Okay, so… I’m not going to lie… Yesterday, I was terrified. Although it was put to much use in that I defied jet lag and already have a normal sleep pattern, and my evening meal overlooking the city was nothing short of incredible, I would have been quite happy to have stayed in my hotel for the next 3 days given half the chance! Nevertheless, “what if I get lost/mugged/ripped off/stabbed” and other lone female traveller worries aside (especially if quite as melodramatic as myself), I am SO glad I plucked up the courage to actually venture outdoors and book my cooking class for today.
Myself and 6 others were picked up at 8.30 (thank god for that early night!) and travelled to Baipai Thai Cooking School – a beautiful, tranquil building with its own gigantic herb garden. Upon arrival, we were met by our assistant, Nok (meaning ‘bird’ in Thai), and chef March and set to work, collecting herbs and learning the correct way to shave the meat from a coconut. Our group soon bonded over the wonderful shared experience… The food we made was fantastic, too, and I can now proudly say that I can successfully cook 4 Thai dishes: Hot & Sour Prawn Soup, “Golden Bags”, Egg Custard and authentic Thai Green Curry (wahey, take THAT, all of you who said I was a lousy cook!) 😉
Afterwards, a couple of us decided to go to a giant shopping centre/indoor market – MBK – which is not dissimilar to other markets in the world with haggleable content, but is spaced out over a multitude of floors and INSANELY cheap (I managed to pick up a watch for less than £3 and two vest tops for under a fiver – bargain!), before heading back to our respective hotels – on the SkyTrain, no less!! This runs a little like the underground system in London (or the Metro in Paris) but is far less vast – only two lines covering the entirety of the city – and, staying true to its name, is high above ground level… Really something not to be missed 🙂
I’ll leave you with a couple more photos for today, and then tomorrow I’m taking the day off 😉 Will likely just head out for a wander and see where my feet take me. Grand Palace, Wat Po & Temples tour on Saturday though! Plenty of amazing photo ops 😀
TTFN, lovelies!
Xo.
