Escape to Chiang Mai

Well I have almost eaten my fill (for the moment) of Thai food that I have dreamed about often before we arrived in CM.

We have also managed to eat at 3 good Italian restaurants, all local, with friends. Pasta/noodles similar I know…but creamy, tomatoey loveliness. Is there a food theme here ?

I’ve also had a bit of a crush on an excellent French bakery in the village next to our favourite coffee shop, it’s a marriage made in heaven.

Croissants and bread as good as any I’ve ever eaten and the best coffee in town.

There is a Thai restaurant 2 minutes from our hotel which we have frequented for many years which is called Santitham Breakfast. Which in itself is a bit of a misnomer as they cook lots of different dishes.

On a Friday and Saturday night he has pizza night. He has built a pizza oven and has found an Italian cheese maker in the mountains locally and a very good cured meat company.

Kong, the owner is meticulous on the quality of ingredients and his Sourdough base all hand made is excellent. He now has an enormous clientele. They are at least 12 to choose from and cost £5-6 . It’s expensive for here but they’re delicious and it’s a good sociable night.

The clientele are mostly an eclectic bunch of European, American, Aussies, Kiwi’s and a few Thais. It’s a fun night and a good change from rice and noodles…

The fruit and vegetables are cheap and organic, mostly out of someone’s garden if you buy locally. A kilo of creamy avocados for 70p, bananas, pineapple cheap and plentiful. Street food like sushi or bbq meats entice you all the time. £1.50 for this snack, yummy.

We often have musli with fruit and yogurt or avocado/eggs on toast for breakfast we have a fridge, toaster, kettle all you need really. You can’t eat out all the time.

We go to the zoo every time we’re here. It was opened in the 50’s by an American survival expert who started out by looking after injured animals. It’s really big and spacious, good weather for most of the animals and reasonably well run. It’s on the road up to Doi Suthep the mountain that overlooks CM, just in the foothills.

It’s a really good long hilly walk. It takes 3-4 hours so we went early. It costs 350 baht, around £7. They have made improvements over the years but this year there were so many animals missing. There used to be 3 male lions now only 1. There were 5 female lions, now 2. All the small forest and jungle cats are no longer there.