We were very fortunate to have traveled to Southeast Asia last December. We like "slow travel," so we spent five weeks in Bangkok alone, living like locals, exploring and soaking up the atmosphere and local culture (especially in the food department!) We ate only Asian foods. No burgers, steak, Kentucky Fried Chicken or pizza (not that we didn't crave for them).
The array of food Bangkok offers is amazing! No matter where you stay, you are sure to be greeted with the intoxicating aroma of food as soon as you step outside. Street food vendors are everywhere! Across the street from our Airbnb and hotel, next to the subway station, along the way to Chatuchak weekend market. Real estate on the sidewalks is precious as everyone is hawking some kind of goods and/or goodies.
The first thing we did after we checking into our Airbnb was shop for groceries. Tops Market was recommended as it was located in a shopping mall closest to us. While in the mall, we discovered a restaurant serving Northern Thai cuisine. Good thing we ate there before food shopping, otherwise we would have bought too much to carry home. Everything was fabulous! Thus began our love affair with Bangkok's food.
Som Tam, the popular papaya salad
Mango with sticky rice and coconut milk
Rice noodle soup with fishballs
Pad See Ew (wide rice noodle with chicken)
People from all over the world come to Bangkok to shop. We came for the food. We ate street food, at the food courts in countless malls, at restaurants, and mom and pop shops in our Airbnb/hotel neighborhoods. Chinatown was interesting too, if you can handle the congestion.
Vendor selling shellfish at Yaowarat (Chinatown)
Oyster omelet at Tang Jai Yoo in Chinatown
Vendor selling chive cakes at the Lumphini subway station
Tom Yum shrimp
excellent Tom Yum Fried Rice at Mixt Mall, near Chatuchak Market
Durian, king of tropical fruits at ICON Siam Mall
Mango Sticky Rice Kakigori (Japanese shaved ice) at After You Dessert Cafe
Our last week in Bangkok was in late January/early February. It was the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic; we didn't dare to venture into crowded places even though the crowd had thinned out considerably since the Christmas holiday. We hung out at the upscale Central Embassy Mall and ate at the classy food court Eathai almost every day that week. It was close to our hotel, and we knew it was rather quiet compared to other shopping malls. The Pad Thai noodle was some of the best we've had (read more at Postcard from Bangkok). We were happy to find our favorite Taiwanese dumpling restaurant Ding Tai Fung on the 5th floor; it's always good no matter which location you go. With the Coronavirus scare, there was no line or wait! Below are some of their popular offerings.
Xiao Long Bao, steamed dumplings, the star of Ding Tai Fung
Shrimp Fried Rice, another signature dish
Five Spiced Beef Noodle soup
Bento box at Fuji, the ubiquitous Japanese chain
Our last meal was at the Bangkok International Airport. The durian with sticky rice dessert was memorable. Yum!
Durian with sticky rice
As I write this post, fall is upon us. There's talk about a resurgence of Covid-19. Many of us will likely stay home, even for the holidays. It's sad. But we can travel vicariously through Bangkok resident Mark Wien who recently wrote the ultimate Bangkok travel guide for food lovers. He also has a YouTube channel, showing audience where to eat in Bangkok, and around the world.
Meantime, we wait patiently for a vaccine so we can all travel safely again. Eat well, be well and stay positive!
Our friend Carmen has previously written a guest post on this blog. Today, she shares yet another adventure in her adopted home of Zurich, Switzerland. Welcome back Carmen!
A few weeks ago, I finally decided to take up on a friend’s invite to float down the Aare River in Bern, and it was an unforgettable trip!
The Aare River with its strong currents and signature turquoise blue colour is a popular summer swimming spot for the Swiss. In fact, swimming in the Aare is an official activity on the UNESCO list of Swiss traditions. Rising from a glacier up in the Bernese Alps, it flows through Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, passes by Bern, the capital of Switzerland and flows into the Rhine in the north-west.
Initially my significant other and I were reluctant to take the two- hour train ride to Bern from Zurich on a lazy Sunday but then we thought: why not enjoy the hot weather before autumn sets in? It was a great decision as we had an amazing experience!
After we arrived, we followed the procession of people carrying picnic equipment and floats of various forms down to the Marzili pool area of the river. We were glad to see a well-developed area with numerous changing rooms around the picnic area, a restaurant and concession stands peppered around the vicinity. Bear in mind that this trip was made in the middle of the Corona-virus pandemic, and still, the place was packed with young and old alike, with no masks in sight. We didn't don masks either. But back in Zurich, starting Aug 27, we have to wear masks in stores.
We set up camp amongst the crowd, and then walked up the river to a bridge where we could see adventurous young men and women jumping into the cold waters. The less adventurous however, chose to descend into the river via the numerous staircases along the river side.
Dipping my feet into the water, I was pleasantly surprised to find the water temperature at a nice, cool 21-24 C (69.8 - 75.2 F), but taken aback by the strong current. Once in the water, I was immediately swept away by the current. I was now far ahead of my friend even though she went in right after me. Good thing she lent me her pool noodle, which kept me afloat. She was using her pool lounger.
It was very interesting to see the various forms floatation devices bobbing down the river. Some people were blissfully floating in 7-10 foot rafts, complete with beer (and paddle) in hand, and music blasting from their bluetooth speakers!
As we approached the end of the “safe” floating area, we saw signs along the river marking where floaters should exit. If you prefer a longer float, you can swim further down to a channel that directs you to a man-made pool. Here, you can continue to wade or walk up a wide staircase. A 10-minute walk upriver gives you about 5 minutes of floating time. A longer, 2-kilometre (1.24 miles) hike gives you 15 minutes worth of floating time. We did several rounds of the 10-minute hike and float before settling down for a picnic. My other half had so much fun jumping and floating he didn't even bother to stop for lunch!
The Swiss were right on the money when it listed floating down the Aare River as one of their summer traditions. We love it so much it might become a tradition for us. Aare River, see you next summer!
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