Local Lunch in Mae Sot, Thailand

[@SHAKHSIYAA]

A kind and polite gentleman enjoying his life. God bless.

[@kyalanis]

Very informative video, Thank you Planet Doug.

[@salmamoniuk]

I just searched on KZbin tourist visiting Dhaka bangladesh and I found the cycling Canadian,here I am watching all your video.Giant lunch in Bangladesh very interesting!

[@CL_CORTES]

Your VDO's are always a highlight of my day! Thanks for sharing

[@PlanetDoug]

You're welcome, Chris. And thanks for the compliment. 🙂

[@ThaigersDen]

I’ve always looked forward to you’re vids, Doug. THANK YOU!

[@FunCook100]

Doug. You must try Khao Mok Gai and Khao Soi. Two fantastic Thai dishes you will definitely enjoy. Both of them mild chicken based meals.

[@destinationsroadslesstraveled]

Khao Mook Gai is a Muslim dish between 30 to 40 baht.

[@FunCook100]

@@destinationsroadslesstraveled Yes it is. And a dish eaten all over Thailand. I've eaten Khao Mok Gai from Hat Yai, to Trang, Krabi, Samui, Phuket, and all the way up in Chang Mai. Not to mention enjoying it at Bangkok's international airport. Khao Mok Gai is just as Thai as Khao Man Gai. And a blessing that it's very economical. Great 👌 for breakfast 👍

[@RvVb-ic9tx]

That's ants saluting & confirming OK! They don't actually play bumper cars. With 6 legs, they quickly stop touch antennae, then carry on. They follow the scent trail of formic acid laid down. If you put a smudge across their trail, you will see them confused. Eventually someone an ant will find another route. I put dishwasher liquid on bottom half of containers I don't want them too climb. Keep gnoshing but stay safe.

[@CSChua]

I have a theory to explain your ant observation. The returning ant will inform the outgoing ant that the food source is still there. When the last returning ant (which found no more food at the end of the trail) it will inform all outgoing ants on the trail as it returns to the nest so they will make a u-turn to return home.

[@PlanetDoug]

I'm sure exchanging information about the food source is part of what is going on. I remember that being discussed on various nature shows that I've watched over the years. These ants in my room, however, must have found a VERY good food source because they've been going back and forth from the same place 24 hours a day for all the weeks that I've been in this guest house. They haven't reached the end of it yet. 🙂

[@timbimjim514]

I'm not sure they want a tiny house or that's all they can afford these days. Cars are shrinking, houses are shrinking, pots of yoghurt and loaves of bread are shrinking. Prices unfortunately aren't. A sign of the times.

[@wallywombat164]

My Sister in law and brother in law from Mae Sot left their window open very slighty. They sent us a photo of a very large cobra who slithered in through the very small gap. Let me know how you get on/out mate?

[@PlanetDoug]

That's a crazy story. I've been hearing more and more about snakes in Thailand, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised to come across one someday here at the guest house. Hopefully, if a cobra happens to wander into my room or into my path, I'll see it before I get close enough to startle it or annoy it. 🙂

[@TimK2646]

Dear Doug, wishing you the very best of health and hope you get back into Myanmar soon. Looking forward to another update on Antz comparing Mae Sot Ants to MM Antz. Best wishes

[@adeelraiz8172]

Looking so handsome.God bless you and your family. I am Adeel Riaz from Karachi

[@nhonduang]

you can walking to morning market to get food ,there are many food to select (price about 10 bath -50 bath

[@Paulalamphere]

Hi! You can use google translate on your phone to translate by holding it up to the signs or a menu etc.

[@thetsoehtike]

I never been to mae sot, Thailand. As Burmese Canadian , its cool to see Burmese writing everywhere. I want to visit there someday.

[@jamilyzakaria]

I really wanna taste the Spicy Machine. It looks so delicious

[@larryt9536]

Hello Doug, have not seen any video or post from you for nearly a week. Highly unusual. Are you ok? I hope all is well with you !! 😊

[@thitthit5670]

Thanks for your regular uploads Doug! The food looks quite interesting, but you are right.. some of the asian food can be quite oily. Your insect story is also interesting. I guess ants bump into each other to relay information, probably they can't keep information for long and thats why they need to keep on communicating with each and every ant on the opposite direction. Just my uneducated guess😆 Have you also noticed they have some particular ants assigned as security guards. Usually they will gather for some food/water and if you leave it for long enough, most of the crowd will disappear for some time except 1-2 security guys, then they will gather back again after some rest.

