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From Thailand’s iconic water festival to a pulse-raising wild honey harvest, EBS1’s ‘World Theme Travel’ takes viewers on a vivid journey through northern Thailand, tracking local life and culture in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.
On June 1, EBS1 airs the first episode of ‘My Second Thailand,’ titled ‘Chiang Mai Meets Water,’ with culinary researcher Choi In-seon joining the adventure across the north. Choi launched his culinary career at Noryangjin Fish Market right after military service and has spent more than 30 years working in the restaurant world at home and abroad. This trip is his second Thailand — a chance to relax and explore, not to work.
The trip begins in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second-largest city, nicknamed the Rose of the North. The visit lines up with Songkran, Thailand’s New Year celebration. What started as a ritual of pouring water on one another for purification and blessing has exploded into a global water festival that turns the entire city into one sprawling party.
Streets are filled with people brandishing water guns, and Choi dives into the chaos, joining locals as they drench each other. But there’s a twist: it’s not just water — it’s ice-cold water. In April, the hottest month in Thailand, people chip massive blocks of ice into chunks and sling them into the crowds to make Songkran even more electrifying and refreshing.
Behind the scenes, ice factories hum nonstop. Workers produce, cut, and move giant blocks of ice — some as tall as grown men — around the clock. Those blocks are shipped straight back to the festival. The nonstop water play and thunderous cheers show how Thais ring in the New Year with exuberant, communal joy.
After the water wars, the crew digs into Chiang Mai’s food scene. They stop at a tiny roadside spot beside the train tracks. Run by two sisters, the place invites Choi into the kitchen, and he helps cook alongside them.
Local favorites arrive in quick succession: Thai basil pork (pad krapow mu sap), kung chae nam pla — raw shrimp served with fish sauce — and a spicy chicken feet soup called tom sup thin kai. Even with decades in the kitchen, Choi can’t help but thrill at these new flavors and soak up the charms of Thai cuisine.
The journey then winds on to Mae Hong Son, a mountain town in northern Thailand known for its dramatic roads. Travelers dread the route for a reason: Highway 108 has a staggering 1,864 hairpin turns. While following the mountain highway, the crew even hits an unexpected checkpoint that forces them to stop.
After the dizzying drive, they arrive at a remote mountain village and meet a remarkable local: wild-honey gatherer Mr. Pranti. Each year at this time, he ventures deep into the forest to harvest a rare, wild honey you can’t find anywhere else.
The harvest is far more perilous than it looks. Mr. Pranti climbs tall trees with almost no protection. When he spots a hive, he yells for the crew to run. In an instant, swarms of wild bees blanket the sky. Only after that tense surge subsides does a hive dripping with golden honey reveal itself.
Tasting that fresh wild honey on the spot becomes an unforgettable moment for Choi. But the surprises keep coming. Mr. Pranti’s son brings out a tiny honeycomb — and what’s inside it leaves even the veteran chef stunned. Viewers will have to watch to see what could provoke such a reaction.
From the electric chaos of Thailand’s biggest water festival to the forest’s intimate gifts, ‘Chiang Mai Meets Water’ captures local life and culture well beyond the usual tourist stops, revealing another, deeper side of Thailand.
EBS1’s ‘World Theme Travel — My Second Thailand’ Part 1, ‘Chiang Mai Meets Water,’ airs June 1 at 8:40 p.m.
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