It’s been over three months since I wrote about my sticker shock experience when we got back to Texas at the end of April.  And now, just like that, after 3 flights equaling 23 hours, transit time of 8 hours (totaling 31 hours of travel) with 70 kilo of luggage and an 8 yo in tow, I’m happy to report we are casually settling in back in Chiang Mai.

It’s nice to be home safely!  I’m grateful to be eating Burmese and Thai food again.

It took me less than three hours to totally unpack and clean up our one bedroom apartment to settle back in. Starving and tired by 4pm, I made every effort to see if someone could deliver some food to our place from the Burmese restaurants..  No luck.  We walked to the closest restaurant from our place and let me tell you, it was worth every step.

Whether it is sharing food I made or sharing information about the food I’m eating, I just like sharing. And well,  if you’re a foodie like me, I’m sure you’re aching to know what we’ve been eating here too even though it may torture you a little.

Here’s what we ordered at the Burmese restaurant for our first meal back in Chiang Mai on Day 1.

• Sour leaves (aka Roselle leaves) and bamboo shoots with shrimp (sour and spice just the way I like it!) I’ll share a recipe later when I cook this at home. Only problem is  that you may not be able to find Roselle leaves easily!
• Roasted eggplant salad (recipe coming)
• Pork Curry

All for the delicious price of 140b or $4.67.

And today, Day 2, we went to a local market and visited some friends at one of our favorite cafes in Chiang Mai!

What unavoidable yummies I picked up at the market?  Let’s take a look!

Roasted tomatoes, garlic, pearl onions, and chilies (all for 20b about 67 cents).  I will make some mouth-watering paste out of these that will go very well with any meal, especially sticky rice (one with chilies and one without chilies).

Large Thick Rice Noodles .5 kilo (11b or 37 cents).  I will probably make stir fry noodles with this.

10 Eggs for 40b or $1.33.  Maybe some egg curry!

Fried fish cakes with chili sauce for 20b or .67 cents.  Goes so well with plain rice and some of that roasted tomato, onion garlic paste that I’m going to make.

And of course, fresh lime and garlic for 10b which is only .33 cents.  A trip to the market is never complete without these essentials.

Pomelo for 20b or .67 cents.

Durian for .40b or $1.33. Best 40b ever.

M could not wait until after we’ve had breakfast so we started our breakfast with Durian.  She loves this fruit as much as her mother does.  Fresh Durian! Yummy!

The rest of the breakfast included an order of Shan Khao Soi not to be confused with the Thai Khao Soi.  Thai Khao Soi is usually a curry soup made with chicken and coconut. 

Shan Khao Soi is a noodle salad.  I’ll share a recipe later in a different post.  For now, let me just say, It totally hits the spot this morning.  Tangy and spicy, I was content. While I chow down on Shan Khao Soi, M had the Shan Scramble with toasts and fruits.

And last, but not least, we enjoyed a strawberry yogurt drink (as requested by M).

I don’t have any homemade yogurt at the moment since I just got home.  But when I do, there will be a festival of fruity yogurt drinks all the time around here.

Sawadee Khaa from Chiang Mai, Thailand.