Roaming Around: Friday, October 30, 2009

The food at our resort is fine, but a bit expensive and with small portions. We've found this little open air restaurant along the road about a mile and a half from our resort. Last night walking up there for dinner we counted only three motor bikes passing us the entire way so it is a pleasant walk with little traffic. Aunty is an elderly Thai woman and her niece helps with the cooking. Their food is fantastic, maybe the best I've ever eaten, I think it is the seasoning I like. Last night we both ate all we could hold plus we each had a bottle of water of water and Jody had a Coke. It cost 100 baht, including a few baht thrown in for a tip. There are approximately 33 baht for one dollar, so we ate for very little. Plus it is the best food around!! The exericse is good for us too. There is a small grocery store neat the restaurant that sells ice cream bars that dad likes so he usually has ice cream too. All in all we have a great evening meal with exercise to go with it. Last night we left early enough and were back to our resort before dark. The rubber tappers work at night, with lights, and it is a bit spooky in the dark. They score the trees with a long stick with a curved knife on the end so you know they all have weapons! Dad has learned that the rubber runs for two hours after cutting it. The preferred container is half a coconut shell as the rubber runs from it easily. We see Coke bottles cut in half a lot but evidently the rubber doesn't run out of them as well as a coconut shell. The rubber trees are planted in rows and make quite a nice, dark forest. Weeds grow up around them which have to be kept cut back. Must be an endless job.

The breakfast at our resort is included in the price of the room. It is an all-you-can-eat, cooked-to-order breakfast. Somehow, try as hard as they might, it leaves a lot to be desired. This morning my banana pancake wasn't done so I couldn't eat it. Then, in my scrambled eggs they put so many onions I couldn't eat that either. Our fruit order was entirely forgotten so I went away hungry. I could have complained but the people are so darn nice I don't want to make them feel bad. How is that for sensitivity taken too far. I think it is this place that just makes you so laid back complaining seems totally out of order. We usually only eat two meals a day but I was starving today about lunch time so we walked into "town". There are about a half dozen restaurants with a dive shack and a few 'resorts'. We found a place open and she made us some fried rice and lemon shakes. Very good. It was awfully hot today and actually I got overheated walking. So, Dad rented a motorbike and we are now putting casually down easy street. If you've never thought of it (as most of us haven't) there are two types of bikes. Motor and pedal. Only children and fools (Americans mostly) will ride a bicycle. Dad enjoys riding his bike and rented one here for 24 hrs but turned it back in as it was not very good, didn't shift well he said. If people here (or most any third world country I've noticed) have two cents to rub together they will buy a motorbike. They are for rent in several places so dad got one and is now off riding his motorbike around. They (including the few cars we've seen here) go really slow, I imagine not over 25 mph. I just hope he remembers, LEFT. That is usually my job, to scream in his ear when he forgets which side of the road to drive on, LEFT, LEFT!!! I just hope he remembers when he is on his own. He went out to try to take pictures of the processing of rubber. Will post some if he is successful.

Mom