[@c_honda]

After the meal, many asians would have hot tea to kind of break down the oily dishes

[@Pphhhht]

The sign outside the restaurant in Thai reads 'Oosman Cook-to-order'. So, can you really complain if the food was too oily? ☺️

[@solotraveller7795]

How often do you get travelers gut? During my travels in SE Asia, Im sometimes (often) a little wary of eating at local food establishments without some prior investigation on the cleanliness & quality of the food being provided. With that said, I love eating like a local, the food taste the best and isnt watered down for the foreign tourist palette. I consider it a part of the journey just like the time I spend on getting good deals on transport & accomodations.. I only got sick 1 time, in Cambodia... just wondering...

[@wallywombat164]

The food looked good mate, i hoped you enjoyed. P.S. where was the mandatory cucumber? 555.

[@johnadam3707]

I love all your show 💘 from Orlando Florida 🇺🇸

[@kittenastrophy5951]

With The location of Mae Sot, it serves as 1) Thai frontier to the Burma in the ancient time up to today. 2) junction city from the near past to present day. There're main roads in 3 ways around the city to the more remote areas plus 1 way toward the modern world. 3) In present and future, the government aims to make Mae Sot as an economic corridor, promoting the labor intensive industrial in the area with workforce from neighboring country. This is in the same time reducing congestion in the other industrialized cities and boosting local economy. So Mae Sot isn't just a sleepy border town as it fooled you when you first arrived in lock down time.

[@indahood555]

Nice video as always! In the local restaurant, I didn't like the way that they hided most of their food prices, I understand the loss due to the pandemic but it is a bad way to charge customers like that. Please rent a scooter and visit more far places like waterfalls, temples, I want to see how it looks like.

[@PlanetDoug]

I'm starting to feel that way myself. I feel the urge to get on a scooter and expand my world a little bit. Maybe that will happen once I get my new passport. At the moment, I'm not sure it's wise to travel even in the countryside around Mae Sot without a passport. We'll see how things go.

[@CSChua]

The omelette at 80 baht would almost certain to have cashew nuts. That's a for two lunch. The omelette with rice would be enough for one.

[@alexmalcolm5577]

On your travel advisory. I read in news the other day that Only Thais can take the intercity buses from Phuket, Foreigners cannot. Although given Phuket airport open yesterday that might have changed.

[@PlanetDoug]

I saw a few stories like that online about bus lines and even temples that had policies banning foreigners. Only Thai citizens were allowed. I'm assuming those are just rare cases, and I wouldn't give them much thought. I wonder if the language of media has something to do with this. I keep seeing headlines about how any new covid-19 cases are "imported". And that implies that foreigners are responsible. But, of course, these imported cases are all actually repatriated Thai citizens. They're not actually foreigners at all. But the headlines make it sound different.

[@nainakhonphanom4541]

That ' Thai curry chicken/beef ' actually is fried chicken or beef (your choice) with chillies paste (not curry w/coconut milk)

[@blackthorn5620]

Haha. I love your ant story. I have noticed it but never went further like you did. Interesting thought though. I think they did evovled over the millions of years. They are called humans now.

[@blackthorn5620]

@@coastmansingha9980 Looking at how some humans behave I think some are still insects.

[@ArnoldPranks]

2:20 = Reminds me of any City Building Video Game, or GTA, where the AI Traffic Cars just keep spawning and coming through endlessly LOL

[@malcolmwar977]

Where are all these people coming from? And I am going over there against the tide, to get my breakfast.

[@tariqtamim7989]

Is the Haotai group located in there?

[@LostGecko]

Does the gecko sing "tookay tookay" at night? I love geckos, they are wonderful creatures, and they are my friends. 🦎

[@PlanetDoug]

Actually, that kind of begs the question of how people write down what geckos say in different languages and in different countries. I also thought of their cry as "Gecko! Gecko!" because I'm used to seeing the English name gecko. Is "tookay tookay" how it is written in a different language? Or is that just what you hear? The geckos in my room don't make any sounds at night. But I can hear other geckos outside most nights. They sound like they are much larger ones because their cry is quite loud.

