Mum & Dads First Time On The Mekong 🇹🇭

13

Today was another day spent in heaven here by the mighty Mekong river in Chiang Khan, Thailand.

Kicked the day off with a legendary breakfast at our favourite aunty’s shop before grabbing a really good Thai coffee to wake us up.

Today we rented bicycles for the day at 50 baht each and cycled 6km down the stunning Mekong river.

At the end of the cycle path we soaked in the incredible views, did a bit of market shopping and then my mum and dad tried Isan food for the first time!

In the evening we went on a Mekong boat cruise with the local fisherman which has to be one of my favourite things I’ve ever done.

My mum and dad can’t believe how beautiful it is up here, they never want to leave and I don’t bloody blame them! 🇹🇭

Subtitles Available! Just Turn On “CC”

Locations:
📍Hotel
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Re1NMagxr5DtBPpr8
📍Naem Kluk
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7CopksMoTDTJy7HZA
📍Coffee
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xX3XJMiYFDbgGEnJ9
📍Isan Food
https://maps.app.goo.gl/tJtpRf1mYx2zCfBY6
📍Boat Trip
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aUfWLh9ggPDkSBDq7

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Chapters:
0:00 Mekong River View Room Tour
1:06 Legend Aunty’s Naem Kluk
3:34 Quality Coffee Shop
6:02 Cycling Down The Mekong
12:06 Mekong Market
16:25 Parents First Time Eating Isan Food
24:05 Lovely Cycle Back
25:32 More Coffee
27:37 Dad’s On The Lao Khao
29:41 Sunset Mekong Boat Cruise
40:14 Cheers To Thailand

#thailand

All right good morning from another beautiful  day here in chiang khan we’re about to go for   some breakfast then we’re going to rent some  bicycles and head down the mekong river before   we do that I’m just going to show you where  my mum and Dad is staying cuz it’s well nice  

So look they’ve got this little balcony area  they’ve got swivel chairs check that out and   yeah look at these views proper mekong views  we’re right on the river looking into Lao look   at this imagine waking up to that beautiful  you get to watch the fog and the Mist clear  

Inside’s really nice as well it’s just really  basic but it’s nice it’s clean what more do you   need I would also show you our hotel right but  believe it or not today even though we’ve been  

Staying there for a few days the guy’s double  booked our room and he’s asked us to move into   a room that’s worse and he’s asking us to pay 200  baht more how does that work why should we have  

To pay cuz he messed up not too happy about that  but we’re going to we’re going to um so I’ll put   this in the description but I’m not putting that  hotel because cuz I don’t like it I don’t like  

The guy right anyway let’s go so we’re on two  breakfasts today but the first one we’ve come   for is this noodle legendary spot we came last  time we were in chiang khan the aunty is the  

Best it’s really funny and it looks so good look  we got these chilies we got the sour pork all the   fried rice balls we got all kinds of other things  pig skin and then all the veg looking forward to  

This one dad did you just say pig skin I think  there’s pig skin in there yeah a little bit what   you do is you can either just eat it or you can  like make it into a little parcel in the leaf  

You know like a little stuff it up so we wrap  it up just like this in the little leaf like a parcel what do you reckon dad very  tasty very tasty so you scoop it   into a wrap it up just like that get  a chili on there dried chili cheers very gingery

Good Ginger that’s it there’s loads of  ginger in it as well Ginger , got pig skin   crispy that was a bit of a pathetic amount  of chili wasn’t it I love it though it’s so fresh so good I see the like rice salad oh I don’t understand ohh that’s so

Cute that was so cute she remembered  us and she said um I didn’t know what   she was saying but I I translated it and  she was saying I miss you very much cuz   we obviously went and then we sent  Gary my Mate Gary the roaming cook  

And he also absolutely loved it and then  we’ve come back oh she’s lovely so cute   if you’re in chiang khan check that place  out cuz it’s one of a kind and and she’s a character as we were walking down the  walking Street we couldn’t not come into  

