Cooking up a vegetarian storm with May Kaidee

Cooking up a vegetarian storm with May Kaidee

I've always wanted to do a cooking class. I mean, I consider myself an OK cook, in that... I'll give something a go... Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. I have h
Kind of been a vegetarian for most of my life, opting out of the meat free diet, before i even knew what the word diet meant, or even how to say meat.  So, Being the only vegetarian in my family, there wasn't too many 'hand-me-down' family recipes to inspire me to learn to cook or know what taste was. Put it this way, my mother is French, and they pretty much eat anything. And my dad is Aussie with English parents and they live of the old 'meat, mash and veg covered in gravy'.

I walked past May Kaidee's resturant/cooking school in Bangkok. I was so excited to see 'vegetarian' that at first I didn't notice that it was also a school...somehow I went from going to have dinner there to having a private 11course cooking class.

Out the back of the restaurant is a 'classroom'. I waited about 5min and the sou chef had cut and prepared all the ingredients I would need.

I couldnt beleive how fast it was to cook EVERYTHING - and I say everything becasue within a matter of moments I had cook myself 4 dishes... that I now had to eat.

CRAP - how do I fit all of this food into my tummy - and there was still another 4 dishes to go 9some of the 'dishes were sauces, so that was a relief!). I was encouraged to sit down, take my time and slowly eat.

IT WAS AMAZING - and, I'm not just say this because I cooked it. The taste, the balance - they know what they are doing!

What an amazing experience. I really do recommend everyone try this - it set me back about 1000baht (about $30AUD) not bad for a full evening of learning, entertainment and food!

nom nom nom...

www.maykaidee.com

Get on your bike and follow me...

Get on your bike and follow me

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not a big fan of the 'tour group'. After my last day tour encounter in China... See (insert page link here), I was determined to minimize any tours to as few as possible. That said, I started to get a little anxious, when you are hearing impaired and traveling solo sometimes, and I hate that I am admitting this, you just want a big group hug!

So I did some research and found something that I thought would be perfect for me.

Follow me bike tours is a small tour company run out of Bangkok. They run bicycle tours around Bangkok, and the best thing about these guys is - they take you where no 'tourist' day tours take you. If you want to see the real Bangkok then this tour is perfect...not to mention your riding on a mountain bike all day which for me is perfect! I hate sitting in a bus looking out the window!

You start off at the

The reclining Buddha - Wat pho

Everyone told me, 'when you go to Bangkok, make sure you see the reclining Buddha'. My tolerance for temples and pagodas where's somewhat thin, after you see the 20th temple. Now they are all incredibly beautiful and spiritual places of worship, and for these reasons, I feel uncomfortable sometimes about visiting them.

I really think that some of these temple should be preserve for what their original purpose was, in saying that, a lot of temple are also a place to bring people to tether and share experiences, so I don't feel all that bad...I guess.

So, I hired a tuk tuk driver to run me about town. I know, most people stay away from them, but if you can find a nice one and agree on a price it can be a cheap and easy way to see Bangkok.

So for 500baht (about $15AUD) I had my guy scoot me around to all of the sites. He warned me at each attraction...'Sarah, stay away from Thai pele trying to sell stuff...just keep walking'. So, with his words of advice still hanging in the air I entered into the Reclining Buddha.

To get in it will cost you 100baht (about $3AUD).

Now there is a lady that sits at the entrance with blue bags... I swear I thought she was trying to sell it to me... Mix that with my deafness and I just 'kept on walking' only to have someone grab me and yell...' hey you white girl take a bag and put your shoes in it'

I was actually awe-struck when I entered the room where the reclining Buddha relaxed in its horizontal poise.

Cute kids in Bangkok

I couldn't resist! Some of the cutest little faces! I love seeing their face as show show them the picture you have taken on your camera.

Bangkok and traveling alone

I'm just going to get straight to the point, sometimes travelling by yourself can be extremely lonely. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love the freedom to do what you want, when you want, with out having to think of what the other person wants. But, when I think about it, that is what makes travelling fun.

As I pulled away from the airport in Bangkok, I sat in the taxi gazing out of the window, waiting for it to hit me... But it didn't. It made me a bit sad, so I told myself to snap out of it. And then it dawned on me, I was excited, I just had no one to share it with so I couldn't outwardly express my emotion.

I wanted to hit the city the next day, and this is where I kick myself. You see, the hotel staff were amazing. They assisted me in showing me maps of the area and where to walk to, they even helped me arrange a tuk-tuk to pedal me through the streets so I could catch all the photo opportunities. But, still, having no one there to share this experience with was a little weird, and this is why I normally stay in hostels. They are full of solo travellers looking for new people to hang out with and share some memories... I mean, don't get me wrong, it's nice to stay in a hotel for a change with a king bed and your own bathroom... It just lacks the drive.

This city has so much to offer - and I would prefer to be able to recant the memories later with an old or new friend. So my advice, if you're a solo traveller and you like hotels but want the vibe of a hostel either...

1. Find an up market hostel with a private room
2. Mix it up stay a few nights in a hotel and a few nights in a hostel! You'll meet great people and have a ball!

I found Bangkok to be completely safe to travel as a solo female vagabond.The Thai people are extremely friendly and don't hassle you, like many other SEA countries. Its actually nice to walk through a market or down the street and not have someone try to shove some cheap tourist souvenirs in your face.

Those who say 2-3 days in Bangkok is enough - I say... No way! I could easily spend 2 weeks in the city and the outer skirts exploring and really getting to know the old and new 'capital cities' of Thailand, yes - Bangkok is the 4th capital of Thailand! The older areas are full of beautiful architecture and culture that you wont find if you hover too long and too close to Khao San Road.

People say, stay away from the tuk-tuk's, but I say - go for it. Negotiate a payment first. I paid a guy 400B (that's about $12 AUD) to take me to all the sites and drive me around for about 6 hours! Now I would normally walk - but it takes a few days to get use to the heat in Thailand - So $12 to acclimatise and see the sights sounds pretty good to me!

Bangkok is full of this to entertain you - the 'weird', the 'weirder' and the 'really out of this world weird',  awaits for your exploration.

One thing I have to mention - Anyone who has been anywhere in SEA will probably agree with me. I love the idea of their 'kip'. It seems, whenever anyone feels like they need a nap, they just lay down and take it - no matter where they are. I mean I have seen people sleeping on bamboo scaffolding, Car hoods, portable hammocks, a chair placed randomly in the street... Kudos to SEA napping!

The Rocks Markets

Markets... most of them are free to visit, they are always in cool places/venues/ Always have good food and you're out and about walking getting exercise. Markets = Winning.

Set in Sydney's historic 'The Rocks' location, the equally named 'The Rocks Markets' takes place every weekend.

With a wide variety of homewares, trinkets, Australian souvenirs and food, you'll be sure to find something that you like... or just walk around and have a stickybeak.

Its a great FREE way to see a small bit of Sydney's history and shop at the same time.

If you're driving - Leave the car at home and catch the train. Get off at the Circular Quay stop and walk towards the bridge - you'll soon find the markets. Parking will cost you... A LOT! best go with the public transport for this one!

www.therocks.com