Domestic Bliss?

Sometimes things at home just don't go your way!

I love these photos by Lee Materazzi hope they give you a giggle too. (Thanks Yellowtrace!)

Thailand Adventure – 'Off Duty'

In between filming, we managed to squeeze in some extra curricular activities while in Thailand.

In Bangkok we ate and shopped, and then ate and shopped some more.

We tried all of the local delicacies.

Yum - silk worms!

Crunchy crickets

We drank ridiculously priced cocktails at rooftop bars overlooking the sprawling Bangkok city skyline.

Susan F's $47 Kir Royale at Vertigo - Banyan Tree

Bangkok's Sky Bar with Di, Lara and Su

We indulged in the degustation menu at David Thompson’s Nahm – not once but twice – even got to meet David who was slightly odd but very entertaining.

At Nahm, the flowers were almost as amazing as the food - check out those orchids!

We had foot massages with not-so-happy endings, which involved being kneed in the back and violently jerked from side-to-side like a floppy rag doll.

Susan F's massage  'modesty' pants.

Sky Bridge at Flight of the Gibbons

Tandem Ziplining with Kay Caf

We ziplined through the Thai jungle – high above the tree canopy at Flight of the Gibbons – kinda scary but so exhilarating.  The 5km course included lots of flimsy sky bridges plus some abseiling and an encounter with a family of four gibbons including two babies. 

We got up close and personal with the elephants at Elephant Nature Park (www.saveelephant.org) – a refuge for endangered Asian elephants but also for hundred of stray dogs who freely roam the park.

This elephant named Lucky was blinded by circus lights

We cooked up a storm at a cooking class in Chiang Mai with Lara and Di.  God it was sweltering in that kitchen – I managed to get out of cooking one of the dishes by flipping the contents of my wok onto the floor after a chili-induced sneezing fit.

This guy was from the UK - we thought he looked like Phil Collins so we called him Phil all night.  I think his real name was Gary.  We tormented him and everyone else on the course for about 5 hours - including a shared ride home where we entertained them with our singing. 

The 'Talent' van

There was also the night in Bangkok, which began at midnight once filming had finished and ended (for Sue Peden) with Gastrolight and Pad Thai for breakfast.  And another night in Chiang Mai at The Riverside which made for an interesting and hilarious bus trip the next day.  Don’t worry Susan F and Di Parsons, what happens on tour, stays on tour!

Our Thailand Adventure - The 'Talent'

  

What happens when you take three couples from Australia: newlyweds from FNQ, primary teachers from Melbourne and a couple of mums from Perth and drop them in Asia for a week of cooking ‘surprises’?

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks in Thailand for our client Five Tastes (a new range of Asian meal kits, sauces and pastes) – putting it to the ultimate taste test with the help of our new besties: Brodie & Ash, Steven & Chris and Lara & Di.  The highlights will be seen in a series of minisodes and commercials coming soon.

Brodie and Ash had to outsell local street vendors in Bangkok’s busiest eat street – Soi 38, cooking Thailand’s most famous dish: Pad Thai.  But not before we made them catch the shrimp for the dish – in Brodie’s case with his bare hands!

Nice one Brodster!

Ash's Pad Thai brought all the boys to the yard!

Chris and Steven – who can’t cook, had to cook traditional Thai green curry for a wedding party in Chiang Mai.  I’m not sure what was funnier – them busting some Thai dance moves or them trying to climb palm trees to retrieve coconuts for the coconut milk they had to make the traditional way.

The boys giving Alms to the monks

Taking a dance lesson

We asked Lara and Di to trade their glam maxi dresses and heels for some traditional farming outfits and sent them into the mountains to work a rice paddy and cook Thai red curry for lunch for the locals.  The catch?  It was a frog red curry!  And they had to catch the frogs – along with some eels and catfish for a bit of added protein!  Oh – and we also made them eat crickets, silk worms, cicadas and an array of other critters!

Di wasn't too happy about eating insects

Frogs so big you could saddle them!

Thankyou guys for making this #FiveTastes adventure so much fun and for being so brave, enthusiastic and gracious – no matter what we asked you to do.  You Rock!