On the morning of day 8, we left the Chiang Rai area and headed to Sukhothai, Thailand’s first capital. The trip took most of the day. Therefore, the day was spent mainly on the tour bus. However, we had some interesting stops during the day.
The first stop of the day was in Phayao. This town is known for being on the shores of a lake with the same name. The stop was mainly to use the restroom and buy some snacks for the road. This being Thailand, it is possible to find unusual snacks. My husband saw this bag of fried worms and he had to buy it. He shared his snacks with most of our fellow travelers. I think I was the only person who didn’t try it.
- Snacking on Worms
The discovery of bizarre snacks continued. I don’t know if it was coincidence or what. The thing is that there was a lady selling jumping shrimp salad. I guess you have heard about jumping beans, but about jumping shrimp? Well, because the town is next to the lake, there is an abundance of fresh water products. People in town catch some really small shrimp from the lake. They are kept alive in containers full of water. Then, they set up their little business on one side of the road. If you want to know what they are selling, just ask for the salad. The seller is going to take a bunch of live shrimp and throw it in a small bowl. On the same bowl, the usual Thai cooking herbs and species are added. I am talking about ginger, Kaffir lime leaves, green onions, lemon and some sauces. While this is being prepared, the shrimps are jumping all over. Once it’s done, you have to eat quickly so you can feel the shrimp jumping in your mouth. Sounds crazy, right?
Live shrimp waiting to be converted in salad, Ph
Guess who tried it first? My husband, of course. He insisted I should try. This time I did. I have to say that it tasted delicious. The flavor reminds me a little bit of ceviche but with the Thai touch. I am a wimp when trying “live” and “raw” food. In this case, I cannot complain. The taste was so fresh and fabulous.
Jumping Shrimp Salad Preparation
Eating Jumping Shrimp Salad
Not everything was bizarre. We stopped at a nice place. There was a pond full of water lilies.
Water Lily
The third stop (lunch was the second stop, ok we had a normal lunch) was at Wat Pra That Suton Mongkol Kiri. Wow, that has to be the most complicated temple name in Thailand. The temple is characterized for a beautiful reclining Buddha statue adorning the front area.
Temple near Sukhothai, Thailand
Reclining Buddha in temple near Sukhothai, Thailand
Another view of the reclining Buddha
Temple entrance
Temple Detail. First time I saw this particular detail.
The inside of the temple was magnificent. I have tons of photos but I will show them to you next time. See you then.
oh, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to get worms… gives me the willies just thinking about it! loved the photos of the golden statues!
Good to know that you liked the pictures. Like you, I don’t have any desire of eating worms. My husband is just a fanatic of all this kind of “food”.
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The worms and live shrimp kinda freak me out too, but I might try them if given the opportunity… I love the photos of the temple–extraordinary! I can’t wait to visit Thailand (hopefully in the next year or so).
Michael Figueiredo recently posted..Travel Photo Thursday- Äpfel mit Herz
Michael, you are like me. I like to try different things but I don’t know about insects. Glad to know you enjoyed the photos.
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So the jumping shrimp salad sounded okay… until you mentioned that you can actually feel the shrimp moving around in your mouth! I think that’s the part that would do me in for sure.
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Ancient Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park
I tried just a small amount of salad. When I tried it, it was almost gone. While everybody was eating it, I was buying some iced cofee. The shrimp didn’t move in my mouth. i think it was better like that.
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I think I might eat the worms if someone bet me that I wouldn’t, but not on my own. As for the shrimp I don’t even think there would be a choice. By the way it sounds I eat first and figure out if I had the money to pay for it later ^_^
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Ha ha. Good comment. You know, there were some guys in my group swearing they were not goign to try insects. They ended up trying. So maybe you would change your mind. It also depends on how they are cooked.
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