By: Revanche

Thailand, Leg the First

May 18, 2011

We’re back!

And I’m covered in at least 68 mosquito bites, 4 of which turned zombie on me (blisters, gross. That’s never happened before. Thank goodness for our home-grown emergency kit.) Nasty little buggers; I’d forgotten that I might be a tasty morsel. I thought that no one would recognize me when I got back, I haven’t gotten this much sun in a year and a half.  I’m like a well-baked gingerbread with the *worst* tan lines.  (I’m competing for the Worst Bride Ever Prize; I’m not even going to try to do anything about them before the wedding.)

The journey was something to remember – we flew Cathay Pacific and as @c_vandoorn warned me, the “shell” shaped seats weren’t the most comfortable, ergonomically speaking.  But the way to my heart is via food and access/entertainment which they had in plenty. They fed us multiple times so our travel snacks were unnecessary, offering both regular meals that were edible and kind of tasty, as well as snacks on request. Cup o’noodles! The new seats now have outlets at every seat which is totally awesome for someone who carries more than one electronic device and needs to work… which I realize makes me sound a bit like a junkie. I need my electricity, ok??  Annnyway.

On the flight over, I read in the WSJ that the reason McDonald’s is doing well  is because of their regional offerings. “Interesting!” I thought.  In Hong Kong, I changed my mind. Because Broccoli Pie?  ERM….

We spent an impromptu night in Phuket; after three flights starting at 10 pm Friday night and ending midafternoon in Phuket’s Saturday we (I) just couldn’t bear to proceed on to the islands as planned.  PiC could probably have done it but I’m learning to call it quits before permanent damage is done.  And since we weren’t already committed to any lodgings in Phi Phi, we just called a hotel from the airport and settled in for the night. Imagine: Ms Type A Traveler going International without all the plans set. *smh*

Dinner that night was at Raya Restaurant in Phuket. Increible! Their crab curry demolished my taste buds but it was worth it for the abundance of crab chunks in the curry. There was probably more crab than curry sauce, if you’d believe that. It was a pricey dinner for the budget I was projecting but the food was a-ma-zing.

Our chicken and rice lunch the following day was even more incredible. I’d found a list of local places to eat online and we wandered down streets following the map with no street names as best we could, hoping for the best because we couldn’t read a lick of Thai anyway. My navigation plan was essentially based on landmarks and hoping I’d recognize the restaurant front from the 1” by 2” photo posted on the website. It worked and for a mere 50 Baht (a jingle under $2) each, we feasted on a combination of chicken, roast and crispy pork over rice with chicken broth and a variety of soy, sweet soy and spicy sauces, accompanied by cucumber and other greens. Basically it’s the Thai version of Hainan chicken. We were struck dumb, it was so good.

Soooo we’ve found our wedding caterer…. 🙂

How to get those delectably fresh ingredients over here?

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