Today we’re off doing a bit of exploring on our own. Two days ago we were on a Feast Thailand tour which was guaranteed to leave you as stuffed as the bird on your Thanksgiving table. I am always embarrassed when I use a metaphor, especially a goofy one but I couldn’t resist. It really is the only way to describe how full we were. And for the English teachers reading this, if it’s a simile please feel free to correct me and maybe I’ll finally get the difference.
Off we went in the back of a pickup truck with our guide Cream and Jhonny, a new friend from Romania living and working in Scotland. Our first stop was the “Dinosaur” market, so called because it is old and not a tourist market. It is between Soi 45 and Soi 56. And what a marvelous market! Fruit, fish, meat, vegetables, clothes, candy, baked goods, sauces, oils, and more!
We tasted sausages, Chinese pancakes with chives, fried kale, pineapple, BBQ pork with rice, peppers, ginger, herbs, jack fruit salad, and that’s just a sample. The array of food stuffs was astounding.
After tasting so many wonderful foods, we had a bit of time to shop. We bought several tomatoes, a bag of cherry tomatoes, and a bag of sliced guava that came with a small bag of a mixture of salt, sugar and red pepper for dipping. The fruit looked like a bumpy green apple, very hard, not sweet but not sour.
Stuffed but with more tastings ahead of us we climbed back into the truck. Next stop— a restaurant specializing in organic healthy food. We started with blue rice and fried rice accompanied by tamarind sauce, shallots, and pickled vegetables. This was followed by a shrimp and broccoli dish, another dish of rice with minced sausage, shallots and cucumber, and according to Cream, the best chicken noodle soup to be found anywhere. There were two kinds of noodles in the soup, crunchy and broad soft noodles. It was the favorite for Dennis and Jhonny.
Once again we climbed into the back of the pickup truck. These moments of hoisting myself up into the truck aren’t my finest. They were not accomplished with the natural grace of a ballerina. The pickup was equipped with steps and rails for getting in and out. I’m just not naturally graceful.
Our last restaurant found us enjoying tilapia, beef with fried spice leaves, and two kinds of papaya salad, hot and burn your lips hot. To eat the deliciously grilled tilapia we made a cone of a coriander leaf, placed a bit of fish in the cone, added a dollop of glass noodles, and a bit of sauce. Scrumptious!
Then came a day for Dennis to explore, shop for breakfast, and pick up laundry. He found a used book store where he could trade in the books he’s read and get a couple of new ones. I spent time working on my art journal. Friday found us on the road again. This time we were going to Kui Buri National Park.
Kui Buri or Kuiburi National Park is a refuge for wild elephants and wild gaur. There are no guarantees that you will see see the animals or birds that populate the park. For me, the very idea of the park with animals living completely free makes it worth supporting.
On the way there we stoped at a fruit market where Mi, our guide bought mangoes. We were surprised to see breadfruit for the first time. They are huge, at least as big as a good sized watermelon! Mi bought us a bag of prepared breadfruit. We really liked it. It’s a bit unusual, not too sweet and a bit sticky but really tasty.
We found the park to be very well cared for, beautiful and peaceful. The washrooms were immaculate and well-supplied with toilet paper for which I was grateful. Once again we found ourselves climbing into the back of a pickup truck, this time without steps or rails. Oh boy! When the guide saw the look on my face she produced a small step stool much like the one in our kitchen. Off we went into the forest.
The National Park guide has to be one of my favorites because she was able to fix my camera when for some reason, something went wrong. I wish I knew her name. She was a lifesaver!
Dennis with a final word—
Me again. I’ve got to give Cindy credit. since she started this blog, the purpose (I think) was two fold: 1. To share with friends the places in the world we’ve been fortunate enough to visit and experience so you can get a feel for it and 2. So that Dennis can see and remember where we’ve been and what we did. No, I’m not suffering from Dementia (I think) it’s just that I have a poor memory. When I see the videos she makes of our trips, I feel again the experience we had. She on the other hand, doesn’t need a tutorial.
For example, After reading her account of our “food fest,” I asked her, “How can you remember all the different kinds of food we ate? Different rices and noodles? Different spices and fruits? Wine and beer?” Well, that I do remember.
I asked, “Do you take notes?” and she replied, “No.”
Again, I asked, “How do you remember all that?” She just shrugged. I related, “If someone asked me what we ate, I would respond, lots of food.” She just laughed and her look seemed to imply, “poor guy.”
It’s kind of like that with emotions for me too. I know happy and mad. I don’t get all the subtleties before, after, or in-between these emotions. How did you like the food? It was good or I didn’t care for it. The toilet? It was clean or it didn’t have soap or toilet paper.
We both look at the sun. I see it shining or it’s cloudy. Cindy? She sees colors, shades, and hues. I guess this might be what keeps our relationship interesting. That’s all I can write for today. For in-depth photo journalism, please see Cindy 😎
This made me laugh, Dad!
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