Superb Thailand : Best Beef

Thai-French Beef
Thai cow and French cow : The best beef of Thailand...
Original from Sakon nakorn Province, out of town about 16 kilomatres, Baan Phonyangkham is the place that raise cow... Thai-French beef now is the famous beef and also the best beef in Thailand..

Superb Thailand:Best Place To Retire

The reasons why Chiang Mai is the most popular retirement destination in Thailand and also SE Asia are many and include:

Low cost, effective health care and the ability to speak English to the doctors many who were trained overseas and the ability to see a specialist promptly unlike Canada where AFTER your family doctor decides he has milked the system for enough money and cannot determine what ails you FINALLY makes an appointment for you to see a specialist in 3 MONTHS.

The foods are delicious and not affordable but downright cheap as many fruits are grown locally including strawberries. Year around enjoy bananas, mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, apples, durian, and many fruits that I do not even know the name of but which are absolutely declious.

The cost of living in Chiang Mai from accommodations, to dining, to sightseeing is cheap compared to North America and Europe. Comfortable accommodations for 20-25% of the cost of equivelent accommadations back in North America yet with all the amenities you could want and ask for. Cable tv includes English movies and about 55 channels, hi speed internet even wirless in your room, balcony, mini fridge, dvd, swimming pool, and even kitchenettes.

Chiang Mai is a very safe city to live in and I can walk safely at night anywhere in the inner city without any fears whatsoever, and just outside of the city I have to ignore the dogs that protect individual properties. The dogs will bark to alert the owner and that is it.

There is an abudance of things to do in Chiang Mai, a city that is the second largest in Thailand, home to thousands of foreigners who have discoverd that this is the place to retire to, and also Chiang Mai is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Chiang Mai zoo, temples, man made lake, golf, biking, shopping, massage, to relaxing at the local pub and shooting a game of pool or talking to some expats.

You can live here and communicate in English and not have to learn how to speak Thai. Many Thai's here speak some English and English is spoken at banks, Government offices, and in health care facilities as there are many foreigners living here and also it is a tourist city as well.

It is cooler in Chiang Mai as compared to Phuket or Pattaya. Also safer and lower costs of living here in Chiang Mai compared to Phuket or Pattaya.

and the KEY reason why Chiang Mai is the number one place in Thailand to retire and also the most popular place in all of SE Asia. Over 18,000 foreigners are living here in retirement and happily from what I can tell.

Attractive, attentive and caring Thai women make for great companions, girlfriends and wives and are the main reason foreigners have selected Thailand as a retirement destination.

All the foreigners that I have met here have a Thai girlfriend or wife and All are perfectly happy.



So there you have it from someone who considered retiring to the Domican Republic but found that it was unsafe there, without prompt medical access and the idea of constant power failures and requiring one to get up in the middle of the night to turn on the back up generator did not appeal to me as a retirement haven.

I have lived in Chiang Mai for about 3 years now and find that if you know how to live here as I do now that you can reitire comfortably from $400 U.S. a month. That includes accommodations, renting an automatic motorbike, eating well includes snacks and the ocassional rum and coke and entertainment.

For someone who does not know how, they may end up spending 5 x that amount to live on comparable terms.

Should you decide to come to Thailand to see for yourself contact us for information.

We suggest staying for one month if you can as the cost of accommodations booked in advance is the same for 2 weeks as for one month.

Also you should try to live in accommodations that you would live in if you were retired here so that you can see for yourself that the accommodaitons are comfortable and very affordable.

Our tips of retiring to Chiang Mai from Visa information, accoommodations, travelling about town, dining, healthcare, and other topics including how to find a nice Thai girlfriend save our clients thousands of dollars and also give them the peace of mind that they have done everything that was required properly and promptly.

So hope to hear from you, and remember that you can reside here long term without being 50 years of age or without having a large nest egg.

We explain the visa options to our clients and so far all have been successful in obtaining the visa which suited them. Find out why we feel that Chiang Mai is the number one place in the world to retire and why many retiree's see it as a retirement hotspot.

Cost Living in Chiang Mai

This is what I view as the one of the best features of living here.

