Trip to Cha-Am - 2nd Post

At the end of my last post, we had just arrived in Cha-Am, unpacked and were heading to the beach to meet up with Kei, a friend of Christopher's from school, and his mom who were also in Cha-Am for the weekend.  

We supported the local economy and let the kids ride for a while on the beach with the horses...

 

 

In talking with Kung (Kei's mother), I realized that both Caitlynne and Christopher have never ridden horses before.  They have ridden camels, elephants and water buffalo but no horses!  

There were a variety of water sport activities available (jet skies, boat rides, etc.).  The kids (and Kevin) loved riding on this while it was pulled by a jet ski.

As is typical in Thailand, there is always someone trying to sell you something - food, souvenirs, trinkets, lottery tickets - the list goes on and on.  While sitting on the beach, we were approached by vendors with wares such as bracelets, beads, kites, and skirts.  If you so much as turn your head in their direction, they are on you like white on rice.  Usually a smile and a firm head shake send them on their way but some can be more persistent than others - especially with Westerners.  Kei's mom is Thai so she spoke to them and made it clear that we were not interested in their items.  

As the evening approached, several vendors selling food and snacks started strolling the beach. We have been pretty careful about where we eat - almost always in a restaurant or cafe - and very rarely from street vendors.  However, Kei's mom thought nothing of stopping the vendors and buying snacks for us to sample.  The woman in the photo below was selling a variety of tropical fruits.  

I was glad Kung was with us because some of the vendors had very interesting items on offer and we were able to ask her what the food was and how it was to be eaten.  I saw a vendor making something for a family sitting near us that looked very interesting so Kung and I wandered over to have a look.  Click on these photos to see a larger image.  

Kung explained to me the snack he was making and, since I can't remember the Thai name for it, I would best describe it to you as "squid jerky".  

First, you select the size (small, medium or large) of dried squid that you want...

Then the vendor pulls the dried squid through a hand-cranked roller to make it very thin...

The dried (and now flattened) squid is put into a basket and held over a small charcoal fire until it is lightly browned and a bit crispy.

After it is grilled, the vendor makes a spicy chili sauce and serves you.

 

Although it took me a few minutes to get over my uneasiness with the conditions in which the dish was prepared, I did have a few pieces and it was very good.  I am glad we bought some because it was certainly something that we never would have tried if we were on our own.  

There were food vendors all over the beach with set ups similar to this man's - a heat source on one side and ingredients/supplies/utensils on the other side.  I saw some vendors making stir fried noodle dishes, some were making grilled meats, fish or vegetables and others were making curries and stews.  Given the lack of refrigeration, I don't know if I would be brave enough to try a dish made with meat or fish but the locals definitely do not mind as the vendors were doing a brisk business as dinner time approached.      

Have a great Saturday!

Happy New Year!

Although a few days late, I wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!  I have a lot to look forward to in 2012 and am excited about the traveling and activities we have planned for this year.  

Our trip to the beach for the New Year's holiday was, as to be expected, filled with many different experiences and sights.  As with my blog posts about our other travels, I will have to write about this trip in several segments.  There is just too much to tell you about (as evidenced by the fact that I took over 200 photos!).

We went to Cha-Am, a small fishing village on the Western Coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about a two hour drive (southwest) from our home.  Cha-Am is "the" weekend, beach & holiday destination for Thais living in Bangkok.  Before we left, I read in a guidebook that if you want an authentic "Thai" experience, Cha-Am is the place to go for it.  Now that we have been there/ done that, I will agree with that statement!  The beach and the town were very quiet when we arrived early Wednesday afternoon but, because of the four day holiday weekend, our hotel and others in the area filled up rather quickly.  By Saturday morning, tents and camper vans lined the 7 or 8 miles of beachfront between our hotel & the northern edge of the village.  The beach and the town also became quite "lively" with the influx of people.  Kevin and I had to weave our way through the pedestrians, bike riders, food & souvenir vendors and soi dogs while running Sunday morning.  The streets were incredibly crowded, even at 7 am!    

About 30 minutes after we left Bangkok (city proper), we started to see these large square "fields" on either side of the highway.  

