Whilst coconut milk is used much less often in the cooking of Northeast Thailand than it is in central Thai food, it will occasionally be used to enrich unctuous curries, or to make celebratory sweets for special Thai festivals.

The process for extracting the milk is not dissimilar to that used to extract olive oil - with the first "pressing' being the most valued. The coconuts are halved and the juice is either consumed or discarded. A sharp grating spike is then used to make very fine shreds of the flesh, which is mixed with fresh water. This mass is then squeezed to extract the first cold pressing, or the thicker "head" of the coconut milk, with subsequent squeezings producing the thinner "tail."

Scaling the tree to recover the coconuts is an acquired skill, which you are welcome to try at Gecko Villa. Remember however that  demonstrations by the locals will lure you into a false sense of security:  the ascent is not nearly as easy for the novice as  Isan's nimble pickers will have you believe. You may prefer to watch those locals who have trained monkeys to shimmy up the trees and pick the nuts for them - a tradition that records show dates back to prehistoric times.

It's midday.

You are on holiday by the gurgling pool at Gecko Villa, deciding whether to sleep or swim under the cerulean sky - but first you want to slake your thirst.

It's Pavlovian.

Your mind evokes the psshhtt of opening a chilled coke. You imagine the dripping beads of evaporation trickling down the cool bottle...

Think again!

The folks at sugarstack wonder whether you really wish to ingest 10 sugar lumps.  Their simple yet effective graphic shows the sugar content with simple stacks of sugar cubes.

Why not blend a fresh chilled papaya instead - dubbed fruit of the angels by Christopher Columbus, who recognized it as an excellent aid to digestion. High in calcium, vitamin C,  folic acid, fibre, and carotenoids, this fruit is abundant in the area, rich in antioxidants and helps to strengthen the immune system. With less sugar than a soda and a host of additional benefits, it's perfect with a squeeze of fresh lime juice!

Whilst small, comical geckos are more common at our Thai villa, wriggling upside down across the ceiling as if they have imbibed rather too much of the local rice moonshine,  their larger counterpart, the Tokay Gecko, also likes to make the occasional appearance. This one kindly helps out as a natural and ecologically friendly mosquito depleter.

This is the second largest species of gecko in the world...and has a rather gaudy red-spotted uniform on in honour of this! Read more on the gecko, both factual and folkloric, at our Gecko Villa gecko page.

Recent guests at Gecko Villa visited the local village primary school during their stay. Back home, they  very kindly sent a large parcel of colourful children's books to Gecko Villa for donation to the school. Having collected the parcel from the inquisitive provincial post office, Ten, on behalf of the guests, is seen here presenting the parcel to the head teacher and children: they were delighted to find easy-to-read multicoloured story books inside, and immediately set about trying to understand the English texts.

The schoolchildren join us in thanking the guests for this generous donation: Sleeping Beauty and a variety of squiggly characters are now wandering the rice paddies of Isaan at playtime!

The results are in on two recent surveys, each of which looked at life from an entirely different perspective.

Travel & Leisure magazine's fifteenth readers' survey voted Bangkok as the "World's Best City" - judging the metropolis for its sights, culture and arts, restaurants and food, people, shopping and value.  At almost the same time, The Economist Intelligence Unit announced its league table of the "Best Place to Die", for which Britain won the dubious accolade.

Readers will decide for themselves the importance of quality of life over quality of death, but presumably Bristish visitors to Thailand have the best of both worlds, and may consider this the "way to go"...

As the frogs around our Thai holiday house start to "glurp glurp" at the chance to take a refreshing shower under the rice rains, they often encounter amphibian traffic jams. Those heading to the pond are keen for a swim; those returning are simply thinking of what to find for dinner - and wary not to be caught themselves as part of a local  Thai Isan dish....

Help the 3 frogs on the left switch places with the 3 on the right. Frogs can only move one way, and can only jump over one other frog. If you are not entirely frog-friendly and make a mistake, simply press the "Reiniciar" button at the bottom of the lake. You have two minutes to help nature on its way!

