It was a tiring week. So full of work that most days I was falling asleep the minute my head would touch the pillow. But it was also a good week, productive and full of little wins to get excited about. Until Friday I was dreaming about the weekend and the luxury of not thinking about work. So when Friday night came around, I was buzzing.
We saw Carlos for dinner at a Goodsouls Kitchen which is one of the famous vegan places in Chiang Mai. We had passed by this place a few times before but, to be honest, I was always put off by how fancy it looked. At 8:30 pm on Friday though, it was the only place that was open so we didn’t have much of a choice. But, wow! the food, the ambience, the service – they were all absolutely superb. It was still a posh place but they seriously do the best vegan food in town. From day one I had fallen for Vegan Heaven but now it had a very strong competitor in the face of Goodsouls Kitchen.
When we sat down, listening to the music, I was so pleased we could now switch off and relax. And so we did, laughing and chatting away … until our order came in and we digged into it impatiently. We ordered the best on the menu which were the signature vegan steaks and a burger. Over the years, I’ve become quite the creative cook, so when I saw the fancy perfect look of my Khao Soi and beetroot/ chickpea steaks, I was impressed and inspired to copy the recipe haha! The taste was just magnificent. How the guys were able to prepare all this in just 15 min I had no idea but it was just the perfect way to celebrate a hard week. They excelled and we quickly knew we’d be back. After dinner, the boys being the biggest sweet monsters to be found in Chiang Mai, needed a sweet haha. At 9 pm in Chiang Mai, there’s little else to be found than a 7/11 and a roti stand selling fried super finely thinned dough with various fillings. So a roti scout it was.
After a few minutes drive we saw a crowd of people queueing up and waiting in front of a tiny roti stand. When we got a bit closer we saw 2 ladies, daughter, her mum aged 80-85, and a little boy, all running an impressive roti supply chain. I couldn’t believe the mastery of their process. People were putting orders through on a piece of paper. Orders were coming in online via grab. Boxes of rotis were being rushed out to people all over both sides of the street. It was remarkable and so well organised. And all of it was happening without barely any talking at all. It was a mastery to its finest.
We waited for 40 min for the rotis!!! And the boys ended up not being particularly impressed by their choice. However, the 3 of us wow’ed when we asked one of the ladies how long they’ve been selling their rotis for. The lady thought for a moment, made the count in her head and said “32”. We were wow’ed, truly! Same spot, same product, same dedication. For 32 years. People kept on gathering as we were heading out but the thought of these ladies’ commitment to keep returning 6 days a week, every week, for the past 32 years kept me thinking as we drove home. Can you image being so committed to something and keep doing the exact same craft for this many years, in the same way, at the same spot, with the same 1 person? It makes you wonder why and how, doesn’t it?
The next day we were thinking of going to Chiang Rai but woke up exhausted and a bit grumpy as we couldn’t find the energy to drive 4 hours up north. We quickly made another plan and headed to the Hmong Village and the Doi Pui viewpoint. I’ll write a separate post on Hmong Village because it was such a unique experience in so many different ways. The highlight of that day, and possibly the week, was our unexpected discovery of Doi Pui campground. It was nothing too special. Just a campside with a lot of well-cut grass fields, a view over Chiang Mai and nothing else around but trees and birds. It was the ideal spot for a picnic and some thinking.
I kept on reading Jay shetty’s book throughout the week and I couldn’t set go of all the questions that I kept on struggling to find the answer to. As much as I love this blog, I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly to do with it. It doesn’t have many views at all. It doesn’t have a clear direction or a committed audience 🙁 ! So I’ve trying to figure what direction to take it into and how I should reshape it so that it’s helpful and people want to go back to it. I spent a lot of the time lying on the grass trying to figure it out and I can’t say that I figured it out but it felt refreshing to pause and think about it.
It’s a thought process that is very much still ongoing and I’d honestly appreciate your help in figuring that out so much. So, if you have any feedback or are happy to share what kind of blog you’d wish this was, honestly you’ll do me such a huge favour if you share with me. Either in the comments below, Instagram or Facebook. I seriously mean that and really hope to get your opinion. In the meantime, I’ll keep on pondering over it and stay positive and think that sooner or later I’ll figure it out (with your help) and the blog will become helpful for a lot of people who need it.
The adventure continues…
Stay tuned & thank you so much for reading! ❤
