the road traveled

Saturdays. I love them. A day with no boundaries. My morning started off me with me looking for vanilla, yeast, whole wheat flour, and a baking sheet; the essentials for a westerner's kitchen. It was the first day in a while where the forecast was to be sunny most of the day, with a 60% chance of rain in the late afternoon.  So I hit the S. Downtiam Food Market. I was able to get what I needed and shoved everything under the seat of my bike. I wasn't sure where the next few hours would take me. 

I think what happened next was more of the 'shiny object effect.'  I took Talad Mai Road, east for several miles. I started seeing lots of temples I hadn't seen before. I then looped around and took another road. This is when I decided that there was just too much to see. 'It's sunny and the clouds are as beautiful as they ever will be. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

Jump on the back, kick the pegs downs, and lets go.

 This road looks promising.

It appears that it's a bit difficult to blend in here. I think we are catching a lot of attention and curiosity. They must think we are lost.

Laundry day in these parts

This reminds me of the commercial where the woman drives out to the country with her laundry to get some fresh country air.

It 's a moo!

 I will always break for a cow.

 Picnic Perfect?

Rivers, rivers, rivers. So many rivers. Love the water. And the clouds.

 I think this might be a school and monastery, here along the river. Yep, there's a monk and a few nuns..and of course a few hens and cocks. None of them seem to mind that we are here.

 Rubber trees! Pulling over now. Finally, I am the one behind the throttle and have the power to pull over. Hope you don't mind. I've been wanting to see this up close.

 Can you find the collecting cups?

 This is so cool. I have never seen this before! Quit staring at me like I'm crazy. I can't help it, this is cool. Trees usually produce about 4lbs of latex in a year.  The collection is usually done while its cooler outside, as the cuts can seal if the latex begins to coagulate to quickly. You can see the panel where the the bark was stripped, searing the veins to release the latex. A panel, from what I have heard lasts around 5 years, the the opposite side is used for the next 5 so that the initially tapped side has time to heal.

 Interesting smell, not bad. I kind of want to put my hand in it. The latex is stored in tanks, coagulates and gels, then is flattened into sheets, smoke-dried then shopped to a manufacturer.

 Palm. Lush, green, and all sorts of exotic.

My only thoughts, I wonder what kinds of creatures we could find in those waters? And where is the man that dropped anchor?

I hope the homeowner and his dog don't see us hiding behind this pole. I don't think he will mind but, it just might be awkward. He seems far to fascinated in his trees to notice us right now.

 See the bags? I'll give you 20 baht or lunch on me if you can guess what kind of tree this is. Alright lets head back to the road.

 These roads and paths were far from boring. I encountered potholes, dirt roads, lizards, chickens, colorful butterflies, and a few other things that I will never be able to describe in words. I think I almost used a half a talk of fuel today, twice as much as I have used all week heading to work and my Thai lessons.  Ready to head back and get some food for the evening? Me too. 

I am thinking we should head to the night market, maybe stop by P'Phen's to say hi. Oh, you're not interested.. oh you're sunburned eh. Alright, why don't you rest up and I will tell you about the happenings later.

 Rambutan, pronounced n'gh'ah in Thai.

P'Phen told me that rambutan originated in Surat Thani and that this native fruit won't be ready until July.  She continually reminds me or their origin and that the best ones come from Surat. Her claim is that Surat rambutans are sweet and crisper.  She informed me that the truck beds of rambutan that I see daily are from the Chanthanuri province (Thailand), which is east of Surat Thani - across the gulf, near Cambodia. I have tried several rambutans over the course of the past week, they are sweet and juicy, with the texture of a grape.  In the center is a small almond-shaped, woody seed.

P'Phen ended up inviting me in, as she was excited to have me as company.  Her nephew was there. The three of us talked some and then she asked if I had eaten yet. I said, no that I was going to head to the market.  She then asked if I would join her for supper. I of course said yes. I even got to help with some of the meal prep.

 Rice steaming on the burner to the left and the wok preheating.

 The omelet mixture to the right, with red onion and fish sauce. The bowl on the left has has what P'Phen calls small red onions.

 The omelet, frying away in the soybean oil. P'Phen said that palm or peanut oil have a much better taste.  She told me that I need to make this for my family when I go back home. She stated that I could also add sweet raisins to add some fragrant flavor. The egg was heated through by pulling the outside edges away from the center.

 Flipping the omelet.

 Dishing up some steamed rice. Whether you like it or not, just put a little on your plate. Saves a lot of confusion on the Thai end.

 Japanese fish, pronounced saba, a deep sea fish. P'Phen said she picked this up at one of the local markets, organic kale, and the omelet.  The lighter sauce was for the kale - with a sweet, spicy, herby flavor. The other sauce was a chili pepper sauce for the fish, I'm thinking it had a fish sauce base. It was a good meal and I enjoyed my company.

My Thai homework, a fun little end note to many of my P'Phen encounters. 

I do enjoy a cool evening ride at the end of the day.