Just imagine going to a 7-11 convenience store and buying a can of Coke, a package of Clorets, a bottle of water, a Nestles ice-cream and many more items for a quarter of the price you are accustomed to paying in North America or less.

Just imagine going to one of the finer restaurants and selecting two large bowls of soup with shrimp, chicken or beef, then ordering 2 delicious dishes, topping it off with a decadent dessert for each of you, and during the meal enjoying a chilled Singha beer and perhaps a mixed drink for your spouse/date and listening to music that you enjoy
Imagine yourself in this outdoor restaurant in the evening with your spouse/date. As the time nears to head back to your hotel you ask for the check and to your amazement the total with taxes and tip is less than $20 US dollars.

Better yet go to a Thai restaurant that is popular with the locals. A large, clean restaurant and select dishes that are already cooked and which you see through a glass partition.

Start things off with a delicious large bowl of soup which may be identical to that served to you in a more expensive restaurant, select a cooked dish to your liking with bottled water and ice-cream for dessert and get a check for $8 US for the two of you. You may find that the large bowl of soup alone is enough to fill you up.

The hundreds of hours of research on the internet that I did prior to moving to Chiang Mai did reveal some of the costs of living here but it did not reveal that there are at times two prices.

One for foreigners (farangs) and one for Thai’s. In some cases you have to pay the farang price and in some cases you do not. We will show you how best to deal with the two price system in Thailand.

This is another reason why for the single, heterosexual males it is a good idea to have a Thai g/f as she will get you the best price from transportation, groceries, and even household items such as furniture.

If you are a farang couple and retiring here then trust your maid or Thai friends to advise you on the best places to shop.

Superb Thailand :KhonKaen City

Khon Kaen is the commerce and political center of Northeastern Thailand, and is well known for the silk that is manufactured in the area. Khon Kaen is the home of tennis sensation Khun Paradorn Srichaphan. The province is also home of Thailand's First Olympic Gold Medallist, the 1996 bantam weight Khun Somluck Kamsing. Located in the heart of northeast region of Thailand (Isaan), this community was experiencing one of the fastest growth rates in Thailand until the baht was devalued in 1997. In the last several years, construction has restarted within the city, including the widening of Mitaprahp Road on the West side of Khon Kaen (Highway 2 Bangkok-Nong Khai). The present population of the city is around 150,000. The government had endorsed Khon Kaen as the export center for trade into the Indo-China Region, but politics may play a role in preventing this. Laos and Vietnam have located consulate offices in the city to process visa applications. The city also hosts the largest university in the North East, Khon Kaen University.

An individual is just as likely to see water buffalo weaving in and out of traffic in Khon Kaen as they would a BMW or Mercedes. Men and women dressed for success carrying cell phones & leather briefcases are hustling through the marketplace at lunch time along side orange-robbed Buddhist monks. If hungry, one can purchase grilled chicken and sticky rice at a pushcart in front of Pizza Company. The old and the new integrated into one society that seems to work.

The more popular tourist destinations in Thailand are Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiangmai, but these places tend to be overly commercialized. If you want to go to a place where you can experience some of the local people, customs, and traditions, Isaan is the place to be. The real Thailand is outside the popular tourist destinations. Northeast Thailand is often neglected by tourists so what better reason do you need to come. It is also a good starting point for excursions into Laos and border visits to Cambodia.

is quite easy by bus, air, train, or car. Thai Air has 4 to 5 flights daily to and from Bangkok If you have the time to take the train, some of the sights will be quite spectacular and some quite monotonous, but you will be traveling with the local population. The bus is more convenient for the shorter trips, while it is much cheaper it sometimes appears the driver has no concern for anyone's safety (including their own). For more information on transportation within the Khon Kaen city limits. it is a country of farming, rural country life, water buffaloes in rice paddies. Other people see a rapidly developing country both technically and economically. The truth of it is, both people are correct. Thailand is one of the few countries left in the world where the people are struggling to hold onto their customs and beliefs while trying to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. Read about the Thai Farmer. the Northeast are Isaan sausage, kai yang (grilled chicken), som tam (hot + spicy papaya salad), and mu phaeng (marinated grilled pork). In Khon Kaen it's refreshing to get outside of Bangkok's stagnate air and high prices. Prices in the Northeast are considerably cheaper for everything from hotels to food.

