Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Mai Thai (in a coconut shell)
Because i have been a blogger slacker, i have fallen behind, and in order to catch up, here is a story of my time in Thailand. i reunited with 2 friends from high school, Kate and Sarah. we spent a couple of days roaming about the city, catching up and exploring some of the city's sights. Bangkok seemed so modern to me after 7 months split between india and nepal - the high rises, sky train and metro, trash cans, the streets are cleaner, the dress is less modest, the skirts shorter, tops lower, availability of ice and cold beverages, a beautiful city park (Lumphini Park) - a green space frequented by runners (that's right, people were running for fun), readers, and walkers - bumping day and night markets (which i fell into the trap of). i basically loath shopping, but i fell into the temptations. they are just too good to pass up.
we parted ways, and i caught a bus to Chumpon, then a boat to Ko Tao, an island off of the east coast built up around scuba diving. scuba diving has never really been at the top of my to-do list, but the accessibility and location made it tempting, and the price was right. i met a super fun austrian couple, alex and connie, on the boat with the same plans. we immediately hit it off, and completed the open water dive certification course together. it was awesome! sea life fascinates me and there was no lack of it here. the visibility was good, revealing loads of various types of coral, colorful angel fish, schools of barracudas darting about in unison, and the star of the show...a baby whale shark!
not feeling the need to linger on the beach, although beautiful but sort of spring breakish, i caught a night boat and headed to Nakhon Si Thammarat on the mainland. the famous shadow puppeteer ("nung talung" in thai) in s. thailand lives here and welcomes people to his home to visit his museum and the opportunity to experience a show. i had no idea what to expect, but i was pleasantly entertained. the show is staged behind a big white screen where the intricately carved puppets - made of cowhide - are shadowed behind by light or fire. the show incorporated traditional stories with new and adds humor for entertainment. it is a traditional art form practiced throughout asia, with many of the stories being hindu based which is interesting since thailand is primarily buddhist.
then i was off to the west coast to Krabi province. TonSai is possibly one of my favorite beaches, a climber's paradise reached by longtail boat. jungle meets ocean, and limestone cliffs of melted wax create a beautiful setting with incredible features of stalactites and honeycomb texture on the rock face. from the shore, more boulders jut out of the sea creating an even more incredible backdrop. onland, the beach remains fairly rustic providing hut accommodations amidst coconut trees and lush green vegetation. there is no shortage of bars or hammocks, and plenty of slack lines (tightropes).
i wanted to take advantage of this incredible rock. i met an aussie guy, sonnie, who encouraged me to lead climb. hesitantly, i caved and did it, and had such a sense of accomplishment! i felt like i was a big deal! hahaha! but, a highlight for me was the deep water free climbing. 12 of us jumped on a boat and headed to the boulders in the sea. we swam or kayaked to the rope or rope ladder, made our way onto the rock and climbed as high or traversed as far as we wished before jumping or falling into the warm sea water. TOTALLY RAD!
i spent about a week here (although it would have been easy to grow roots there), and mosied on for a 2 day journey to a cool little town, Nong Khai on the thai/laos border along the mekong and explored the nearby villages via bike. the next day, i crossed the friendship bridge into laos and headed toward Vang Vieng.
we parted ways, and i caught a bus to Chumpon, then a boat to Ko Tao, an island off of the east coast built up around scuba diving. scuba diving has never really been at the top of my to-do list, but the accessibility and location made it tempting, and the price was right. i met a super fun austrian couple, alex and connie, on the boat with the same plans. we immediately hit it off, and completed the open water dive certification course together. it was awesome! sea life fascinates me and there was no lack of it here. the visibility was good, revealing loads of various types of coral, colorful angel fish, schools of barracudas darting about in unison, and the star of the show...a baby whale shark!
not feeling the need to linger on the beach, although beautiful but sort of spring breakish, i caught a night boat and headed to Nakhon Si Thammarat on the mainland. the famous shadow puppeteer ("nung talung" in thai) in s. thailand lives here and welcomes people to his home to visit his museum and the opportunity to experience a show. i had no idea what to expect, but i was pleasantly entertained. the show is staged behind a big white screen where the intricately carved puppets - made of cowhide - are shadowed behind by light or fire. the show incorporated traditional stories with new and adds humor for entertainment. it is a traditional art form practiced throughout asia, with many of the stories being hindu based which is interesting since thailand is primarily buddhist.
then i was off to the west coast to Krabi province. TonSai is possibly one of my favorite beaches, a climber's paradise reached by longtail boat. jungle meets ocean, and limestone cliffs of melted wax create a beautiful setting with incredible features of stalactites and honeycomb texture on the rock face. from the shore, more boulders jut out of the sea creating an even more incredible backdrop. onland, the beach remains fairly rustic providing hut accommodations amidst coconut trees and lush green vegetation. there is no shortage of bars or hammocks, and plenty of slack lines (tightropes).
