We’ve definitely had the best day ever – after walking around Chinatown we met up with my friend Patsiri. I met Patsiri on a French module I took at Durham (and later ditched for contemporary composition) where we helped each other get through the text book. Je viens de Thailand she said to me, and I replied j’aime la nourriture Thai. We became pals.
After meeting and greeting at the train station we took a boat along the Chaophraya river (it was 15 Baht which is 34p) and stopped at a local market. It was here we came across Thai basil which tastes like aniseed and therefore like Sambuca, hehe!
We then headed over to Wat Arun, a Buddhist temple in Thonburi on the West Bank of the river. Before you go in a temple you MUST cover up and so this is why I ended up looking like this:
After exploring the area surrounding Wat Arun, we sat down at a bar that overlooked it to watch the sun set. It was actually a bit magical. Check out the Instagram video I made (@ketchupandtravel) which shows the sunset through a series of pictures taken at intervals (I did this whilst eating chicken satay and drinking a cocktail).
When the sun was fully off stage Patsiri took us on a local bus. She said people don’t use them because there isn’t really a proper system and they are quite unreliable – erm I think I’ve said the same about buses in the UK.
Anyway, we stopped for dinner at a place of her recommendation, and enjoyed Yam MooYoor for starters, Guayjabyuan for mains, and black jelly for dessert. The jelly is made from herbs and spices instead of fruit. I wasn’t ready for this jelly.
The interesting thing is that families in Thailand tend to eat out everyday as it’s cheaper than buying ingredients and cooking at home. Who’s moving here?
It’s amazing having a friend that lives here who can show us true Thailand. Best tour guide ever!