Operating Hours: 0900 - 1600 hours
Closed Monday, Tuesday, and Public Holidays
Admission Fee: Thai Citizen - 10 baht, All Others - 30 baht

Khon Kaen National Museum was officially opened by His Majesty KingBnumiphol Adulyadej on the 20th of December, 1972. Most of the exhibitions are concerned with history, art, and archaeology. Temporary exhibitions are set up on a rotational basis throughout the year.

Exhibitions on the geography, history, archaeology, culture, and ethnology of the museum are arranged as follows:

The Geography and Geology of Pre-historic Period

Settlements, utensils, burial rituals, major archaeological findings

Ancient cities and communities

Period of Recorded History

Dvaravati Culture

Stone boundary markers, religion and beliefs, costumes, script, architecture, votivetablets, archaeological objects taken from the Muang Fa Daet Song Yang excavation site, Kamalasai District Kalasin Province.

Khmer or Lopburi Culture

Ancient cities and communities, religion and beliefs, ceramics Thai-Lao culture

Religion and beliefs, utensils used in daily life

Evolution of art in Thailand Muang Khon Kaen

Traces of the past, history of the city, way of life, folk culture.

Services
Educational activities such as tours, temporary exhibitions, educational documents andlibrary services, stalls, sales of books on art, archaeology, history, and souvenirs.

Wat Nongwang is located south of the city on Klangmuang Road. This Wat was built at the cost of around 40 million baht. A good view of Khon Kaen city and Bung Kaen Nakhon Lake can be seen from the 9-tiered balcony that surrounds the outside of the Temple. The wat abbott will occasionally invite visitors to the top of the wat to view ancient Buddhist artifacts.

Wat Wutharam is located on Darun Samran Road just south of the train station. Many people, as part of there Buddhist merit making, buy fish at one of the local markets and set them free in the small lake that is near the wat.

Wat Jien Bung Kaen Nakhon is a Chinese temple located on the East side of Bung Kaen Nakhon Lake.

West Side East Side

Also know as Pattaya Song (2), this is a good place for the family to eat lunch, let the children play in the reservoir, take a boat ride, or even better yet get on the bananna boat for an enjoyable but bumpy ride. Numerous food stalls line the shore of the reservoir, umbrellas and ground mats can be rented to sit on the ground and for shade from the sun.

Getting there:

Travel West on route 12 from Khon Kaen city center. At around 36 kilometers (about 45 minutes) at the village of Nong Rua there will be a large dinosaur which will indicate that road number 2038 is on the right. Follow 2038 North until the village of Phu Wiang. There are plenty of signs in Thai indicating which turns to take to get to Pattaya Song, it can be rather challenging if Thai is not your native language. After going through several small villages and 40 minutes later you will arrive at the West side of the reservoir.

Superb Thailand : Cuisine

Kaeng Massaman Gai

Mussaman Curry with Chicken

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 2 tbsp.

Chicken thighs with skin 1 lb.

Massaman curry paste 3 tbsp.

Coconut milk 2 1/2 cups

Pearl onions, peeled and cooked,10

Peeled potatoes quartered 5 oz.

Roasted peanuts 2 tbsp.

Bay leaves 3 leaves

Cardamon seeds 4

Cinnamon stick, roasted 1 stick

Sugar 3 - 4 tbsp.

Tamarind paste or pulp juice 2 tbsp.

Lime juice 2 tbsp.

Fish sauce 3 tbsp.
(4 servings)

1. Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces and boil in coconut milk until just done. Take off the stove and keep.

2. In another pot heat vegetable oil and fry the curry paste until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the paste.

3. Add a little of the coconut milk that was used to cook the chicken pieces to the curry paste to form a thick sauce. Spoon the chicken pieces into the curry and add just enough coconut milk to cover the chicken. Add peanuts and bring the curry to boil.

4. Once boiled, season the curry with sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice and fish sauce. The main flavors of this curry are a sweetness followed by a sourness from tamarind and lime and a saltiness from fish sauce. Bring the curry back to boil again and simmer until the chicken pieces are tender.

