Ten day Whirlwind through Northern Thailand

Foods devoured from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (and back) 

Streets of Bangkok

It may seem like I'm spending excessive time overseas this year, sprinkling holiday posts between my usual local reviews. That would be true.

Strolling through Chiang Mai

This recent trip to Thailand is my last planned holiday for the year (unless something else comes up) and is the finale to a series of memorable escapades that have opened my eyes and injected me with the travel bug. More travelling is on the cards for next year... but for now, Thailand.

Floating markets

This was my first ever trip to Thailand. My relationship with Thailand was a bit undefined. I have always loved Thai food (or at least, what I knew of as Thai food) but I didn't know much about the actual country. I knew about elephants. I pictured beaches. The rest was hazy, but that's the great thing about travel. You learn about every place you go to.

Chiang Mai old city gate

When Kat and I booked the trip, I had next to zero knowledge about the geography of the country, the differences between any of the cities or what the popular tourist attractions were. We chose to do a tour titled 'Northern Hilltribes' simply because it was the shortest and I didn't want to take too much leave off work. Beyond the tour, we also scheduled a few extra nights in Bangkok.

View from the top of an elephant

The trip can be summarized as: Brisbane -- Bangkok (2 nights) -- Chiang Mai (2 nights) -- Hilltribes (2 nights) -- Chiang Mai (1 night) -- Bangkok (2 nights) -- Brisbane

Riverside (seen via a bamboo raft)

As a whole, I really enjoyed the food I had throughout my trip in Thailand. I can't vouche for the authenticity. I'm fairly sure that I was mostly exposed to more westernised/touristy versions of their cuisine. However, that disclaimer aside, I am adamant that if you like coconut, lime and fish sauce (and are not adverse to chili), it's impossible not to get a great meal in Thailand for a rediculously low price.

Near the Burmese border

I've decided to section my food photos into a number of categories, followed by some specific restaurant reviews.

I hope you enjoy the read!