Thailand Tour 2008 Day 1

By Hoo Don

Hello and welcome from the Land of Smiles. Arrived on time, well fed and refreshed. Thank you Bangkok for your smoking rooms. Went straight through immigration and customs no problem and was met by my girlfriend the Wonderful Wi. Stepping outside the terminal we dropped straight inside the giant wok that is Thailand. Red hot and full of spice.We headed straight for the taxi rank and were greeted by a just landed American gentleman.

Chat, chat, spiel and he then says to me "London, heathrow, did you fly from that goddamn terminal 5." Couldn't resist it, tapped my suitcase and answered "still got this so I don't think so". The taxi pulled up and it was your stereotyped blacker than black sunglasses taxi man. You just had to hope behind the glasses sat whiter than white clear brown eyes and not the man who had lost his only girlfriend to his elder brother and they were now married with two children. In Thailand 99.9% of men faced with a steering wheel turn into a gung ho go kart racer, slap on some taxi stickers, a meter and a sign on top and you quickly accelerate into the final minute of grand Prix qualifying.

In this situation you hope he's not colour blind, the severely frayed seat belts are part of the design and the air bag is not at that minute being expertly withdrawn from a corpse in some Bangkok morgue. I spun life's coin and lost. Excuse the pun but we arrived in Hua Hin quicker than expected. The fare was settled, I gave a monetary tip and added one from life, "If you ever take up hot air ballooning fill the basket full with sand". He didn't understand and I didn't care. He screamed away from the starting grid with me praying to my new found god that I would never be crossing the lights he was approaching on the day his elder brother had won the national lottery.We entered the hotel lobby very nervously and I was surprised to see the the floor wasn't coated in eggshells but an old style Thai brown floor tile.

The Araya hotel appears to be a cozy I guess family run hotel situated 70 metres from the beach. Absolutely perfect.We showered and then entered the cocktail of bars and restaurants that form the pulse we are now within. The highlight of our day was a shared 4 course meal, eaten overlooking the beach. Tom yum kung (spicy prawn soup), beef and vegetables surfacing on top of a rich sweet sauce, deep fried battered prawns and then my favourite, rice fried with coconut, sultanas and prawns, served in a pineapple boat. Washed down with a beer and water melon juice the bill huffed and puffed but couldn't quite reach 15 euros. Amazing Thailand. We spent the evening at a night market, Wi shopping, me drinking, the way I like it. Don't know what time it is where you are but its 12-02 here, gotta go, first day, very tired. Good luck and god bless the mess you may be in.

Feel free to visit my website Beyond The Mango Juice at http://www.thaisabai.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hoo_Don

Tags: Trevel in Thailand, Thai Food, thai food menu, history thai food

A Tantalising Thai Dinner Party

By Randa Magdi

I'm not sure about where you live but here in Sydney, Thai food is so popular that most suburbs have at least one Thai restaurant if not 20! This may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the drift - it's capital "P" for popular!

So, when you're planning a dinner party at home it makes sense to serve your guests a type of food that people seem to love. Thai food is your perfect option. It's exotic, clean and light and best of all, delicious!

Thai cuisine is known for its balance of five fundamental flavors. Most Thai dishes tend to incorporate all of these flavors if not most. These flavors are:

- hot (spicy - chili)

- sour (vinegar, lime juice, tamarind)

- sweet (soft brown sugar, fruits, sweet peppers)

- salty (soy sauce, fish sauce)

- bitter (which is optional)

The great thing with Thai food is that instead of dried herbs they use a lot of fresh herbs and spices and fish sauce. The aromas are sensational.

Since 95% of Thais are Buddhists, they leave religious offerings of fruit at the base of a Buddha statue with burning candles, incense and the like in restaurants. There is a peacefulness that this brings as you lay witness to the scene. You will also often find photos of their much loved and long serving King.

You could re-create a Thai space in your dining room by adding the smell of a subtle incense and making the lighting softer than usual. If you don't have a light dimmer try lighting the dining room with some candles or lamps to create a lovely ambiance.

If you can get hold of some Thai classical music this would be lovely for background sound - or at else some other oriental-inspired music.

Thais don't generally use chop sticks to eat - rather a fork and a dessert-like spoon but if you want the Asian touch (Thailand is in South-East Asia) feel free to provide each guest with a pair of chopsticks. Consider a wooden or bamboo place mat at each guest's place.

As a centerpiece to your table you could fill a long shallow bowl with water and place floating candles atop. You could also try to purchase some exotic looking flowers. On my trips to Thailand, orchids and the like have adorned the table settings. The whole experience of eating is pure pleasure.

For starters you could serve one of their delicious soups like a hot and spicy Tom Yum Goong (spicy and sour prawn soup) or a Tom Yum Kai which is similar but with chicken.

You could also serve Thai fish cakes, spring rolls in rice paper, curry puffs, satay chicken or deep fried chicken wings - with dipping sauce of course.

For main - stir fries, whole fish, Thai curries (green, red, yellow, Masaman, etc) or the ever popular noodle dishes like Pad Thai or Pad See Yu. Don't forget the steamed rice served in a covered rice bowl in a central position on your table, so people can help themselves.

A platter of fresh exotic fruit or a mango sticky rice dish is wonderful for dessert.

You see, there are just so many recipe choices for your Thai meal. I would suggest checking the Internet for free recipes or getting hold of an easy Thai recipe book.

Most of the ingredients you will need are easily available at your local Asian specialty food store.

For more dinner party ideas feel free to visit my http://www.dinnerpartyideas.blogspot.com

I love good food and good wine and I love to socialize. Dinner parties give me the opportunity to indulge both my passions. I love dinner parties so much that I host a blog which provides ideas for your next dinner party. They provide such a great way to catch up with the important people in your life.

People love to be invited to dinner parties because they can enjoy an excellent event of great food and company and all it costs usually is a bottle of wine - and maybe a taxi fare home. But it's not about the money - it's just great to be spoiled by your hosts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randa_Magdi

Tags: Trevel in Thailand, Thai Food, history thai food