What better way to understand a country than to visit a local market! Khlong Toei Market is a fresh market selling raw meat, vegetables, seafood, dried goods and other items like clothes or household related things.
If you come from a big city like me and you’re used to clean air-conditioned supermarkets, you’ll be in for a real treat. Be sure to catch the locals going about their everyday lives in a non-touristy place in Bangkok.
I loved how chaotic it was – how the locals were busy getting their groceries, how the sellers were shouting out bargains. I also loved how it was so different from a supermarket – loved how it was not as clean as a supermarket (not saying that the food there was unclean), loved how it was a little less organized. And, I absolutely loved the different smells emitting from the fruits, the raw meat, the live produce and the surroundings.
Look at how laid back the chicken sellers are.
Fresh meat!
They even have a selection of exotic food. From the top left: eels, turtles, ant eggs, water bugs, silkworms and snails.
Beautiful view of a canal running through the market.
If you want an unfiltered, authentic view of Bangkok, be sure to visit Khlong Toei Market! Have an experience that is truly unforgettable.
Hours: 6 am – 2pm
Address: 1 Kasem Rat Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Toei, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand
This temple sits quietly on top of a steep hill in Prachuap Kiri Khan. If you’re looking for an “off the beaten path” experience, this place is for you!
Looking up the steps can be quite daunting especially when you’re only at the beginning. If you notice, the locals who frequent the temple brought sticks and bananas with them. We were just glad that they would get all the attention from the monkeys and not us!
I know that in the pictures, the sky looked cloudy. But it was actually sweltering. Every step we took grew more difficult as we got higher. We were told by some ladies who seemed to be selling bananas at the foot of the hill to not bring any bags or loose items up. While we were climbing up, the monkeys would brazenly sit at the steps or pass us by closely. They also seemed to be looking out for food – most likely bananas. It was a good thing we didn’t bring much with us up.
Finally! Honestly, 396 steps wasn’t that difficult after all.
Great views from all around the temple!
If you are visiting Prachuap Kiri Khan, climbing up this temple is a must if you would like to enjoy great panoramic views of its surroundings. Just be wary of the monkeys who have made the temple their home!
Situated just a little north east from the city center of Bangkok lies a hidden gem – a graveyard filled with abandoned airplanes.
It was not difficult to find the place as it was right in the middle of other buildings and stationed next to a main road. When you get there, it may seem like the place is out off bounds to visitors as the gates to the compounds were locked up. We almost thought that we could not go through. But, after standing around the gates and trying to look inside, a man came up to us and we asked him if we could go inside. We knew from reading various reviews on the internet that they family who lived there charged a fixed 200 Baht per person to enter. Of course we tried to be coy and asked if 200 Baht for two people would be possible. But, it was firm no. It may seem like a ridiculous amount of money to get into a place that is supposedly abandoned but you won’t regret it as the views inside were amazing.
Getting into the plane was a little difficult for me but perhaps easy for people who like climbing things. We found an open door on the right side of the plane and this was the easiest way to get in.
After going through the entrance, there was a ladder that we climbed to reach the second level of the plane. It was a little dark and cramped inside but it was quite easy to get here. Well it seems like the plane has been stripped of almost everything it once had and what was left were scraps.
This was the cockpit of the smaller plane. It was really cool to see that the chairs and the frames were still intact.
Another entrance into the plane but obviously it’s a little higher and harder to get through.
Having sunlight would have been better, unfortunately we reached when the sun was close to setting.
There seems to be a family who stays here. We saw a few kids playing around, adults after having a shower and there were chickens walking around as well. I tried to ask the man who let us in if he stayed there but he told me he was the security guard. Well maybe he was really the security guard or maybe he was part of the family staying there, we really didn’t’ know
Anyways, if you do have 200 baht to spare, you will not have any regrets visiting this place!
Admission fee: 200 Baht as of 12th August 2018
Address: 13.764812 100.652406, Khwaeng Hua Mak, Khet Bang Kapi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10240, Thailand
As the world’s population grows and food resources decrease, the need to make food production more efficient and the reduction of food waste has never been more evident. A solution to this? Insects!
However, many of us would cringe at the thought of putting an insect into our mouths. Well, I guess it is for obvious reasons. I would assume images like these would come into our head.
But what if I told you these insects could be transformed and integrated seamlessly with our everyday food? Eating insects has never been easier.
Welcome to fine dining restaurant Insects in the Backyard.
Walking into the restaurant was simply magical. The décor is extremely fitting to the theme of the restaurant. Wooden furniture, taxidermized animals and a lush garden outside makes one feel like they have been transported right into a forest.
The menu presented an array of food. There were dishes that had insects and they were dishes that didn’t. But of course, we came here for the insects!
Drinks – Insects Mhai Thai
A fruity cocktail with bamboo worms, ant pupae floating on an island made up from the top of a green apple. The ant pupae was juicy and it was interesting to see that some of the ants were more developed than the others. It was quite strange to see the ants staring back at you as we ate it but we overcame that fear pretty quickly. The bamboo worms were seasoned well and even though some of them fell into the drink, they still maintained their crispiness. This was one of the most unique cocktails we have ever drank. A definite must if you go.
Dish 1 – Fresh house made cricket pasta with black pesto and chorizo
We were really impressed by the use of crickets to make the pasta. The texture was a little chewier than pasta we were used to eating but other than that there was no way we could tell that this pasta was make of crickets if no one had told us. The silkworms were seasoned with salt and had a nutty taste to it. The pasta coupled with the nuttiness of the silkworms and the saltiness of the chorizo all complemented each other well and this was a very successful dish.
Dish 2 – Grilled sea bass with ant ‘caviar’ beurree blanc sauce and blacked corn salsa
The sea bass was cooked to perfection, the skin was crispy and the meat was light and silky. The insects in this dish were incorporated more as a garnish unlike the previous pasta dish were the insects were infused into the dish. What made this dish interesting was the used of the ant eggs in two ways – fried and as is (we were not sure how it was prepared, it could have been steamed or boiled or perhaps nothing was done). The fried version was very crispy perhaps similar to small crispy potato chips? The other version was very juicy, as you bite down on the eggs, the juice would squirt in your mouth – it was pretty satisfying to pop them. All in all, it was a really delicious dish.
For dessert, we had initially wanted to try their tiramisu made with silkworm powder as the use of insects had a bigger role in the dish. Unfortunately that wasn’t on the menu that day and they recommended cheesecake with silkworms instead. The cheesecake had a good creamy texture to it that was almost had a ‘melt in you mouth’ sensation. The silkworms were glazed in honey and the combination of their nuttiness and the sweetness proved to be very yummy. A great way to finish of our meal.
We wished we could try more dishes at Insects in the Backyard. It was truly a remarkable experience. While I am no stranger to eating insects in the past, this restaurant has transformed the way I thought insects could be prepared. If you are visiting Bangkok, do visit Insects in the Backyard, it will definitely be a meal you will never forget!
Crazy but Alive 