Here a little proper coffee shop we’ve got  a special one here this is a lychee blend   where is it oh it’s gone where is the the  lychee coffee got what we got medium light   roast lychee lime pear berries fruity how  about that smells so good smells amazing

So good it’s got a proper fruity  aftertaste sweet you like that I reckon dad so delicious this one tell  us what you reckon like the after taste [Laughter] one this one’s  good it’s got a proper fruity after

Taste well we’ve got man in coffee shop told  the YouTube it’s now on the TV in the coffee   shop goodness sake this is the first day uh  one oh how do you say your first day first  

Day in thailand ever long time ago one year  ago okay okay top coffee shop this people are   really lovely as well this lychee coffee it’s  fantastic so good look everyone’s on the bikes   that’ll be us that in about half an hour big  Cycles I’m excited up coffee woke me up so we  

Got Breakfast number two we got a nice plate of  khanom jeen look how good that looks we got a   mix the sweet and the spicy and Leesh got a  dessert for breakfast why not banana in the   coconut milk that looks so good I’m going  to try that the Banana’s like pink is Pink

That it that and then my dad he’s got the  signature again that he had yesterday how   good does that look it’s fantastic  doesn’t it wait really good that dish   to get stuck into this so yeah there  we go let’s just try the curry super quick fantastic there we

Are all right there we go we’re off proper  Family Cycle outing look at this we’re going   to head right down the mekong down by  the chiang khan river front about 6 km   check out the market get some food look at  this one this has got to be one of the most  

Beautiful parts of Thailand for sure so nice  we got these bikes for 50 baht for the day   which is pretty good but we got a basket  got baskets on the back do I have one no   but you can see leesh has got a basket on  the back oh nearly fell see yeah double

Baskets oh yes so we got back baskets as you   can see there like a little bloody  Easter egg basket and then the front baskets so there we go oh yeah yeah Hole in floor just look at that doesn’t get much  better than that does it it’s the  

Type of view I will never ever get bored  of ever could sit on it every day for 10   years I still love it as much as the  first time what do you think leesh amazing so I’ve just found this this in  my bike basket some little mystery thing  

Is it a sniffer leesh it looks like  a sniffer yeah oh it smells amazing   oh that smells well good what’s this so  she left this as a little gift it’s from   this year as well that smells so good  oh there’s the last customer left it in  

My basket either way bloody top look oh  that’s good is it do you want that yeah let so look at where we’re cycling here right all  right people so nice we’re here at the break got  

Some steps going down to the mekong some nagas the  dog going by on the scooter what do you Reckon mum   and dad beautiful nice very very lovely right so  we’re going to go all the way to the end now it is 6K let’s go well let’s go after

You right flipping Heck look at this look at this ridiculous honest ridiculous you’ve got  no words to say for how nice it is it’s another world right there’s the Loei  immigration for the people   heading over from Laos just across  the river and we got the Tuk tuks to

Town just chilling out waiting for  customers here we are Mum and Dad   behind us this is the life got this  for a cycle path it’s bloody lovely I   tell you down here really nice cycle path  really easy flat yeah it couldn’t be any better

And you will see it’s can the attractions of  tourist there okay pass the shop the people   shop and then the scenery is so beautiful okay  so but don’t stop at the end of the blue Street  

Okay okay go go go ahead turn right as little  bit and then go straight you will pass the pass   the the Villers the perfect perfect chop okay  okay thank you so much okay and they have the   museums there okay okay okay so where are  you from England England yeah so beautiful  

Beautiful you know I’ve been there about 3  years ago we went to um Stonehenge to London   to Big Ben to uh London I to oh yes and so  beautiful and we went to Scotland also wow   so beautiful but this is beautiful yes this  is more beautiful oh yeah have a wonderful  

Time here thank you all right okay you stay  at the hotel by the river yes they stay on   the river front with a balcony view near the  what uh I have my resort but it’s far okay  

