Travel Diary in Xishuangbanna: Botanical Garden + Thai Cuisine Double Delight

This morning, I visited the botanical garden in Xishuangbanna. The plants there were absolutely stunning! Every photo I took looked like a painting. I spent the entire morning exploring before heading back to the hotel to rest. It’s definitely worth a special trip for some amazing photo opportunities 📷.

In the afternoon, I met up with my friends for a massage. Afterward, I felt completely relaxed and refreshed. As we were leaving, we stumbled upon a small rainforest-style Thai restaurant bathed in the golden glow of the sunset. The sunlight streaming through made it look breathtakingly beautiful! We immediately rushed over to take photos and decided to try it out since it was dinner time 👯♀️.

We sampled several signature dishes, and the most surprising one was the Thai-style spicy pork belly. It was fried and stir-fried to perfection, incredibly flavorful, though it made us eat a lot of rice! The spicy stir-fried crab had tender, fresh crab meat, and the curry flavor didn’t overpower the crab’s natural taste. The marinated shrimp was tangy and spicy, a perfect appetizer that we couldn’t stop eating. The mixed stir-fried vegetables were well-seasoned, retaining the natural sweetness of the veggies, and were the first dish to be finished!

However, the Tom Yum beef tripe soup was a bit too sour, so those who don’t enjoy sour flavors should be cautious when ordering. Overall, this was the best Thai meal I’ve had during my trip to Xishuangbanna, and I highly recommend giving it a try!

Post by Krittkin | Sep 15, 2025