The Perfect Remedy

Leaving Suphan was really hard. My last few nights were some of the best, and the last night especially left me joyed beyond belief. I literally woke up with a huge grin on my face. The smile disappeared quickly when reality struck and I realized I had to finish packing up and leave my beloved Suphan. But, luckily, I found a quick remedy for my sadness... Mick OB. Mick, one of my awesome friends from  the States, decided to join the first 2 weeks of my backpacking adventure with Srall. When I turned over in my bed, struck with waves of giddiness and then depression, I got really excited upon seeing Mick with me in Thailand. After showing her the hot spots in Suphan and getting some of my final meals at Baanya's  and PTL, we set off on our journey. First stop: Bangkok.

We did the normal touristy jazz in Bangkok and may have had another epic night involving 25 Hours before hopping on an overnight bus to Khon Kaen. Over the past year I've covered a lot of ground in Thailand but the Northeast was the only general area I had left to conquer. And after experiencing it, I understand why- there isn't much going on there. Don't get me wrong- I still enjoyed myself. I mean I was in Thailand with two of my best friends, eating amazing food, getting massages, meeting cool Thai peeps and exploring new places. But, in terms of things to do and see, Khon Kaen is lacking. We did spend one day wandering around the big lake and strolling through the many wats. One in particular stands out, not only because it was a gorgeous 9 level chedi, but also because Mick joined monk school.   I guess i should preface this by saying that Mick is a photographer and getting up close and personal with a camera comes easily to her. So when she took a seat at an open desk during monk class, she was met with a lot of giggles, myself contributing. We also had another monk moment when we stumbled upon a hundred or so novice monks being addressed before they took a big exam. Their teacher, so excited to see farang, asked us to speak to the group. Sarah took charge and hearing 100s of monks repeat after her was pretty awesome. So although Khon Kaen didn't deliver in terms of sights, it sure gave us a lot of happy monk moments, which obviously makes it a success.  

After two days we made our way up further north to Nong Khai, the border town between Laos (our next destination) and Thailand. I personally thought Nong Khai was a beautiful little, homely town. Their was a gorgeous riverwalk along the Mekong, in which boat races were taking place. We spent our days wandering the town, eating some delish meals and taking lots of pics. Nong Khai is also home to this incredible sculpture park, Sala Keow, where these giant stone sculptures, depicting various religious and non-religious concepts, tower over you. It was really different and I enjoyed walking around, although the descriptions were only in Thai. Mai Pen Rai.

I was super excited to continue our trip into Laos, but that also meant saying goodbye to Thailand for a little bit. My heart was still aching with the absence of Suphan, so the thought of leaving Thailand altogether pulled at my heartstrings. But, we cheersed with some bia Singha and watched a Thai band sing some of our faves (per our request) and prepared to journey into Laos the next morning.

You'll have to excuse my lack of pictures, but without my laptop, I can't upload my pictures. I swear I will actually make a  facebook album when time allows.

4th of July: This is how we do it.

There were no sparklers. There were no beachside beers. No bonfires. No backyard cookouts and no fireworks lighting up the sky. But, by golly, we made the 4th of July happen in Suphan. With some motivation and a lot of love for America, we re-created this beloved holiday despite the lack of American goods. We had ourselves a great American birthday party, Thai-style. 


The Venue: Song Noom. Dtone and his family were nice enough to allow the farang to take over the restaurant for the night and attempt a barbeque. With a little decorative help, we transformed part of the restaurant into a festive (albeit eclectic) American party.

Happy Birthday America!

Buddha head with American lantern

Thai beer with American flags

The People: Farang! Farang! The farang gathered together to make this happen. Of course, we consisted of mostly Americans, but we got a few Aussies to join in on the festivities! And obviously, being in Thailand, there were some Thais there, too. Dtone's family is amazing and fully partook in the fun by grilling, dancing and waving the flag, while also sporting the red, white and blue. 

                                   

Alex, an Aussie, pretending not to LOVE America

                                                           
The Menu: Chips, hot dogs, homemade burgers, pickles, pasta salad and beer. It actually smelled like 4th of July. The cooking techniques may have been a little different than what we're used to, but it was a complete success...so delicious! And our friend, Liz, is a saviour for making some no-bake desserts. Puppy chow? Yes, please!

                                    

The Music: Awesome. We compiled a list of 'America' songs and rocked out. We had everything from 'Born in the USA' to Whitney's rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' to Miley's 'Party in the USA' to 'Chicken Fried.' We had a little bit of everything to get us into a patriotic mood. 


The Red, White and Blue: Clearly the most important part! It all started with the nails which led the way for patriotic clothes, headpieces, plates, necklaces, and du-rags (what up). 

