The second week of Thailand, dare I say it was better than the first. Better, mainly because it involved beaches! Gorgeous beaches, clear water in every hue of light blue – and the FOODS! We relaxed a bit more, but based on the lists of activities we pulled off, accomplished quite a few new cultural experiences.
A bungalow at Banana fan sea was my home for the week, a quaint friendly beautiful resort.
Café 69
Cafe 69, was an authentic Thai restaurant with a funky American flare. The decor seemed like 80s glam and the entire restaurant was the size of a large room at best. Rayon table clothes, neon rainbow colored pillows and plastic lamps set the mood for this quirky eatery. I read reviews before we arrived and easily learned you couldn’t go wrong with any of your favorites. *I facebooked Cafe 69 a few hours ahead of time to ensure seating since the place is so small. They replied within minutes confirming. Our waiter was polite, funny and very helpful. A great first meal in this beautiful beach town.
The Thai Cooking class was one of my most anticipated experiences. The chef actually met us in the lobby of our resort before whisking us away in an SUV to hit up a few markets. We walked the local market that supplies all the hotels and resorts fresh fish, produce and spices. The Chef pointed out all the ingredients we would use for our preselected meal. After doing minimal shopping and picking up some corn treats for us, we boarded the SUV to continue to the next location. We stopped at a coconut farm. There were fields of coconut trees, and mounds of split coconuts that would be used for charcoal. After that short pit stop we headed for the Jungle Club, another resort with the most fantastic view. We posted up in the sun, had a drink and took pictures from every angle before heading on to the last location to begin preparing our meal.
We prepared Tom yum soup, fish cakes, Pad Thai and sticky mango rice. I ate every bite, see photos below!
http://chiang-mai.anantara.com/spice-spoons—anantara-cooking-school/
http://www.jungleclubsamui.com/
A few other places I visited
The library, For dinner and drinks, a gorgeous space ground floor of the library Hotel, I felt like Thailand in NYC.
thelibrarysamui.com
Phensiri
One of the best meals I had in Ko Sumui – Peppers straight off the bush behind me, a spicy experience that was easily my favorite. I was introduced to Massaman curry and I fell in love with the sweetly sour blend at first bite.
I got the standard foot and leg massage. I was underwhelmed but the price was right and there was a complimentary neck cracking involved.
On a whim I accomplished a tattoo after researching the deep and wide tattoo culture infused all over the island. What better place to get my tenth tattoo but on a whimsical magic island inhabited by many tatted mui thai fighters?
Beach Days
Khan glong too
The last night in Koh Sumui offered some of the best food on the trip over all, this place too was walking distance from our resort. Since being introduced to Massaman curry I became obsessed with it. Khan Glong Too’s rendition was slightly less spicy and I chose chicken instead of beef this time around. I was not disappointed. Easily I can say each dining experience on the island left me full and wanting to experience more fresh spices.
I managed a few other adventures on this trip but i’ll save them for if we ever talk in person! Most memorable being High tea at the Mandarin hotel on the one day stay back to Bangkok before making the trek back to NYC. I also experienced the Calypso Lady Boy show and lots of beach time and bourbon in between my adventures. The point of these posts are to urge/ inspire you to make plans. Plans that are so far out of your norm or comfort level that you grow. Happy traveling. And Happy living. #theRobertashow
What do you think?