About christao408

An expat American who moved to Bangkok in 2005 with his partner (now husband). Life is a grand adventure and each experience is worth having if for no other reason than to remind us that we are alive.

Terminal 21 – Under Construction

Posted on 6 November 2009 by christao408

Walking back to the Skytrain station with my Thai tutor Thursday afternoon, I was commenting (in Thai, of course) about how much the area around the intersection of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 21 has changed in the four years since I moved here. There are a few new buildings and another large development called Terminal 21 is now rising next to the Asoke Skytrain station.

The site as it currently appears, looking to the northeast from the east-bound Skytrain platform.

Artist’s interpretation of Terminal 21’s design. This is looking roughly west. The above picture of the construction site would have been taken from the end of the Skytrain platform, which appears to the left of the face billboard in this representation of the building.

Built on the site of a former Ford and Volvo dealership, this very large property is one of the best-located in the city. Described on its website as an “airport terminal” design (whatever that means), it will feature a 9-storey mall including an SF Cinema and a supermarket, a 20-storey serviced apartment complex, 145,000 square meters of office space, and 40,000 square meters of retail space.

Each floor of the mall will be themed on a different city or region of the world. The bottom floor will be the Caribbean and then we will proceed through Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Istanbul, San Francisco (which occupies two floors) and Los Angeles.

San Francisco floor, left, and Istanbul floor, right.

Each floor will focus on a particular type of shop – fashion brand names on the Paris floor, food and restaurants on the San Francisco floors and the cinema will be on the Los Angeles floor. Istanbul’s floor will have fashion accessories and leather goods.

Yes, I know what you are thinking. Do we really need another mall in this city? The answer is, definitely not. I think we need more mixed income housing located right next to transit. But that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the fact that this is a great location – very transit-friendly as it is located at the intersection of the Skytrain and subway lines – and developments adjacent to transit are generally good for the city. Plus, alternatives to having to go all the way down to Siam Square and Paragon are always welcome.

As the cranes are being installed, they are right at eye level with the Skytrain station’s platform. Nice views.

Nighttime shot of the construction taken on Monday, November 2nd. This is the night of Loi Krathong. Can you spot the full moon?

Here it is!

Stay tuned for more updates as I follow the construction of Terminal 21.

Pulled Pork Butt

Posted on 5 November 2009 by christao408

Hankering for some barbecue but lacking the proper facilities, I decided to instead make pulled pork butt. This painstakingly slow (but, oh, so simple) technique produces wonderfully flavorful and tender meat, perfect for piling on a toasted french baguette and eating as a sandwich.

Original recipes I considered were for mighty large crowds – feeding six or seven was considered a small number! Thankfully, recipes like this scale up and down pretty well, so I went to the butcher and bought the smallest pork butt I could find.

Let’s take a moment to be clear: pork butt is not the same as pork ass. The butt is actually the upper shoulder from the hog, a wonderfully well-marbled cut that works beautifully for “low and slow” cooking. That is, cooking at a relatively low heat and a relatively long time. Think Crock Pot and you’ve got the idea.

Unfortunately, the butcher did not have the bone-in butt, only boneless. I think cooking the butt with the bone in is nicer. There is more flavor and the bone serves as a conduit to direct heat into the center of the roast, reducing cooking time.

Pork in Thailand is significantly more flavorful than the bland “other white meat” that American animal factories produce. Nonetheless, it still benefits from an overnight bath in a brine, a solution of salt, sugar and spices dissolved in water.

The next day I rinsed the pork shoulder and patted it dry, covering it with a spice rub that contained cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and chili powder along with a bit of salt, brown sugar and black pepper. Searing the butt on all sides in my Dutch oven, I then added some cooking liquid (red wine, beef stock and onions), slapped a cover on it, and put it in my oven at 280 F / 145 C.

It took about five hours for my relatively small roast to reach an internal temperature of 220 F / 105 C. “220 degrees!?” you’ll exclaim, “But pork only has to be cooked to 160 and already it risks drying out.”

Roasts, which are filled with fat and connective tissues, will be very tough if you take them out of the oven at 160 F. However, if you keep on cooking (with liquid – remember we brined the butt overnight and also have some liquid in the pot), as the temperature passes 200 F the connective tissues and fat dissolve. This makes the meat so tender that it literally falls apart as you handle it. This also bastes the meat in the fat and juices from the dissolved connective tissues.

