Chiang Mai - Quick learn to cook

After our memorable adventure in the forests of Laos we are now off to a more developed place, Thailand. We crossed the Chiang Khong border into Thailand by boat and then took a 6 hour bus to Chiang Mai. First stop was a Thai Massage where we spent 3 hours in a salon getting a massage and pedicure....definitely needed and deserved I think...(also only cost $8AUS) Then it was off to our cooking class where we learned how to cook Pad Thai, Green curry paste, Green curry with chicken, Fried cashew nut with chicken and wait for it.......Fried bananas in thick coconut toffee served with vanilla icecream...and we got to eat this allllllllllll. Good thing we spent the next 4 hours walking the streets and shopping at Chiang Mai's leading tourist attraction the Night Bazaar, which sprawls over several blocks with hundreds of street vendors, serveral commercial buildings and ordinary shops selling a huge variety of handicrafts as well as designer goods.
It felt different driving into Thailand after spending over 4 weeks in two very underdeveloped countries....first things I noticed that were SO out of place that I forgot Thailand had were 711 and Starbucks, I almost didn't feel like I was travelling anymore because so many more people could speak English....I'm glad I have the opportunity to discover and experience Vietnam and Laos before the western influence invades.
We spent only two nights in Chiang Mai before flying out to Cambodia......which is another story in itself...