[@LostGecko]

@@PlanetDoug It is what I hear when it makes sound and it is commonly called "tokay gecko"! It actually makes creepy sound like : took kay. But it normally cries at night. It is normally spotty or has some colors. Perhaps the one you saw they could also be other small common, harmless house lizards in Thailand. They are normally about 2.5inches in length and "rubber band" -like in color and they like being in group, whereas tokay geckos are about 4 inches at least and you normally see them on their own.

[@roygoad2870]

Do you intend to stay in Mae Sot untill the visa Amnesty expires? I would be itching to travel now as a lot of the restrictions are being relaxed now!

[@PlanetDoug]

I'm not sure about that. I doubt I will stay in Mae Sot until the amnesty expires. At the very least, I should probably head to Bangkok to buy a new laptop (assuming I don't want to wait until I can return to Malaysia). I guess I've just never had a strong interest in traveling around Thailand. If I were in Myanmar or Cambodia or Vietnam or anywhere else, it would be different. But I don't feel drawn to other parts of Thailand for some reason. I was only here originally to get a new visa for Myanmar. I didn't cross the border with the intent of traveling around the country so I don't have any clear ideas of where I would even go. A long time ago, I did some backpacking around Thailand, so I've been to some of the more popular places like Chiang Mai and Koh Samui and the other islands. I think what I end up doing will depend on a lot of factors - particularly how soon (or late) surrounding countries start to open up to foreign tourists. But for Thailand itself, I'll probably end up staying in Mae Sot a bit longer and then heading to Bangkok to figure out my next move.

[@roygoad2870]

The Cycling Canadian Still think your missing an opportunity to see more off Thailand, especially at this time, I’ve been doing some research and there’s some really good bargains to be had on accommodation etc, Thailand has some amazing national parks for example and they are going to open July 1st, also there will be less tourists and the nature will be spectacular imo!

[@ktleong2000]

Love that violin background music in that restaurant. Also you should checkout foresty forest fellow Canadian vblogger travelling and living in a small van.

[@PlanetDoug]

I liked that violin music as well. That's why I left that little piece of video in place even though I don't think I was saying anything. I just liked the mood created by the music. I'll check out that vblogger. I've noticed that "van life" vlogs are very popular these days. The idea of living in a self-contained tiny home on wheels seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people. A while back, I came across another vblogger (an American couple) that had to abandon their van somewhere in South America as they flew back to the US when the lockdowns started to happen. I think they hoped to be reunited with their van someday, but I'm not sure when that will happen. I also enjoy the videos from Adrenaline Addiction, and he also began living his life of adventure out of his own van that he renovated with his father.

[@gregorybogdanoff8205]

They use soy oil a lot in Thailand which doesn't agree with many people including me.

[@SheshankReddyS]

If you got that tiny electric car, you wouldn't need a garage either. A beach umbrella would suffice.

[@adriansgt9465]

Doug, any churches in Mae Sot?

[@poutygorilla2698]

Adrian SGT there are several Christian churches in Mae Sot. I hope you have the opportunity to visit.

[@PlanetDoug]

I don't remember seeing any churches while I was walking around. I'm sure there are a couple, and maybe I walked past one, but I don't remember noticing it. I'll keep my eyes open.

[@adriansgt9465]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Planning to drop by Mae Sot when I go Chiang Mai in the near future.

[@win398]

it's 11pm for me but I'm hungry now.. and looking in my fridge and found a day old piece of pizza :( lucky for you to be stuck in Thailand...The sign at the entrance in Burmese says, " many variety of food available here "

[@bigworld7462]

Talk about lao border,when its open agen for tourist

[@alexmalcolm5577]

On the insect report. Don't the gekkos eat the ants ?

[@PlanetDoug]

That's an interesting question. I was wondering the same thing, and I watched carefully, and I noticed that the geckos completely ignored the ants. The geckos in my room walk right through the line of ants, and I know they see them. But they never try to eat them. I've seen the geckos come running toward the ants, thinking they are something to eat, but when they get close, they just lose interest. There is something about ants that make them not a good food source for geckos. Otherwise, the geckos could just sit right there and eat ants day and night. It would be like a giant feast for them. But they don't seem to like to eat them. I don't know why.