Taking the pot out of the oven, I let the butt sit in the covered pot until its internal temperature had reduced to 170 F / 76 C before putting the meat on the cutting board and shredding it with two forks.

As you can see, it pulled apart into very nice little shreds. This makes the perfect vehicle for various types of dressing. In the Carolinas, a vinegar-based dressing would be the flavor of choice. In the midwest and Texas, the dressing will be tomato based and sweeter. In this case, I used a combination of some of the leftover cooking liquid (the red wine giving it a more acidic note, similar to the vinegar-based dressing) and a little bit of KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce that was sitting in the fridge.

How to serve this pulled pork? I think it is best as a sandwich. Split and toast a length of a French roll or baguette, spread with mayonnaise, pile on the pork, add some roasted red peppers (and grilled onions, if you like), garnish with dill pickles, barbecue sauce and, if you like, mozzarella cheese. Then put the whole thing under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up nicely.

That’s good eating!

New Notes and Photos

Posted on 4 November 2009 by christao408

One of the wonderful things about this little community on Xanga is how it connects you to creative and interesting people both inside and outside the community.

Evan wrote a recent entry in which he linked to photographer Phillip Toledano’s online slideshow titled Days with My Father. Following his mother’s death, Toledano cared for his father, who had no short-term memory. The three years they spent together are beautifully captured through his photos and words.

When you click on the link, it will take a few moments for all the thumbnails to load. Click on the upper left thumbnail to begin and then navigate through the slideshow by clicking at the bottom of each page when you are ready to advance. The navigation took me a few moments to figure out but it is worth it.

Another Xangan, Jason, is part of the Vancouver BC-based band Locus. They just released their first album, Ambrosia.

Described as “dream pop” their music is a combination of electronic, ambient and industrial rock. Listen to their beautiful songs for free on MySpace. You can download the album from iTunes by searching for “Locus Ambrosia”.

Add to this the many talented poets on Xanga and we have a very creative tribe here.

Ever Thought About Moving Back?

Posted on 3 November 2009 by christao408

In response to my recent entry about my fourth anniversary of moving to Thailand, Jason asked a pointed question: “Ever thought about moving back?”

From such a question is born a good blog entry, so here is my answer.

Why am I here?

Before I can think about moving back, I should explain why I’m here in Krungthep in the first place. Tawn received his Master’s degree at University of San Francisco in 2003. As part of the educational visas the US government provides, students are usually allowed to work for one year following the completion of their degree in order to get some practical experience. After that year, though, the student needs to apply for a non-resident visa, usually an H-1B.

Without going into a lot of detail, H-1B visas are difficult to come by, especially in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 when the quantity of these visas was reduced to 65,000 a year, down from around 150,000 previously. Because of their scarcity, only people with highly specialized skills are generally able to get employee sponsorship for the visa. In this case, Tawn’s skills didn’t meet that threshold.

Because of that, Tawn faced the choice of either overstaying his visa or returning to Thailand. He chose to follow the legal path and, not wanting to end the relationship, I chose to follow him here.

The Big Mango: Love It or Leave It?

They say that expats in Krungthep usually either love or hate living here. I find myself somewhere in between, but closer to the loving it side. There are many benefits to living here beyond the fact that Tawn is here. From a cost of living standpoint, for example, we live significantly better off than we would if were living in the US, especially if we were still back in the San Francisco Bay Area.

There are things about life in the US, though, that I miss. Most of all, I miss being near my family. My grandparents both turn 90 next year and my nieces turn four and seven. Everyone is getting older and seeing them once every nine months or so isn’t often enough. Time is short and the opportunities to spend time with loved ones are fleeting.

At the same time, we have ties here, too. Tawn is an only child and his parents are more demanding of his time and attention than mine are. While it is hard for me to be far away from my family, I think it would be harder for Tawn to be away from his.

Would I? Could I?

Even if we wanted to move back to the US, could we? Tawn and I were married this summer in Iowa, one of only five states that currently allow same-sex marriage. Here’s the bad news – news that most Americans (even gay ones!) don’t realize:

We can’t move back as a couple.

Thanks to the poorly named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the US federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages. Immigration is a federal matter, so as long as DOMA is the law of the land Tawn and I cannot move back as a married couple. Tawn could only move to the US as either a student or by applying for one of those hard-to-get H-1B visas. Even if he did get in, we would be facing a ticking clock with little prospect of him being able to remain in the US over the long term.

