Today was a big day for us, we got to go out to Mae Rim where our friends are building a new home and restaurant.  We met Tee and Ian several years ago at their business in the city – a small guest house and a restaurant that we have been returning to for breakfast / lunch / dinner about once a day while we are in Chiang Mai.  In the last couple of years they have started in on a new project about 30 minutes north of the city near the village where Tee’s family lives.

The project when finished will be a new house for them, a restaurant for tourists and the locals in the surrounding area, and a few small bungalows for rentals.  So far the main house is about 3/4 complete, and the restaurant and kitchen was recently finished.  The local monk told them that Friday morning would be a good time to ‘open’ the business and so a blessing ceremony was held, and we were invited out to the ‘soft opening’ in the afternoon to try out some of the menu items, hang out with friends, and get a chance to see how the construction has progressed over the last year.

It was great to see the work that is being done first hand – I have had the chance to see it evolve via pictures, but being able to stand there is so much better!  The main house was just some string lines and stakes in the ground last year, and now the main construction is basically complete, and they are diligently working on the finishing work – installing windows and doors, tiling, painting etc.  It gives me a great chance to see up close the Thai construction methods as almost everything here is done with bricks and concrete, but they are masters at what they can do with those materials.  The patience that they have in being able to makes things from concrete and finish surfaces with great detail is quite impressive, and while I can build a fair number of things back home, I could never master the masonry techniques used here.

Of course the highlight of the day was the opening of the restaurant, and after we had a chance to tour the new house and bungalow it was time to sit down to some serious eating.  The day was mostly a soft opening and a chance for the kitchen to get it’s rhythm and test out some of the dishes.  This is all good news for us as we get to sit around for the afternoon in the tranquil surroundings and nibble away at a fairly constant stream of food from the kitchen over some cold refreshments.

For us it is always a privilege to have the chance to be part of these sorts of events because they don’t happen often, and are typically for close friends and family, so a special treat for us to be part of the ‘in’ crowd. A warm thank you to our hosts Tee and Ian for another great day in paradise!  We look forward to returning again many times in the future.