Sicker Than A Dog
It was bound to happen, and to be completely honest with you - I haven't been *right* in the stomach for over two weeks now...
Two days ago Stacy and I decided we needed some quality R&R after our trek and hunted around town for a swimming pool to go sunning by. It was a harrowed search which yielded an amazing pool and lounge in the center of many large city buildings. We happily spread out for a few hours of sun and swim and at around 3:30p we got up to head back to the guesthouse. Well, I was lightheaded... and then pounding headed... and then just about incapacitated. I thought it was dehydration, but water didn't help and the sun hurt so much. We took a songtao back to our room where I popped too many Advil and hoped the feeling would pass. For the next 6 hours I was in agony on my bed - thinking that surely I would have to go to the hospital. I think this was my first *real* migraine.
Like a trooper I popped back to life late that evening and was psyched for the first of my three days of Thai cooking classes that was slated to start the next day (this was yesterday). I got picked up in a beat up truck with my other four classmates for the day and after picking the menu we headed to a local market. I really envy the way people can buy fresh produce here - it's just not the same at home. Even if the meat and fish jeeve you out you know it's fresh when you watch them bash the poor Nemo over the head and rip his scales off while his brothers are still swimming in a plastic tub. I had chosen to make Massaman Curry, Chicken with Cashews, Pad Thai, Green Papaya Salad, Glass Noodle Soup, and Fish Cakes. (Yes, Arpre, I know the secret to the fishcakes in Trat! - And JP, I forgot to tell you that I got you the recipe for the chicken and ginger in Cambodia, too!)
I'm sorry to say that I didn't bring my camera with me on the first day because I thought I would take it all in and enjoy capturing the moment today and tomorrow, but that didn't happen. I'll explain in a bit.
The chef and her husband had owned a restaurant in Bangkok for 20 years before moving their family to the countryside outside Chiang Mai... and you could tell by their house. It was the loveliest house I've seen and had a most elaborate wooden gate. The kitchen area was separated by a small garden and there were two high-top tables for food prep, 10 gas burner stations, and a small area with bamboo tables and chairs where we could sit to sample our expertise. Two young women were employed there and they washed dishes and prepped some of the things we cooked. We made curry paste, laughed and laughed, and learned Thai techniques of cooking. I had such a great time!
When I got back, though, I was in a world of upset and my stomach was freaking out. As I type I have just resurfaced from 24 hours of severe stomach illness. In that time I went to the bathroom over 15 times... not that you want to know, but it's amazing how travellers talk to one another about their toilet habits. Between the migraine and the past day I was ready to call it a day and just jump home on the next flight - back to a real bed, an actual HOT shower (I like 'em as hot as I can stand), and some real, western food. I think that there might be something I ate yesterday that I was really allergic to. Normally nothing bothers my system like that.
(Celine Dion is playing right now in the cafe - I just had to throw that in for a laugh!)
It's still a bit up in the air, but I think I'm extending my travels by at least a couple weeks to do Malaysia and Singapore before heading home mid-January. The other option is that I'm looking into working in Australia for a couple months and then doing Vietnam before returning home in about three months or so. That's the scoop.
I can't believe it's December 16th already... I just keep reminding myself and it still doesn't sink in.
Love, sans illness -
Janice
***3:50p, Saturday, Triple N Cafe, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Two days ago Stacy and I decided we needed some quality R&R after our trek and hunted around town for a swimming pool to go sunning by. It was a harrowed search which yielded an amazing pool and lounge in the center of many large city buildings. We happily spread out for a few hours of sun and swim and at around 3:30p we got up to head back to the guesthouse. Well, I was lightheaded... and then pounding headed... and then just about incapacitated. I thought it was dehydration, but water didn't help and the sun hurt so much. We took a songtao back to our room where I popped too many Advil and hoped the feeling would pass. For the next 6 hours I was in agony on my bed - thinking that surely I would have to go to the hospital. I think this was my first *real* migraine.
Like a trooper I popped back to life late that evening and was psyched for the first of my three days of Thai cooking classes that was slated to start the next day (this was yesterday). I got picked up in a beat up truck with my other four classmates for the day and after picking the menu we headed to a local market. I really envy the way people can buy fresh produce here - it's just not the same at home. Even if the meat and fish jeeve you out you know it's fresh when you watch them bash the poor Nemo over the head and rip his scales off while his brothers are still swimming in a plastic tub. I had chosen to make Massaman Curry, Chicken with Cashews, Pad Thai, Green Papaya Salad, Glass Noodle Soup, and Fish Cakes. (Yes, Arpre, I know the secret to the fishcakes in Trat! - And JP, I forgot to tell you that I got you the recipe for the chicken and ginger in Cambodia, too!)
I'm sorry to say that I didn't bring my camera with me on the first day because I thought I would take it all in and enjoy capturing the moment today and tomorrow, but that didn't happen. I'll explain in a bit.
The chef and her husband had owned a restaurant in Bangkok for 20 years before moving their family to the countryside outside Chiang Mai... and you could tell by their house. It was the loveliest house I've seen and had a most elaborate wooden gate. The kitchen area was separated by a small garden and there were two high-top tables for food prep, 10 gas burner stations, and a small area with bamboo tables and chairs where we could sit to sample our expertise. Two young women were employed there and they washed dishes and prepped some of the things we cooked. We made curry paste, laughed and laughed, and learned Thai techniques of cooking. I had such a great time!
When I got back, though, I was in a world of upset and my stomach was freaking out. As I type I have just resurfaced from 24 hours of severe stomach illness. In that time I went to the bathroom over 15 times... not that you want to know, but it's amazing how travellers talk to one another about their toilet habits. Between the migraine and the past day I was ready to call it a day and just jump home on the next flight - back to a real bed, an actual HOT shower (I like 'em as hot as I can stand), and some real, western food. I think that there might be something I ate yesterday that I was really allergic to. Normally nothing bothers my system like that.
(Celine Dion is playing right now in the cafe - I just had to throw that in for a laugh!)
It's still a bit up in the air, but I think I'm extending my travels by at least a couple weeks to do Malaysia and Singapore before heading home mid-January. The other option is that I'm looking into working in Australia for a couple months and then doing Vietnam before returning home in about three months or so. That's the scoop.
I can't believe it's December 16th already... I just keep reminding myself and it still doesn't sink in.
Love, sans illness -
Janice
***3:50p, Saturday, Triple N Cafe, Chiang Mai, Thailand
posted by Janice at 3:25 AM
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