Positive information

Coffee is a big positive for me living in Thailand.  Big international brands to small local producers, Thailand has it all.  I start my day with home-brewed espresso made from a wide variety of local beans and there is no shortage of beans to try.  Quiet thoughtful conversation over coffee, in a trendy boutique coffeeshop is one of my guilty pleasures.  I even stumble upon coffee plants on some of my hikes in the mountains.

Coffee is also a big big plus for me living in thailand....

I like the convenience of it all and of course the wide variety. Hot, cold, can, sachet, black or white or even lattes on special occasions!

14 baht for a can of nescafe cold latte is a God send when I'm on the go.

A firm favourite of mine has got to be 711's own brand of make your own coffee in store
If purchased with a  cheese and ham toasted sandwich for 25 baht you get the coffee for 7 baht so a decent on the go breakfast for 32 baht.

At home I drink a new brand in thailand or perhaps new in the shops I frequent. It's called buddy dean amd we get 18 sachets for 63 baht. I think it tastes pretty good and I drink 3 cups a day but I'm a real whore where stuff like that is concerned and if I saw an on par coffee for cheaper I'd jump ship immediately.

The food, and the food, and the food, and of course, the food.

I have been working all over the world the last few years...principally in the Middle East and there are three things that always remind me of why I live here.

1) Green - the foliage is incredible.  Gotta love the tropics.
2) The lovely ladies - after years of watching Darth Vader show up everywhere, Thai ladies of all shapes and sizes are a breath of fresh air
3) Food...I love it.  Whether it's Southern Style, Isaan or just street food...it's delightful.

Thank you all for all the positive input so far! Keep it up!
We new planning expats need a bit of good news every now and then!

Our latest hike was up Doi Pha Mon which is the newest mountain destination in our area, having only been open for a few months. The weather was perfect and the views were breathtaking.

As usual we were the only ones hiking all the way from the bottom instead of riding most of the way in a truck. Everyone we met on the trail and in the village were so nice and we were even joined on our hike by three local dogs who kept us company all the way up.

The trail started off easy and open, passing through a village and surrounding fields, getting steeper and more forested as we went up to the ridge where we were looking over into Laos. Once again we walked through a burgeoning coffee plantation growing under the forest canopy.

We have a very thoughtful and lovely Thai friend who, understanding my passion for coffee, sends me interesting beans from her travels.  This blend came from a recent trip to Japan, I believe.  It is so nice to have a Thai friend like her.

iPhotos of the process from this morning.  (If you don't include the cost of the espresso machine, grinder and other paraphernalia, one could perhaps say this coffee was free.) 

Wow! Beautiful pictures! Thank you Villagefarang!

Just trying to do my part.