tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2420225179969059472011-11-27T20:28:28.525-05:00food & travel blog. travel & food blog. subject to availablilty of internet cafes.Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-80956676615805514152008-02-24T14:59:00.002-05:002008-02-24T15:06:45.976-05:00

i almost lost all my koh tao photos, but after a few sacrifices to a few minor demons of the digital underworld i managed to recover almost all of them. unsurprisingly, koh tao was where all my good sunset photos came from. here are a few:the view for my first evening in thailandblue&orangeye'olde cliche'd sunset photogolden

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-66843213722604551502008-02-03T18:08:00.000-05:002008-02-03T18:20:07.773-05:00

i've heard one day recovery for every hour difference as a general rule of thumb when it comes to jet lag. i'd have to agree, it really took two weeks to feel normal again after returning from tokyo (14 hours difference). strangely it only took two or three days in thailand to adjust (12 hour difference). the lesson here is that recovery time from jet lag is directly related to how much

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-39538018552849314662008-01-18T03:42:00.000-05:002008-01-18T04:03:34.831-05:00

no english name: shinjuku, 5 minute walk from the south east exit of shinjuku station (around the corner from the wendy's and mc'd's across the street from each other)- mixed seafood okonomiyaki: 1000 yenthis dish requires a step by step explanationfirst the surface it's made on (your table)next your order arrives, a bowl of shredded lettuce, mixed with your particular selection of stuff, in my

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-49740760178444886592008-01-17T04:46:00.000-05:002008-01-17T04:58:34.215-05:00

sushi bar at shinjuku park hotel- sashimi: 1520 yen6 different types of fish, as far as i know only one of them had i had before. even that tasted different. the portions of fish are much more generous than sashimi i've had anywhere in toronto. it's true what they say about sushi in japan, it is better. i don't think i can have it in canada again unfortunately =\unfortunately it's just as

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-10982235019645263862008-01-15T02:31:00.000-05:002008-01-15T19:32:55.632-05:00

yoshinoya- beef, rice, and soup: 580 yen[not the best photo, it feels really wrong to be taking photos in japanese restaurants for some reason so i rushed it]tired from waking up at 3:30 am to make it to the airport in time to get to tokyo, i left the hostel and ate at the first place i found. i think it's the japanese equivalent of a burger joint, it took all of 3 minutes between ordering and

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-2277419732964105002008-01-13T07:47:00.001-05:002008-01-13T07:56:29.794-05:00

the metropolitan hotel: cy'an7 course tasting menu with paired wines: 4530 bahtso, what better way to say goodbye to bangkok than by completely blowing the budget and going out for some fine dining. i met up with a couple of great brits i had met earlier in koh tao (the internet is completely changing traveling just like everything else) and went for some fine dining at the metropolitan hotel

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-755506488716847182008-01-13T07:05:00.001-05:002008-01-13T07:20:07.061-05:00

jolly frog restaurant- plain rice with chicken fried with thai basil leaves and chillies: 25 bahtto date (and i leave thailand tomorrow) the best execution of this common combination of ingredients in thailand. simple, spicy the exactly right serving size (it looks small but really is just right), this is what thai food should be.

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-63571178642932375942008-01-11T05:57:00.001-05:002008-01-12T05:26:07.107-05:00

black canyon coffee & international thai cuisine- udon in chicken and galingal in coconut soup: 70 baht- northern (thai style) sausage: 70 baht- iced green tea with milki've been getting tired of all the predictable thai food and wanted to find something that was less classic thai and more modern thai. i'm not sure that i succeeded, but i think this came close. as far as i can tell black canyon

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-16807198432679083432008-01-09T12:16:00.001-05:002008-01-09T12:41:54.689-05:00

no english name: north end of moon muang road chiang mai- thai spicy salad: 30 bahtoh my buddah i've been waiting to try this! i'd been holding off since i wanted to make sure i went to a good authentic thai restaurant and it takes some time travelling to recognize the better places frequented by locals. this was an awesome meal, great spice and great seafood (surprising this far from the coast i

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-25146181299427379672008-01-07T11:07:00.001-05:002008-01-07T11:10:19.894-05:00

ye olde fasting buddahpithy buddah sayingand an umbrella=P

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-87266216191989867342008-01-07T00:50:00.000-05:002008-01-07T01:19:27.310-05:00

here's the lowdown on the food you get during a trek... well most of the food, i missed taking photos of a couple meals as i was just too hungry from all the hiking to remember to take the camera out.most of the food was prepared by our guide, thai name: manit... tourist name: brad pitt. so many bad bad jokes, but a friendly guy with lots of experience and some crazy stories. his standing joke is

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-68215189407793875982008-01-06T22:51:00.001-05:002008-01-06T22:51:18.675-05:00

forgive a non-food digression"hello, welcome to chiang mai. would you like to do trekking? we do treks, pai, non-tourist area, very good trek. we can do 1 day 2 day 3 day, whatever you want."every morning, a minibus arrives with a fresh load of tourists, every morning the exact same pitch. never mind that every single guesthouse in the city has the same pitch, and don't really think about the

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-68987165591011415372008-01-03T08:33:00.001-05:002008-01-03T08:34:20.333-05:00

kafe 1985- chicken with basil leaves fried rice: 40 bahtdecent spice level, not too much but still a bite. a bit greasy, i guess just because it's thai doesn't mean bar food is anything but bar food. ps: i leave tomorrow morning for a three day trek into the hills around chiang mai, so again not posts. apologies for the sparodic nature of the posting, i've bought myself a birthday gift (asus

