#7 THAILAND

Thailand has all the makings of paradise: palm trees, spicy food, colorful festivals, a chilled-out vibe, and warm weather year-round. Sure, the country's got its problems too, like its near-constant coups and political repression, but as a foreigner, the good outweighed the bad for me. I first heard the Manu Chao song "Raining in Paradise" in Thailand, and nowhere does it ring truer than here!

I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for five years while working with the Burmese democracy movement. This was my first job right out of graduate school. I was primarily a Chinese language researcher and translator on the human rights and environmental impacts of Chinese companies investing in Burma's oil, natural gas, mining, and hydropower sectors. I was young and excited to be changing the world with my knowledge and skills, and the fact that I could wear flip-flops to work and drive a motorcycle were big plusses!

One of the more than 300 temples in Chiang Mai

In Thailand, I quickly learned the meaning of the phrase sanuk sabai, which combines enjoyment, relaxation, pleasure, and comfort. Thailand's national psyche was essentially "chill out, and if you're hungry, grab some papaya salad." I adapted quickly and easily and cringe when I think of how tightly wound I might have been if not for my formative years as a young adult in Thailand!

Somtam -- papaya salad

Namtok Mu -- the waterfall of bbq pork

I also adore Thai food, but after a while, anywhere, you start to get bored with the same flavors and crave something different. So, by the end of my first year in Thailand, I eschewed all the creamy coconut milk curries and other Thai classics for the north and northeast's stinky, spicy, sour flavors (Isaan). Instead, my tastebuds craved fermented fish products like plara and gapi, even though I found them noxious just a few months earlier. And once I realized I could have grilled pork skewers (muping) and green chile paste (nam prik num) for breakfast, I was a goner. I don't think I've ever been so fat in my life, and no amount of exercise would make up for the copious amounts of pork belly I was eating!

Mugrob -- crispy pork belly

I looked so much younger before the years of mugrob caught up with me!

I spent most of my time up in the mountains, and over these five years, I didn't go to a Thai beach once! There was just so much to see in the Golden Triangle, and I loved exploring it all on my Suzuki Smash motorcycle. There were beautiful villages, dozens of ethnic groups, waterfalls, psychedelic temples, Chinese ex-KMT rebels, and idyllic mountain retreats, and I was dead set on visiting them all.

Mae Khon village

Our host family, Mae Khon village

Its already been a few years since I left, and I don't entirely trust my memory, but going back through my old travel journal and photographs, I can confirm that these were some of my favorite places in Thailand:

Chiang Mai: the jewel of the north and only place I'd ever consider living if I returned to Thailand.
Mae Sot: a little slice of Burma without crossing the border.
Mae Sarieng: lush, tropical, and scenic town right on the banks of the Salween River.
Chiang Dao: an excellent escape from the city, nestled up in the mountains, with high-quality food served in tranquil surroundings.
Mae Salong: small town high up in the mountains populated with Chinese KMT that fled south during the war with the CCP.
Chiang Rai: site of the utterly bizarre Wat Rong Khun, otherwise known as the white temple.
Mae Khon: scenic Karen village way off the beaten path deep in the tropical jungle.
Chiang Khong: home of the giant Mekong catfish and right across from Huay Xai, Laos.
Chiang Saen: the heart of the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Burma, and Laos meet; also, the jumping-off point to the Chinese casino town of Kapok City.
Phrae: scenic mountain town where local activists have rallied traditional belief and cosmology to battle hydropower development and displacement.

Wat Rong Khun, decorated with countless demons and painted inside with cartoons of superheroes and the Twin Towers collapsing. There must've been some psychedelics involved in its creation...

Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai

At the end of my five years in Thailand, my office wanted to throw me a going-away party. I'd been to enough of these events over the years to know that compulsory fun and speeches were not my thing. But, I reluctantly agreed under one condition: we organized an exotic meat party. I swear I had never seen my Burmese and Thai coworkers so happy!

News spread far and wide of this exotic meat party, and over the next few weeks, the office fridge amassed a sizeable collection of squirrels, snakes, wild boar, deer, frogs, birds, and insects. My boss even told me he'd found us a cat for the BBQ, but I graciously declined his offer once I realized it was his neighbor's pet. So naturally, the office vegetarians were not pleased; the rest of us viewed this as payback for the many years of dietary boredom imposed on us by western hippies. Needless to say, the party was a remarkable success and remains one of the highlights of my years in Thailand!

Picking up some jungle rat at the local market, Chiang Mai

BBQ squirrel and whiskey: a classic combo

Prepping the snake for the grill

Looking skeptical as I try a grilled squirrel leg

My day revolved around meals, shopping for food, and eating in Thailand. Here's a list of some of my favorite foods that I highly recommend trying if you're in Thailand:

Sai Ua: Chiang Mai-style sausage made with pork, basil, chile, and lemongrass; best eaten on the street from someone with a grill.
Muping: I've already discussed these addictive little skewers of pork; eat them any and everywhere you see them, always with a side of nam prik num.
Nam Prik Num: green chile paste seasoned with fish sauce and spices; delicious on its own for dipping with veggies, meats, or just by the spoonful.
Somtam: papaya salad, the most perfect food for a hot afternoon; a good one will be a little sweet, a little sour, very spicy, and have small fermented crabs in it. Let me repeat: no crabs, no good!
Gai Yang: grilled chicken might not sound the most exciting, but when it's good, it's excellent and a perfect protein to accompany your somtam.
Nam Tok Mu: literally the "waterfall of pork," it's a salad made of BBQ pork tossed with fresh herbs, crushed rice, and a spicy vinegar dressing.
Khao Soi: a chicken curry noodle soup that is the most fantastic combination of spicy, creamy, and sweet. The soft egg noodles in the bottom are perfectly complemented with crispy fried noodles placed on top just before serving. Don't hesitate to go heavy on cilantro and chile peppers for this one!
Pladuk Yang: grilled catfish that is slowly grilled on a low fire and comes out tasting more like whitefish from a New York deli than the gross muddy fish I'm used to.
Mugrob: crispy pork, which isn't so much a dish on its own as an ingredient. Whenever possible, trade out your ordinary protein (chicken, pork, beef, etc.) with mugrob and make your taste buds happy with its crispy, fatty, salty deliciousness.

Nam Prik Num served with a selection of veggies and meats.

Veggies pair best with crispy pork!

So, now that I've gone through my lists of favorite places and foods of Thailand, I'm struggling to end this article. It's harder than I'd expected to sum up five years of experiences in a few paragraphs, but I think I've covered enough here to give you a taste of my experiences. If you're heading to Thailand yourself, maybe I've given you some ideas for places to go or foods to eat. If you're a friend I knew from Thailand, perhaps you're getting as nostalgic as me reading this blog. I'm grateful for my time in Thailand, but I'm also glad that I moved on to bigger and better things. Those journeys are covered in other articles, though, so for now, here's a final selection of some of my favorite photos from Thailand!

Baan Rak Thai

Loi Krathong festival, Mae Jo

Wiang Kum Kam

Loi Krathong festival, Mae Jo

Shrimp kebabs on a Saturday afternoon

The Thai army patrolling the border with Burma.

Wiang Kum Kam

Pladuk Yang -- BBQ catfish

Downtown Mae Sot

The look of love, Royal Botanical Gardens, Chiang Rai

Three Kings Monument, Chiang Mai

Sinterklaas 2011, Chiang Mai

Cow placenta curry -- the only "vegetarian/ethical" meat because not only did no animal die for it, but in fact, a new life was born from it! Chiang Mai