WINNER THIS WEEK : LOO MUI LEE in Bangkok, Thailand
MUST DO
Bangkok, Thailand, is a very popular destination for Malaysians with many hitting the common tourist trails. But for a touch of the extraordinary, try a Thai culinary tour like the Bai Pai Cooking School Tour.
The itinerary does not include temples, palaces and tourists hot-spots but it veers towards food, good eats and a hands-on cooking session as the highlight.
It may be the usual 3D/2N tour but it is packed with activities and includes a night cruise down the Menam Chao Phraya. The cooking school itself is hardly a building, but who needs concrete walls? Craftily landscaped and artfully arranged furniture and utensils transform a two-storey get-up into a well-equipped, functioning gourmet establishment. The cooking lesson is informative but informal with fun elements incorporated to make even the most novice of cooks into a chef extraordinaire.
I must commend the young Thai teacher for her command of English and patience in coping with our motley crew! We cooked four dishes – green curry, mango salad, sticky rice appetiser and screw-pine wrapped chicken. Lunch at the cooking school was tastefully prepared and savoured in authentic Thai surroundings!
Despite the hectic schedule, the class was fast-paced, leaving no time for boredom, yet we had lots of free time for shopping, a full-body Thai massage and the proverbial night-shows!
AVOID
Going out alone as you put yourself at the mercy of thugs or conmen. Needless to say, do not go to any sleazy club alone.
If you wish to try real Thai body massage, go in a group and ask your tour guide to recommend or bring you to established places. Be forewarned, Thai massage can be a very painful exercise because the masseurs really bend and stretch your limbs. Not many people can take it! Petite little me got a big masseuse! Imagine her strength! Also, agree first on how much you will tip the girls, as dissatisfaction can arise when one girl is tipped more than the others. Or check with the tour guide.
GOOD EATS
A must-try is a dinner cruise on board the Chao Phraya Princess where you can enjoy a sumptuous buffet as well as the sights and landmarks of the city bathed in neon lights. Quite a change from seeing them in the day time. Also try Baan Khun Mae Restaurant where Thai dishes are served in quaint Thai plates and bowls.
TOP SHOP
Forget the swanky tourist joints with glass windows and air-conditioning. Almost all the souvenirs can be bought for a quarter of the price at street kerbs and roadside. I got a whole set of Thai silk cushion covers and trendy clothes from the biggest mall in the city, The MBK (Mah Boon Krong). Suffice to say, Bangkok is a shopping haven.
INSIDER TIP
There are many themed tours and they seem to be in vogue now – cooking tour, health and spa tour, food tour... the list goes on. Bai Pai Cooking Tour can be found in most travel brochures. I chose it because I wanted to learn Thai cooking from a native Thai in a Thai surrounding. The chef took us to the supermarket where she showed us rows and rows of Thai condiments, sauces, gravies and spices, all that you’d need to cook up a Thai storm. Of course, we bought all that we could bring home.
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