Market of Eden: Thailand

As some of you might know, I've had to begrudgingly put some distance between myself and my beloved Thailand travel blog. The most obvious reason for this is that I no longer live in Thailand, and so my previous inspiration gathered from the delicious food, wondrous landscapes and thrilling adventures has completely dried up... along with my motivation for travel writing in general. Hopefully, one day, I will venture out into the wilderness again, but for now I'm settling for vicariously living through other people's entertaining explorations.

best food and travel market of eden blog

So I thought I'd compile a list of all the writers, food-lovers, adventurers, crazies, and perhaps even kindred spirits, who helped me along my own journey, made me smile, made me extremely jealous of the food they enjoyed without me, and inspired me to seek out new paths and places in Thailand and beyond. These are my favourites, their names still popping up in my search bar nearly two years after leaving my special Land of Smiles and All Things Deep-Fried. They are really worth getting lost in if you haven't already!

♡ Migrationology

"Food is the reason you should travel"

This was the first food blog I excitedly got stuck into while planning my move to Thailand. Mark must be the biggest foodie in the world, which is also obvious from his other blog Eating Thai Food. He runs Eating Thai Food with his friend Dwight from Bangkok Fatty (yup, that's the guy who stole the best blog name ever). Eating Thai Food is actually where I picked up all sorts of useful food phrases before I arrived, and was extensively reassured that I can happily be vegetarian in Thailand despite all the naysayers (the two meat-loving lads went veggo for an entire month for charity, and chronicled every little morsel they ate - amazing!) If you haven't already symbolically devoured every page on Migrationology, I urge you to do it right now!

♡ Never Ending Voyage

"Because life is short and the world is large"

Another blog from the early days, when the idea of moving to Thailand was still just a festering, giddy idea in my mind. I became more and more interested in their nomadic way of life, gathering all the info I could about Thailand and Chiang Mai. I love their particular tone of writing - they're never condescending and are always on the look-out for new cultural experiences and joys in daily living. The married Brits, Erin and Simon, are sweet-natured, kind and helpful, and never fail to inspire me to experience and enjoy life as much as I can. They're also foodie vegetarians and animal lovers, which gives them a few extra points on my favourite bloggers list.

♡ Fearful Adventurer

"A blog about fear. Love. Art. And adventure."

When I stumbled upon Torre DeRoche's About page, I thought I was reading about myself, my mother, my friends, or any number of people I know very closely behind their personas. The woman worries, and potters about. She admits to failing, and being afraid. How rare! So of course I was hooked, on her and her effortless words (her memoir is called Love with a Chance of Drowning) and I am still in awe of her today. I urge every adventurer to go and be inspired by her beautiful writing and her breathtaking photographs.

♡ Johnny Vagabond

"Around the World, Low and Slow"

Wes Nations is not your typical twenty-something tanned backpacker wearing too many bracelets and starting a head-colony of festering dreadlocks. He's perpetually 39 years old and first came up with the idea of creating a 'travelling website' back in 1998, when blogs and wifi didn't even exist yet! He has now been an independent traveller documenting different countries through a beautiful lens and refreshing viewpoint for many years. I first discovered his blog when looking up yummy Thai food, and found myself drooling over posts like Chiang Mai's Cheap and Tasty Street Food, but now I check back to see what new places he's exploring and giggle at rare anecdotes like A Cranky Cheeseburger Dinner in Thailand.

♡ A Little Adrift

"The world's too big to tell just one story"

Shannon is not just a travel blogger, she's an inspiration and a role model for travellers everywhere. The way she travels is with a kindness and caution that is so needed in societies that normalize destructive travelling experiences, like going to full moon parties or riding elephants. Shannon is an activist traveller, and since she started travelling the world back in 2008, she has written a book about volunteering, been named Traveller of the Year by National Geographic, and has spoken to students at universities around the US about global citizenship. She calls her blog a community with one common belief: a life of travel creates a story of the world worth telling. How can you not love this woman?

