3 Weeks in Thailand! 🇹🇭

This Might Just Be Foodie Heaven!

Thailand is a country that has everything a travel enthusiast could possibly ask for.

An ancient and fascinating culture, a wide array of stunning natural landscapes, fast-paced and dynamic cities that welcome international visitors with open arms, a friendly and bi-lingual local population, affordable cost of living, and perhaps most importantly, some of the most delicious food on this planet.

Have you ever wondered why you can find a Thai restaurant in just about every corner of the world?

It is a cuisine that has always captivated food lovers across the globe, and that certainly includes us!

Now with that said, I have to admit that we quickly found out how naive we were about Thai cuisine as soon as we arrived.

We were very familiar with the westernized genre of Thai that is highlighted by dishes such as pad thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles, and green curry.

We had a handful of favorite Thai spots in both Milwaukee and Chicago. Our year in Europe also provided countless delicious encounters with Thai food in just about every country that we visited.

However, the culinary discoveries we made within the borders of Thailand itself were nothing short of life-changing.

I have been known to get a little dramatic about food, but I truly can’t put into words how transcendent the flavors of traditional Thai food actually are.

It is a bold and exciting cuisine that is quite difficult to compare to anything else.

The sweet, sour, bitter, and above all, SPICY sensations that blend together in perfect harmony were unlike anything we have ever tasted.

But before I dive headfirst into all of the incredible discoveries we made with our taste buds, let me back up and start from the beginning.

Our first stop on our Thai adventure was the mega-metropolis of Bangkok.

It is the capital of Thailand and the 2nd largest city in Southeast Asia behind only Jakarta, Indonesia.

If you’ve seen movies such as Only God Forgives or The Hangover 2, you might imagine Bangkok as a chaotic and dangerous environment.

The truth is that Bangkok is a thriving city that is simultaneously hyper-modern and deeply cultural.

The local population is predominantly Buddhist, and therefore, the city is home to a plethora of fascinating Buddhist temples and spiritual landmarks.

At the same time, Bangkok is also a business hub that boasts an impressive modern skyline and is known for its vibrant nightlife.

To put it simply, this city is incredibly cool and very different than we were anticipating!

We arrived in Bangkok on the heels of our extended stay in India. Although we were “relatively” comfortable in our accommodations there, we definitely had to accept a different baseline of comfort when it came to bathrooms and amenities.

Now that we were in the midst of an exciting and modern metropolis, we decided to take the opportunity to ball out a little bit 🤭

But before you judge us too harshly, I should mention that Southeast Asia has a rare balance of affordability and modern development that gives even budget travelers like us the opportunity to indulge in luxury.

For the price of $45 a night, which is actually towards the moderately pricey range in Bangkok, we found ourselves in a beautiful 1 bedroom apartment complete with stunning city views, air conditioning, and a BEAUTIFUL swimming pool!

Life was good in Bangkok!

During our 2 week stay, we indulged in everything this amazing city has to offer. We enjoyed cocktails at fancy and shockingly affordable rooftop bars, we explored buzzing night markets with all sorts of delicious street food, we marveled at beautiful Buddhist temples and other ancient landmarks. But above all, we tried to sample as much Thai food as we possibly could.

As I already mentioned, our taste buds were in ecstasy for 3 straight weeks during our visit to Thailand. We could not believe how much we LOVED the food!

We are going to release several food related videos on our YouTube channel once we get to the Thailand chapter of our story, so I will save the full breakdown for now.

(Make sure you subscribe on YouTube if you haven’t yet!)

But here were the undisputed highlights!

We learned very quickly that despite its popularity in the western world, pad thai is most definitely NOT the national dish of Thailand. Instead, that title goes to a dish known as “phat kaphrao”.

Since it is a little difficult to pronounce for all of us who don’t speak Thai, most English menus say something along the lines of “pad kra pow”.

Trying this dish for the first time is a moment I will never forget. It was a revelation beyond description. Pad Kra WOW!

The ingredients are relatively simple, but the flavors are extremely bold.

Phat kaphrao is a rice based dish topped with a savory minced pork. The pork is cooked in a wok over high heat with fish sauce, oyster sauce, shallots, garlic, and a pinch of sugar.

Then, the final touch involves adding the two signature ingredients: Thai basil leaves and spicy chili peppers!

This is generally a very spicy dish (which is why I couldn’t get enough of it), but most restaurants had spice levels you could choose from. I quickly learned that if you ask for the higher spice levels, they don’t hold back!

The combination of the intense heat from the chili peppers and the herbaceous flavors of the basil is a match made in heaven.

Oh, and I almost forgot! It is always topped with a fried duck egg (or two) which brings the whole dish together!

One of my favorite things I have ever tried. Yes, EVER.

Another unforgettable dish was a noodle soup called khao soi.

This actually comes from the northern regions of Thailand originally. There is also a version of the dish that is popular in the bordering country of Myanmar.

When we visited the northern city of Chiang Mai, we ate khao soi almost every day!

While the south of the country is very tropical, the north actually gets a bit chilly during the winter! To be clear, not even close to cold by our standards in the Midwest. But definitely cold compared to Southern Thailand!

While khao soi is enjoyed year round in Chiang Mai, I imagine that it is a perfect way to warm up when the weather gets colder!

The broth is a thick and rich blend of curry, coconut milk, chicken stock, and a host of other spices. The contents of the soup include tender chicken, chopped vegetables, and wide egg noodles that are usually cut by hand!

The finishing touch is fried egg noodles to add a little crunch, and an optional squeeze of lime juice.

YUM!

I think what really made us fall in love with these specialty dishes, apart from the undeniable deliciousness, was that they were completely new to us despite eating at countless Thai restaurants throughout our lives!

During our entire visit, we NEVER got sick of these dishes. It was one of the main things we looked forward to every single day!

There is so much more I could dive into, including the incredible street food culture in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but I will have to save the rest for the videos 😊

The experience of Thailand varies greatly depending on which region you visit. We absolutely loved our two weeks in Bangkok, but we were very glad that we ended our time with a visit to Chiang Mai for several reasons.

First off, it was nice to get out of the chaotic bustle of the big city. Chiang Mai is a much more relaxed environment. It is a culturally rich area surrounded by gorgeous mountain terrain.

Secondly, it was amazing to try authentic cuisine from the northern region that actually differs quite a bit from the central and southern regions.

And finally, Chiang Mai provided a fantastic coincidental encounter that led to the best friendships we have made during our travels!

One evening while we were sampling some street food at a local night market, we just happened to run into another travel couple that we knew from social media!

We had actually followed each other’s adventures for a while, but since we post on a delay, we had absolutely no idea that we were going to be in Chiang Mai at the same time!

It was pure coincidence that we ended up being at the exact same night market, in the same city, on the same night, at the same time!

We couldn't be happier that our paths crossed. Lauren and Scott have become very close friends. We had a blast exploring Chiang Mai with them and we even embarked on another adventure together a month afterwards (more on that later 😉)

I think it’s safe to say that our time in Thailand was an overwhelming delight. We may not be able to return to every single place that we have visited over this wild chapter of our lives, but I have a feeling Thailand will call to us again!