The Top 5 meals from Guide Training

By: Andrea Ross

I had a wonderful three-week trip through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and I had an amazing time meeting and having adventures with our guides and trying new hotels, tours and restaurants. Here is a first in a series of Top 5’s from the trip!

#1: Buffet dinner at the Peninsula. I already wrote a blog about this, but it was exceptional, not just the food, but also the atmosphere and the lovely views of the river! And did I mention the desserts 😉

#2: An early lunch after meditation in Chiang Mai. We have a new tour called Monks and Meditation that is a wonderful morning of visiting monks and then participating at a local temple in sitting meditation. After the meditation the monks ate first and then other participants were invited to join. The food was made by local villagers and was delicious Thai vegetarian food.

#3: Ock Pop Tok in Luang Prabang, Laos. Ock Pop Tok is where you go to learn to dye fabric and weave, check out my blog about it here… Now, they are also open for lunch and their amazing location and delicious food made this the best meal of my trip, the Tamarind Fish might be the best fish dish I have ever tasted!

#4: Lunch made by our guides in Hanoi. I was taught how to make spring rolls and the guides barbecued pork

#5: Streets Restaurant Café in Hoi An, Vietnam. Their slogan is Good Food Helping Good Kids and it’s a great restaurant offering training to underprivileged youth. I loved their White Rose and the Shrimp and Pork Pancake I had as my main dish was incredible. They have a great location in the Old Town and I loved eating traditional food watching the world go by.

and a bonus: #6: At the Nam Thanh Homestay in Vinh Long our host family put together an amazing meal of traditional lettuce pancakes, shrimp crackers and fresh fish, it was a feast, and Khoa even provided rum for my favorite…rum and coke!