PAI, THAILAND

New Year's Eve we stayed in town, and enjoyed the countdown and wishing festivities like the true locals we are. The real celebration, however, was the following couple days, when we headed to the mountains for cold weather, hot springs and everything in between.

We packed up on a Friday afternoon, bought a tent and drove to Pai. We stopped for lunch and a lookout, but otherwise drove straight to our campsite, paying a couple of policemen to drive us up the mountain because Katelyn's car would never have been able to make the trek. And really it was just that, a trek. I've never been on a car ride so bumpy, and we were in the bed of the truck. 

This beauty is Steph. She lives in Poland. She came to Thailand to visit a mutual friend, and stuck around with us to go to Pai. The girl is a true adventurer. In a future update on this blog I will post her GoPro footage from her Thailand vacation. It's incredible. A lot of the adventuring we did over the holidays was in part so she could see the beauty that is Thailand, but, who's complaining?

We had heard tell of some amazing Cherry Blossom trees blooming in the mountains near Pai, and the only evidence I got was a couple dark photographs that look reminiscent of something vaguely Cherry Blossom-ish. The wilderness, in it's stead, was breathtaking, and it was truly wonderful to get to witness a light-pollution-less night and a heart-stopping sunrise (without a camera).

When the light finally died, we started a pretty impressive fire for a few girls, and ate our "dinner," consisting of some bread, Fig Newtons, Milanos and other random things, all toasted on Rollaroasters, a pretty neat contraption invented by Katelyn's dad. Campfires are among my favorite things, and my clothes smelled like smoke for the rest of the weekend. Heavenly. We sang to the tune of an iPhone, made up songs about water buffalo, and learned from a man camping nearby that we were some of the first foreigners to ever camp there, if not the first. Good recommendations, then!

Pai (the town) is cute. That's the first word I'll use. It's also jam packed. The roads are small and there are shops and little booth type houses everywhere. It's colorful and kitschy and everything in between.

We drove through some beautiful yellow fields (don't worry, there are pictures) on the way to a hot spring between where we camped the night before and the little town, a place called Huai Nam Dang National Park. There were a number of pools, some cool, some scalding. While Katie, Steph and Katelyn went on an elephant adventure, Nuna and I stayed at the spring to relax.

This place is incredible. This country, these people. I've never seen such joy as I have in the faces of the Thai people. These kids and their families were having the time of their lives splashing and swimming and making fun of the farang taking photos in a hammock. My favorite part of this trip was the time I spent laying in that hammock, talking across to Nuna in her hammock about how she became a follower of Christ and practicing (and failing to speak correctly) Thai. That girl has got a heart like no other.

Still so amazed that I live in such a beautiful place. What an amazing creator God.

"As he was drawing near the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Luke 19.37-40

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • DESIGN WEEK 2014

I'd heard when I was preparing to move to Southeast Asia that Chiang Mai was young, hip and artful. I saw a little bit of that when I arrived, but the best I've seen was at the TCDC Design Week. There were art installations all around town (some are still up), and then there was the POP Market. It reminded me a lot of Greenville SC's Indie Craft Parade and Columbia's Crafty Feast. Only Asian. 

We have made some friends at a local café, Diff Bakery, and they were sharing their pastry expertise at the market. Derek and Mae are quite possibly two of my favorite people in Chiang Mai. They are welcoming and sweet and make the best breakfast.

One of my favorite vendors at the market was Hom Fragrances, a lady who makes soy candles from her home. Cucumber Melon was calling my name. Thank goodness she is located in Chiang Mai so I can go get one soon!

This event was the hipster capital of Thailand. We can all agree. I attended twice so I could take better pictures, and each time there were new products to see, loads of analog cameras swinging from hip straps, hand pies and mocktails, the occasional fedora. I'm loving this city, and this market solidified it for sure.

CARAMEL APPLE HALF-MOON HAND PIES

Moving overseas has been a challenge in the food department. Our pantry is full, but we seldom make dinner at home (If you could get a great dinner for $1.50 at a restaurant in walking distance from your house, you wouldn't cook either). Baking, though, has been a challenge, but not because of time or money. The oven we have is similar to a toaster oven. We make eggs in a microwave because getting our stove to work is an ordeal. I can't really find whole wheat flour and the real good baking stuff I used at home in the grocery store here. So it's been fun. There's no question about it, though, I have been baking.

I actually had the chance to bake some the first week I arrived here, and I got a message from my mom not long after that said, "Oh! You're baking! That says a lot about the state of you."

These hand pies are loosely based (or tightly based, based on what I could scrounge up in Thailand) on the Oh, Ladycakes recipe for the dessert of the same name. I am allergic to raw apples, so I enlisted the help of my hypo-allergenic roommate to chop up these babes for me. We were so excited to find Granny Smith here in the Land of Smiles. What we couldn't get in whole wheat we made up for in tart fruit.

Here's the ingredients list as I was able to forage:

Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 12 to 14 tablespoons water, ice cold
Filling:
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce (I used Monin caramel-flavored sauce)
Topping:
- Almond milk
- Sugar
Preheat oven 350º degrees.
Makes about 20 pies, but really, it depends on how you make the dough stretch. 

Crust In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. I used a fork, but a whisk is probably best. Drizzle in the coconut oil, one spoonful at a time, and use your hands to mix it into the dry mixture. Once you've added all the oil, continue mixing for another minute or so until it looks sandy like above. Freeze for 15 minutes, then break up all the frozen chunks of coconut oil with your fingers and add the water, a third at a time. Continue gently kneading without overworking the dough. Form into a disk and wrap in parchment paper. Let sit for about 45 minutes.

Filling Combine sugar, starch and cinnamon in a bowl. In another mixing bowl, toss the apples and lemon juice, then add the dry mixture you just made until the apples are covered. Add the caramel sauce. Chill them in the fridge for about half an hour, you may want to freeze them if you are using a caramel that is on the thinner side. Let's not try to make a mess.

Crust When it's time, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lay out some parchment paper and sprinkle that junk with a ton of flour. Unwrap the dough and roll it out until it’s about 1/8″ thick. I used a mug because I haven't found a rolling pin here and I could also use it as a makeshift cookie cutter. Cut the dough (3" cutter will do) and transfer the pieces to a baking sheet lined with more parchment paper. Collect scraps and roll out the dough again to make more circles. Get the caramel apple mixture from the refrigerator and place a bit on one half of each round, folding each in half and pressing around the edges (use a fork, it's way easier to seal the pies this way).  Use a toothpick or some other sharp tool of your choosing and poke holes in the top of each pie. Do this or they will explode, and that will not be good for you.

Topping Brush (I just dabbed it, honestly, because it's impossible to find a cooking brush here) with milk then sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes, check them and then give them a minute or two more if you think they need it (they won't be brown, but you can tap the crust to see if it's firm and dry). Repeat with the rest of the dough that you have. These can stay good for about week.

I made these for Thanksgiving at the office, and let me tell you: I am so glad I ate one of them when I baked 'em, 'cause they were gone in a hot minute.