Creepy shot of my nails

                          


Patriotism: It wouldn't be the 4th of July without some American pride. We dressed the part, we sang the part, we danced the part, and we certainly ate the part. One of my favorite moments was when we slowed down the dance moves, waved our mini flags and sang the Star Spangled Banner. To make it even better, some of the Thais joined in. We even got Ote, an adorable little boy, to say "I love America," which was pretty epic. It didn't matter that we were miles and miles and MILES away from home, we brought America to Thailand. I spent the entire night smiling...just like I would have been back home.

Liz and Ote

So maybe it wasn't the beachside 4th of July I am used to, but it was certainly a grand ole time.

The Suphan All-Stars

Living in the middle of rice paddies can get a little boring. Suphan isn't the most bumpin' town and sometimes I struggle to find ways to pass the time. Luckily, it's a charming place with little gems scattered throughout and without these spots, I'd go a little crazy. So I'd like to say a big THANK YOU and introduce the Suphan All-Stars...


Pad Thai Lady:
Pad Thai Lady, Mon (or PTL as we choose to call her), is my hero and she doesn't even know it. I'm sure you've already guessed, but she makes KILLER Pad Thai. I've tried a lot of of Pad Thai in the last 8 1/2 months (Holy shiza- I've been here for that long!?), and nothing compares to the beauty that is PTL's Pad Thai. It's not only her Pad Thai, either...EVERYTHING she makes is perfection. She can do no wrong in her sole frying pan. The shop itself is far from 'charming,' yet it has stolen my heart. I'm often covered in flies and pulling bugs out of my water and/or food, but it's just another reminder of how authentic the food is. Yum. Sarah has already called 'dibs' on bringing her back in her suitcase, but I'm going to put up a strong fight. 

Pad Thai

PTL hard at work

Baanya's Coffee Shop:
There are so many reasons as to why I love this coffee shop so much. For starters, the coffee/tea is incredible. Secondly, the shop itself is gorgeous. The teakwood furniture, big, comfy couches, fish-tank tables, and the array of plants all lend to a funky jungle vibe. Then, there's the dog. Kao-soy is the most special of all dogs. Besides the fact that her name is my favorite Thai dish, she is a complete princess. She is an adorable, well-pampered Pomeranian with an attitude. She will eat your face off unless you are one of four people that she likes. She is playing hard to get and it is totally working, because... I heart her. But, even with all this awesomeness, the main reason I love this coffee shop is for Baanya herself. She is the owner of the shop and one of the coolest people I know. She has great English and is always up for a conversation. I go to the shop more often to see Baanya than to drink the coffee...she is just that great. 

Baanya and Kao-soy!
(Photo stolen from Sarah)
                                                                                                                  

Banana Shake Lady:
Usually two times a week, I need a banana shake. Nothing will make me happier than cold, sweet banana goodness. But not just any banana shake- it has to be Banana Shake Lady's, or BSL's, banana shake. Sarah and I will walk down to the night market and make our way past the oysters, sushi, fried bugs, chicken on a stick, noodles, jellies, and all the other craziness to get to BSL. It's not as easy as it sounds, however, because it's like some sort of sick video game where you have to avoid the dozens of motorbikes that suddenly drop in and out of the stalls. It's a market meant for motorists to drive up to, grab their food and then drive off. But it is just as open and inviting to pedestrians, yet the two don't mix. I am way too often jumping into the street to avoid one bike, only to be centimeters away from getting run over by another. But once I see BSL, all is good. And she knows it. She sees us coming and knows our order. Two minutes later, I am happily sipping on my simple banana shake (bananas, evaporated milk, and ice). Oh, and it is served with a plastic bag for your convenience. It seriously doesn't get better than that. 

There she is...

A shake.....in a bag!

Song Noom:

Song Noom is another spot that has way too many reasons to love it. There is always insanely good company, the food is incredible, the only way to get there is via tuk-tuk or motorbike, and the place is loaded with cute dogs. Our friend's boyfriend and his brother own the shop (Song Noom = two young men), which is the only reason I had heard about it, but they make the best Som Tam in Thailand. Over the past several months, we have all become good friends and Song Noom has become the hang out spot. A group of us often organize to go out to the restaurant together and spend the night eating (too much), laughing, playing with cute children and puppies and occasionally dancing and singing to karaoke. Dtone (the owner) is such a great, hilarious guy, and his family is just as fantastic, and going out to his pride and joy has become one of my favorite parts about living in Suphan. 

Tiger

     

Mee Sook

Som Tam...SO GOOD

Me and Dtone in front of the restaurant

So there you have it...the Suphan All-Stars. Obviously there are other people that make my time here as special and amazing as it is, but these are the hot spots and their incredible owners. And it also goes to show how much my life revolves around food here. Just let it happen....