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chaing mai, chang, elephants, Norththailand

lazy days in paradise

In chiang mai, Lanna, thaicooking, thaifood, thailand, travel, traveling, Uncategorized on March 7, 2013 at 10:07 am

Finally ! We got holliday and we both had time to get away from the smoke and noice in the city of Chiang Mai. The city is wonderfull in the winter time, but now we are in the warm season, and the nice cool city transform itself into an unplesant mixed of smoke and exstremely hot weather.

We called our driver and took off around one hour to Hang Dong area, and we checked us self in to the wonderfull place “Bella Villa”. So lucky we where, the weather turned cooler, and we got rain – a lot of wonderful fresh rain.

We used the days to completly relax, and special after we had upgrad us self to deluxe room, ( cost around 300 THB ekstra!) then we just got the most wonderful view.

We can truly recomend Bella Ville to anybody that want to relaxe, to listent to wonderful birds singing in the morning..:)

One of the best thing we did in this holliday was to join Elephant trekking! They have no basket for the tourist to sit in, so the only way is the Mahut way It was absolutly the best elephant experience ever…! See the video from Elefant trekking here

Apple is relaxing…:D

Brian relaxing

Wonderful view…:)

Fantastic Thaifood…:P

Cute small elefants…:)

Wonderful view to hotel…

just nice….:)

Creative dekorations

Belle Villa

So fantastic Elephants…:)

there we go….:)

and we are ready…:)

Big wonderful hug from Elephant – the name is Pud Chan..:)

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New Year

Happy Newyear

In chiang mai, cookingschool, foredrag, Lanna, shopping, thaicooking, thaifood, thailand, travel, traveling on December 30, 2012 at 4:01 am

A new year is getting near, and even it not really means anything for the bigger picture, the universe don’t care, then it means something for us humans.

It is the time for us to stop up, look back and think about if we are happy about what we did last year – and use that result to try to make life even better in the new year…:)

And what ever happens – always remember to fight for the ones we love and for the life we love…!

Give and share happiness, experience good and bad – it is a part of us

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Chiang Mai, Lanna, Thailand, TRAVEL

Lanna winter

In chiang mai, Lanna, thailand, travel, traveling on December 15, 2012 at 4:25 am

After a wonderful Loy Krathong in end of november, we where ready for the good and long month of december, where we really had time to enjoy life and each other.

We where so lucky to start december with visit from Odense, Denmark, a good chance for us to go trekking to Chiang Dao, 80 km north of Chiang Mai. Before we did so, we join many Thai people in the celebration of HM King of Thailand 85th Birthday on 5th December. It was truly a proud day for Thailand…:) To stand with the candlelight and you know that milions ( beside the 100s of people next to you ) of people in the country is doing the same thing….is just a fantastic feeling…..:)

On one of the most beautiful mornings on 7th December we set out to the starting point, Chiang Dao Nest, a wonderful lay back resort surrounded by mountains. after a very warm welcomes af the host, we drive around 30 minutes to the starting point. The weather was absolutely perfect! completely blue sky and not to hot. That clear sky gave one of the very fantastic experience, when we, in the evening, sit and look at the stars – and we saw the satellites running full speed over the sky – but I was the only one that saw a shooting star..:) It was a great moment..! It almost got beat by having breakfast in the shade of the most wonderful mountains and enjoying the morning fog come up from the downhill fields…:) It just make the local grown coffee taste even better….:)

we did trekking for 2 days, and visit Lasu and Hmong hilltribe people, and add the fantastic nature, good company, then this was just a fantastic combination.

The next big thing for us in December is today,, the 15th December…:) Patarathorn and I have been together for 8 years, and that is a very special time for us. We have a lot of good time and some bad time – but we will always be together…:) It is simply the only right thing for us ..:)

And as more plus add, we have wonderful friends that help to arrange a nice evening for us in their cafe – Mong Pearl Cafe in Chiang Mai…:)

So a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you and remember that we are all creating our own life…..:) for the most basic part anyway….:)

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Chiang Mai, Festivals, Loy Kratong, Thailand, Ti-peng

Getting ready for Yi-Peng and Loy Kratong in Chiang Mai

In chiang mai, Lanna, thailand, travel, traveling on November 27, 2012 at 4:08 am

It is just a day before Thailands Loy kratong and the old Lanna festival Yi-peng will start. It is a fantastic sight when the big parades is slowly moving true the city of Chiang Mai – it is a parade where even the most creative in the world have to be impressed.

