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Mr. But (Somebut), Muang Noi, Laos

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Mr. But (Somebut), Nong Khiaw, Laos

We arrived to a town in the North of Laos, searching for nature and calm. Nong Khiaw is that. Many hiking possibilities, unvisited villages nearby that you can explore with a motorbike and a beautiful river that crosses the town.

Somebut is a smiley and curious 23 years old man. He is the manager of Sabaidee Nongkiaw River View hotel, a business owned by his family that opened their doors three months ago. From the rooms you can delight in watching the river. It is a peaceful place, same as his manager is. We stayed there 3 nights, enough time to spend time with him and even learn some basic Laotian :).

While doing the interview he was attending his duties as a hotel manager, like paying the monthly bill for the water, coordinating the construction works at the site. After every question he wanted to know more about our us too. At the end he asked us to come back one day and make a tortilla de patatas for him. He even asked us when we were going to get married, and wish us to have a beautiful live forever. He is just a kind and sensitive person.

“My full name is Sambut, but people call me But. I am from a village nearby. I am at Nong Khiaw 14 days taking care of the customers, then I come back one day to my village, Nam Bak, and spend time with my family.”

“I can speak Chinese. I studied it at the school. But I didn’t learn English. I’m learning it now with the customers”, says with a big smile. He is very sociable, always willing to talk with you and know about you.

“I’ve been to China and is huge. I prefer here. Here is very comfortable and calm. This place is peaceful and not too busy. Not many people.”

What is your favourite dish?

I like to eat Koi fish. It is a Lao salad, quite spicy. It has kaffir lime, fish sauce, lemongrass, yard long bean and more.

What makes you happy?

I love to watch and play football. I play football 7 vs 7, as defense. My favorite players are Pique and Messi. I would like to see Messi live one day. I know that he is getting older, so it would have to be in maximum 5 years… I hope it will be possible.

Also, when I am together with my family, it makes me very happy too. I have one brother and two older sisters. I also like to talk with the people, but not to party.

I love photography, I would love to open a photography studio. I take always pictures of the costumers.

He is, indeed, passionate about photography. He is talented! And of course he took a few nice pictures to us 🙂

What is your dream?

To be a businessman. I have an idol: Paul Pattarapon. He is Thai Youtuber, businessman, and movie star. He thinks very well, he is very smart. I like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs too.

A piece of advice for the people?

For me the most important is to be optimistic in life. And to live according to your dreams. He said with a big smile.

Thanks Somebut for this time spent together! We learnt so much from you!

COOKED WITH JAI DEE, Tree and Tom, Kai Jeaw bar, Pai

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COOKED WITH JAI DEE - Tree and Tom, Kai Jeaw bar, Pai

Pai is a little town in the northwest of Thailand, near the Myanmar border.  It has a hippie tourist vibe, many natural attractions to discover nearby and most importantly, an incredible night food market! 🙂

The night market is full of stands and little restaurants where you can find everything you want. It has many veggie and vegan options too! But our favourite one is Kai Jeaw bar (see the link). 

This little and simple restaurant is managed by Tree and Tom, a beautiful couple from central Thailand. They serve delicious Thai food, with Pad Thai and Stir-fry rice as their most successful dishes. Tree cooks and Tom manages the orders. They are such a nice couple. Simple. Dedicated. Open-minded.

We spent 6 days in Pai, and all six nights we ate at Tree and Tom place, even sometimes more than 1 dish each, ups ;). The last night before leaving, we wrote some words in the restaurant wall! Here is what Tree and Tom told us. The conversation took place at their restaurant, with nice Thai music in the background. 

What is your favourite dish? 

Our favourite dish is the Omelette. We like it because is so simple and so good at the same time! Indeed, the name of our restaurant means Omelette! (Tree’s special touch is the amazing omelette that she put in the top of the dishes. You have to try it!) We love Thai food, and within Southeast Asia, we also like Vietnamese food.  

What do you like most about the work you do? 

Tree: I like to make food and take care and talk with the customers. And I’m learning English with them! 

Why did you open this restaurant? I’m from Petchambur province, near Bangkok (300 km). Our daughter is in Patchambur province. She is 18 years old. I arrived at Pai one year and a half ago. I came here to work. Tom was already there. He used to be a Tourist policeman. Then 8 month ago we opened this restaurant. I like to cook. I learnt to cook with my mom, she is such a great cooker!

What is your piece of advice? Tom said frankly: to work hard, so that later you can use the results for your family; to be happy and to have a comfortable future

COOKED WITH JAI DEE – Chef Thom, Pai, North of Thailand.

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COOKED WITH JAI DEE - Chef Thom, Pai, North of Thailand.

It’s around 9 o’clock in the morning in Pai, a charming town in the north of Thailand. 

We arrived at Bebe Spicy restaurant, where two days before we spent many hours discovering and tasting through the Thai cuisine nooks and crannies with a playful and powerful chef, vivid and amazing woman, Thom. 

With no hesitation, Thom invited us for a coffee and we shared a very nice moment together. We laughed a lot and left with a whole branch of home-grew bananas!

What’s your favourite dish?

Seemed like an easy question to a chef. She immediately answered:

Basil fried rice with fried egg (Pad Kra Pao) and noodle dish. “I love noodles, stir-fry, anything with the noodles, I love it!”. Rice noodles being a favourite type. 

