~thailand/chaing_mai/cooking

As our trekking group bonded so well, we all decided we would attend the Chilli Club Cooking Academy the following day. This is a one day couse that teaches you Thai cooking. I assure you it's true, i actually paid money to cook! Dont get any ideas though Beachy, i will not be cooking for you in Bath!

Cooking was great, and surpisingly tiring. Spent 9 hours, planning our menu, buying ingredients from the market, and cooking them under the guidance of Mr Visuut, the cooking teacher. I tell ya, i would have paid just to watch Mr Visuut. He was incredible! He looks like an skinny asian Lloyd Grossman (or Inder Manocha, for those that know him), and sounds just like Stephen Hawking! No kiddin'! He was so entertaining, every sentence was an adventure. I can do a great impression. Ask me to do it when you see me...

I made hot and sour chicked soup (beautiful), yellow curry and rice (delicious), sweet and sour chicken (lovely), papaya salad (chilli!), spring rolls (perfect) and coconut sticky rice, pinapple and banana (mouth watering). I even managed to make a rose out of a tomato, impressive! I have photos to prove it. Happy days!

In the evening, i got myself a full body oil massage, costing me 3 quid for 1 hour. This was very relaxing, although rather more intimate than i had been expecting. It basically consisted of me lying there in my boxers (which were pulled up very high by the young beautiful thai masseusse to look like a thong!), while she rubbed oil all over me, sometimes putting her hands places where they probably shouldnt have been. I'm sure it is just standard procedure for a full body massage, but it does strike me as odd that in a country where public displays of affection is completely absent and conservative dress is a must, part of people's daily routine involves a sensual and highly intimate massage with someone of the opposite sex. Interesting. Needlesstosay, many hours of discussion resulted that evening, where we all shared our massage experiences. Great fun.

I find out this morning that in some massage parlours (there are millions), a "full body massage" means the masseusse gets naked and uses her 'full body' to massage you! This place is sex mad!