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Bob, Josh and Luk In Bangkok

Wednesday, March 7th, 2007

My son Josh is Chef de Cuisine of “One East On Third” in the Hilton Hotel in Beijing. He was sent by the Executive Chef to Bangkok last week to check out some restaurants there. Luk, a delightful Thai girl who is married to our son Doug, had been visiting Bob at his rental house south of Pattaya so Bob, took Luk with him to Bangkok to join Josh. (Doug is currently in Oregon and will return to Thailand in a couple weeks.) This was the first time Josh met his sister-in-law, Luk.

This is Bob’s description of the visit…made me salivate reading about the Thai food!

“Josh missed his scheduled flight to BKK so arrived one day late. I extended my stay to allow for an overlap. He had hotel and culinary related meetings but we shared a few meals and today roamed around Chatuchak Market which he seemed to enjoy.

Josh let me choose the restaurants. I was the tour guide. (Although Josh has been to Bangkok many times!) He ate his evening meals with the Hilton folks first night and his second night at the Four Seasons. I think they had steaks at the Hilton as Josh’s hierarchy wants him to offer more steaks at the restaurant. Steak apparently is in demand in Beijing.

When we went out I gave him the option of streetside or upscale. We settled on Jim Thompson’s restaurant on Soi Saladang (we ate there before.) Had pomolo salad, gai with lemongrass , shrimp in a coconut curry, a fish souffle and morning glory in oyster sauce. All quite arroy (delicious) except the chicken. Second day we ate at a sit down restaurant at Chatuchak Market. Had a spicy Thai salad, fresh spring roles and sticky rice with mango and coconut milk. Josh enjoyed the cuisine.

At Chatuchak he purchased many items of Thai motif as his restaurant is going to do some things with a Thai theme. He would buy one item and then plans on having it reproduced in China. I think he wanted to buy more but was limited by what he was capable of carrying.

He appears to be doing well. Both he and Amy, (his wife did not make this trip) are apparently adapting better to cultural deviation. He says that Amy’s sudden unemployment left gaps that have resolved with her new job teaching history in an international school. They will return to Thailand in May to spend time in BKK again and then venture down to Samui where Doug and Luk live.

Luk was traveling with this huge suitcase (with wheels fortunately) that she could not lift. When going to BKK she insisted on high heels that were the stilletto variety with a single small strap across the forefoot. If you can recall BKK’s sidewalks and then picture her trying to get on and off skytrains and navigating all on the cobblestones and drains etc. Also I ended up with the suitcase as well as booking her hotel room. She remains pleasant company and generates many laughs.

Josh and Luk

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Mescal And Lamb With Consumme

Wednesday, March 7th, 2007

10am Sunday morning, one of the mescal vendors at the Tlacalula Market latched onto Maria and I with a dozen sample cups of mescal..from Mango Crema to the rare Tuvala Agave…after which we made an imperative beeline to the food section. At a long communal table we scarfed barrega (lamb) soup while visiting with a friendly old compesino from the mountains.

We bought a bag of chivo (the prized goat meat BBQ’d in the ground) to take to Mica and Bardo’s in Huayapam…and of course a liter pop bottle full of barrel mescal.

On the way back we stopped in Teotitlan where Maria, overwhelmed by the selection of rugs, ended up not choosing any. We will have to make a return trip while she shops around and thinks on it. Before leaving, The Zapotec Gonzalez family demonstrated their natural dye process and demonstrated the weaving of some very complicated designs.

I took a picture of a forest fire in the distance. The pine forests fall victim to the dry season this time of year. I asked Gerardo, my landlord who happened to be there working on a tourism project, how they fight fires here. “No water,” he said…”just chopping the forest around the fire. We have no helicopters.” “Oh yes,” I said, “you can get helicopters from the Governor!” He didn’t think that was very funny. If you remember there were plenty of helicopters available to tear-gas the people in the Centro a few times.

In Huayapam, Mica fixed us, and Bardo’s sister, Pilar, a delicious chicken in coloradito sauce and rice with clams brought by a friend from the coast. Bardo showed us turtle eggs (illegal) but we reneged. Bardo and Mica had worked all day roasting, sorting and bagging coffee…so noticing their yawns, we exited early. But not before their architect friend, Renaldo, showed up with digital images of a house to be built on land adjacent to Bardo’s new house he is building for himself high on a hill overlooking Huayapam. Before we left, we tried to call friend Gerardo, working in Puerto Escondido now, but as usual no tiempo aero (air time) on his phone.
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A Typical Sunday in Oaxaca

Monday, February 12th, 2007
Made another trip to the Tlacalula Sunday Market last week with my next door neighbors Ana, Steve and little Oscar. Bought some carved coconut shell halves made for drinking our wonderful Mexican chocolate and then in my impending senility just ... [Continue reading this entry]