♡ 8 Miles From Home

"A Man, a Woman and Dog living the expat life"

Sacha and Jmayel are high school sweethearts who became bored with their life in England and decided to move halfway across the world to Thailand with their adorable puppy in tow. Since then they've blown up in popularity, especially with avid Thai fans who follow their every move both on their blog and on their Youtube channel. This is where they post "cinematic travel videos" which are smooth, stylish, and entertaining. Besides being two of the most down-to-earth and friendly people I got to meet in Thailand, their dog Eden keeps the more dog-crazy portion of their readers very happy - she was even part of a Thai TV interview with her humans!

♡ Tieland to Thailand

"A couple who sold it all, paid off their debt, and left behind the nine-to-five."

Chris and Angela were a typical "successful" American couple: they worked hard, earned good money and lived for the weekends. What began as a light-hearted joke about "retiring young" grew into something exciting that they could almost grasp within their reach. In 2013, they left their jobs, sold everything they owned, and bought two one-way tickets to a city in the mountains of Northern Thailand... on the other side of the globe. Now, their blog has grown into a powerful platform that inspires, informs, and empowers travellers who also want to leave their "normal" lives behind and live in Thailand. They are both lovely, genuine people who work hard to keep up with their blog, as well as their beautiful Instagram and Twitter feed.

That's all I have for now! I hope you enjoy immersing yourselves in these fantastic reading corners of the internet. It's been a pleasure returning to my little blog for an update, and I hope to share something with you all very soon.

Phrae is a small town about 3-4 hours away from Chiang Mai by bus, with a reasonable cost of ฿180 for a return ticket. A while ago I joined a Dragonfly English Camp at a remote temple school there, but I decided to stay in Phrae for longer than just the two-day camp, so my partner in mischief could join me for a few days afterwards and have a countryside getaway.

The first thing I noticed was the weather, because Phrae was a different sort of Northern place - it was significantly drier and more humid than Chiang Mai, with a landscape that was quite unfamiliar to what we'd explored already. The feel of the city was much more bare than busy Chiang Mai, and felt quite simple and uncluttered. The best part about our trip was that a short drive outside the city in any direction took you straight into middle-of-nowhere Northern Thailand. Perfect!

This was the real highlight of the place; getting lost out on the open roads alongside lush rice paddies, mountainous backdrops, and long, winding highways to bigger, busier places than quaint old Phrae. As usual, everything I mention is marked on the map below, which you'll need as there is not much English to be found in this tourist-less little heaven.

If you're a big fan of day trips and have already hit up Ob Khan National Park for some cold beers and a refreshing swim, or spent a hot afternoon overlooking Huay Tung Tao Lake with friends, then you would definitely enjoy a lazy Saturday or Sunday spent at Tweechol Botanic Gardens in Chiang Mai.

This is something that I deal with on a daily basis, and many of my friends have echoed the same sentiment: driving in Thailand is dangerous. So I decided it was finally time to write about it - about the facts, rules and advice on how to drive in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Let it be known that for the most part, Thailand has really great road infrastructure and excellent highways connecting the whole country. The problem is not the quality or layout of the roads - although as Chiang Mai is rapidly developing, there should be consideration of no-car zones or incentives to walk or cycle - the problem is with laws that are not enforced by authorities, who allow potential murderers to continue behaving badly on the roads, and all too often cause the tragic loss of life you can see in the newspapers every other day. So it's people that are the problem, too.

Almost every night of the week I get takeaway dinners from my local no-name restaurant, which is seriously lacking in ambiance as well as pretence, and is bursting with delicious, simple, cheap Thai food. I know there are lots of these around, and other people have also been lucky enough to find their own special no-name place, which are usually conveniently located to them or just housing some friendly cooks and other interesting locals. Mine has become a bit of a special place for me that I have grown to appreciate quite profoundly, and expect to miss more than many other places once I leave Chiang Mai.

