Seeing Bangkok with The Tour Guide of Food Paradise

If we haven't raved enough about Warmshowers, here's another glowing post to add to the roster.

When we had finally gotten confirmation of our meditation course and we were ready to make the jump to Thailand, we consulted every cycle tourists favorite internetwork and E. made quick work of contacting the two tourists listed in Bangkok. The couple originally from Portland replied that they were hosting already and were booked up with our Canadian friends after their current guests left. The other host replied that she had room and would love for us to come and stay with her. That's how we ended up staying with and coming to love Supaporn, a wonderful native of Bangkok with a big heart, a big appetite for adventure, and a mental map of the tastiest Thai food any Farang could ever hope to stumble onto in Bangkok.



We were set up with a fantastic private room in Bangkoknoi, which is the former city center and just across the river from the University. We found ourselves engulfed in the shopping district of Wang Lang and often found ourselves the only foreigners around! We were conveniently located just blocks from Wang Lang Pier where we easily and inexpensively caught river ferries to and fro as we explored the city. An added bonus to the piers proximity was the tantalizing walk one could take to get there down a lane 3 blocks long lined with food vendors of all varieties all day and late into the night. Anything your heart desired as far as Thai food is concerned, could easily be found here and we spent many evenings perusing and snacking on our way to or from the apartment.

Supaporn did a terrific job of hosting; having fresh green mango and other lovely culinary treats to our room in the mornings, providing maps and directions according to our tourist whims, inviting us to have dinner with her and her family, teaching us a bit of Thai, and showing us around the neighborhood - always making sure we knew where to find anything we needed.

We dined at a locals only kind of place at Wang Lang pier where we got our first taste of Supaporns fabulous food tourism. We tried no less than six dishes and got a critical lesson in Thai eating - everything goes with rice and you don't treat the dishes like a buffet, piling everything on your plate at once and letting it all meld together, instead you take a bit of this and finish it before you take a bit of that, etc. etc.

On another occasion we were whisked off to Ko Kret Island to see the Mon cultural center of Bangkok and ended up eating dried candied flowers, egg sweets, and great coffee while we toured the waterways by pleasantly slow ferry. The island is known for it's pottery and as we walked the tranquil and winding lanes in the oldest part of the community we got to see first hand the throwing, glazing, firing and incredibly detailed hand work that goes into these crafts.


It seems as though we enjoyed countless meals, each new and more exciting than the last, learning all the time and having great conversations about all aspects of Thai life that we could think of to ask.

As the Principal of a school in the area, Supaporn went above and beyond traditional hosting duties and arranged for us to visit the Temple of the Dawn and the Royal Barges with 9 of her 11-12 year old students. This was a great opportunity for the kids to get to practice their English and E. shone brightly as she guided them to speak, read, learn, and engage with everything inside both the Temple and the boathouse. We ran here and there following the directions of "this way please" and painstakingly reading all the informational signs in English - sounding out difficult words as we went. The kids were great and even the shyest were happily engaged by the time we said our goodbyes after four hours of tramping around.



We both feel incredibly lucky to have had this unique experience here and are forever grateful to our incredible host. Bangkok has been amazing for us and we look forward to visiting again in the future.