Nice to meet you nice to meet you okay waiting  to serve you this uh if you don’t stay but you   just go visit that’s why yeah feel free we have  some water so just talking and feel free feel  

Free to welcome thank you so much necessary  to to stay but we can have we can be friend okay bye see you oh it’s really cute we found a little friend  he’s got a really cute little face it’s all  

Right I think we should take oh he got lots  right well there you go get it back in the   bin Okay so we’ve arrived at the end we’ve  just parked our bikes here there’s a market   where they sell all this I don’t know the  name of it’s like the stir fried coconut you  

Can see this lady’s making it fresh I like the  smell and they have different grades they have   like grade a b and c and she said we can  try some of the grade a I need A it’s the  

Best one it’s soft that’s it is the softest one  like the different qualities they’re like more crunchy all different colors  they’re like crunchier oh good a it so good maybe we’ll buy some after we had  to walk around so it’s absolutely gorgeous  

Here at the end of the cycle path cuz we  just got the bloody mekong River views   the water is super high here the river is  high so we can’t actually go out like we   could last time last time we went out we  made Merit release some fish and whatnot  

But yeah the views we’ll check the view  part out in a minute but wow there’s a   restaurant here as well selling some isan  food maybe we’ll eat in there as well let’s investigate and here’s the Viewpoint  the proper Viewpoint I’ll just show  

You quickly what’s going on around here  look just got all the mountains got some   Rapids over there I wouldn’t like to swim  in there and down here you can see we’ve   got all these long boats you can actually  get the boat from chiang khan here and back  

If you don’t want to cycle or walk or  drive so you can cruise down the river here it’s lovely and he has it okay just  that one one or two uh one okay so we’re going to get one of  these to take home for ann back  

In blackburn going to get some  snacks okay thanks there you go Mum okay goodbye okay I think this is what  we had last time I think it’s one   one it’s so good but it’s so sweet  try that though oh rot your teeth out feel

Sugar oh well we will get one yeah how can you   not let’s get the green one okay  we’ll get this one okay let’s get one get that okay it’s like  pure sugar you want try it one yeah it’s really good is it just like

Oh coconut sugar oh okay okay okay okay  okay so good m is that good the wasps   know what’s up oh look at that also  got a fresh iced coconut water hits   the spot every time so we just nipped in to  a little coffee shop I’ve gone to use the  

Toilet this is hilarious no poop piss only  that is absolute classic not seen that one   before I didn’t break the rules before anyone  um accuses me I don’t think I think you did a poop how about this one paint the leaf you want  to live wow we’re going to head into this little  

Isan restaurant with the beautiful view over  the mekong river we actually been here before   and we had the shrimp cakes the fried River  shrimp cakes and what’s it oh okay oh they   just pull a chicken they’re going to cut up oh  grilled chicken so here’s the grill prop just  

Like charcoal grill we got salt fish on there  got full chickens and it smells incredible oh   she’s there cutting the chicken now okay so we’ll  take a seat in here look at this you got the view  

Now get some Esan food maybe Mum and dad can  try it for the first time let’s have a look at   the menu we’ve got like all the classic Som tam  sticky rice um laab everything the looks so good  

Beef Laab we got some dancing shrimp raw shrimp  salads for my dad and raw raw pork Laab for Dad [Music] and shrimp and okay and then drinks right all the foods here looks good  good it smells so good so we’ve got a bit of  

A spread we’ve got the go to the river shrimp  fried into a big cake we’ve got a nam tok moo   sliced pork salad we’ve got a sticky rice each  there we go c a little som tam thai and then  

We got the gang the big bad grilled chicken  and we got this little dip as well cucumber   chilies and um what not for shrimp cake looks  good doesn’t it it looks amazing so that what  

We do is they the like most traditional way to  eat is to just use your hand like get the sticky   rice oh it’s very hot and like kind of like shape  it into like a little like a scoop and then you  