I feel I have to add a disclaimer to this post, because I am in no way a fan of massages in Thailand. I walk out, after being kneaded and touched so personally for an hour or more, feeling quite vulnerable, and for lack of a better word, strange. And yes, that might seem strange in itself, but I haven't been able to get around it. So I just don't do massages, and maybe I'm missing out - what do you think?

But, there is hope for those of you who might be similar to me, or maybe those who are new to Thai massages or just massages in general. I found someone who makes me feel totally comfortable and secure, and whose gentle manner is irresistible - so irresistible I had to dedicate a post to her!

Her name is Nok, and she gives the best massages I've come across in Thailand - gentle, but not too gentle, and with some infectious laughter thrown in for free.

Nok, the lady with the gentle touch.

The name of the place is Leelavadee by Sarapee Massage, and it's located down a quiet soi a little way outside the old city. Its location means it's not frequented by tourists (the few times I've walked into those places I was immediately put off by the lack of personal touch) and the lack of tacky décor is another good sign. The women who work there are personable and speak a little English, and the owner is an elderly man who has a thing for serving copious amounts of Pandan tea (nobody's complaining). I've listed the services Leelavadee offers below, as well as some photos, and if you do end up going, please share your experience in the comments!

Leelavadee Price List:

(Open every day besides Tuesday from 11:00 - 21:00)

Body & Feet:
Thai Massage	200
Foot Massage	200
Oil Massage	350
Body Scrub	680
Foot Scrub	300/hr
Head & Face:
Ayurvedic Oil Head Massage	300
Facial Threading	150
Thai-Indian Herbal Facial	380
Herbal Steam	100/½hr
Hot Wax:
Arm	250
Underarm	100
Half Leg	250
Full Leg	500

I've also included a few places below that are highly recommended by my friends and boyfriend (it seems everyone is looking for a great massage in Chiang Mai, without any funny stuff or bored masseuses talking on their phones while massaging people) so have a look at those too, and let me know if you've found a gem of a place in Chiang Mai, and I might just include it!

View Where to Get a Massage in Chiang Mai in a larger map

Some cute statues at the entrance to Leelavadee.

Outside area, decked with funny bubble chairs.

Some interesting books and magazines in their collection - if only I could read Thai!

The waiting area where you get to guzzle all the Pandan tea you desire.

Quaint décor in a quiet setting.

Lots of old authentic Thai thingymabobs.

Recommended Massage Places (nothing dodgy here):

- Lila Thai Massage - this well-known place has always received great recommendations from friends. The masseuses are all former inmates that are being offered the chance to earn a dignified living and successfully re-integrate themselves into society, which many are not able to do given the discrimination that former inmates face in Thailand's job market. They have quite a few branches around Chiang Mai.
- Ketthawa Thai Massage (no website) - this was my boyfriend's favourite place to get a massage, and from a male masseur, because he was much stronger than most women masseuses... and my boyfriend suffers from a really stiff back and neck. There are also female masseuses at this place, and massages start from a very reasonable 150 baht - probably because this place is not at all marketed to foreigners, and no one speaks English! But give it a try if it sounds like your sort of place.

- Lanna Thai Massage School - this is where we did a 5-day massage course which was worth every penny and taught us invaluable techniques which we still practise on each other today. The people who work here are kind, patient and the massages they give are very attentive to your problem areas. Highly recommended!

It's been over a year since I wrote my cost of living on 37K, and obviously as a private teacher my schedule went through some ups and downs since my first cost of living post. It's about time for an update, so you can see what life might be like on the other side of the coin. Here's my cost of living making around ฿20,000 a month in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This is definitely not one month's salary!

A little while ago, I got that familiar itchy-feet feeling, and needed to escape my city of Chiang Mai. This happens quite regularly, and it might come as a surprise to some, but I get incredibly sick of Little Bangkok, with the same busy cityscape day in and day out. Also, exhaust fumes give me headaches.

