such as Ban Ko Muk, while waiting for the 5am train, nothing is open for breakfast except a few Fried Chicken stalls.

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    Another popular food stall includes all sorts of meat, most popularly Hot Dogs. I haven’t dared to try those (because they are the grossest kind of meat, in my opinion), but I have opted for the less-processed (or so I believe) option: meat balls. Sometimes they are deep-fried, so it’s best to watch what someone else does in case you don’t want that. Then they are put in a bag with a delicious spicy sauce (the best meatballs I’ve ever had were in Pak Meng, where they were slow-cooked over coals).

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    Sometimes as much as a three person operation, Fresh Orange Juice (it’s actually made from Nectarines) in Thailand is heavenly. It’s a bit expensive to drink excessively if you’re on the $30 daily budget I am on, costing anywhere form 20-40baht, but worth it. They sell it everywhere, but I always opt for getting it where it’s made (as in the picture) and actually waiting for them to finish a bottle and specifically asking for the fresh one. Thais always pick out exactly what they want-from fruit, to a piece of meat, or noodles-so don’t be shy.

     

    Note: People might tell you not to eat street food, but I have only eaten street food, and in the month I’ve been here, I’ve never gotten sick. So don’t be ridiculous and eat only at your resort-eat some street food!