[Update: In June 2013, the United States Supreme Court struck down the section of DOMA that is referenced above. Read about the impact of that decision on us here.]

Where Do You See Yourself in the Future?

I am asked this question each year during my annual performance appraisal, not so much because my boss expects the answer to change but because it is part of the Human Resources-designed appraisal process. If I had to pull out my crystal ball, where do I see myself in the future?

In the near future – say the next three to five years – I see myself still here in Krungthep. Even if Congress repealed DOMA, Tawn remains an only child and so I don’t see us moving back to the US anytime soon.

Looking beyond the five-year horizon, I think a lot of the future will depend upon events that happen, particularly regarding the health of both sets of our parents. Changing circumstances may dictate where one or the other of us spends more of our time, be it here or back in the US.

As we get to about ten years, I think we will likely look for options outside of Krungthep. Maybe that means having a country house where we can spend most of our time. Maybe that means living outside of Thailand (not necessarily in the US) for a portion of the year. If we could split our time between Paris and Krungthep, that would be great! Of course, this all depends upon developing jobs where we can move about readily. I already have that job. Tawn doesn’t, yet.

Yes, but would you move back to the US?

In a way, I’m dancing around that question. As much as I miss people (and a few restaurants) in the US, I don’t particularly miss life in the US for several reasons:

There is a lot of arrogance bred of insularity and ignorance. Too many Americans not only have never traveled abroad, they don’t care to inform themselves of the perspectives and values of other countries and cultures. Witness the horror with which Americans react to the suggestion that Canadians, French or Japanese might have something to teach us about how to run a health care system.

Discourse is increasingly shrill and intolerant. Thanks to the splintering of the media, people increasingly seek out and find channels that serve only to reinforce their already-held beliefs and perspectives. I don’t see how that serves democracy well and it certainly hasn’t improved the level of discourse within the US, either on political or social issues. I want to be able to communicate with others, not be shouted at by them.

Finally, the influence of corporations on public life and politics in the US continues to expand to dangerous levels. Many other countries have done a better job putting limits on the legal rights of corporations, deferring instead to the rights of individuals. Many other countries have also done a better job of limiting corporations’ involvement in politics.

To answer your question, Jason, I have thought about it. But even if the legal barriers to moving back were to fall away and even if there were no family ties holding us here in Thailand, I don’t think we would move back to the US, at least not full-time.

More Loaves and Fishes – with Recipe

Posted on 1 November 2009 by christao408

I just sent the recipe for this no-knead bread to chow and it occurred to me that there’s no reason for me not to share it with you. So, my apologies for reposting but if you’re interested in the recipe for this bread, you’ll find it below.

The oven rarely cools down as I turn out another loaf of bread every few days. I’m becoming comfortable with the pale ale pot boule recipe in “Kneadlessly Simple” and am experimenting with the recipe a bit (after I mastered the original recipe, Sheldon) and am now mixing in small amounts of rye flour, corn meal and oats. It makes for a very interesting, flavorful bread.

Before and after shots of one of my recent loaves. It turned out beautifully. We’re having panini at least one night every week and toast with our oatmeal every morning.

Have I explained the no-knead process to you? It is tremendously easy. You stir the ingredients together in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then allow it to rise in a cool temperature (we’re placing it right under the air conditioner so it is at about 70 F) overnight or until doubled. You can precede that rise with a rest in the refrigerator of up to eight hours, which gives the dough more time to develop flavor.

You can then shape the dough into whatever shape or pan you want it in, let it rise at normal room temperature until it has almost doubled again, then bake it. Start with a very hot oven and then cool it down after putting the loaf in. This gives you a big initial “poof” in the loaf, then allows it to finish cooking through without burning the exterior.

Added content below:

Here’s the recipe with a few process modifications based on what I’ve learned. The original recipe comes from the book “Kneadlessley Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads” by Nancy Baggett. No-knead breads gained some interest after Mark Bittman wrote a column about them. CI did a follow-up recipe in which they came up with some improvements (less in the recipe than in the technique). I’ve incorporated those into Baggett’s recipe for a crusty pale ale pot boule.