I looked up a few choice keywords on Google and came upon a peaceful-looking resort named Fern Paradise. I was almost immediately sold when I landed on their website, complete with pretty pictures and easy navigation. Our one night's retreat from the city was booked.

Paradise among the ferns.

If you've been in Chiang Mai for a while, there's a good chance you still haven't discovered the delectable hole in the wall known as the Burmese Restaurant and Library. And for those who have - you're a fan, aren't you? I've barely tried enough Burmese food in my lifetime, and this is where I should probably mention I've never even been to Myanmar. But Thailand is their neighbour (although not the friendliest of neighbours, if you do a smidgeon of research) and therefore, influences have crossed paths, cultures have entwined, and my favourite thing of all: a food fight of sorts has taken place over the long course of history, resulting in an abundance of unusual dishes that get me very excited.

Burmese cuisine is very much about influences, and share many elements of flavour from India, China and Thailand. Also, because of their diversities in religion and spiritual practices, much of Burmese food is missing beef and pork. Vegetarian dishes are common, although if you dig a little deeper, you will find they are most likely pescatarian, as Burmese cooking requires a heavy use of seafood products, such as fish sauce or shrimp paste. Another important note is that the bulk of Burmese soups are made of meat broth bases, yet the cuisine as a whole still contains very little meat - perhaps this is to do with the state of their meat industry? A little research led to me articles on frequent diseases among their pigs and chickens. Just a tad unappealing.

Anyway, let's get back to the good stuff. I've had Burmese dishes in Chiang Mai a number of times, and a few more times in Mae Sot, which is a town that sits on the Thailand/Myanmar border to the west. It's a place that is usually spoken of in the same sentence as Burmese refugees, as it has either 100k, 200k, or 300k, depending on which numbers you believe. Either way, there are a ton of them, and therefore this is a good place to experience the overpowering influence of Burmese culture, including their food. So, for someone who's had maybe twenty Burmese dishes in total, all of them in Thailand, it says a lot that I now call Burmese cuisine one of my favourites. I can't wait to get over there and explore more of their fresh, unique, creative dishes, but for now I'll just share the ones from the Burmese Restaurant and Library below:

Burmese Restaurant Breakdown:

Prices:	Food: Absolute bargain at ฿30 for a dish, and ฿5 for a serving of rice. Drinks: This is not that sort of place! You get free water, and there is a 7/11 next door where you could buy an iced tea or soda, which is what I usually do.
Location:	Opposite the entrance to Nimmanheiman Road, Soi 13, or otherwise opposite The Salad Concept. A great location, right in the middle of Nimmanheiman, but very easy to miss.
Times:	Open at random times, unfortunately. We've seen this place open until late at night sometimes, and then close at 4pm other days. It has also been closed without notice once or twice, but it is a popular lunchtime place with locals.
What makes the Burmese Restaurant special?	It's got authentic, delicious Burmese food, of course! The actual place (or plastic chairs outside a food stall) is not very impressive, but the food more than makes up for it. This is also a great takeaway place on the way home, when you're in the mood for something that isn't Thai, but still as cheap!

View Market of Eden Vegetarian Restaurant Map in a larger map

Tea Leaf Salad - we think it's the best dish at this place.

In May 2013, during the last week of the school term break, my boyfriend and I hopped on our CBR 150cc, and began our adventure to the town of Pai. I had been on this Pai journey once before, in the high season, and didn't quite understand the difference going in the low season would make. Of course, the trip there was thoroughly terrifying, although extremely enjoyable as well (if that makes sense). A lot of the more treacherous roads seemed to have been repaired since I had been on the same ones a few months before, and there were many more construction workers milling about and fiddling with heaps of tar. It rained heavily, as usual, and this was the part that made the trip so dangerous. Unless you can overcome the paranoia of flying down a natural water-slide on your vehicle, I'd recommend pulling over for a coffee while the rain subsides, which it nearly always does.