Can just like scoop some of the Som tam like  that and then just like put it right in your mouth look really good let’s go little  bit spicy really good side first it’s a   feast is it yeah it’s good I want to  have some of this this is fresh yeah  

They did as a fresh one red when  it arrived on the table it was sizzling really there let’s get some  of that that dip in there let’s get   chili as well if you can I’m going to  put some of the salad on it go that as

Well this will be nice with that that’s  so good you make a make a little like um   like a flat thing you like that like  push your thumb into it yeah and you   like you like use it to scoop some  flatten it however you do it’s fine

Yeah rice is super nice the rice is  really good we’ll try this n Mo cuz   it looks so good can you see all the  juice there get a bit of everything   big bit of the meat let’s get some of  the the juice did the sticky Rice in the juice that look so

[Music] good that’s really good you  want to try that try some of that   that grilled chicken look  at that proper stuff thank you so good proper meal there then we’ve also got  a classic Leo to wash it down with Leo I that’s  

Exactly what you need when you an Esan food and  then the best part about this restaurant is the   view look at this we’re eating right here  with the view looks like they’re actually   building another eating area down there  maybe one of those where you sit on the

Floor what do you reckon Mum and Dad beautiful  really good first Isan meal yeah it’s really nice   right there we go everyone’s on it let’s finish  it all up the grilled chicken gang is beautiful   here like look at that dipping this little  sauce it’s like a sweet chili sauce that to be

Fair the crispy [Music] skin it’s got to be some of  the best Thai food like the   most enjoyable Thai food sit and  eat with other people always so [Music] fantastic we’re going to see  how much that cost all that food now  

She’s just going to add it up over  here let’s see bashing it all in the calculator oh is it going to be under 500 oh no  it’s more 570 okay okay oo do you have change  

For this 570 that way there we go okay oh so  yeah 570 all in for everyone with drinks with   beers not bad especially when you take into  account that we were sat here look this is   the restaurant this is the view bloody hell  it doesn’t get much better than that does it  

Seriously you also have tables over you can sit  on the floor I’ll show you on the way out okay on [Music] okay okay goodbye goodbye ok goodbye yeah really nice little place  here the people are nice everyone’s really Smiley  

And everything’s just fresh on these flipping  coals that’s so hot salt fish looks good yeah   right there we go what a little afternoon we  had let’s jump back on the bike got ourselves   a another coconut water I’m going to cycle back to  chiang khan off we go really good that restaurant  

Really enjoyed it really nice to just all sit  around and eat together goodbye ready go there   we go top little spot and now we’re just going  to say I going to show you this one and this is  

The seating we can eat on the floor so you can  sit in these little shelters they’ve all got   numbers best way to eat is that on them honestly  especially when your by the river cant Beat It the kitten’s got all the leftovers  from our lunch all the chicken and all  

The sticky rice hello man liking that in it well hungry it’s little Tails like a [Music] rat oh you can see they are building quite a few  new things down the front here in chiang khan all signs of um little hotels popping  up but it’s nice it’s not like over  

Development it’s like nice development  know it’s like little things not big Mega hotels like just look at this what what do you say honestly that  the views here right amazing what can   you say leesh about that I don’t even  know spectacular spectacular there we

Go unless you see it with your own eyes  they’ll never do it just this really beautiful everybody’s a coffee addict on this trip  so we’ve stopped at this little Coffee shop on the   side of the road look at this life is short drink  coffee first and he’s just doing everything here  

Proper stuff again like weighing the beans out  doing it all proper what he have looks really good   Roy is on a honey Americano is it what you want  Leesh I got an ice coco for a change an ice cacao  

Okay open my cup we go what’s this sticker sticker  you have dog meme stickers dog Meme yeah dog Meme   what else has he got chocolate muffins what is  the most thai sticker we can find this Shiba  

Shiba maybe I take space shiba [Music] Island  can I take spare shiba for this one I give you okay we go goodbye lovely young sh how many I feel  like a broken record but Thailand’s coffee scene   is incredible like there’s just stuff like this  everywhere and it’s always young people which is  