 

At first, we thought the empty fields might be harvested rice paddies.  However, we then remembered hearing that this area (Samut Sakhon) is the biggest producer of brine salt in Thailand and we realized we were looking at the salt fields.  Of course, for the rest of our drive to Cha-Am, Kevin and I spent much time discussing how salt might be "grown" and harvested.  Yes, we are exciting!  

After we returned to Bangkok, I did a little research and learned that Thailand's brine salt farms produce about 1,000,000 tons of salt a year and Thailand is the 26th highest producer of salt in the world.  The salt is produced by flooding each field with high salinity sea water (from the Gulf or the Mekong River) that is pumped in using small windmills and a wooden conveyor belt that essentially "paddles" the water into the fields.  

On both of the days that we passed the stretch of salt farms, there was little to no activity in the fields so I couldn't take photos of the salt being harvested.  However, I did find a few photos online that show the process of harvesting as well as a few of the tools used. 

Below is a photo of the conveyor belt used to flood the fields (photography credit to walet.twins).

After the field is fully flooded, the field is damned and the water left to evaporate.  The salt production season in this area is October through April - the sun is hottest during this time and there is very little chance that it will rain.  After the water evaporates and the salt is completely dry, it is ready to be harvested.  

When the salt is ready to be harvested, it is raked into small piles in the field (photography credit to Dale Allyn for the following four photos).

 

After the entire field is raked, the salt is collected and taken away to be cleaned and sold.

 

 

As you can see in these photos, salt production in Thailand is not a very a high tech operation.  The equipment is very rudimentary and there is a great deal of physical labor involved.  Given how unsophisticated the process is, it was very surprising to realize how much salt is actually produced and harvested here!    

There were numerous vendors set up along side the stretch of the road that bordered the salt fields and selling the salt (photography credit to Walet.twins).  

Vendor related... in each village we passed through on our drive to Cha-Am, there were numerous vendors set up along side the road selling whatever "specialty" might be grown or produced in that particular region.  First, we saw the salt vendors, then the pineapple & mango vendors and then palm sugar vendors.  As we got closer to Cha-Am, the vendors began selling prawns, fish and crabs.  It was like we were traveling the agricultural map of Thailand!  

So, on with the trip... Wee stayed five nights at the Grand Pacific Sovereign Resort & Spa.  The hotel was very nice with large (and clean) rooms, three nice pools and a great view of the Gulf.  This was the view from our balcony...

A friend of Christopher's from school, Kei, and his mother were also in Cha-Am for a few days.  After we unpacked and got settled, we met up with them to go to the beach for the afternoon.

I am going to break here as I need to start getting dinner together.  

Have a great Wednesday!     

Quiet Times

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day and enjoyed the company of family and/or friends!

Kevin and I had a holiday function downtown Friday night so we celebrated Christopher's birthday on Christmas Eve with this delicious ice cream cake...

Christmas morning seemed to be strangely calm.  Even the crazy dog mellowed out for a few minutes.    

We opened our gifts and then had a huge breakfast!

The biggest disappointment of the day was realizing that Christopher's new Kindle Fire cannot stream video or music unless the device is physically located in the U.S.  UGH! UGH! and UGH!  He can download books and reading material from Thailand so the device is not completely useless but he was really looking forward to being able to watch movies and some tv shows.  I spent a few very frustrating hours trying to get him set up before I (what else?!?) used google ("using Kindle Fire overseas") and found out the cause of our problem.  I have found several blogs and chats discussing this issue and there are some "jail breakers" I am trying but I haven't had any luck yet.


My biggest hope is that I can somehow get our Virtual Private Network in sync with the Kindle so the streaming function works.  I tried using the VPN a few times and, once, for a VERY brief moment, we were able to stream a video so I know it can be done. Since the Government of Thailand monitors and blocks a great deal of internet traffic, we set up a VPN in our home.  Basically, although we are in Bangkok, the VPN service assigns us an IP address that is based in San Francisco so it appears that is where our computer & wireless router are physically located. Using the VPN allows us to stream radio stations, movies and television through our computer and the iPad. Without the VPN, these would all be blocked by the Government.  Another benefit is using the VPN for certain on-line retailers. For example, Macy's does not recognize our Thai IP address and won't let me place an order on-line, even when I use our APO address (which is just like shipping to an address in the CONUS). However, if I log on to the Macy's website using the VPN, I can place an order and have it sent to our APO address because they see me as being in San Francisco. Anyway, please keep your fingers crossed that we can get this straightened out. Also, if anyone has any suggestions, please pass them on.