Crusty Pale Ale Pot Boule
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12-14 slices

4.5 cups (22.5 oz) all-purpose white flour
3 T granulated sugar
Scant 2 t table salt
3/4 t instant yeast
1 bottle (12 oz) well-chilled pale ale or beer (I use Singha)
1/2 cup ice water or more if needed
Vegetable oil or oil spray for coating dough top
3 T sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the dry ingredients. Vigorously stir in the ale and water, scraping down the bowl sides completely and mixing until the bubbling subsides and the dough is thoroughly blended. If it is too dry to mix together, gradually stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients. Don’t over-moisten as the dough should be stiffer than normal bread dough.

Brush or spray the top of the dough with oil. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 3-10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 10-18 hours or until a bit more than doubled. If convenient, vigorously stir once about halfway during the rise.

Gently lift and fold the dough in towards the center, shaping into a boule. Place on a long (about 18-inch) length of parchment paper placed in a cake pan or pyrex pie plate so the dough doesn’t spread too wide. If necessary, spray/brush the top of the dough with oil and loosely place plastic wrap over the top to keep the dough from forming a skin. Allow a 1.5-2.5 hour regular rise at warm room temperature or until doubled.

About 20 minutes before baking, put a rack in the lower third of your oven. Put a heavy metal pot or Dutch oven (with cover) on the rack and pre-heat to 450 F. While the oven is preheating you can slash the top of your loaf with a sharp knife. You can also add the optional seeds, spraying the top of the loaf with water and then sprinkling the seeds generously.

Once fully heated, remove the Dutch oven (working carefully – HOT!) and transfer the loaf to the pot by lifting the corners of the parchment paper. Gently shake the pot so the dough settles. If it is a bit uneven, that’s okay – it will work out during the baking. Give a good spray or two of water on top of the loaf then put the cover back on, placing the pot back in the oven.

Reduce the heat to 425 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid of the pot, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for about another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 208-210 F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for about ten minutes before removing the loaf to cool on the rack.

Notes:

Regarding the flour, I regularly mix in up to a cup of whole grain flour, usually rye, with good effect. I’ve also added up to a 1/4 cup of cornmeal which also adds a nice texture.
If you live in a warmer climate or it is summertime, for the second rise after shaping you could use the refrigerator for a rise of up to 24 hours, setting out just at the end.
I place a baking stone in my oven to help keep the heat stable when I open the oven door.
I’ve tried baking this without the Dutch Oven and the crust doesn’t turn out as nice, even if I put a dish of hot water at the bottom of the oven. If you want a softer crust, though, then feel free to bake it in another container or directly on the baking stone.
If your Dutch oven doesn’t have a tight fitting lid, it is a good idea to put a sheet of foil under the lid. This keeps the moisture inside the Dutch oven, creating a steam environment and making for a nice crust.
The timing will depend on your oven. Sometimes after the initial thirty minutes I will remove the loaf from the pan and cook it directly on the baking stone.

Continuing with the original post:

Some of the employees at the coffee shop at which my Thai tutor and I have been meeting for more than three years, Bitter Brown on Soi Asoke, have a talent for latte art. This isn’t a normal occurrence but the other afternoon I was about to add sugar to my latte when Khru Kitiya (“Teacher” Kitiya) pointed out the fish. Cute, isn’t it?

Four Years and Counting

Posted on 31 October 2009 by christao408

The rest of you celebrate October 31st as Halloween. For me, it is the anniversary of my move to Krungthep. Hard as it is to believe, it has been four years since I moved here. Every time I think that four years is a long time, I meet someone who has been here ten, fifteen, twenty years or more. That puts it into perspective.

Another interesting date passed about two months ago: we reached the point where my time in Thailand exceeds Tawn’s time spent in the United States. I like to joke that I’ve repaid the debt and am now earning credits.

Browsing back in my blog to the entries leading up to my move, I was startled at how rushed and panicky things were in the final weeks. A lot of that has faded from my memory, but I was busily tying up loose ends, sorting through possessions, wrapping up work and closing fourteen months of living in Kansas City, my interim stop between San Francisco and Krungthep.

Just for fun, I thought I’d share the entry I wrote on my final night in the US, spent appropriately enough in New York City. Back in those days, few people read my blog and so that original entry has had just fifteen views. Here is is for posterity’s sake. Sorry there were no pictures.

Sunday October 30, 2005

Daylight Saving Time has ended – yeah, an extra hour this morning before departing to the airport. Holly and I are sitting around her living room watching New York 1 for local news, drinking coffee, and I’m thinking about walking down to the corner bagel shop for one last taste of New York. Thai Airways’ website is showing an on-time departure (hours and hours before departure) for my flight.

