Living in Thailand: Eating, Exploring, and Planting Trees

I have been busy since my last blog with various events and explorations. We have continued going back and forth between Bangkok and Korat. I still have not established a routine and have postponed identifying a routine until January since Colin has several days off in December.

So what have a been doing since my last blog? The title of the blog sums it up nicely... except that I left out socializing. We have already met a lot of amazing people.

Culinary Delights:
If you are a foodie Thailand would be a wonderland for you. There are street vendors and restaurants everywhere. The question becomes how adventuresome are you? Most of the food in Korat is Thai but there are some western restaurants (the price jumps considerably). Bangkok - there is food galore of a variety of nationalities. We are walking or sky train distance from many restaurants in Bangkok. We have met some wonderful expats living in Bangkok and meeting up at different restaurants is a lot of fun.
My waist line may suffer. I found a Crepery down the road from our Bangkok apartment that serves delicious food and desserts. I could be in trouble.

There is one dining experience I would like to share. The night before Thanksgiving ten of Colin's Thai workers came over to the house to cook us local Thai food (Korat). It was a symphony of cooking. They had their own rhythm going and worked together in a beautiful harmony. Chopping, baking, frying, boiling - I tried to help out but it was hard to jump in.... but alot of fun to watch and wonderful to eat. The Thais of course do not celebrate Thanksgiving and the proximity to Thanksgiving was a coincidence. I traveled to Bangkok for Thanksgiving and met up with several Americans at a restaurant that served a Thanksgiving meal. I felt like I had two Thanksgiving celebrations - one Thai and one American.

I took some photos of the Thai cook-a-thon at our house in Korat:

Common dish of Korat region - chopped pork with basil - very spicy

Bananas in Coconut Milk

Here is a restaurant that Colin frequently goes to near the plant:

Pot of boiling broth - add ingredients & eat as a soup - very good

Friend brought local whiskey to restaurant for Colin to try

Tree Planting Ceremony:

A beautiful day spent with Colin's coworkers and local farmers (farmers that supply the tapioca to the factory)... beautiful weather and scenery. Started off with a ceremony at a local farm with demonstrations and tours. Then we had a gorgeous drive through the country side to a mountain where there were speeches and lunch (the mayor of the area was there!). Then we planted trees. Which I now realize that I took lots of photos but not of the tree planting - so you will just have to take my word on it that it was not all play and no work.

Go Colin... Go Colin - dig up those roots!

Front - tapioca at a few months; back - tapioca 1.5 years

Tapioca root - this is the part they use

Thai cows - notice the big floppy ears

Owner of the farm

View from the mountain that we planted the trees on:

Mayor giving his speech

Exploring:

One of my favorite things to do in Bangkok (besides eating) is exploring. I pick a destination and we then try to figure out how to get there. Once there we take our time exploring. We just do a little at a time.

Lumphini Park (Bangkok's biggest park):