We went to Mass on Christmas evening which was a novelty for us. On the last Sunday of each month, a priest comes from our church downtown to say a Mass out in Nichada. This year, we were lucky that Christmas happened to fall on the last Sunday so we did not have to trek downtown. However, going to 5:00 Mass meant that I got a late start on dinner. We didn't eat  until almost 8 pm but it was so good that no one really complained.


After the craziness that was our Christmas, we are enjoying rest and relaxation! Kevin has been to the driving range several times and he went to golf yesterday with a group from work. The kids have been all over Nichada with their friends - riding bikes, swimming and having a lot of sleepovers. We are going to the beach tomorrow and will return January 2nd.

If I cannot post again until we return, I hope you all have a very safe, happy and healthy New Year!

Christmas Preparations

A photo of the "birthday" tree that I managed to locate...

Although it is a little small & the ornaments aren't the greatest, it serves its purpose.  

With the kids' birthdays wrapped up, I now need to begin to focus on preparing for Christmas.  Less than a day left (in this part of the world)!  I still have all of the gift wrapping to do but Kevin can help with most of that today.  I did realize yesterday morning that I needed to come up with some kind of a menu for the weekend.  For the last few years, my parents and my sister, her husband and their son joined us in Miami for Christmas so I always had a crowd to cook for over the holidays.  

For Christmas Eve dinner, I traditionally make cioppino (a seafood & fish stew originating in San Francisco - so incredibly delicious) and serve it with sour dough bread and a green salad.  My recipe makes quite a large amount which usually isn't a problem because we always had many guests to feed - and it makes great leftovers. However, this year it will be just the four of us and I really don't feel like going through all of the trouble of making it - there is a lot of chopping of vegetables & cleaning of seafood/fish involved, which my dad always does. Instead, I think we will have a very low key dinner with hamburgers from the grill and a green salad.  

Christmas morning, I usually make a big breakfast with a selection of breakfast casseroles, quiche, muffins,  bacon, sausages, etc.  This year, again because it will be just the four of us, we will have less elaborate fare - waffles with bacon, sausages and fruit salad.  I will make a buffalo chicken dip and serve with tortilla chips, carrots and celery for a early and lite lunch.  

Christmas dinner will be a roasted turkey breast, stuffing, glazed carrots, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes and goat cheese grits. I was able to find some cranberry sauce at the market so we will have that and gravy as well. I plan to make a lemon meringue pie and, if I can track down a can of evaporated milk, a pumpkin pie. Kevin might make sugar cookies with the kids today if we finish with Caitlynne's braces and can get our act together.     

Whew!  Now, I am not only very hungry but also very tired thinking about all of the cooking I will be doing over the next couple of days! I was able to find all of the ingredients I needed (except for the evaporated milk) but this is probably the most expensive Christmas dinner I have ever made.  Most of the dairy products (cheese, cream, sour cream, etc.) in Thailand are imported from Australia and New Zealand and are incredibly pricey. The recipe for the buffalo chicken dip  I am making called for 6 oz. of Greek yogurt, for which I paid just under $9.00!  Yikes!  Note to self:  only dairy-free dishes for next year's dinner!

I am now 85 miles into my transcontinental run and approaching Ashland, VA! It has cooled down a tiny bit (yesterday morning it was 77 degrees) and the humidity has lessened so I have been able to get some great runs in. I am debating running a 10K (called a mini-marathon here) downtown in mid-February. My main concern is the logistics of driving there, parking and then getting home. The 10K is being run under the "umbrella" of the Bangkok Marathon and there will also be a Half Marathon and a 5K that day. So, a lot of craziness will be added to the already horrible mess that is Bangkok traffic. The start time for the marathon is 3:00 AM, for the half marathon it is 5:00 am and the 10K starts at 5:45 am. I am not sure if the early start times are necessary because of the heat or to reduce the impact of road closures on traffic. I am going to ask around and see if there is anyone from Nichada who plans to run the 10K and maybe I can tag along with them. I really would like to see how a race is put on here. 

