Taste of Thailand: Happy Songkran New Year 🎉!

 

Happy New Year สวัสดีปีใหม่! 

What a privilege it is to be here for Thai New Year (Songkran) celebrating April 12th to 16th 🎊🎉. 

It's been a minute but here now for a week, my brother Marten Go Preserved Dragons and I have experienced so much already, and the food- just Wow! Incredible flavours and value affordability. Documenting our daily Thai meals so you can see for yourself. 

Meal for Two $Cdn. No taxes, No tips required.

Day 1: Yaowarat, Bangkok: 

Thai Dinner at Hereduan

Seafood vermicelli, creamy egg omelet and  basil ground beef on rice, fried pork and veggie plate, butterfly pea lychee and a beer $45. 

One of our favourite firsts- to get a real taste of what's to come!

Day 2: Yaowarat, Bangkok: 

Breakfast- Mango sticky rice - $8.

Snack: fried shrimp patties $4

Dinner: fried crab rolls and rice noodles stir fry with ground pork, liver and veggies $8

Dessert: mango and ice coconut milk, mango pomelo tapioca with coconut milk, bird's nest dessert soup $24

Total day's Meal for Two- $44, $22 pp 

My brother's favourite breakfast, snack and dessert

Famous shrimp donuts- Mmmmm 😋

Amazing Chinese desserts in Bangkok, Chinatown

Fun Fear Factor Find: Fried assorted insects at a street night market!! Would you? I did not dare 🤢 lol 

Day 3: Grand Palace, Chinatown Bangkok

Lunch: assorted bbq meat, egg and rice plates $11

Snack: mango sticky rice and fresh guava juice and beer $9

Dinner: pork bone sour soup, wonton soup, fried pork dumplings and salad and stir fried noodles $13

Total day's Meal for Two- $33, $12 pp 

Day 4: Ayutthaya 

Breakfast: pain suisse and almond fancier and two coffees $10

Lunch: boat noodle soup with pork and fish balls $6

Iced coffee and iced Thai tea $5

Fresh coconut $3

Dinner: shrimp paste fried rice, grilled river prawn with pad Thai, papaya salad, Isaan pork sausages, fresh coconut and beer $45

Total day's Meal for Two- $69, $35 pp 

Incredible coffee and light pastries- slowly savourable!

The famous boat noodles with pork blood intense broth

The best natural thirst quencher ever!

Those fresh grilled jumbo river prawns 🦐😍

Day 5: Pak Chong 

Breakfast: all day breakfast $7

Dinner with riverside view. Korat papaya salad, fried shrimp donuts, fried fish cakes, mango sticky rice, durian sticky rice and fresh coconut and watermelon juices $45

Total day's Meal for Two- $52, $26 pp 

Can't beat Issan-style Som Tum Papaya Salad with fermented crab🦀

Day 6: Jomtien, Pattaya (beach)

Lunch (Ayutthaya): pork fish noodle soup and dry noodles (one of the best meal), cold coffee and water $8

Train ride to Jomtien- cured pork skewer 0.75

Dinner: Jomtien Night Market: sliced pork knuckles, fried crispy chicken cutlet with fries and coleslaw, pork spring roll, two smoothies $12

Total day's Meal for Two- $21, $10 pp 

One of my favourite meals on my trip- Simplicity at its best!

So many options-- so hard to choose!

Day 7: Jomtien, Pattaya (beach)

Brunch: seafood brought to us beach side

Grilled fresh river prawns, steamed mussels served with spicy fish sauce, spring rolls and fried mini crabs $16

To go: Dinner at Jomtien Night Market... but of course. What better than a little bit of this and that 🍤🍢🍠🥟🍗🥤 

Fresh steamed seafood heaven served beachside

Assorted fresh fruit smoothies 30 bant ($1.20 Cdn😄)

No wonder so many move to Thailand, the young and retired. The cost of living is so affordable- condo rent average in Bangkok $500 Cdn/month and cheaper as you go further out and if apartment, and eating well for so little a day. We can't get that in Canada!  #liveitupwhilewecan 

Stay Tuned for Taste of Thailand Part Two in historic riverside town Chanthaburi!