Monthly Archives: August 2014

Chinatown

Chinatown

Chinatown

August 13, 2014 Chinatown in Bangkok is like no other Chinatown I have ever seen.  Being south of China, it is no surprise that this is one very large Chinatown with one of the largest markets.  As I write this, my clothing still smells of the spices, herbs and mushrooms that were in that market.

I was surprised to see a lot (as in every other restaurant) restaurants serving shark fin soup.  I was intrigued by the restaurants serving Bird’s nest Soup.  I know there are strange and exotic foods but a bird’s nest?  I thought that maybe different birds gather different materials in order to create a nest, it could be very possible that the nests taste quite good and then I picture the nests outside my house full of bird poop and feathers.  Yes, me and bird nest soup is not going to happen!

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Mother’s day and Laem Cha-Roen Seafood

Tom Yun Fish

Tom Yum Fish

August 12th, 2014

It is mother’s day in Thailand which is a National holiday.  Mother’s day coincides with the reigning Queen’s Birthday.  That meant restaurants were going to be packed.  Sophon is from Thailand so I met them for an early dinner.  His mother is 80, half my size but is what we would call a pistol.  I would have never guessed she was her age.

She had decided between three places at the Central Mall and we would go into the mall and the first one we found would be the one we would eat at.  The first one we found was Laem Cha-Roen Seafood and I really loved that place.  Ironically, I found that she was looking at ordering the same things I was.

After dinner, she wanted to check out the grocery store on the top floor of the mall.  I am always up for a grocery store – especially in a foreign country.  Let me tell you for an 80 year old, she certainly can move, she bee-lined it right to the bakery section looking for bread.    My kind of person! Continue reading

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Madame Green Seafood

Madame Green Seafood

Madame Green Seafood

August 11th, 2014

We went to Madame Green Seafood not too far from the hotel.  Some one told Sophon that it was a really good place to eat.  It sat right on the beach and we got lucky by getting a small table right in front of the beach.

The atmosphere was loud and bright with large families ordering seafood delights as the kids ran down to the beach, played for a while and came back up.  There were a few kids that I didn’t think they were ever going to get out of the water.  It was all very fun to watch.

The menu had just about every seafood dish you can imagine. We had Shrimp Lemongrass salad, Squid stir fried with salted egg yolks and seafood fried rice.  All of it was fresh and excellent.

When I looked at Chopsticks mountain, I was surprised to see just how far the tide came in.  Most of what I was looking at been Beach the prior morning.  For a moment, I thought I was watching a sunset when I realized it was a moon-rise!

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Phetchaburi

Khao Luang Cave

Khao Luang Cave

August 11, 2014

This morning, it was off on a tour to Phetchaburi.  Phetchaburi has a very long history which is why I wanted to go there.  Limestone caves, temples that were built over 800 years ago and the Summer Palace of King Rama the IV – known by many as the King in “Anna and the King”.

The first stop was  Wat Mahathat Worawihan.  The temple was a bit difficult to photograph because it is right in the middle of the town.  it stands out and is a very white bright.

The tour guide indicated that the temple dates back 800 years when the Khmer were present. Phetchabuir is known for the use of stucco (made with lime, sand and sugar).

Today, it is a Buddhist temple but it was clearly built by the Khmer with Hindu gods.   Continue reading

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Chopstick Hill – Khao Takiab

Chopstick HillAugust 10, 2014

After breakfast Sophon and I headed out to Kaho Takiab – also known as Chopstick Hill or Monkey Mountain.  Along the way I spotted this purple boat and took a picture of Chopstick Hill with the boat in the foreground.  My father had painted a picnic bench almost the same shade of Purple so it reminded me of him and had to take the picture.

The walk along the beach was fascinating from a wild life perspective.  Along the way I say plenty of crabs, baby octopus, hermit crabs, sea anemones, and other things I will be googling when I have the time. Continue reading

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Sunrise Hua Hin

IMG_0076August 10th, 2014

I was up early.  I decided to go to the beach and watch the sunrise over the Gulf of Thailand.  I missed the exact moment the sun rose but I did get some good pictures.  When I saw the beach the day before, the tide was in and there wasn’t much of a beach, I was surprised at just how much beach there was.

It was a great morning!

 

 

 

 

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Cicada Market

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Hoisin braised pork hocks

August 9th and 10th, 2014

There was a night market outside of the hotel call Cicada.  A market named after a bug?  Made me wonder what kind of market it was.  When we arrived, I pleased to see a very clean market with some of my favorite dishes along with some new things to try.

Sophon tends to have eyes bigger than his stomach and frequently orders more than we can eat.  That tends to result in overeating.  Tonight was no exception.  It was hard deciding on what I wanted to eat.

I recently had Braised pork hocks at a restaurant called “Night Market” on Sunset Blvd.  I was tempted to get them.  We ended up with Deep Fried French Bread with Ground Pork,  Papaya Salad with Grilled Pork Neck, and Northern Thai Sausage and a side of Grilled Pork neck.  I got the braised pork hocks the following night!

I ended up eating way too much but I loved every-bite.

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Hyatt Regency Hua Hin

IMG_0062

August 9th, 2014

Hua Hin is about three hours south of Bangkok.  It sits on the Gulf of Thailand.  It is monsoon season in Thailand and Hua Hin is considered to be a dry area of Thailand.

The Hyatt Regency in Hua Hin is one of the nicest hotels I have every seen. There is a private area for those that qualify for Regency club, including a Regency Pool and Regency beach.  My view looked over the pool and out to the ocean.  I could spend a week at the hotel and do nothing else.

I scheduled three nights at Hua Hin, this is a place to definitely come back to.

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Around Bangkok

 

August 9, 2014

Bangkok is one of the most congested cities I have ever seen.  I was struck by that when I first travel to Bangkok almost 15 years ago.  Since then, they have added a skytrain which has done little to ease the congested traffic that runs all hours of the day and night. Continue reading

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Bangkok via Narita

20140807_110930August 8, 2014

For the most part, I really enjoy flying.  It doesn’t always go well and there have been flights I would rather forget about but for the most part, I look forward to the experience.   Being at a Star Alliance Gold Level helps tremendously, the lines are shorter, the luggage comes out sooner, and with enough points you can upgrade to Business Class and that makes a huge difference.

My flight to Bangkok started in Los Angeles, it stopped in Narita (Tokyo), before landing in Bangkok.  The first leg of the trip was on United’s 787 Dreamliner.  I treated myself to business class and it was worth every minute of it.  I had  10 hours of being served while watching movies.

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