The Unexpected Trip
June 2007. This trip, for me, was not scheduled and certainly was not expected by me or any of the family. My wife was already planning on being in Thailand in June and I was going to stay home this time around. Normally, this would not have been a problem, but circumstances were far from normal for us during this period.
Just a short month ago, we lost our golden retriever, Mandi. Wow, I'm finding it very difficult to even put these words down. It still stings quite a bit. Bee and I never planned on kids, so Mandi was our world. 2006 ended horribly and 2007 didn't look to be starting any better. Mandi went nearly five months going thru a brutal recovery after contracting something that was attacking and destroying her red blood cells...hemolytic anemia. We had nearly lost her several times and each day seemed to be a question mark. But the long road to recovery seemed to be in sight.
Or so we thought. While her red blood cell counts were improving, something wasn't right. She was losing balance and strength in her hind legs. Unknown to us, the drugs we had been giving her to get her life back, was unfortunately masking an even deeper problem. Our girl had cancer and it was too far down the road. It was very aggresisive and had grown beyond control during her treatments for the blood disorder. We lost her soon after. The picture below was our last day together.
Or so we thought. While her red blood cell counts were improving, something wasn't right. She was losing balance and strength in her hind legs. Unknown to us, the drugs we had been giving her to get her life back, was unfortunately masking an even deeper problem. Our girl had cancer and it was too far down the road. It was very aggresisive and had grown beyond control during her treatments for the blood disorder. We lost her soon after. The picture below was our last day together.
So with Bee scheduled to be in Thailand, I would be in a home that hasn't been this empty for twelve years. I up and decided I had to get the hell out of here. So I decided to join my wife in Thailand hoping for some distractions.
Suphattra Land
Hopefully my last minute decision to fly to Thailand didn't crash on any family plans that might have been in the works. My wife was having a difficult time with the loss as well and I'm sure being with family helped. Mom and dad took control and made sure we were busy and worn out by the day's end. The picture above is what was waiting for me at the house!
The entire clan, as well as some friends of the family, took off for Suphattra Land in Rayong. Suphattra Land is a massive fruit farm catering mostly to tourists. They have nearly everything imaginable growing and fruiting. You can walk or take a tram where a guide gives a running commentary along the way...all in Thai of course.
You can hop off and pick your own fruit in designated areas. The entire family got involved in this and we competed to find the best rambutan bunches. The park was beautiful and the tram ride entertaining.
The pic below sort tells that I was the one doing the entertaining at that moment. I saw the giant fruit up there mistook a couple of langsat to be a couple of huge nuts. I couldn't resist. Our tram ride was pretty roudy after that!
The entire clan, as well as some friends of the family, took off for Suphattra Land in Rayong. Suphattra Land is a massive fruit farm catering mostly to tourists. They have nearly everything imaginable growing and fruiting. You can walk or take a tram where a guide gives a running commentary along the way...all in Thai of course.
You can hop off and pick your own fruit in designated areas. The entire family got involved in this and we competed to find the best rambutan bunches. The park was beautiful and the tram ride entertaining.
The pic below sort tells that I was the one doing the entertaining at that moment. I saw the giant fruit up there mistook a couple of langsat to be a couple of huge nuts. I couldn't resist. Our tram ride was pretty roudy after that!
My first taste of durian. Can't say that I was all that impressed this first try. All I heard about prior to this moment was the smell. So I'm sure that clouded my judgement. Flavors and textures were just so alien to what I attribute to normal tropical fruit. Durian is a love it or hate it fruit for most. Those willing to keep trying it normally find that they are warming up to these odd flavors and textures...except for my buddy in New York, Gerry. I give him credit for continuing to try it...after much group pier pressure of course. But my first time was not a winner.
The mangosteen, however, was a winner. I would eat several kilos of them in one sitting.
The mangosteen, however, was a winner. I would eat several kilos of them in one sitting.
Bee's dad above with a bunch of salak. The colored ribbons kept the fruit from the ground. The colored ribbons may have been a coding system as well but I sure as hell can't remember what it might be.
Above shows the heavy pruning of their mango trees. This is done to rejuvenate the trees and keep them in check. The park also has its own bee colony and they harvest the honey.
As mentioned, this place is for tourists. While there were lots to see and eat, it lacked a personal touch a fruit hunter craves. There's lots of questions to be asked and the group format didn't really allow for it. I still enjoyed it and it was a great first outing for the family.