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-21283628641094966452008-01-03T08:19:00.001-05:002008-01-03T08:27:00.074-05:00

street vendors- spring rolls: 20 baht- sticky rice with filling: 5 bahtbudget eating at its best.simple, fresh, and about 5000% less expensive than what i'd pay in canada for a similar meali'd never had a sticky rice ball like this before, so i wasn't sure what i was buying. i'm pretty sure the rice had a sweet egg based filling

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-8632723248003899062008-01-03T08:14:00.001-05:002008-01-03T08:24:11.807-05:00

seafood mho-o-chu- baked prawn with vermicelli: 220 bahtgreat prawns, annoying to eat though, so much shell and leg to contend with. the real stand out is the sauce, good and spicy but also tangy at the same time. the noodles were also damned tasty, although i suspect it's because they're cooked with great big chunks of lard (pork fat i think)

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-72080166765098753462008-01-01T01:45:00.000-05:002008-01-01T01:49:29.695-05:00

no more posts for a little bit as i'm enroute from koh tao to bangkok to chiang mai, i should arrive the morning of the second. northern thai food pics soon!

Darren's Travelling Accounthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267992041304833837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-36263876042759638142007-12-29T22:17:00.001-05:002007-12-29T22:17:14.579-05:00

yesterday i finished my PADI open water certification, i'm now legal to rent scuba gear and plan my own dives up to 18m. apparently i've got a streak of beginners luck going, as i saw a hawksbill sea turtle on my second dive, and sharks on my third. i'm hoping to see a whale for my advanced course, aim high eh? if you're ever in koh tao and want to learn to dive, or if you already know how and

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-73275451907562379542007-12-29T03:00:00.001-05:002007-12-29T03:00:10.422-05:00

i'm experiencing techincal difficulties, but i have managed to upload some of the pics. you can check them out here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lurker4hire i'll have it all sorted and the pics with the proper posts soon

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-60886852467393336832007-12-29T02:54:00.001-05:002007-12-29T02:54:21.936-05:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } sunset, originally uploaded by lurker4hire. here's a promised sunset, wish you were here =D

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-36277188250599015612007-12-29T02:52:00.001-05:002008-01-01T01:45:44.326-05:00

white elephant- green curry with chicken: 100 baht- plain rice: 20 bahtFinally a spicy meal, a classic curry of southern thailand done exquisitely. i could really taste the different basil in this dish, as well as a tangy/savoury flavour i think. i might be mislabeling my tastes so don't take my word for it, come to thailand and try for yourself =Pthere's a little green fruit? or something in

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-79421852699625201802007-12-29T02:43:00.001-05:002007-12-31T02:22:10.395-05:00

street stall under tin roof- fried chicken with cashew nut: 50 bahtit's amazing how good and cheap the food is when you leave the beach and head inland just a little bit, this was mild with what i think was a light oyster/fish sauce, the greens were crisp and fresh, almost as if they weren't cooked but grown in a skillet. i was hoping this meal would be spicier (it was very mild), but i think i

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-31307005030241552562007-12-28T00:03:00.001-05:002007-12-31T02:23:21.135-05:00

restaurant east sairee beachbbq red snapper with corn and spicy thai sauce: 240 bahti'm sure this is common in tropical tourist areas, but as i've not really spent much time in such places before now it's all new to me. a stall filled with ice and fresh fish, pick your fish, and they'll bbq it for you right there. very nicely bbq'd, with roasted corn on the cob and a spicy thai sauce. i'm

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-69313229314483603502007-12-26T03:20:00.001-05:002007-12-31T02:08:44.785-05:00

intouch restaurant - sariee beach koh tao- mango shake: 40 baht (i think)- ton yan soup with shrimp: 80 bahtyou learn something new every day i think, and today i discovered not to spoon a huge chunk of fresh ginger into your mouth and chew on it. now you might think that would be obvious, but i'm not always the fastest fish in the reef so no comments from the peanut gallery. once i finished

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-65664352491717837542007-12-25T07:56:00.001-05:002007-12-31T02:07:34.549-05:00

bowthong resort- fresh pineapple juice: 50 baht- grilled red snapper with crisp basil: 250 bahtholy sauce batman! now i'm not the most discerning person in the world, but even i know that completely covering fish with a thick cream sauce is something of a crime. underneath the sauce the fish itself was fresh if a little overcooked. the crisp basil was basically a garnish and played no role in the

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-11919839288577035802007-12-24T15:18:00.001-05:002007-12-31T10:06:00.446-05:00

24 solid hours in the air later, a whole boatload of plane related delays thrown in (mostly centred on the fact that chicago isn't the best place to transfer through this time of year), and I'm safely in the bangkok airport. i actually spent most of my time waiting in airports in pearson, my first flight took off over 2 hours late, so once i was on that first plane i basically arrived at the next

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-46981373506678886942007-12-03T21:32:00.000-05:002007-12-03T21:37:19.740-05:00

holy smokes, my round trip between toronto and bangkok (with stops in chicago & tokyo) will release 6.82 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere! even worse, much of that junk will be into the upper atmosphere where it's effect is generally considered much worse from a climate change perspective, my "raised catholic" guilt is starting to kick in...... thankfully, much like the catholic

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242022517996905947.post-29596756036891884592007-11-25T19:55:00.001-05:002007-11-25T20:13:31.562-05:00

greetings and salutations, welcome.on december 23rd i'm leaving on a jet plane, several jet planes actually.toronto --> chicago --> tokyo --> bangkokonce in bangkok i plan on sleeping in the airport and catching another plane to koh samui, where i'll spend a day recovering from my marathon of air travel and then hopefully make it to koh tao for december 26th. i've got several days of diving

Darren Chartierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15670726726713336603noreply@blogger.com2