a veg life

(posted by Emily)  29 December 2014 Chiang Mai, Thailand We are doing a lot of really cool things in Chiang Mai, and I was really looking forward to our Thai cooking class. We booked our class through Thai Farm Cooking school , and similar to a booked excursion in Mexico or any other big tourist town, the comapny came to pick us up from our hotel for the day's events.  We were extremely lucky to be with a group of young, friendly couples--Michael and Jen from North Carolina, Peter and Marion from New York, Dennis and Michelle from New Jersey (who had mutual friends with Peter and Marion but had no idea they'd be on the same excursion that day--small world!), and Robyn and Ben from London. Everyone was recently married or engaged, and it was fun to hear about all of their travels and adventures.  Our first stop was the market, where Liam, our instructor, showed us the various ingredients we'd be using that day and explained a bit about Thai cooking. Then...

(posted by Emily) 28 December 2014 Siem Reap, Cambodia and Chiang Mai, Thailand On the day we were leaving Cambodia, we decided to pack up early in order to have time for breakfast. We did one last walk around the hotel, printed our boarding passes, and grabbed a tuk tuk.  The main courtyard of the hotel Since Peace Cafe opened at 7:30, we knew we would have plenty of time to grab food before getting to the airport. We sat down to eat in the garden, which reminded us a lot of Chocolatree in Sedona.  Breakfast was filling and cheap--only $11 for tofu scramble with toast and a "coffee plunger" with soymilk, apple and pomelo juice, and sweet and sour cauliflower. I have become more and more of a fan of the savory breakfast on this trip! The trip to the airport was quick and fast--the airport is clean with nice shops and in better shape than Don Mueang in Bangkok. Boarding took place out on the tarm...