Pattaya
Our next stop was Pattaya. The fam had some friends that allowed us the use of their condos on the beach. This was to be just a little rest and relaxation on the beach. The pics below is the view we had from the balcony.
Here I am above bonding with an elephant. The poor dude was chained up in an empty lot. We went into town and bought a bunch of fresh veggies for him. Below, mom is getting into the act as well.
Viharnra Sien
Mom is a lover of temples and museums...especially anything to do with religion. So it was no huge surprise that a stop like this would be on our list. This place is a Chinese cultural and religious museum. Huge. I also must admit, very interesting and we also had a shit load of fun.
A lot of the exhibits inside were really really old. Many having been dug up after centuries of being buried. It gave a sense to just how long this culture has been around.
There were statues everywhere and all had some deep meaning or reference...which I remain ignorant of. But they all had one thing in common...they were an endless source of amusement for the tourist and we all hammed it up.
A few more stops and called it a day. We visited a temple and the Nongnooch Gardens. This was mainly a botanical garden with some zoo animals mixed in. Very beautiful, yet no fruit...so my attention span was short. The young orangutan below was pretty cool. How could he not be cool drinking Coke! Smart little dude.
The grounds were tidy and packed with all sorts of botanical wonders...except fruit. Lots of walking and it was of course hot.
Royal Varuna Yacht Club
Still in the Pattaya area. Here we are at dinner one evening. Keep in mind most of these places are outdoor seating so the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes are complications to a meal. Citronella lamps here and there plus a dish with burning charcoal right in front of us made it even more uncomfortable. As you can see, it was damn hot! The folks have a knack for knowing where the best places to eat were. We always had great food. The Singha beer was nice and cold too.
We spent the next day at a local yacht club. Osinni, a friend of the family, is an American retired from the UN. Married a Thai and settled in a neighborhood close to the folks. He has a membership to this club and owns a small catamaran that we all enjoyed time out on. Well, at least some of us did. Some decided relaxing under the shade was more to their liking.
Here's Osinni.
See the island in the background? Later in the day, I let Osinni talk me into another sail and he suggested we make for this island. Doesn't seem that far. When the wind completely stops halfway across, it becomes a much longer trip than expected. He asked if I knew how to right one of these things if it ever capsized in a strong wind. I guess waiting for a passing whale to to push it over wasn't the correct answer.
So Osinni has me grab a line and lean way out while he does the same. Next I know, this heavy bastard was coming up and over right on top of us. He neglected to give any pointers concerning what to expect or like where to go and what to do. Little things filed under "would have been great to know". The damn thing comes right down on my head and drives me under like a giant hammer. WTF?! That smarted. Part of me wanted to kill him but the other part convinced me I probably needed him to get back. So I swallowed the number of comments that were in line to erupt. It was an oversight and I'm sure he didn't mean it...or did he? Maybe earlier comments on how useless the UN was came back to bite me in the ass. Maybe he was planning on feeding me to the grabs all along.
Now...getting this pig back over was a lot harder than getting it to capsize...especially when there is no wind. Another juicy bit of knowledge that was forgotten about. We dicked around out there for a couple of hours I'm betting. No matter how hard we tried, without the wind to aid the effort, nothing we did was bringing that bitch upright.
So we floated in the water waiting for some wind. Man, a beer really sounded like a winner right about then. Maybe some munchies too. Started to wonder if my head was bleeding and attracting any unwelcome guests. Wonder what time it was? Got to be close to dinner. Now I'm really hungry. Thirsty too. Why did I come back out here again? A hat. A hat would be nice. Too far to swim or I would have left him. An upside down sail boat is pretty useless. At least it floats. Where the f$%# is the wind?! Wow...that breeze feels good. I bet sitting in the shade it would feel really good. Breeze? Yeah...here comes some wind finally. So with the wind finally here to help out, we got it upright.
The wind was kicking ass now and were humming along. Osinni was a decent sailor but would not be competing in the America's Cup anytime soon. Some miscalculations with sail positioning and we were soon upended again. Doing this sitting still is one thing. At speed, quite another. You're assholes and elbows all mixed up with rigging and other nautical parts that are much harder than me. But we did make it back eventually...a little bruised and battered. Still always good to be out on the water.
So Osinni has me grab a line and lean way out while he does the same. Next I know, this heavy bastard was coming up and over right on top of us. He neglected to give any pointers concerning what to expect or like where to go and what to do. Little things filed under "would have been great to know". The damn thing comes right down on my head and drives me under like a giant hammer. WTF?! That smarted. Part of me wanted to kill him but the other part convinced me I probably needed him to get back. So I swallowed the number of comments that were in line to erupt. It was an oversight and I'm sure he didn't mean it...or did he? Maybe earlier comments on how useless the UN was came back to bite me in the ass. Maybe he was planning on feeding me to the grabs all along.