What is your dream for the next 5 years?

She stopped for a moment…and said: 

 “5 years is too far” (of course, with her temperament!:)), so we asked for the next dream. 

Here a total surprise for us: 

“I want to open a community, Israeli one, where the young Israeli coming from the army can stay, here in Pai. Community that would offer the cooking class, the room, to exchange information..”. She smiled and said that would be fun!”. 

What is the most difficult part for you? When do you struggle the most?

Me? It’s when doing the class, the phone starts ringing and that means I have to answer quickly… even if on the website it says everything…(she says with a mocking and satiric voice) “Do you have a class? How much is the class?”. IN FRONT OF THE PAGE they have it ALL WRITTEN. (Yes, after a class we know very well – first read well the recipe, then ask the questions to the chef!). She starts to laugh. 

What’s the part that you like the most?

With my class? – Her eyes have sparks – Oh my God. I met so many interesting people and I enjoy every single class. Small or big. It’s the meeting, getting to know, it’s more fun! Not boring, not standing in the shop – and again she starts mocking-  “Sabadee ka, Sabaadee ka (Good morning, good morning in Thai)”. 

This, I can be ME. I don’t need to pretend. I can be ME. 

And being her students we can fully subscribe to those words. She is such an energetic and charismatic chef! 

What was your happiest moment? 

She was quick with the answer with her typical twist:

 WHEN I LIE DOWN, I just burst laughing that I am in bed (and she did laugh so much when saying this).

Would be your piece of advice for life?

“The principle in life is simple, honey. So simple. Think good, look for good thing, listen to good thing, talk good thing and do a good thing. Then you don’t have to worry about yesterday or tomorrow. Keep doing the same everyday. Whatever tomorrow’s outcome, do exactly the same. Simple. Simple principle.”   

Nothing more to add. Beautifully resumed the jai way. 

Grateful for having met you on the way and we can’t wait to have our kitchen and cook your dishes. 

Should you be travelling to North of Thailand, do yourself a favour and head to Pai, unwind, relax and go for a cooking odyssey with the chef Thom. You can find and READ all the information here. 

สบายใจ SABAI JAI Somsak, Chiang Mai

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สบายใจ SABAI JAI Somsak, Chiang Mai

Sabai Jai is a happy feeling.. indicating a worry-free state of mind.

Somsak is a 70 years old man, who runs a simple and beautiful guesthouse, Villa Vacay, in the heart of Chiang Mai (the capital of North Thailand). His daughter opened this guesthouse, but then she moved to work in Bangkok three years ago. “I got this job from my daughter”, says Somsakwhile laughing. 

This guesthouse breathes good energy, and is thanks to him. He is a simple and smiley man, always willing to help you to feel like home. Such a nice person!  The conversation took place in the hall of the guesthouse, with the Thai TV in the background.

What’s your favourite dish?

Basil fry rice with meat (chicken, pork or rice). (Pad Kra Pao).

What is your dream for the next five years? 

Smile… “I’m already 70 years old, my goal is to take it easy. See my daughters and son. My son lives in Bangkok, he just finished university. One of my daughters lives in Bangkok too, and the other in Ko Tao (she runs a resort and a restaurant). I don’t see them so often. Once or twice per year.”

I also like to drive the car. I usually drive to Bangkok around 9-10 hours. Sometimes I go to Bangkok or to the South for 2-3 weeks, to relax, and I close the guesthouse. 

What is your piece of advice?

He says with a smile: “Sabai Jai: take it easy and simple. Make you happy from the inside. Easy and simple. You can use it for your daily life and, when you talk with other people, they are happy and it makes you feel happy.” 

ใจดี JAI-DEE Siriwal, Ayutthaya

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ใจดี JAI-DEE Siriwal, Ayutthaya

After we spent our first 10 days in hectic yet impressive Bangkok, a 2 hours train ride away, we found ourselves in an old – second – capital of the Thai kingdom, Ayutthaya. It was when we rushed with tuk-tuk through the midday city, with our backpacks and hot air blowing in the face that we felt we were on the road, we really started our adventure. 

How lucky we were that it coincided that Siriwal opened her house and jai-dee – kind, generous heart – for us. The place allowed us to meet Enzo and Doska, a Peruvian- Italian couple that met Siri last year and she became their Thai mum that now they were spending some time and laughs together in the middle of their -another – big travel. 

Grateful to meet them at the beginning of our own adventure and to have Siri as our first person that we would like to introduce in this section. For our communication, we used a google translator, but it didn’t stop us from meaningful and full of jai conversations and hugs! 

What’s your favourite dish?

Basil fried rice with fried egg (Pad Kra Pao). 

What makes you happy?

To open this guesthouse. To talk with all the people that stayed here has made me very happy. 

(Siri opened her place, Siriwal Guesthouse, one year ago. It is a beautiful old house. She and Om are greeting everyone with a big smile and… bananas, delicious bananas for everyone and a lot! You feel at home from the very first moment.) 

What’s your piece of advice for life? 

Siri didn’t hesitate for a moment, she told us: 

Love as any child does and be honest with everyone. 

As simple as that. 

Khob Khun Ka, Khob Khun Khap for showing us a big jai dee, Siri!