i wanted to take advantage of this incredible rock. i met an aussie guy, sonnie, who encouraged me to lead climb. hesitantly, i caved and did it, and had such a sense of accomplishment! i felt like i was a big deal! hahaha! but, a highlight for me was the deep water free climbing. 12 of us jumped on a boat and headed to the boulders in the sea. we swam or kayaked to the rope or rope ladder, made our way onto the rock and climbed as high or traversed as far as we wished before jumping or falling into the warm sea water. TOTALLY RAD!
i spent about a week here (although it would have been easy to grow roots there), and mosied on for a 2 day journey to a cool little town, Nong Khai on the thai/laos border along the mekong and explored the nearby villages via bike. the next day, i crossed the friendship bridge into laos and headed toward Vang Vieng.
THAILicious!
Thailand is a carnivorous country. i generally toss myself in the herbivore category. but the fragrant smoke of grilled or roasted pork, chicken, beef, corn and loads of seafood fills the thick air of bangkok and about the country, a constant bbq, and makes me salivate! i love seafood, but quickly overloaded as it was a bit before i learned to specify vegetables only in thai (i take complete responsibility). however, it is not so common to find an authentic thai veggie dish, unless you are in a tourist area. street food is tastier and cheaper anyway.
i slowly began eating meat. when in thailand...! i thought chicken might be the least offensive to my palate and digestive tract to begin with, so one day at a particular street food stand, i pointed to the noodles, then the chicken. "chicken" the vendor said in...English! excited, i said, "with vegetables?" and she nodded and repeated in understanding. so i continued, "great. no chicken. only vegetables." again, she nodded and repeated in understanding. it is always a bit of a mystery ordering food due to the language gap. even when i attempt to say something in thai, my pronunciation is so poor, they don't have a clue what i am talking about. anyway, keep trying.
so, excited to enjoy my vegetable noodle dish of some sort, i sought cooler temperatures at a table shaded beneath an umbrella. after clearing the ice water in front of me as safe to drink, i chugged it. then my dish arrived. hungry and ready to dive in, it was a flavorful steaming noodle soup with greens, onions, and...apparently "no chicken" meant pork...and various other innards, unidentifiable to me. but 2 particularly yucky pieces were shaped like a beak with amphibian skin. hmmm. i did my best to eat the actual meat so as not to offend, but everytime i so much as touched the innards, i felt a gag coming on. in any case, i highly enjoyed the broth and veggies.
but thai food is a treat to the palate. sticky rice with coconut milk and mango or banana. the curries are incredible...all of them (red, green, yellow, mussuman (sp?)...the sweetness of coconut milk taming the fiery chillis singeing the taste buds. the iced teas and coffee hurt the teeth, each cup diluted with 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar and sweetened condensed milk, but the cold is cooling in the heat of the day and the caffeine wards off my dependent withdrawal headaches. but the fruit, both the exotic and familiar, are succulent and delicious - mangoes, rambutans, lychees, bananas, star fruit, i cannot even identify all of them, and the refreshing shakes they create are oh so good. mmmmmmmmm.
i slowly began eating meat. when in thailand...! i thought chicken might be the least offensive to my palate and digestive tract to begin with, so one day at a particular street food stand, i pointed to the noodles, then the chicken. "chicken" the vendor said in...English! excited, i said, "with vegetables?" and she nodded and repeated in understanding. so i continued, "great. no chicken. only vegetables." again, she nodded and repeated in understanding. it is always a bit of a mystery ordering food due to the language gap. even when i attempt to say something in thai, my pronunciation is so poor, they don't have a clue what i am talking about. anyway, keep trying.
so, excited to enjoy my vegetable noodle dish of some sort, i sought cooler temperatures at a table shaded beneath an umbrella. after clearing the ice water in front of me as safe to drink, i chugged it. then my dish arrived. hungry and ready to dive in, it was a flavorful steaming noodle soup with greens, onions, and...apparently "no chicken" meant pork...and various other innards, unidentifiable to me. but 2 particularly yucky pieces were shaped like a beak with amphibian skin. hmmm. i did my best to eat the actual meat so as not to offend, but everytime i so much as touched the innards, i felt a gag coming on. in any case, i highly enjoyed the broth and veggies.
but thai food is a treat to the palate. sticky rice with coconut milk and mango or banana. the curries are incredible...all of them (red, green, yellow, mussuman (sp?)...the sweetness of coconut milk taming the fiery chillis singeing the taste buds. the iced teas and coffee hurt the teeth, each cup diluted with 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar and sweetened condensed milk, but the cold is cooling in the heat of the day and the caffeine wards off my dependent withdrawal headaches. but the fruit, both the exotic and familiar, are succulent and delicious - mangoes, rambutans, lychees, bananas, star fruit, i cannot even identify all of them, and the refreshing shakes they create are oh so good. mmmmmmmmm.
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