[@thelighthousehunter9303]

The second good news actually Mr Doug will be returning back to the shop to try something else...

[@wallywombat164]

Struth mate, i was worried about all that's goin on. You have given me something to work out over the next day or so. I'm positive i'll come to a solution. I'll get back to you. Maybe we can have a very interesting chat and help the world. Thank's mate.

[@williamshaw6645]

Ants bang ants bang u make me laught i like it thank u

[@wallywombat164]

I noticed a couple of carrots and a few eggs on display there.

[@repete763]

A Gecko play by play , kinda like hockey night in Canada...... EH Doug .......well sort of lol

[@nusantarah4982]

Try Tom yam goong next time

[@SLThanlu]

Hi Dough, Google / Android apps now asks for various permissions to make you aware but with regards to access to your photo, I don't believe it will 'upload' without your knowledge. But I think if google really wanted to, would we even know. Does the guest house able to heat things for you at all? Also could you try their local food delivery service. Have you consider doing a live stream, where we could ask you questions. If you get a chance, visit the hot springs in 'Hot Springs Maekasa'. It's not far, only 20 mins by taxi. Look forward to your next video.

[@PlanetDoug]

I don't remember the exact wording anymore, but there was something about this message that made it seem like I would be giving then permission to just snag photos off my phone and upload them to Google Maps if they thought the geotag matched a particular location. And, obviously, I said "No." But maybe it wasn't like that at all. It does seem a bit much to ask, even for Google. If I really wanted to, I'm sure I could use the guest house restaurant kitchen to heat up some food and things like that. But I almost never need to do that. The time I had leftovers from the Mughal Restaurant was kind of unique. I've thought about doing a food delivery service, but just for the experience, really. It would be fun to try it out. There is one restaurant that is always advertising home delivery on a Mae Sot Facebook group that I could probably contact pretty easily. As for streaming, I hadn't really thought about it. I've never done it before, but I suppose I could try someday. 🙂

[@blackthorn5620]

1st. Seems like Machine dish on the menu = Offals

[@thitthit5670]

Yes, that was written in Burmese as "beef liver"

[@PlanetDoug]

Thanks! That clears up a mystery for me.

[@samraj3179]

Bald called it "squibble, squibble, squibble" referring to the Burmese script. I find the script has close resemblance to the South Indian Telugu language. Now, coming to food that has rice as a component, it is always best to start with a little rice and gravy to have a taste of the gravy. It will provide a sense of spicy hotness of the gravy while the plain rice acts as a "cushion" against a sudden sharp chilli reaction. Just like you, I am satisfied with having some food. Gone are the days when the tongue was spoiled for taste. 25 years of diabetes has got me illtreating my tongue and thereby killing my taste. Happy trails Doug.

[@PlanetDoug]

I remember Bald and his "squibble, squibble" comment. Personally, I really like the Burmese script and find it interesting. There were some good informational displays about it at some of the museums I visited in Myanmar.

[@edmondtan8787]

It maybe dumb for the ants to head bump but that's the way to make sure they are in the same colony n shud the enemies or other colonies meet , they fight n defends theirs.

[@PlanetDoug]

I was thinking about that later. I was just assuming they were at least exchanging information about the location of the food source. But they could also be making sure they are all part of the same colony and are not ant intruders.

[@peterhawn6944]

Enjoy your KZbin....good content !

[@PlanetDoug]

Thank you!

[@Taste4047]

How are you now ? in corona time ! I wish everything will be alright soon ; and peoples will be smiling again 😢😢😢

[@PlanetDoug]

I'm doing fine here in Mae Sot. And, yes, I hope everything will be alright again soon. I know a lot of people need to go back to work as soon as possible.

[@agentmmarts3059]

10th Hello Legend Doug. The 10th to comment. Let me comment before watching!

[@mohdk2299]

Did you remember your third point (second good news) now? 😅

[@alaintran5790]

Be careful Doug most grassy areas have snakes Thailand has a lot of snakes in the countryside and be careful of tree vipers they will come in the rooms if windows open

[@PlanetDoug]

Tree vipers? That is a cool name, actually. Now I have something else to keep an eye out for. 🙂

[@alaintran5790]

Remember Doug to watch out snakes come out at dusk and the gecko are a source of food for some snakes and king cobras eat snakes

[@larryt9536]

👏

[@larryt9536]

I was #2.. next time I will take the 1st spot

[@mejimboboyrahim7497]

No planning to come back to mlysia than fly back Canada?