Many guests travelling to or from Gecko Villa combine a stay at our country pool villa with a visit to Vientiane or Luang Prabang in Laos, given the proximity of the Thai / Laos border. Here we list some travel options from Udon Thani  to Vientiane.
Train: Train 69 leaves Udon Thani at 07.14 and arrives in Nong Khai at 08.25. Delays are frequent. From Nong Khai train station, you can transfer to the bus station to head over to Laos. There is also a once daily train service from Nong Khai to Thanaleng, which is in Laos but about 13 kms from Vientiane.
Bus: There is an international coach service from Udon Thani to Vientiane, although we would only recommend this if you have your Lao visas issued prior to arrival in Thailand. If you have these, this alternative is fairly straightforward and inexpensive (approx THB100 per person.) Buses generally depart each way at 07.00, 09.30, 15.00 and 17.00 If you plan to get a Lao visa on arrival, you can take a coach from Udon to Nong Khai. A shuttle bus runs from the bus station across the Friendship Bridge to Laos every 20 minutes throughout the day ( fare about THB30).  It stops at Thai immigration 5 mins after leaving the bus station, where you need to get your exit stamp,  then crosses the Friendship Bridge to arrive at Lao customs & immigration some 10 mins later (a visa on arrival is available for Laos at this border point).  You now remove your luggage from the bus luggage hold and go through Lao customs.  Then take a tuk-tuk to your chosen hotel.
Car: Private Thai vehicles are not allowed into Laos  without a special license. This means you need to get to Nong Khai in one vehicle, go through the various passport and customs controls, take a third party bus across the bridge, go through Lao immigration, then take another bus or taxi into Vientiane. Guests of Gecko Villa  may book a fully licensed car in advance for the transfer between Gecko Villa and Vientiane (in only the one vehicle, and without border  issues.) This is the quickest and most independent option but is more costly, at approx THB3,500 each way.

Thai food commonly known outside of the kingdom is often a limited litany of accessible (but nevertheless tasty) dishes. Yet each region in Thailand has its indigenous favourites, and one of Isan's specialties is "Mam", or beef blood sausage. The central Thais refer to this as Sai Krok Luat, yet these sausages are nigh on impossible to find out of Northeast Thailand.

They are made with beef  liver and blood, mixed with a variety of herbs and spices such as lemongrass and garlic, stuffed in beef intestine. They are air dried and stay soft for approximately seven days before hardening, and may be eaten raw or fried. Not only does this process ensure a symphony of flavours - but the addition of salt or fish sauce and garlic allows the meat to be preserved. They are usually served with a spicy dipping sauce - the recipe for which you will find lurking on our Thai Isan blog.

If you travel to Thailand and are a foodie who enjoys salami or andouillette at home, keep an eye peeled for roadside stalls with a small tarpaulin roof covering strings of these tasty morsels hanging up to dry - then stop and buy a couple! Alternatively, ask us to purchase some for you and to prepare them as one of your authentic Northeastern Thai dishes at Gecko Villa.

Whilst some guests at Gecko Villa choose a Western breakfast, or simply fresh seasonal fruit with coffee or tea, our Thai favourite has increased dramatically in popularity. The dish is a staple in Thailand, often presented either as "Khao Tom" (boiled rice soup) or "Joke" (congee) - the former with a clearer broth, the latter with a consistency more akin to porridge. For Thais living abroad, the wafting steam from this dish at breakfast is perhaps the most redolent of home.

Our Thai Farmhouse version effectively marries the two, creating a hot, filling and nutritious breakfast - the spiciness of which can be adjusted individually. It can be light, vegetarian, or a hearty meal in itself, depending on your preference, and blends the silky rice base with stock, the perfume of crushed coriander root, the aroma and digestive zing of fresh julienne of ginger, the green fragrance of sliced spring onions, and black pepper or dried chili & fish sauce to taste. An optional egg adds depth to the dish, as does crispy fried garlic. My own family opts for a version with a runny egg, seasoned minced pork balls, liver and a bold dose of chili flakes - which also comprises an excellent cure for a hangover!

Having experimented with various recipes we are proud of Gecko Villa's Khao Tom and will be happy to show you how to concoct it - and to divulge to guests the additional  ingredients that make the dish stand out from its peers!

Pepperleaf or wild betel leaves (Piper sarmentosum, as opposed to the narcotic betelnut leaf) grow all around Gecko Villa. There is no English name for these leaves,  called cha plu (ช้าพลู) in Thai, phak i lert in Isan & Lao, and la lot in Vietnamese. Whilst most villagers in Isan will use them in soups to add flavour, we like to use them in what is traditionally a Vietnamese dish. The wofting aroma of the perfumed leaves, when grilled, is unmistakably seductive.

12 oz ground beef
1  thinly sliced shallot 
1 larg garlic clove - peeled and minced
2 tbls minced lemongrass (the white part)
2 tsps sugar
1 tbl fish sauce
24  large cha plu leaves (In the West, you can substitute grape (vine) leaves)
Bamboo skewers or toothpicks soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained

Mix the beef, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, sugar and fish sauce in a bowl. 
Wash and dry the cha plu leaves.

Put about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each leaf, towards the stem end. Fold the stem end over the filling, fold in the sides and roll up carefully.  Ensure the filling is wholly and tightly enclosed. Stuff and roll the remaining leaves.
Skewer the rolls, brush with oil and grill over a barbecue or on a medium-high, well-oiled grill pan for around 2 minutes per side until lightly charred. Alternatively, steam the rolls briefly and then grill.

Serve with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce made with fish sauce, sugar, lime and chilies.

This dish is a favourite with children and adults alike at our Thai holiday villa