I hope all of your Christmas preparations are going well!

       

Frogs and Snails and Puppy-dogs' Tails...

That's what little boys are made of!

Then (and this was pretty much how he was for his first 17 months!)...

 And now...

Thank goodness he is much happier these days.

Happy 12th Birthday Christopher!

Wrap Up

With the kids off from school and trying to get ready for their birthdays and Christmas, it has been hard for me to find time to sit down and write for the blog. Today I will do a wrap up of our activities from last weekend and this week.

After the hoopla of Caitlynne's friends sleeping over Friday night, the house seemed much quieter on Saturday. Saturday afternoon, Caitlynne went downtown with some friends to go shopping in a mall that just opened. The mall, called Terminal 21, is so incredibly over the top!  In fact, I am not going to try to even begin to describe it but will provide you with this link (http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-mall/terminal21.htm) to a website which details this very unique shopping experience. Caitlynne, being the shopping princess that she is, absolutely loved it. She reported that there was a good mix of high end and low end stores, a lot of places to eat and great opportunities to people watch.  However, her absolute favorite part of the mall was the ladies' bathroom. Apparently, there is no toilet paper - your bottom is washed and then blown dry with warm air without you ever lifting your bottom off the heated toilet seat. Hmm... not what I would have expected but I guess this feature fits right in with the mall's extravagance. Anyway, I hope we all will be able to get down to take a look at the mall sometime over the holiday break. Not sure if we will venture into the bathrooms or not.

Christopher had a scrimmage baseball game Saturday afternoon. His travel team was playing the travel team that will be going to compete in Manila in early January. He played really well and had three great hits - two doubles and one single. I was very surprised at how well he pitched because I don't think he has pitched a ball since the season in Miami ended last May.  While I love watching him play and it is nice to sit in the stands and chat with the other parents, baseball games are SO long! This game ended at 3 hours (8 innings) and wasn't even played by the book (they used a 5 run limit or once through the batting order per inning per team) so who knows how long it would have gone on without those limits! Quite a change from basketball when we would be in and out of the gym in just over an hour!  

Caitlynne and Christopher have been spending quite a bit of time with their friends that are still in town. They are doing a lot of bike riding, having sleep overs, etc. It is nice that about 99% of their friends also live in Nichada so they can just hop on their bikes and meet up, either at someone's home or somewhere in between.  

This week we also had a consultation with the orthodontist about braces for Caitlynne. We knew that she was going to need them at some point but really wanted to wait until we moved here as it is much cheaper to have braces put on in Bangkok than in the U.S. Well, it might be cheaper but it is still pretty expensive! She had a mold made after her consultation and will go in Saturday for the braces to be put on... I just hope that it is not too painful for her and won't upset her Christmas spirit!          

Kevin returned from D.C. very early Tuesday morning. He thinks that he should not have to travel for a little while so it will be nice for us to get back in a "family" routine.  

I saw this tree when I was driving the kids to the local mall the other day... 

It looked so much like a poinsettia (but tree sized).  

I also took some photos of some of the other flora that is now blooming around Nichada.           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A holiday arrangement of poinsettias with a water lotus.

Have a great Thursday!

How Can This Be?!?

Happy Birthday, Caitlynne!  

Thirteen years ago today, at 5:40 pm, Caitlynne Rose was born.  ACK!!! I am now the mother of a teenager!  Turning 25 didn't bother me. Turning 30 didn't bother me. Even turning 40 didn't bother me. However, for some strange reason, having a child who is a TEENAGER just makes me feel so old.  

Then...

And now...

She had a few friends over Friday night for pizza, cake and a sleepover. They watched movies and, while there was a lot of chattering and giggling, everyone settled down shortly after midnight and went to sleep.  

 

Kevin returns very late tonight so we will celebrate her birthday properly tomorrow.     

Have a great Monday!