The positives that've come from writing my book have been many. One such positive that I love is those who've told me they now plan to travel to my 'happy place' themselves. Such a thrill to know they will also be able to experience the country I love so much.
It got me dreaming and scheming about where I would take my readers and what I'd introduce them to if they were to tag-along with me on one of my stays!
There would be no eating at hotels. Out onto the steamy streets we would go, preferably heading for the closest market or gang of breakfast street vendors who generally cluster together.
Breakfast is my favourite meal at home and it's the same when I'm in Thailand. It's often the best time to eat sticky rice in all its forms starting with the queen of sticky rice. Just add a perfectly ripe golden mango on top of a decent helping of sticky rice that has been cooked to perfection and drizzled with coconut milk with sugar and salt added. A sprinkle of crunchy yellow mung beans and another slosh of coconut milk and you have - sticky rice and mango.
The search would also be on for sticky rice parcels filled with banana or mango or Thai coconut custard and wrapped in banana leaves. Some are streamed others grilled and smokey.
We'd stand and wait for a fresh batch of kanom krock, Thai coconut puddings, to be cooked selecting our fillings which could be corn, sweet potato, coconut or mango. These are best eaten warm as they have a crunchy outside crust.
The Thais also love their own version of a donut at breakfast time. A semi sweet dough is shaped into a cross and quickly fried. It's crisp on the outside and fluffy in the middle and they use chopsticks to grab the donut from the oil and plonk it in a paper bag. A tiny container of condensed milk is included for dunking your donut in.
More than likely the crispy fried bananas would be cooking near by. Dipped in a thick batter that has fresh shredded coconut in it and just the right amount of sweetness. These would be devoured before we had time to move to the fruit stall.
Depending on the time of year I'd encourage everyone to experienced the sweetest pineapple cut into small slices with a fancy edge because Thai people like their food to look nice. There would be guava, mangosteen, lychee, passionfruit, rambutan, rose apples, durian if you must and other tropical delights available from the fruit cart. I don't each much fruit at home preferring mainly berries but I eat fruit every day in Thailand without fail.
And for my savoury friends I'd steer them in the direction of the smoke coming from a tiny coal bbq balancing on the back of a motorbike stall. Sweet pork threaded on satay sticks grilling as the stall owner fans the coals. Served with a warm handful of sticky rice stuffed into a plastic bag. You won't believe how good this can be.
We'd go hunting for dim sum steaming under a shiny silver lid. Dumplings filled with prawn and pork and the large sized white steamed buns offering a variety of shredded meats inside them would make it hard just to choose one. Noodle bowls are common at breakfast along with rice and curry if you need fuel for the day. Often there will be a fried egg or omelette on top.
A steaming hot rice porridge with fresh vegetables and meat doesn't appeal to me but I can see why many love it.
Let's not forget a fresh tropical fruit smoothie, Thai cold tea that's terracotta in colour and super delicious, coffee both hot and cold and all sorts of variations to wash it all down.
Not a piece of toast or a bowl of museli insight.
I love starting my day on the streets eating with the locals because they always know where to find the good stuff.
Next week let's have a day out together. I'll share my idea of a day well spent in the land of smiles.
What would your breakfast pick be?