June 19. Off to Rayong
Early Friday morning, we were on our way for a weekend trip to Rayong and Chanthaburi for some fruit and plant hunting, site seeing, and just some general fun and relaxation. We had a first for us all this trip. The folks hired a driver and a big van to take us all on the trip. This freed up the folks from the tiring drive and allowed them to relax and enjoy the trip...and the driver knew exactly where he was going!
Our first stop was Suan Lamai. This is the poor man's version of Suphattra Land. It's a two stop tour around the farm. The entry price allows you to all-you-can-eat buffet style down on any of their fruit. It was pretty country though.
Our first stop was Suan Lamai. This is the poor man's version of Suphattra Land. It's a two stop tour around the farm. The entry price allows you to all-you-can-eat buffet style down on any of their fruit. It was pretty country though.
First stop was to pick your own rambutan. Always tastes better right off the tree.
They had other fruit laid out for you to try as well.
Then came the stop everyone was anticipating...durian. Now supposedly, they have several varieties growing on the farm. The farm mostly ships out fruit, especially durian. The monthong was pretty fresh and pretty tasty. The young folks behind the counter were kept very busy cutting open durian and putting sections on a plate. They were scooped up by the mobs as fast as they were put down.
Here they are making durian candy. The really ripe fruit is boiled down until it makes a very thick paste. They have to stir their asses off too. Tried some and it was actually pretty good...like a taffy. Keep in mind that it already felt like we were orbiting too close to the sun and here are these ladies stooping over a kettle filled with glowing charcoal. The heat in this area was physical.
Below is the final step. Turns a deep, dark green and they are churning this to beat the band! They had to alternate people in on the paddles because it was very thick and heavy by this point. Hard work for sure.
After eating my fill of fruit, I walked out thru their monthong orchard. Nice and peaceful , but freakin hot! The trees went as far as you could see. Most of the fruit had been harvested but there were still some hanging on.
One can't help but be awed by seeing a bunch of huge, mid evil looking fruit hanging high in the branches. The intimidating spikes could have been inspiration for making wicked weapons of war from long ago.
As I mentioned, the farm certainly had more to offer than just durian. There were lots of mangosteen and longkong trees as well. Once you taste the pure, white flesh of a perfect mangosteen, it's not hard to imagine that a ruler offered huge rewards for the person who could bring her a fresh fruit...folklore or not.
Kind of hard to tell from this shot, but behind the buffet shelter, longkong trees covered the back slope. Some of the terrain was a bit rugged and steep, but nothing like walking the farms of Puerto Rico where a mountain goat is challenged. Longkong is a fruit prized by most people where it is grown and/or shipped, but not well known outside of these regions except by fruit enthusiasts. I think the taste is divine and most of the time tops mangosteen.
Thinking back on the all-you-can-eat durian station, I can only imagine my friend Lindsay here. We would probably have had to hog tie her and drag her kicking and screaming away from the place!
It was a fun and quick stop. The farm was well cared for, clean, and had a nice atmosphere to it. Nothing compared to Suphattra Land mind you, but still a fruit farm and that makes it okay in my book. Besides, new experiences count.
An observation I made was that once we got deeper into Rayong, the rubber trees started to dominate the landscape. They were like rows and rows of soldiers standing forever in their ranks at attention. It really is an impressive site. Bee's dad said that family members had a rubber farm when he was a child...9-10 years old. The bark of the rubber trees would be cut in the wee hours of the morning, like 1:00 a.m. The sap would run down and collect into little cups nailed to the tree. Bee's dad would go from tree to tree dumping the contents of the cups into a bucket. Only when you can see the size of these rubber tree forests, could you understand the amount of time and effort that must go into this. But he said he had fun doing it...something only a 9-10 year old boy could have fun doing.
It was a fun and quick stop. The farm was well cared for, clean, and had a nice atmosphere to it. Nothing compared to Suphattra Land mind you, but still a fruit farm and that makes it okay in my book. Besides, new experiences count.
An observation I made was that once we got deeper into Rayong, the rubber trees started to dominate the landscape. They were like rows and rows of soldiers standing forever in their ranks at attention. It really is an impressive site. Bee's dad said that family members had a rubber farm when he was a child...9-10 years old. The bark of the rubber trees would be cut in the wee hours of the morning, like 1:00 a.m. The sap would run down and collect into little cups nailed to the tree. Bee's dad would go from tree to tree dumping the contents of the cups into a bucket. Only when you can see the size of these rubber tree forests, could you understand the amount of time and effort that must go into this. But he said he had fun doing it...something only a 9-10 year old boy could have fun doing.
Along the way
After the park, we headed further into Rayong. We stopped at Kloy Market, an old world styled market. The stalls were all styled after structures from way back in ancient times. It was actually pretty nostalgic. Many shops had items from the early 1900's and up. An antique collectors place to be.
Couldn't resist this pic. I do love a good Coke.
Can anyone remember having sets like these? Probably some of you don't even know what these things are!
Afterwords, we went to a local mall to get out of the heat for a bit and have some lunch. We settled on a Japanese restaurant. Food was plentiful and delicious. This was my lite meal below! A beef dish...I needed some beef.
Bee's cousin also settled for a petite lunch. After he polishes off his own meals, he finishes off anything the others can't or won't eat. He's young, a marathon runner, a cyclist. Need I say more?
We then headed to our hotel...Star Hotel. Gigantic place and from the outside and in the lobby, you would think it was a five star hotel. The rooms were at best a two, maybe two and a half stars.
Dinner was another thing altogether. It was going to be outdoor dining...as many places are in Thailand. So some mosquito repellent was handy. Ta Kua Pa restaurant. This place was cool I'm telling you! And enormous. There were creeks, falls, and other water features among a jungle setting. Just getting to the bathroom required a jungle trek and striding across a huge pond. There was even a band playing further off to the right in this picture.
Pretty much any Thai meal you sit down to is done family style. Several dishes are ordered and then passed around. Everyone gets a little of each and if there is something that was really enjoyed, then another round is ordered. There was never any waste. Remember, we had Bee's cousin along! Here? Every dish was enjoyed by all.
When I gave Coke a rest, then there was this!
That wraps up Friday's adventures. Now that we are fueled up and all are beat, it's time to head back to the hotel. The folks want to be at the hotel's breakfast buffet when it opens at 6:30 a.m. Jeesh!
To see the rest of the pics during this blog's time frame, please go to my galleries page or click on the following: Thailand 2015 - Rayong.
Here endeth Part 3. Two parts to go yet. To see part 4, click on the following: Part 4 covers our stops in Chanthaburi. So check it out.
Here endeth Part 3. Two parts to go yet. To see part 4, click on the following: Part 4 covers our stops in Chanthaburi. So check it out.
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