Because it was so quiet in Pai, with a noticeable lack of people and parties, we spent more time exploring the town and its surroundings. We would drive aimlessly along the little roads that make rings around the place, and stop wherever we thought we had spotted something interesting. This is how we came to find a lonely chained-up elephant, the Pai canyon, some adorable puppy friends, and many, many beautiful views of the scenery. Pai is a lovely little town, but it does have an extroverted, party-crazed personality during the high season, and I'm grateful I got to meet the beauty of this place when things were calm, quiet and peaceful.

A lonely elephant off the beaten track in Pai.

Paradise.

After spending a glorious two-day break in Koh Samui, we had to get up off the beach, dust the sand off,

On the ferry ride to Samui.

One of Thailand's famous islands - Ko Samui, which locals simply call Samui

A snap of my boyfriend on the back of his scooter-taxi.

Our third day in Bangkok would be no less chaotic than our first two,

Street art in Khao San Road.

Schools in Thailand end their second academic term

I woke up this morning to a bright sunrise and a heavy humidity in the air. It instantly took me back to my hometown of Durban, and put me right back in my childhood bedroom, waking up for school on a hot summer's day. The only thing I was missing? A sea breeze... which got me thinking about all the other things I truly miss and appreciate about home. So I've decided to make a series of posts about things I miss from South Africa, and I'll start off here with...

Food

South African cuisine and food culture is enormously difficult to sum up in a few sentences. I've had countless people ask me what South African food is, and usually I end up spurting out names of dishes which are popular, but not necessarily South African. Pizza, for example, is extraordinarily popular back home, but as we all know, has little to do with our heritage.

Samoosa - South African style.

As I've heard and read from many sources, South Africa has a very obvious "eating out" culture, and you would struggle to find a developed area that didn't offer you a myriad of foodie favourites, from sushi, steaks, to samoosas and sosaties. There are various flavours of restaurants in every city, which range from Brazilian to Vietnamese, to French-African fusion, to good old British pub-grub. Locals have coined the term "rainbow cuisine" to describe the bringing together of Indian, Malay, British, Dutch, and local African history into one big melting pot called South African cuisine.

Here I've listed some of the foods I find myself day-dreaming about in Thailand, and gush over to my new foreign friends whenever I get the chance. I apologise for any drool that might land up on your keyboard!

Bunny Chow

A hollowed-out half or quarter loaf of bread filled to the brim with saucy curry, served with a side of sambals (grated carrot, chilli, and onion), and luxuriously eaten with your fingers. They range in price dirt-cheap to still-pretty-cheap, and are now recreated in restaurants throughout the nation, and have even been featured in worldwide cooking shows. Bunny chows are an obsession in Durban, which is where they originated, although the exact story is hard to confirm. Some say they came about when Indian workers were made to work in sugar cane plantations and needed a way to bring their lunch to the fields. Others say bunny chows first made their appearance outside the back entrances and windows of local cafés, where they were gratefully eaten by the workers of colour who were not allowed into the café itself. Wherever they came from, they are delicious, comforting, and cheap, and I'd give a limb to have a quarter veg sitting in front of me right now!

Bunny chow and sambals.

Curries, dhals, rotis, naans

The man himself: Johnny of Johnny's Roti's.

Yes, I have a thing for Indian food, and in my opinion, I'll never be satisfied with the Indian food in Thailand. Durban is often pointed out as having the largest population of Indians outside India. There are small, family-run spice shops in every mall, and takeaway curry stands at all our universities. There are superb Indian restaurants in posh areas of the city, as well as locally-loved, inexpensive eateries in the not-so-posh parts too.

One of my favourite Indian places in Durban is a famous hole in the wall called Sunrise Chip n' Ranch, affectionately known as Johnny's Rotis. It's in a pretty dodgy area of town, and your massively-portioned, dirt-cheap rotis and bunny chows are served wrapped up in paper through cage-like bars. You will find every sort of character there, at all hours of the day or night, and it's the first place I'm taking any foreign friends to eat when I eventually get back home.