Fantastic young people with businesses like  that so we’ll sit here and drink our coffees   what all a day right so this is my dad’s this  is a honey americano well good well good we   coffee that this is my dad’s third or fourth  day you had too many dad you going to have an  

Heart attack look at you you keep stopping I know  but you keep saying yeah you love one there we go oh yeah yeah he’s there we’ve  come across a bloody snake look   at this everyone look at that  it’s gone look at this it’s a  

Wildlife channel look at that snake  flipping snake. Lao khao rice wine go and get one it oh how is it oh strong it’s okay what  is it is it this this bottle here oh I need like oh

Okay lao khao degree 40% okay yeah as soon  as you come near you can smell it Smells so   strong what oh okay I was going to say it’s  a big one okay that’s that his first shot of  

Lao khao he’s um fully Thai now oh we got  some water as well I think we’re about to   feed the fish I think our lady just brought  out some fish food oh you it bad okay okay oh  

He’s going to make my hands stink fish  food that oh where are they all in the depths oh oh okay okay I can’t  see them they’re hidden they’re   that little fish aren’t they to  do some leesh get some fish food on it’s not a bad view that is it there chiang  

Khan Town up there fisherman  going out across cross into land there’s some big over there here he is again he’s on second one [Laughter] Legends these chops just just  smashing that bottle and just um having a

Feast we’re going to go for a sunset mekong  River Cruise here we go we’re going to get in   our little boat we’re doing it proper here  in the little boat there is also big boat   but we’re in this one we’re doing it in  style okay right here we go okay we go to

Lao right we’re off I’m going to Lao  so it is mad how this is the Border   Island’s here Laos there just mad to  think about I don’t know why River borders and we’re off I think we’ve got like  an hour and a half think we’re going to head  

All the way down the river watch the Sun set  turn around and come back yeah we’re just   going to head into the middle looks like  we’re about to head to Laos though don’t it straight away check out the views behind us of  chiang khan it’s so gorgeous look at that I keep  

Saying it’s got to be one of the most beautiful  Towns in Thailand look at that all sprawling   down the river front wow so we are on the mekong  the mighty mekong River what we’re doing we’re   actually going over to Laos or what here that  we’re going straight over is he going to let  

Us dip our Toes on Laos in Lao on Laos right so  this is absolutely mental we’re pretty much in   Laos this is laos , thailand is over there chiang  khan so we’re basically in lao now aren’t we look  

He’s there all we’ve got is just a few Farmers  there’s nothing on this side it’s so nice we   just like a Tiny Town temples but from here you  can see the view of chiang khan and the time out

Oh okay so you can see which is one of  the mountains we’ve been up before and   in the morning you can see a sea of clouds in  the valley it’s beautiful oh oh that’s where   we went the other day the the rabbit Temple is  also up there one of these Hills somewhere wow  

This is incredible bloody mental is it look wow  we’re not allowed in apparently we’ll have the   Navy come in for us they’ll see us it’ll be  over they’ll be they’ll give us a slap yeah  

We get to drive a ride next to it and we get to  see what’s going on looks like we’ve got some   kids um having a shower in a minute washing the  clothes bloody hell naked kids Laos that’s the  

Site we all seen so much on this bloody Channel  no one ever has any clothes on in Laos there we go all the kids there look at them but they just  washing the clothes everyone’s washing the clothes swimming so I forget in lao everyone  is also actually quite lovely

I bet on this um side of the river as well  they’re really nice like in this little town okay so you can see here there’s been like  a lot of landslides a lot of the um the walls  

Falling in to the mechon you can see that look at  that it’s like eroding is it is that from the rain   okay high high water high water oh okay okay okay  okay oh so I bet in rainy season the water is so  

High on the river i would like to see , like to go  in the peak of rainy season see it like on a flood period right so we’re just crossing over  now back onto the thai side and you’ve got  