[@PlanetDoug]

To be honest, I do feel in the mood for a return visit to Canada, for a variety of reasons. But oddly enough, Canada is having much more trouble dealing with the coronavirus than Thailand or any other country in Southeast Asia. Being in Canada right now would likely mean facing many more restrictions than here.

[@mejimboboyrahim7497]

@@PlanetDoug so just come back visit Kuala lumpur

[@PlanetDoug]

@@mejimboboyrahim7497 I plan to return to Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible, basically as soon as the borders open to foreign tourists again. No one really knows when that will be, however. I think this new limited MCO is scheduled to run until the end of August. Who knows how long it will take after that for foreigners to be allowed into the country again? It could take a long time.

[@vegashwk4158]

I would be afraid of getting a leg cramp in that tiny car.

[@PlanetDoug]

Good point. They look cool to me, but I've never actually sat inside one. I wonder if I would find it too small and cramped for comfortable driving?

[@timbimjim514]

I think it's Thai curry chicken OR beef.

[@PlanetDoug]

I figured that out later on. 🙂 I kept saying it was Thai curry chicken and beef, but my curry clearly had ONLY beef. There was no chicken at all. I guess when I placed my order, I asked for beef curry without realizing it.

[@selfreflection2117]

Hello Douglas!

[@wallywombat164]

Them thar ants i'm talking about.

[@dusitaw.r.7965]

Machine means sweet meat

[@byondhorizon3576]

Spicy Machine - actually it is spicy beef liver salad

[@PlanetDoug]

That's interesting. Thanks. I wonder how they ended up with the translation of "machine".

[@byondhorizon3576]

The Cycling Canadian most probably, they might translate from wrong spelling of burmese words- “စပ်” mean spicy but wrongly spelt it as “စက်” which could be translated into “machine” 😃

[@lovelybaby2974]

Only two languages,Thailand and myanmar.

[@nainakhonphanom4541]

machine = entrails of any kind of animal

[@MrQalamQabut]

54:30 I think you qualify yourself to be an anthologist. 😃😃😃

[@staffanfogelberg6816]

Sorry, it's getting to much for me. To much rambling..... There's no content in your videos anymore. One hour videos about you eating lunch, or your interests for details. Otg adapters, aircondition, geckos.....???? I understand you get paid by KZbin by the minute, but your videos are to long.....I have to unsubscribe.

[@PlanetDoug]

No worries, Staffan. 🙂 Thank you for keeping me company all this time in this digital space and for all your previous comments. Take care.

[@frontiernomad8765]

Just ignore Steffan's grumpy comment. Most people enjoy your videos.

[@blackthorn5620]

@@coastmansingha9980 People who are here are not after slick and glamously produced travel vlogs. We are here to because of Doug and his unconventional style of vlogs. We enjoy his honest and unpretentious views. There are thousands of travel vlogs but only one Doug.

[@mohdk2299]

@@coastmansingha9980 70k view is an exception for his only one video because for one reason. The next best is around 40k and 30k but it's only for certain videos reached that level of views. 2k-4k views is his normal level. His vlogging style is unique, it's kind of niche in current trend in KZbin where most peoples chasing more views but he stick to his style. I don't see any ads in his videos, so he's not earning KZbin money (yet).

[@mohdk2299]

@@coastmansingha9980 I just want to point out that 40k views is not his normal level. A lot of his travel videos does get few k views, not just in Mae Sot. If you read his channel description kzbin.info/door/L2j3D5mb-GP5WB0v0Oof1g it was what his channel is about, not a normal travel vlog. It's the reason why I followed his channel. If it's just another travel vlog, I might view between here and there but will not bother to subscribe.

[@alexmalcolm5577]

On your travel advisory. I read in news the other day that Only Thais can take the intercity buses from Phuket, Foreigners cannot. Although given Phuket airport open yesterday that might have changed.

[@alexmalcolm5577]

On the insect report. Don't the gekkos eat the ants ?