Why You Should Take a Cooking Class When You Don’t Like Cooking

I don’t like cooking. It’s time-consuming and I don’t like cleaning up the mess when I’m done. Not to mention the risk in trying out a new dish. I’ve had hours and dollars wasted on food that turned out to be awful when I followed a recipe, but somewhere along the line, created culinary poo. Well, lucky for me, Thailand is very conducive to my distaste for it. I haven’t had to cook once since arriving here (well, except that one time I made scrambled eggs in Mae Wang).The food is so cheap at about $1 a meal, so Jack and I enjoy signature Thai dishes everyday. This leaves our most complicated meal preparation as cereal or toast. (Yes, be jealous.)

Loy Krathong-ta-tong-tong-tong

After five weeks on the road, Sara and I returned to Hang Chat ready to get back into a routine. Luckily for Sara, who had gotten quite used to not working forty-plus hours a week, that routine consisted of two four-day weeks, a three-day week, and, my personal favorite, a two-day week. The two-day week wrapped up the last week of November, and Sara was set free for five days in honor of Loy Krathong, yet another Buddhist holiday honoring the spirits.

(not my video)

The Gremmers Take Northern Thailand

None of us wanted to leave Phuket. If we hadn't had reservations in Chiang Mai that night, at least one of us would have climbed a tree and refused to come down. As it was, we had to keep moving!
 
We piled into Baan Mai's little boat and headed back to Chalong Pier. Our minibus ride to the airport was about two hours shorter than the one into town; this was on a Tuesday morning and the island seemed deserted. Turns out everyone was at the airport, which was hopping. We had quite a bit of time to kill, so we got something to eat, argued about whether we should pay the insane prices at the internet cafe only to find out it was closed—you know, the usual travel stuff. A few hours and another quick and painless flight, we were back in Bangkok, waiting for our overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Eventually we'll learn for good, but Sara and I were still taking classes in not expecting things to be the same the second or third time around. In this case, we went way overboard talking up the overnight train; how comfortable it was, how it was our favorite way to travel, and I think Sara might have actually called the Japanese style cabin "charming". Somewhere along the way we greatly angered the travel gods, who repaid us with a train that was two and a half hours late, bitterly cold, and absolutely reeking of urine and the ineffective rest-stop chemicals used to cover up the smell of said urine. After waiting so long for the train, it was one of those classic moments in life when you realize maybe the train never coming would have been preferable to being stuck in a refrigerated toilet for fifteen hours. We tried to laugh about it, but the smell only got worse when you opened your mouth.

“Winter” Vacation

The semester’s over, grades are in, and we’re free for the next 4+ weeks! (Well, sort of. I’m helping OEG with 2 orientations in Bangkok, but that’s not until 11 Oct.) We booked the overnight train to pick us up in Lampang and take us to Bangkok for a few days before heading to some sandy beaches. Turns out the night train is our new favorite way to travel. It’s cheap, cozy, and air-conditioned.