5. Add potato, cooked pearl onions, bay leaf, cardamon and cinnamon stick, Simmer for 5 minutes longer, turn off heat. The curry is ready.

Tips

This Thai curry has on lndian influence. It is very mild and can be eaten like a stew with thick toast

Phad Thai

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 1/3 cup

Garlic, chopped 1 tbsp.

Pressed beancurd, sliced into small pieces 1/4 cup

Prawns, fresh and peeled 6 oz

Chanburi rice linguini, soaked in water and drained 2 cups (packed)

Fish sauce 1 - 2 tbsp.

Coconut sugar 1 - 2 tsp.

Unsalted, toasted peanuts, chopped 2 tbsp.

Thai chili flakes (prik pon) 1 tsp.

White vinegar or tamarind pulp juice 1 - 2 tbsp.

Bean sprouts, roots picked 1 cup

GARNISHES :

Omelet julienne 1

Fresh red spur chili peppers, julienne 1 tbsp.

Spring onion, julienne 1 tbsp.

Fresh lime wedges 2
(2 servings)

1. For best results, this dish should be cooked in a wok, Prepare all your ingredients in advance and have them ready beside you. Heat up the oil in a wok until almost smoking.

2. Add the chopped garlic and pressed beancurd to the wok. Stirfry until cooked but not browned; add the prawns and stir quickly.

3. Prawns cook very fast so do not over cook them. Once the prawns are slightly white add the flat thin rice noodle from Chanburi province. This noodle has to be soaked in water to make it pliable but not soggy, and drained before use.

4. While stirfrying the noodles, season this dish with fish sauce, coconut sugar, chili flakes and vinegar. The liquid from the prawns and seasoning sauces will make the noodle soft yet " al dente" . Add peanuts and toss to mix well.

5. Finally add the bean sprouts and quickly toss in the hot wok to warm them up but do not over cook them. Garnish the dish on top with a julienne thin omelet, red spur chili peppers and julienne spring onions with a few fresh bean sprouts and a lime wedge on the side.

Tips

This dish is very famous in Thailand and the world over. It's a great lunch item and our national pasta dish. Chanburi noodles are easily found in most Asian grocery stores, they come dry packed in a bundle wrapped in plastic. Ask your Thai or Asian grocer for phat thai noodles. Eating and seasoning tips: Westerners usually season their pasta dishes with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese but each phat thai dish is seasoned by the diner with fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, lime juice for sourness, chili flakes for spiciness and peanuts for crunchiness.

Tom Yum Gung

Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken stock 2 cups

Fresh mushrooms, quartered 5 oz.

Fish sauce 4 - 5 tbsp.

Fresh prawns, peeled 8 oz.

Kaffir lime leaves 2 leaves

Bird's eye chili peppers 4 whole

Fresh coriander leaves 4 sprigs

Fresh lemon grass, sliced thin 3 tbsp.

Fresh lime juice 5 - 7 tbsp.
(2 servings)

1. In a pot, bring to the boil the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass.

2. Allow the stock with the herbs to boil for one minute to allow the herbs to impart their scent to the stock. Add fresh mushrooms and boil until done (one minute).

3. While the liquid is still boiling add the prawns and season with fish sauce and lime juice. Garnish with bird's eye chili peppers and coriander leaves, serve immediately. Do not over cook the prawns, once the prawns turn white, turn off the heat.

Tips

Both lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves are available in Asian grocery stores the world over. They are usually dried then exported so rehydrate them before using. Tom yum kung is a well known dish. It has a delicate flavor, so when you season the soup, add the lime juice last and a little at a time, tasting the soup as you season. Should you add too much to the soup it cannot be corrected, hence make lime juice the last flavoring ingredient.

Tom Kha Gai

Chicken Coconut Soup

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken stock 2 cups

Coconut milk 3/4 cup

Fish sauce 2 - 3 tbsp.

Fresh chicken thigh, cubed 6 oz.

Kaffir lime leaves, torn 3 leaves

Bird's eye chili peppers 2 tsp.

