Thailand Real Food Adventure

Sa-wat dee! Welcome to Thailand's capital, Bangkok – famous for its tuk-tuks, khlong boats and street vendors serving up delicious Thai dishes. Your food adventure begins this evening with a welcome meeting at 5 pm. If you arrive early, maybe check out the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, wander down Khao San Road or indulge in a Thai massage. After the meeting, head out with your group for dinner at popular restaurant Krua Apsorn and get to know the delicious Thai cuisine this region is famous for. After, explore the area and sample some Thai sweets with your leader and fellow travellers.

After an early breakfast, visit Tha Kha Floating Market. Walk past canals filled with sellers hawking their fruits and wares, then board a paddleboat to explore the waterways further. The area is well known for coconut palm sugar production, and you’ll stop in at a riverside operation to see how it’s made. After, travel back to Bangkok, where you’ll have a free afternoon to shop, sightsee or simply relax. Tonight, head to Chinatown for a walking tour. This is a great place to sample some local street food, so ask your leader for their insight and recommendations. You might also like to join other members of your group to enjoy live music at one of the lively bars in the area.

After breakfast, leave Bangkok and travel by private vehicle to a local village and community farm for a day of cooking Central Thai specialities. Learn about the age-old agricultural traditions still being practised today and enjoy the freshest ingredients straight from the garden. You’ll help to prepare a home-cooked lunch of local delicacies, like kaeng som (green papaya soup), spicy fish cakes and watercress salad with chicken, followed by multiple desserts using ingredients like coconut, rice milk and crispy noodles! Later this afternoon board a longtail boat and cruise the Chao Phraya River to visit a Buddhist temple on a small, remote island. Head to Ayutthaya city for a free evening to explore.

Today, you’ll explore Ayutthaya – the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai, and once one of the most powerful cities in Asia. Stop by a street food stall for a demonstration and tasting of roti sai mai – a dish synonymous with the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. It consists of a thin pancake wrapped around delicious, fine strands of thin-spun cotton candy. Lunch today is a steaming bowl of guay-tieo-ruea (boat noodles). The Ayutthaya take on this classic combo of fragrant pork broth, roasted slices of meat, Thai-style pork balls, sliced morning glory stalks, fresh green onion and a choice of rice noodles is considered the original and the best. While the food is no longer served out of sampans on the river, the narrow rowboats are used as decoration at roadside eateries to indicate what's on the menu. See the remains of Ayutthaya’s golden age with a guided tour of the ruins and temples spread across the town, including the rows of headless Buddhas at Wat Phra Mahathat and a Buddha head surrounded by Banyan tree roots. Grab a bite to eat before boarding your overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Arrive in Chiang Mai by mid-morning. The most vibrant city in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has many famous temples and an interesting old city area. Most importantly, Chiang Mai is famous for its Northern Thai cuisine and may well be home to many of your favourite Thai dishes. Lunch today is a plant-based meal at a popular local restaurant that sources organic vegetables from nearby farms. After lunch, take an orientation walk around the streets of the city, stopping at Wat Chedi Luang and enjoying a pick me up at Akha Ama – a social enterprise created by a member of the Akha tribe who wanted to highlight the produce of his community and provide an income source to its coffee growers. Take time to relax and refresh before a dinner at a local restaurant. If you’re keen to explore further, the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is full of local handicrafts and Northern street food dishes.

Travel to a small Thai village where you’ll meet Aoi, your gracious host for your overnight homestay experience. On the way to Aoi’s village, stop for lunch at a restaurant specialising in the local delicacy of fermented rice noodles. Next, visit some local producers – including a mushroom farm where you'll pick up ingredients for a Northern Thai cooking class. Over the years, a khan tok dinner has become the traditional way to welcome guests in Northern Thailand, with the term ‘khan tok’ meaning both the meal and the raised tray on which it’s served. Eleven dishes are featured on this delicious khan tok menu, so cut, chop and sizzle, then tuck into dishes like nam prik ong (chilli paste with tomatoes), deep fried vegetables, hung leh (curry) and mushroom larb (spicy mushroom salad). Enjoy the fruits of your labour against a backdrop of local musicians singing and dancing.

Breakfast this morning is a Northern Thai breakfast of gai tod (fried chicken), fried rice, sweet sticky rice and egg custard. Bid farewell to your homestay hosts and take a scenic, winding drive to one of the country's most stunning temple complexes, Doi Suthep. A 300-step naga-guarded stairway leads you to the temples and the climb is well worth the effort. The chanting of Buddhist monks and the sweeping views of the city make for a memorable experience. Head back into town for a delicious lunch of khao soi (a curry noodle dish, renowned in the region). This afternoon you might like to check out the bustling Warorot Market (Kad Luang). One of Chiang Mai’s largest markets and a thriving social hub, this is the perfect place to get a glimpse into daily life and pick up some snacks unique to the region. Taste your way through the stalls and be sure to try sai ua (Chiang Mai sausage) or bamboo worms.