My other favourite place is a takeaway chain called My Diners (who knows why) which has a never-ending menu with fantastically cheap curries. For R60 (around $6 or ฿180) I'd treat myself to a rich Paneer Makhani (homemade cheese in a buttery tomato broth) with some fresh Roghni Naan (warm, flattened bread with butter and sesame seeds) - there's no way I'm recreating that deliciousness in Thailand.

Woolworths

There's a lot to be said about a supermarket that can make me lust after ready-to-eat meals. Usually I'm an advocate for fresh food and love the idea of home-grown vegetables going straight onto your plate. But as many South Africans would agree, Woolworths is our home-grown luxury superstore, that can beautifully fill your home from garden to wardrobe to kitchen. They're an inspirational brand for the future (I urge you to read all about their Good Business Journey) and have got me wishing there was something similar over here. Even though I never earned big bucks back home, I'd regularly stop into a Woolies to browse the deli section, meander through the produce aisles, sniff the vast selection of cheeses, and eventually leave with a cheap bottle of wine and a few takeaways for a night with friends.

Some of my favourite items in this world: Butternut & Feta Canneloni; Sundried Tomato Soup; a mixed bag of Baby Spinach, Rocket & Watercress; a Cheese selection; and finally, a tub of layered Basil Pesto, Feta & Sundried Tomato.

South African treats: Rusks, Koeksisters, and Malva Pudding

The brand Ouma Rusks is so well-known in South Africa, it even has its own Wikipedia page. Many countries actually have their own variations of rusks, and you could even say biscotti or Melba toast are a sort of rusk. My personal favourite are the classic buttermilk ones from home - they remind me of being a little girl, dipping a rusk into tea and watching old soap operas with my great grandmother on her big wooden box of a TV.

Another culinary gift from the Afrikaaners: the koeksister, a devilishly sweet and syrupy treat, smothered in gooey goodness and deep-fried to the perfect balance of crispy and soft. My stepmother, who is in no way Afrikaans, used to make mini "cake-sisters" for, ironically, me and my little sisters. The best ones I've found as I got older were from random little farm stalls out in the country which were cooked with some motherly love, as opposed to the generic, lifeless ones you might find in a supermarket. The only problem with koeksisters is that they are incredibly fattening, and incredibly addictive, which is never a wise combination.

Mmm, malva pudding. The best way to describe a malva pudding to someone who's never had it is by conjuring up the warm richness of a brandy pudding, and asking them to recreate the soft texture of the sponge, and the sticky sauce dribbling down the sides of the cake. Now, imagine it came from South Africa. All of a sudden, it's richer, and more fattening (yup, that's how we do it). Mix in a heap of apricot jam, add some home-made custard or simple vanilla ice cream, and you've got yourself a sticky, sweet, all-round comforting dessert.

Koeksisters and malva pudding.

Beer

Thailand is home to plenty of beers, and notoriously bad ones at that. I would never say I know anything about beer, but I do know how to taste them, and how they make me feel. I've never had a sip of Thai beer and gone, "Mmm!", and even though I'll admit beer in general doesn't bring "mmm"-ing to mind, I do find myself yearning for a sip of a South African brew now and then. Micro-breweries and home-breweries are taking off back home, and beer-on-tap bars are springing up in my hometown quicker than stray dogs are in Chiang Mai. This makes sense when you realise that South Africa consumes more beer than anywhere on the entire continent (and Africa is pretty big). Beer-drinking is a national past-time, and is a regular feature at family braais on the weekends, in township shebeens after a hard day's work, or in your local foosball bar with friends.

