Musings: Oops...

"Thai"me for an apology

I owe an apology. There's been yet another major lapse in updating this ol' thing and unlike last time where I was actually tied down and kept away from the blog by work and other things, this time the inattention has stemmed solely from the fact I was away..
out of the country...
on vacation.

There's nothing wrong with a vacation here and there but I feel crummy nonetheless as I had all these grandiose plans to keep things regular and updated on the go while I was away but idealism always seems to command my attention more than reality...

To put things in a nutshell, I was in Thailand the last two weeks or so. Yes, Thailand... again. I think I've been asked about my magnet-like draw to Thailand by now from just about every angle including whether I've got a secret job or even lover there. In my defense though, the plan originally was to do some trekking in Mongolia. You know, be like my ancestors and do the whole Khan-style horse-riding and yak milk alcohol drinkin but then winter happened and my mood and body rebelled against the notion of going from someplace cold to colder. So that went on the still "To go" places list.

So then my attention turned to HK since it's been many years and I wanted to visit some old friends (Princess T, you readin this? :P) and get my dim sum fix but then the protests happened and even though flights were dirt cheap, I just didn't want to take a gamble on what Big Brother China might potentially do.

I then only peeked, yes really, peeked at prices to Thailand and... well, forgive me, Father, for I could not overcome the temptation of low RT prices to the land of summer and smiles. When booking, I did, however, make a vow to keep any stay in Bangkok to a minimum as my last trip was a focus on the city of angels (Yes, LA-ers, there's another city that dubs its connection with celestial beings) and it would be a boring trip to repeat the same thing and objectives. The initial plan was to do a backpacking of sorts through Laos with a buddy while I was in the area but the busy-ness of things and the lack of preparation made that go to the back burner. Thus, and I should say at the very last minute, it was decided on Phuket and Chiang Mai... in addition to a few days in BKK too ^^;;

With so little planning and researching, expectations weren't too high but looking back it was a real blast. Amid feastin, beach frolicking, hidden temples touring, elephants caring, catching up with friends (aka pestering them with my worn out welcome) and more, this recent visit has really cemented Thailand as a place I have such a respect and love for. In fact, I think this trip has bumped off the UK and Japan as my "honorary" home countries (aside from the US and Korea) to be my third "home" of sorts.

A rather small glimpse into my recent Thailand trip

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to share about all my eats there too. From buzzing "hi-so" restaurants to local street markets and hidden joints, I made it a point to sample and devour as the locals do wherever I went and I'm quite pumped to pass on those places and nifty tips to you guys.

Of course, before that I need to seriously catch up on old posts here. I mean, in travel-eat posts alone I still have to write about places like Busan and Tongyeong and whatnot from many months ago while my list of saved drafts of restaurant reviews and recipes is atrociously backlogged up the wazoo.

With December looking like it'll be a slower month combined with freezing temperatures outside (we hit the negatives with snow just last night) I think it'll give me a bigger push to get pumpin away on some posts and get things rolling again.

So thanks for your patience and for sticking through even as regular updates went from sporadic to none. It does leave me such an excited and happy guy when I see people making use of what I put up with happy results like littlemisshappygrumps did recently:

Littlemissgrumps recently shared the results of her bulgogi jeongol makin from my recipe!
Thank! PS- your baby is too cute for words.... :O

Love hearin from you guys so feel free to continue commenting, messaging, whatever-ing in the future!

Time to get back to blogging!

Random Food Reads:

Leave it to Japan to give us the most badass way to cook up some battered shrimp involving a mini cannon (Video)

New York's Saveur Mag picks its best food cities and airlines

Soju's alcohol dosage continues to decline... which is leading to increased sales! (Korean article but with an interesting graph and map)

Since it's autumn- 18 ways to prep and eat pumpkin seeds

Cheese making business steadily growing in Korea

Ultimate list of places (in the US) which offer freebies for your pet pup

The 10 best foods you can eat according to Forbes

The 9 best things you can eat after a night of drinking (Korean article but the food name is listed in English)

How Dunkin Donuts revamped its menu to find success in India (where things like donuts are not a draw at all)

40 random facts about food that will change the way you see food

The most expensive bento box in Japan comes with a model who hand delivers the bento to you

From removing kiwi skins to throwing away broccoli leaves, the 5 things you're doing wrong with food

More food globalization woes- Greeks turning from their beloved traditional coffee in favor of espresso and espresso bars

8 food myths you probably believe

The truth about cast irons

How fast food targets you

Hidden dangers of 6 hyped foods

A revealing of what some top health experts eat for breakfast 

Sriracha, curry, pretzel crusts... just some of the changes coming to the struggling Pizza Hut chain in the US

Just in time for winter... 27 delicious and hearty soups with no meat

Comments

  1. haha welcome back! 2 weeks of sun and fun >< for selfish reasons (haha cos i am going to those places next!), can you prioritise bangkok and tongyeong? hohoho

    ReplyDelete
  2. Duly noted! Will prioritize them haha.

    ReplyDelete

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