The immigration the the Lao side or the  thai people pass back and forth through   and then we’re going to head up the river  into the sunset how’s it going mom yeah   it’s good it’s going good I’m all right now  and I’m sat down I’m all good you all right Dad there we go

Think this is the the other boat that you can  get here in chiang khan like a bigger boat more   like a party boat so what you have with music  and like drinks maybe food look like another   Sunset Cruise you can do umbrellas there so  no one gets sun on them they’re playing like  

Traditional music like Northeastern time music  so you can’t you can’t complain really like that music okay okay okay okay okay so just learning that  here by the river banks on the mech people   grow all kinds of vegetables they grow Pak  um Chinese broccoli strawberries all kinds  

Of stuff and as the river gets lower they  have more room to grow stuff so oh yeah all   the vegetables here pack pack okay okay  okay okay okay hey there the boys the Cowboys okay like shrimp neck so they have like  shrimp Nets we keep going past like to  

Catch the obviously freshwater shrimp there  all the shrimp dishes knocking like you saw   the dancing live shrimp they they can’t cook if  you want them but it’s quite good at this if you   haven’t tried it try it so our friend is just  teaching us all kinds of stuff and learning as  

Much thai as I can and we’re just just cruising  and she’s just telling us everything it’s really   good it’s so nice or oh so we’ve got these little  fishing Outpost here as well you can see he’s got  

His little boat and then um just the fishing rods  set up and I think are they catching as well oh   so they catch the shrimp over here near the bank  and then over here we’ve got fishing Outpost okay okay what you

Have look at that the sun it’s just set it’s  just gone behind the jungle over there it’s   ridiculous you can see the bloody mekong  it’s it’s incredible it’s massive look   at it snaking around the corner what a place  again we got loads of kids in Laos over there  

Shouting out look at this oh boy it feels  lovely you just want to dive in that is so   nice it’s bloody well nice look at this look  at it perfect how is he dad. Me and dad had an argument the mekong or the  me kong I’m saying mekong,  

Me kong sounds to American there we  go look at that thai flag bobbling away so we’re on the way back to chiang khan  now and it’s like when you’re on this River   on the mekong like this you get a feeling  I can’t explain you have to come and you’ll  

Know what I mean like the camera’s never  going to do any of this Justice it’s like   it’s a special place it’s magic it’s so like  look behind me right now look at that yeah wow you have to visit oh

I’ve just been told to stand up at the front of  the Boat it’s so hard to balance but yeah I’m just   going to show you the view from stood up so look  everyone’s here put the sunset behind us yeah I’ll  

Try and turn around without falling look at this  it’s hard to balance oh I’m going to sit back down scary okay there we go you go first that was flipping incredible honestly mums off the boat boat went in the [Laughter] drink  how was that how was it incredible

It is it you can’t you can’t  explain it can you perfect it’s good yeah that’s how I felt when I was on  there it makes you want to cry some of the   happiest moments feelings of my life have  been on this River on the mekong genuinely  

It’s it’s a special place soon as they got off  the lads are still drinking they’re offering   Roy the bloody Lao khao he’s on one you  have’t last one dad there is he’s on it okay okay thank you so much it was amazing  so much thank you so much it was amazing  

We’ll tell everyone to come here it’s  the best okay okay she’s lovely the best [Laughter] okay goodbye see you later everyone in   a bit Legends okay okay she’s  amazing this woman she’s so nice all right good morning my memory card ran  out of space after the boat trip so I’m going  

To film this outro to the video now what an  amazing time we’ve had here in chiang khan,   loei that boat ride that you last saw on the  mekong sunset boat ride were just incredible   honestly it was amazing and the people are  so nice the fishermen people who took us out  

Really lovely people yeah I don’t know what  to say my Mum and Dad have absolutely loved   it definitely a highlight of the trip  just thailand it’s one of the greatest   countries in the world is it doesn’t you  don’t need to say much you can’t say much  

It’s it’s just it’s just up there so thank you  to Thailand cheers for watching see you later