My beer of choice is Hansa Pilsener - a pale gold, malty beer that I would get on tap at my favourite hang-out for around twenty bucks ($2 or ฿60) for a draught. I also sometimes enjoyed a Castle Milk Stout, and the undisputed king of beers in South Africa is Black Label. The popular way to drink Black Label is to part with a twenty Rand note, and receive what we call a quart of beer (actually around 750ml). Yes, please!

I miss all of you delicious beery fools!

All the things I used to cook at home

This might seem unnecessary to mention, but I genuinely miss cooking at home, and all the food I came up with in my little Kitchen of Nom. Yes, I still cook in Thailand, but the ingredients are different, and some are harder to find. And some that I've been using for a decade are completely non-existent. For example, I no longer cook with butternut squash - I use pumpkin instead. And while, once upon a time, I was cooking Indian curries at least once a week, now I'm cooking Thai ones. Not to mention, I don't have an oven, which means no pizzas, mac and cheese, or veggie-bakes. Seems criminal. Anyway, here are some pics of the good stuff that I haven't made in way too long (sob):

Delicious fudge. I'm gonna bake the heck out of you, just because I can!

Did you know that cous cous stuffed in anything is delicious? (Peppers, squashes, mushrooms, aubergines, etc.)

Gooey cous cous stuffed tomatoes and cheese. Yummmm.

What's up, pie?

Oooh, you're a spinach and feta one. Yummy.

My usual pizza toppings - onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, olives, herbs, feta and mozzarella.

Yes, I am one of those weirdos that likes their food with a bit of black. Ugh, perfect.

What do you miss from your hometown or home-country? Tell me in the comments!

Ob Khan National Park, Thailand.

Here's yet another place to escape the bustle of Chiang Mai: Ob Khan National Park, about 40 minutes to an hour from the old city. The drive is simple, and thankfully has a sign or two in English, and you'll know you're in the right place once you're surrounded by beautiful forests and rocky cliffs. Please take note that it is very difficult to find accurate directions online unless you can write in Thai, so I've had a little trek through Google Streetview and found the exact route to the park. Take a look at my Ob Khan National Park Directions map below:

View Ob Khan National Park Directions in a larger map

My boyfriend and I first found ourselves at the park to test out our new camping equipment, and soon we were coming back for longer stays and camping further into the wilderness. There's nothing better than setting up tent near a gentle stream, surrounded by bamboo trees and sandy pits to make your fires.

The first time we went, we tried to speak to a woman sitting in an office, although we weren't entirely sure what the office was for exactly, or who this woman was meant to be. After a long while of exchanging nonsense, which included us repeatedly pointing out our own tent and camping equipment, and her insisting we still needed to rent one, we paid her 50 Baht just to get out of there. To us, the conclusion was that there was no fee to camp at the park with your own gear, and sure enough, no one checked up on our whereabouts, or asked us for any more money during our stay.

On top of that, there is no entrance fee to this park, unlike many others, and nor is there a charge for parking. The bathroom facilities are better than others I've seen in Thailand, with hot showers that are kept very clean. There is also a small cafeteria-type place which sells Mama's noodles, crisps, and soft drinks, but doesn't provide any cooked meals. It really is just you and your foil-wrapped potatoes at this place, so don't forget to bring anything you might need. The convenient thing is that water and beer can be kept relatively cool by lodging them in between rocks in the stream. You can go off exploring at 10 am in the hot sun and come back in the cool evening to find your drinks are still cool themselves.

At Ob Khan, there are plenty of things to see and do during the day, if you ever get tired of just relaxing in nature. There is a pleasant trail which winds along next to the river, and there are quite a few isolated areas to picnic and swim along the way. There are also waterfalls, viewpoints, and a few interesting birds and creatures to spot. Also, the park is sort of like a hidden gem in the sense that it's usually quite empty. We've seen a camp of churchgoers there once, and another time there was a large group of Fine Art students from Chiang Mai University, who sat around quietly sketching the beauty of our surroundings. All in all, it's an undisturbed, peaceful place to waste away a few days, and come back to the city refreshed and revitalised.