Now...getting this pig back over was a lot harder than getting it to capsize...especially when there is no wind. Another juicy bit of knowledge that was forgotten about. We dicked around out there for a couple of hours I'm betting. No matter how hard we tried, without the wind to aid the effort, nothing we did was bringing that bitch upright.
So we floated in the water waiting for some wind. Man, a beer really sounded like a winner right about then. Maybe some munchies too. Started to wonder if my head was bleeding and attracting any unwelcome guests. Wonder what time it was? Got to be close to dinner. Now I'm really hungry. Thirsty too. Why did I come back out here again? A hat. A hat would be nice. Too far to swim or I would have left him. An upside down sail boat is pretty useless. At least it floats. Where the f$%# is the wind?! Wow...that breeze feels good. I bet sitting in the shade it would feel really good. Breeze? Yeah...here comes some wind finally. So with the wind finally here to help out, we got it upright.
The wind was kicking ass now and were humming along. Osinni was a decent sailor but would not be competing in the America's Cup anytime soon. Some miscalculations with sail positioning and we were soon upended again. Doing this sitting still is one thing. At speed, quite another. You're assholes and elbows all mixed up with rigging and other nautical parts that are much harder than me. But we did make it back eventually...a little bruised and battered. Still always good to be out on the water.
An American Monk in Thailand
No...this isn't a werewolf but a real monk. An American one at that. He lives in a forest cave about two and half hours outside of Bangkok. He is surrounded only by nature. The folks thought this would be a good experience for me since all other visits with temples and monks have been Thai language only. I took a little interest in Buddhism since my wife is Thai and this is important to her. So I asked a lot of questions...maybe too many. They figured maybe this guy could answer them better.
It was quite a drive and I'm not one for being in a vehicle for long periods of time. I consider anything more than 30 minutes a "long period of time". But any time you are in a vehicle in Thailand, the ride is far from boring. People either race or crawl. Everyone makes up lanes as they go...and that doesn't mean they stay on their side of the road either. Bee's dad drives in the center. Yep...straddles that center line like it was a slot car on those race sets you had as a kid. Going around blind curves or coming up on a rise in the road makes for some sphincter-tightening moments.
The monk's name is Sumano. If you are interested, you can learn more about him from a few video documentaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oCgGtXED0I
It was quite a drive and I'm not one for being in a vehicle for long periods of time. I consider anything more than 30 minutes a "long period of time". But any time you are in a vehicle in Thailand, the ride is far from boring. People either race or crawl. Everyone makes up lanes as they go...and that doesn't mean they stay on their side of the road either. Bee's dad drives in the center. Yep...straddles that center line like it was a slot car on those race sets you had as a kid. Going around blind curves or coming up on a rise in the road makes for some sphincter-tightening moments.
The monk's name is Sumano. If you are interested, you can learn more about him from a few video documentaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oCgGtXED0I
It was hot and humid. The mosquitoes were a bitch. But it was a very interesting and worthwhile experience. We had brought food, which is custom, and shared a meal with him. He showed us around and talked to us like someone you would meet out on the street. We asked questions and we all learned some things. A good day with a truly good man. It's very difficult for the average person to understand why he and others like him do what they do. It's not easy any way you look at it. He obviously has peace in his life. That can't be bad.
Wrap it up
The next few days was spent back home in Bangkok. We visited a temple that the folks go to often. It actually had lots of fruit trees on the grounds so that made it a little more interesting for me.
We also visited the land we had purchased outside of Bangkok. A little 2 acre plot that was currently canals growing water vegetables of some kind. There were big plans for this and lots of work as well. More on this later.
If you are interested in seeing more pictures of this trip, you can see them all from the galleries page.
Overall, the trip was a good one. Always good to spend time with family, and experiencing the beauty and bounty of Thailand was a bonus. There were some down moments when thoughts of our loss flooded the senses. Nothing could be done but ride those moments out. I certainly did not feel like leaving.
Overall, the trip was a good one. Always good to spend time with family, and experiencing the beauty and bounty of Thailand was a bonus. There were some down moments when thoughts of our loss flooded the senses. Nothing could be done but ride those moments out. I certainly did not feel like leaving.
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