Coriander roots from one plant

Young galangal root, sliced 2 tbsp.

Lemon grass, sliced 1 tbsp.

Fresh lime juice 4 - 5 tbsp.
(2 servings)

1. Combine chicken stock and coconut milk, add kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, bird's eye chili peppers, young galangal and lemon grass, bring to the boil in a pot. Allow to boil for one minute.

2. Add cubed chicken pieces to the soup and bring back to boil. Boil the chicken until just cooked.

3. Season the soup with fish sauce and lime juice. The soup should taste slightly tart followed by a saltiness and a creaminess from the coconut milk. Take the soup off the heat and serve in a bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips

Coconut milk is available in cans or sealed pouches. Shake the can or the pouch before use because the cream of coconut milk is usually lodged at the top.

Moo Ping

Marinade for Grilled SkeweredPork

INGREDIENTS : Moo Ping

Soy sauce 1/4 cup

Sweet dark soy 1.5 tbsp.

Soy seasoning sauce (Maggi)1/4 cup

Granulated sugar 3 - 4 tbsp.

Ground pepper 1 tsp.

Chopped garlic 2tbsp.

Chopped coriander roots 1 tbsp.

Pork, sliced into thin strips1 lb.

Bamboo skewers 15 - 20 pieces

Marinade for Grilled Skewered Pork (Moo Ping)

1. Marinate the pork strips in the seasoning mix for two hours or more.

2. Skewer the pork strips onto the bamboo skewers which have been soaked in water, leaving enough exposed skewer for handling when grilling.

3. Grill skewered pork over charcoal or broil until cooked. Serve hot with steamed sticky rice.

Gai Yang

Marinade for Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS : Gai Yang

Boneless chicken breast with skin 6 pcs. X 5 oz.

Fish sauce 2 tbsp.

Coriander roots, chopped 2 tbsp.

Garlic, peeled and chopped 1.5 tbsp.

Ground white pepper 1 tsp.

Ground dry turmeric 1.5 tsp.
(4 servings)

Grilled Chicken Breast Thai Style (Gai Yang)

1. Wash chicken and pat dry, flatten slightly with wooden mallet to ensure even cooking.

2. Make a marinade by blending together coriander roots, garlic, white pepper and turmeric in a food processor adding fish sauce to form a smooth paste. Marinade the chicken pieces in this mixture for at least half an hour.

3. Grill the chicken pieces over charcoal on a moderate heat until cooked and golden. (Ten minutes if the chicken pieces are not too thick). You can also roast the chicken in the oven, skin side up and uncovered at 220 C for 20 minutes.

4. Served with sweet chili dipping sauce.

Fresh coriander or cilantro is now available in good supermarkets all over the world, usually in the fresh herbs section. Coriander roots are usually cut off from the stems of the bunches of fresh coriander when sold. Ask your grocer for the roots or use coriander stems as substitute. Sweet chili dipping sauce is sold in Asian grocery stores under the name 'grilled chicken dipping sauce' (nam jim gai).

Gai Phad Khing

Stirfried chicken with Ginger

INGREDIENTS :

Vegetable oil 4 tbsp.

Chicken breast meat , sliced 8 oz.

Onion, peeled and sliced from stem to blossom 1

Young ginger, julienne 1/2 cup

Woodear mushrooms, soaked in water, rough cut 1 cup

Spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces1/2 cup

Red spur chili peppers, sliced length wise 1

Green spur chili peppers, sliced length wise 2

Sugar 1 tsp.

Fish sauce 2 tbsp.
(4 servings)

1. Heat oil in a pan and as soon as it's hot add onion pieces. Cook briefly then add sliced chicken, stirfry until done.

2. Add woodear mushrooms, ginger, two kinds of spur chili peppers and season with fish sauce and sugar.

3. Add spring onions and stir mix quickly. Spoon this stirfry onto a plate and serve.

Tips

This dish is to be eaten with rice and represents a Chinese influence in Thai cuisine. Usually a favorite of tourists who find this dish delicate and mild.

Woodear mushrooms are sold in most Asian grocery stores and have different names such as black or white fungus. They both have to be rehydrated before use.