Loi literally means ‘to float,’ while krathong refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. Originally, the krathong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A krathong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle and coins. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate in a few a days and be eaten by fish and other animals.

A low value coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits. During the night of the full moon, Thais will float their krathong on a river, canal or a pond lake. The festival is believed to originate in an ancient practice of paying respect to the spirit of the waters. Today it is mostly a time to have fun.

So in the day before it all start, and loy Kratong is allways on the full moon day in the 12th month of the Thai calendar, normally in november, most people go out and buy lanterns, loy kratongs, betel nuts and so on, and that really make the markets more colorful then normally. The big market in Chiang Mai, Kad Luang follow that princip to

We are looking forward to show you photos from Loy Krabtong, Yi-Peng festivalen, and also from the Kings birthday on 5th december

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asien food, Chiang Mai, Norththailand, Thai food, Thailand, traveling

Best Thai food in Chiang Mai

In chiang mai, Lanna, thaicooking, thaifood, thailand, travel, traveling on October 31, 2012 at 10:29 am

Where to go for getting the absolutely most authentic local food when we go traveling ? That is often one the questions that we often get find the answer for. Many restaurants today just don’t make the food like the owners grandma use to do.

But today I wil say the we got a lunch that where very close to the fantastic food my Wife remembered her grandma made. This restaurant just make the traditionel Thai food so every different plate have a different explosion of super tasty rainbow variety of different herbs, spices and other good things

when they serve this art of food, they do it in the right way, many small plates, and it is just so tasty that you don’t want to eat it to fast. For drinks we took fresh coconut, then we hade dessert also

For the hole table full of fantastic food, to coconut and also one drinking water, we payed…..450 THB!!! It is just as cheap as it is fantastic good! We wil recommend all that visits Chiang Mai to come an enjoy the one absolute best traditional Thai food restaurants in Chiang Mai…:) The name is Hong Taew on Nimmanhemin Rd, close to Huay Kaew Rd. ENJOY

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Chiang Mai, Markets, Thailand, TRAVEL

Ta-lad in Chiang Mai

In chiang mai, Lanna, shopping, thaicooking, thaifood, thailand, travel, traveling on September 12, 2012 at 1:37 pm

One thing that is very important for all Thai people, and for most other people, both travelers and residents are..Ta-lad Nad. Ta-lad is a place where you can get almost everything like food, snacks, clothing, electronics ( Chinese things cheap from the border to Myanmar ). Nad means something like a meeting point, and in this case the meeting is one time a week. Ta-Lad Nad is a market that is hold on a fix date or fix weekday.

So we are talking good old local markets when it is best! Many travelers often see the tourist markets like the “Night market” here in Chiang Mai, but often we only have to travel a short distance to see a much more local life. For Chiang Mai there is a very nice one every monday on Soi Chang-Kien. It is a side Soi to Huay Kaew Rd. Turn left just after Canal Rd and you are there – Almost there. In the first part of Huay Kaew Rd there is a Greenmarket every day, past that and continue until you see the famous “Chang-Kien Muay Thai boxing school” – and just after that – a heaven of local experience will open for you!! If you want to buy some thing is anogther part, but just to take a walk, feel the reel Chiang Mai coming to you, while you enjoy the big mix of Northern Thai People.

The place of marked is also a functional cremation yard! So it is there they have the big ceremony, for that area, when some one need to get cremation. So it is truly a multifunctional spot.

