The simple things can be the most pleasurable and on a recent trip to Koh Chang I bypassed the International restaurants and opted for a small Thai restaurant. And it was bliss.

It had been a long day and I was tiring, so fancied a spicy som tam to kick start my taste buds and to wash it down with an ice cold Singha beer – complete with ice cubes. It took me many years of living in Thailand to finally accept ice cubes being put in a beer but – and you will need to trust me on this – it is better with ice!

Som Tam – without the crab!

It also took me a few years to enjoy Som Tam. Initially I was confused that the only variant was the smellier one with fermented crab. Som Tam Thai thankfully does not contain crab and is super tasty – More so with a few chillies added. In fact, Som Tam without chillies is not Som Tam in my opinion!

As the endorphins rushed through my body it was a reminder to how Thailand can provide such magic without needing to break the bank. Happy days indeed.