Real Food Adventure - Thailand

Sa-wat dee! Welcome to Thailand. Thailand's bustling capital, Bangkok is famous for its tuk tuks, khlong boats and street vendors serving up delicious Thai food. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1. After the meeting tonight, jump in a tuk tuk for a moveable feast. The first stop is for pork satay from a place that's been serving it up for more than 40 years. Next, take a short walk to dine at a restaurant that’s a favourite of the royal family. Finish up with a popular Thai dessert of toast topped with cream (don't knock it till you've tried it!). 

Head to the Mae Glong Railway Market (approximately 1.5 hours) for a breakfast of khnom krok (rice pudding) or khnom gui chai (fried Chinese chives rice cake). Prepare for stalls to be quickly pulled to one side when the train quite literally passes through the centre of the market. Continue by minivan to swap tracks for water at the Tha Kha Floating Markets. Walk past canals filled with sellers hawking their colourful fruits and wares at this authentic local market, then board a paddle boat to explore the waterways further. The area’s well known for coconut palm sugar production and along the way you’ll stop past a riverside operation to see how it is made. Travel on to Kanchanaburi (approximately 2 hours), stopping at Nakorn Pathom to witness the tallest stupa in the world – 120 metres high – while snacking on the popular regional dessert of khao lam, an enticing mixture of sweet sticky rice neatly wrapped in a bamboo tube. By mid afternoon, arrive in Kanchanaburi, famed as the location of the Bridge on the River Kwai and a beautiful town surrounded by verdant jungle, waterfalls and rivers. Choose to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai and the World War II Museum on a rickshaw tour, or relax at one of the floating restaurants along the river, watching the river traffic pass by. Tonight dine at the local night market, which is sure to get tastebuds singing. 

Get ready for a hands-on masterclass in Central Thai cuisine today. Start at the markets to collect ingredients for the day's menu, then whip up some classic dishes including wing beans, banana flower cake, and jungle curry. Feast on your creations for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is free for your own exploration.  

Wake early and travel to Ayutthaya (approximately 3.5 hours), the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai, and once one of the most powerful in Asia with over 1 million residents by AD 1700. Stop past a street food stall for a demonstration and tasting of roti sai mai, a dish synonymous with the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. It consists of a thin pancake wrapped around delicious, fine strands of thin-spun cotton candy. Also be sure to try a steaming bowl of guay-tieo-ruea, or 'boat noodles'. The combination of fragrant pork broth, roasted strips of meat, Thai-style pork balls and crackling skin, sliced morning glory stalks, fresh green onion and a choice of rice noodles served in Ayutthaya is thought of as the original and best. While no longer served from sampans on the river, these narrow rowboats adorn the roadside eateries as a marker of what's on the menu. See the remains and reminders of Ayutthaya’s golden age with a guided tour of the picturesque ruins and temples spread across the town. The rows of headless Buddhas at Wat Phra Mahathat, sacked by the Burmese in the 18th century, are very atmospheric, and a Buddha head surrounded by Banyan tree roots is perhaps the most photographed site in all of Ayutthaya. This evening you’ll head north to Chiang Mai on an overnight train journey, accommodated in soft sleeper class air-conditioned berths (approximately 13 hours).

Notes: Multishare compartments have bunk beds with sheets and a pillow provided. Your baggage travels in the carriage with you. There's a food and drink service available on board.                  

Arrive in Chiang Mai by mid-morning. The most vibrant city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has many famous temples and an interesting old city area. Renowned for dazzling beauty and extremely welcoming locals, the ‘Rose of the North’ will leave you spellbound. Chances are, you won’t want to leave. Most importantly, Chiang Mai is famous for its northern Thai cuisine and may just be home to many of your favourite Thai dishes. Lunch today is khao soi, a delicious curry noodle dish that is synonymous with the region. The rest of the day is free. 

Wake early to offer alms to local monks before a breakfast of traditional congee. Later in the morning, meet Aoi, your gracious host for an incredible homestay experience in a small Thai village. Stop by a restaurant specialising in the local delicacy of fermented rice noodles for lunch, and be treated to a noodle-making demonstration. Next, head to the homestay via some producers, including a mushroom farm, where you'll pick up ingredients for a northern Thai cooking class. Journey on to Aoi’s home and get ready to cook up a feast – quite literally! Over the years, a khantohk dinner has become a traditional way to welcome guests. Khantohk technically refers to a raised tray used for serving food in northern Thailand. Eleven dishes are featured on this traditional Khantohk menu, so roll up the sleeves and spend a fun afternoon learning the ins and outs of this northern Thailand cuisine. Cut, chop and sizzle the day away, then tuck into dishes like northern style gai tod (fried chicken) and naam prig ong (minced pork & tomato chili paste) while listening to local musicians sing and dance traditional fare through dinner.
Note: You can leave your main luggage at the Chiang Mai hotel and pack an overnight bag for the homestay. As we will be staying in a traditional rural community, please be mindful to pack and wear conservative dress. The accommodation tonight is multi-share and basic, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Beds are fold-out mattresses on the floor and bathrooms are shared. 

Wake up and enjoy a sumptuous northern Thai breakfast of fried rice, sweet sticky rice and egg custard. Farewell your hosts then head back to Chiang Mai to check out the bustling Warorot Market (Kad Luang). One of Chiang Mai’s largest markets and a thriving social hub, this is the perfect place to get a glimpse of daily life in northern Thailand, as well as some of the ingredients and snacks unique to northern cuisine. Take a tasting tour through the stalls. Be sure to try sai ua (Chaing Mai sausage). Bamboo worms are for the more intrepid foodies... There will also be time for some final shopping, eating, and perhaps another massage. Perhaps meet up again in the evening for a final dinner at a restaurant along the Mae Ping River, and toast the end of this Real Food Adventure Thailand with a beautiful view over the water.

Your delicious Real Food Adventure ends this morning and you are free to leave at any time as there are no activities planned for today.