This time I did buy some thing, a pair of fancy rubber booths for 180 THB. I need them for my next Roundtour to the jungle of North Sumatra, indonesia. We did also buy some very nice sweets, Ka-nom Kai-nok-kra-ta ( small balls made basic of flour and sukker ) . They are just perfect with a cup of coffee after the market.

The best time of this market is just before sunset. The fresh wind will come from the mountains and when back to Huay Kaew Rd to get the local transportation Song Taew ( two benches ) then you have the chance to see a absolutely stunning sunset!

There is only one way – come to Chiang Mai soon and experience this wonderful city…:)

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Chiang Mai, food, restaurant, TRAVEL

Sahara in Chiang Mai

In chiang mai, Lanna, thailand, travel, traveling on August 30, 2012 at 3:03 pm

For a few night’s ago we decided that it was time to try something new! So instead of having dinner in one of the absolutely fantastic Thai food restaurants here in Chiang Mai, – we went to Sahara!

Sahara is located on 59/9 Nimmanhaemin Rd. in one of the big cafe and restaurant areas of Chiang Mai. And when we are talking about a nice cafe and restaurant area in a Thai city, then don’t expect a place where you can take a nice and quiet walk! it is a good mix of no walkway, trees, cars, motorbikes and often a lot of people – specially many younger Chiang Mai people and tourist from Bangkok love this area.

Many of the new generation in thailand like to have a international wind around them, just like most people in a big part of the world like it. And that also means that there is a marked for other kind of food then ‘only’ Thai food, and Sahara is one of those restaurants. they have 3 main menu, Western, Middle East and Thai.

We choose middle east food, and it was just good!! Fresh and tasty food, nice paintings on the wall, good service, and good old arab – persian music – just the right place to spend the night and to take a few drinks after the nice dinner…:)

We can recommend you all to try this restaurant next time you visits Chiang Mai…:)

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Chiang Mai, Thailand, TRAVEL

Back in Chiang Mai

In chiang mai, Lanna, thailand, travel, traveling on August 7, 2012 at 8:56 am

After a nice time in Denmark, special Wonderful Copenhagen, we are back in Chiang Mai. One of our plans for denmark was to realize some Thaicookning classes. First the idea was to make cooking class in a Danish ‘højskole’, but it shows up that we didn’t have the right contact to do so. So instead we did several cooking class for some of out good friends and family – which also gave us some very good experience and, of course, some fantastic time.

To travel in Denmark we found out that special one place touch our hearts and that is Copenhagen. It is also the only city in denmark that we can call a real city ( seen from international point of view ).

We choose to return back home to Chiang Mai 4 weeks before first planned, simply because it is to hard to live as guest for to long time, even it is with wonderful friends and family. And it is a wonderful feeling to be back in our own home – sit in our own sofa and look at our own TV

This time it is raining season in Chiang Mai, and it is just such a wonderful time. Everything is just as green as it is possible, and the clouds brings the most wonderful view over the mountains. To be back in the fitness center and have lunch in the Kad Suan Kaew food court again is just another winning part of being back…:)

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Apple, Denmark. Travel, Thaicooking

In Denmark

In foredrag, Lanna, thaicooking, thaifood, travel, traveling on June 18, 2012 at 10:17 am

Now both of us are in denmark it have been a very long and very hard spring, but finally we meet in Copenhagen airport. Patarathorn Hansen from Bangkok and I, Brian Hansen from New York. Beside just to be together then we will also use this summer to bring the taste of Thai food to Denmark. Patarathorn is just a super fantastic cook. She really got the feeling of making spirit in Thai food alive

In next Month we will bring the result of some of the small food sessions we will make this summer in Denmark

A wonderful June to all of you

Patarathorn & Brian Hansen

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Asian food, Thaicooking

The perfect omelet

In chiang mai, foredrag, Lanna, thaicooking, thailand, traveling on February 20, 2012 at 7:42 am

This is the beginning of ‘Apples Thai cooking class’.

Step by step you can see how to make it. But it is a secret how to make the fantastic meat in the middle of the omelet a secret that will be showing in a later blog most of all I just know how it eat it, and Apple is the expert that know how to make it and now I got hungry again!