Oaxaca Villages

Monday, November 20th, 2006
After getting back from Hierve el Agua last Sunday, I holed up in my apartment for two days. It has gotten really cold and windy. There is no heat in the apartment so I turn on the oven ... [Continue reading this entry]

Market In Tlacolula

Monday, June 19th, 2006
oaxacacentralmap.jpg Yesterday my friend Sharon and I hopped a diesel-spewing bus for the hour ride to Tlacolula, southeast of the city, where vendors from multiple little villages around the Oaxaca Valley come on Sundays to ... [Continue reading this entry]

El Pochote Market & Cinema

Sunday, June 4th, 2006
North and east from my apartment on Fiallo St., through the Zocolo, under tents and guy-wires, I walked to meet my new friend, Sharon, at an organic market called El Pochote, just north and east of Templo Santo Domingo. ... [Continue reading this entry]

Road South To Vang Vieng

Sunday, April 9th, 2006
1wXSp3CkNsDoJl3s0SgHmw-2006171144731304.gif Slash & Burn! The mountains here are obscured by the smoke from slash & burn fires as in Chiang Mai so unfortunately the sunset over the Mekong isn't as clear and beautiful as ... [Continue reading this entry]

Phousi Market

Sunday, April 9th, 2006
LKcJ5S1GCDOhltUeaMWmZw-2006185144552848.gif I discovered today that the Talat Dala Market that used to be up the street toward the river has moved to the outskirts of town and is now called the Phousi Market (pronounced "poosi ... [Continue reading this entry]

Market-Going

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
Tired of the Night Market for tourists, this week I walked to the Warorot Day Market...a market for the local Thais. DSC00445.JPG DSC00450.JPG I bought delicious garlic flavored BBQ ... [Continue reading this entry]

Chiang Mai Thailand

Saturday, March 4th, 2006
1wXSp3CkNsDoJl3s0SgHmw-2006171150454826.gif Flew from Koh Samui on Bangkok Air (the only airline off the island because Bangkok Air built the airport) and then on to Chiang Mai on budget Air Asia. I guess Bob is in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Not The Ubud We Pictured

Thursday, March 31st, 2005
DSC00068.JPG Ubud was nothing like I had pictured. Even though it's community members still adhere to traditional customs and the arts, crafts, music and dances support religious rituals and ceremonies, the village is not ... [Continue reading this entry]

Message from Ulaan Bataar

Saturday, October 9th, 2004
GyTjn0QZP9l6Qu21TubskM-2006198062551304.gif Greetings- Have been in Mongolia for the past week--initial few days in a ger bordering on a national park--lazy, relaxing days with hiking and Mongolian pony riding (when on the horse my feet nearly reach ... [Continue reading this entry]

Hanoi

Wednesday, September 25th, 2002
KtJTxGv4eiozwJxI0Lb6qM-2006216170118412.gif September 24 2002 Bob left Hanoi right away on the train for Sapa near the Chinese border to do some trekking among the colorful minority villages and then to spend three days in Halang Bay ... [Continue reading this entry]

Taunggyi…Last Frontier of Burma

Wednesday, August 28th, 2002
JTOL4njiflVtj5kLlwVbAM-2006175061519331.gif Taunggyi is the official end of the line for east-bound foreigners in Burma--at least if you are travelling by road. Beyond Taunggyi lies a world of black-marketeers, ruby miners, insurgent armies and opium and methamphetamine warlords. ... [Continue reading this entry]

He Ho & Inle Lake

Monday, August 26th, 2002
Burma.gif August 26 2002 It is possible to take a ferry up the Irrawady to Mandalay but we chose not to do this because we heard the ferry was government-run and we tried very hard not ... [Continue reading this entry]

Nyaung U

Friday, August 23rd, 2002
Burma.gif The largest village in the area is Nyaung U about 5 km up the Irriwaddy River from the Pagan Archeological Site and you can visit the market and food stalls there by taking a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Talad Nam Lam-Paya Floating Market

Tuesday, August 6th, 2002
Our friend, Jiraporn, who lived in the U.S. ten years and has a doctorate from Oregon State University in Fisheries and is now a lecurer in the Department of Fishery Management of Kasetsart University, generously drove us to the weekend ... [Continue reading this entry]

Bhuleshwar Bazaars

Thursday, July 18th, 2002
Kalbadevi You would love this area if you don't mind being scared out of your wits by long lines of honking taxis and motorcycles behind you and worker after worker coming at you from the front with loads of goods ... [Continue reading this entry]

Pink And Tent-like Marrakech

Wednesday, March 20th, 2002
Founded in 1070–72 by the Almoravids, the Medina of Marrakesh remained a political, economic and cultural centre for a long period. Its influence was felt throughout the western Muslim world, from North Africa to Andalusia. It has several impressive monuments ... [Continue reading this entry]