Eat like the birds in Thailand.
It's hard to imagine a table with a better view anywhere else in the world. Looking down, only tree branches and the ground are visible too many meters away. In front of me, the turquoise blue sea of the Gulf of Thailand with a small island in front and for all sound, the squirrels that jump between the trees, the wind that shakes the leaves and the songs of the exotic birds that surround us.
A meal at the Tree Top Dining restaurant at the Soneva Kiri hotel on the remote island of koh kood , in Thailand, is one of those that are not forgotten. To begin with, because as its name suggests, it is located among the treetops about 5 meters above the ground . To get there, the rattan nest with capacity for 4 people picks us up on the ground and slowly ascends by means of an electric cable to the point with the best views to the west of the island. Above, on a small platform, awaits us Khun Lek, our acrobat waiter , who, after taking note of our request, adjusts his harness, hooks it to the steel cable that runs through the trees, and which modern Tarzan he jumps into the void promising to return soon with our food.
One look down makes me understand why children are not allowed in the restaurant . From up here, surrounded by jungle on all sides, I have the strange feeling of being in a place that doesn't belong to me, of being a privileged outsider in the world of birds, squirrels and monkeys. Before we can miss him, Khun Lek returns, slipping swiftly under the wire and bearing a tray of all the impeccably presented food.
We have chosen to have breakfast in the nest (although you can have lunch and also dinner), so soon croissants, muffins, fruit and toast fill the table, in which no detail is lacking. The tea, coffee, and eggs are still warm when he brings them in without spilling a drop. “I trained for a month to be able to bring and carry the dishes with one hand without dropping them” Lek tells me, smiling, who seems to enjoy his work as a waiter in the heights.
As quickly as he has come, he leaves, but not before telling us that if we need him, he will be there. discreetly stationed on a wooden platform a few meters below , and that he'll be back for us in half an hour. The temperature this morning in mid-January is perfect and the turquoise blue of the sea in the background predicts another unbeatable day at the beach. While I pour myself another coffee I think that I will hardly forget this breakfast among the treetops in this piece of Thai paradise.