We spent about a week longer in Thailand than planned, so we decided to make a quick stop in Chiang Rai on our way to Laos. We had one full day and a small to-do list which made for a relaxing morning. Our first stop was to the White Temple. We’d heard from some that it was underwhelming, but it was by far one of the most unique temples we’ve seen on our trip. (And one that would make Queen Elsa proud!) The entire exterior was (surprise!) white, with small mirror accents throughout as borders and designs. But it wasn’t only that – the entire place seemed to be covered in intricate designs that made it truly look like an ice palace. Even more surprising was the main temple inside, where everything turned from stark white to a warm gold. We were not allowed to take pictures, but something about it made it stand out from others we have seen. I am not sure what it was. It could have been the sudden change in style, but whatever it was I loved it.

Once we were done looking around and I returned my rented skirt, we hopped back on our scooter in search of a waterfall to trek to. (Many cities seem to have their waterfall of choice for tourists – and some are better than others.) It was a nice, easy walk and a beautiful waterfall, but nothing out of this world.

That evening we managed to book a very last minute cooking class with Suwanee. Cooking with Ann also had availability for a last minute booking but Suwanee got back to us first. Both looked like great options if you are looking for a class.

Anyway – we loved our class with Suwanee! As with most cooking classes we’ve taken this trip, it started with a tour of the market. But this one included food tastings!! She was stuffing us full of delicious food before we knew it was happening. Cream filled pancakes, sweet crispy rice snacks, dumplings (for me) which were the best I have had on the trip! We also tried a few fruits like rose apple (meh…) and PINEAPPLE!! I know this may not seem very exciting for most of you. You have probably eaten pineapple all of your life. But for me, this was HUGE. I have been allergic to pineapple for as long as I can remember. The acid in it gives me a reaction called Geographic Tongue. (Basically, my tongue breaks out in hives and it hurts. Not life threatening, but very uncomfortable.) Suwanee encouraged me to try this one, saying it is not “that kind” of pineapple. I trusted her and took a tiny bite. *swoon* That day I fell in love with pineapple. Even Brandon said it was the sweetest he had ever tasted. IT WAS SO GOOD! I was giddy for it. Suwanee didn’t quite understand, but it was a great moment and I celebrated.

Anyway, after the market we headed back to her place for the actual cooking part. We were lucky to be the only two people in the class, so we got to set the menu. We picked glass noodle salad (served in half a pineapple), Tom Kha Gai soup with chicken (one of our favorites), red curry with chicken, and for dessert, bananas in coconut milk. We both loved over every dish! But once of the coolest things was making our own curry paste. And it was a lot easier than we thought it would be! It also meant that we could spice it up any way we wanted! (And if you know Brandon, you know he made it SPICY!)

For almost all courses, Brandon’s food was better than mine – especially his soup. I must have missed a step because something was definitely missing from mine. Oops! Our dessert seemed simple enough – bananas in coconut milk. But holy wow it was so much more delicious than that. This is one we will try to recreate at home, but are not sure we will ever quite get it right. It is almost too simple.

She captured photos throughout the process that she shared with us along with ALL of her recipes. And instead of taking is straight back to the hostel, she dropped us a few blocks away so we could see a tower light show that we had not even heard about yet. We could not have asked for a better class or instructor. We went home happy, full and ready to start our adventures in Laos!