Saturday night it was a pleasure hanging out with Keith and Aaron for about ninety minutes. Keith had his “Boyfriend-aholic” t-shirt on, which seems appropriate. Had a good conversation with Aaron about a little puppy that has been following him around!

I walked down Seventh Avenue to Blue Hill and thankfully allowed myself enough extra time because I overshot the restaurant by six blocks. It is in that section known as Greenwhich Village – the point where the grid of streets ends – that I got confused. Holly was just starting on a glass of Pinot Noir at the bar when I arrived, spot-on at 9:00. We had a fantastic dinner, that only could have been improved with the presence of Tawn and you, of course!

Holly and I chose the tasting menu, paired with a wine tasting menu. It was fantastic:

Amuse bouche

Celeriac soup
Butternut squash sorbet

First plates

Grilled wild striped bass with salsify puree and tomato-pepper vinaigrette
Wine: Lieb Family Cellars Rose, North Fork Long Island (New York) 2004
Chatham Cod with razor clams, lobster, crab and sucrine lettuces
Wine: Channing Daughter’s Vino Bianco, South Fork Long Island (New York) 2004

Main plate

Loin of Vermont baby lamp with wild mushrooms, chestnuts, banana squash, Stone Barns brussel sprout leaves
Wine: Joseph Phelps Le Mistral, Monterey County (California) 2002

Desserts

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with plum marmalade and plum sorbet
Cheesecake with bitter chocolate sauce
Wine: “MR” Mountain Wine, Malaga (Spain) 2004

Last taste

Miniature chocolate muffin top

The celeriac soup, served in a tall, thin shot glass, was very tasty and quite hot. It had a infused foam on top that was really a nice textural contrast to the rich soup. The butternut squash sorbet, served on a demitasse spoon, was richly flavored and subtly sweet. Very interesting and buttery but the flavors are better as a soup.

The bass and the rose wine were the best pairing. The bass had a seared crust with a tomato-pepper vinaigrette that absolutely melted in your mouth. The rose, which was enjoyable on its own, just jumped to life following the bass and the flavors continued to evolve for the next several moments.

The cod was very lightly cooked, tender and flaky. The broth was a high point full of great crustacean flavors that I sopped up with one of the fresh soft breadsticks.

The lamb, an unusual choice to serve a generous portion of loin, was lightly breaded on one side, tremendously tender and flavorful, and also a bit too salty. The banana squash slice was delectable and wild mushrooms and chestnuts captured the season beautifully.

Of the desserts, we suggested to the server afterwards that the order should have been reversed. The cheesecake was served in individual small preserve jars and had a small dollop of bitter chocolate on top. The cake increased in richness the deeper you dug and the chocolate had an interesting counter-note of saltiness. It was very enjoyable, but had been completely overshadowed by the amazing buttermilk panna cotta. Like a fresh yogurt, the tangy creamy base had a layer of plum marmalade that was bursting with ripe fruitiness. A wedge of plum sorbet added a coolness to the whole thing.

It was an absolutely fantastic meal and I can’t wait to return to Blue Hill again.

French Fries – Cold Oil Method

Posted on 29 October 2009 by christao408

There are certain cooking techniques with which I am not very familiar. Deep frying is one of them. Part of this is because all I have is a small condo kitchen. There is not a nice outdoor kitchen for “heavy duty” cooking, the type that imparts a lingering smell in your furniture, carpets and draperies. Lack of familiarity doesn’t quiet my curiosity, though. In fact, it heightens it.

That is why, when Cook’s Illustrated published a recipe for “Easier French Fries” using a cold oil method in the July/August 2009 issue, I was intrigued and eager to try it.

Conventional wisdom holds that to make good french fries you need to rinse the cut potatoes to remove excesses starch and then fry them twice, once at a lower temperature to cook the potatoes and a second, more brief dousing in the oil to form a crisp crust.

That is a lot of work. Frankly, I’ll just walk down to McDonald’s instead of going through that much work. As the author of the CI article explained it, they broke with conventional wisdom and achieved exceptional results along with a few added benefits.

Their first break with tradition was to abandon the Russet potato, which they found to be too dry and starchy for this single-fry method. They chose instead the Yukon Gold, which is waxier in texture. Our local markets don’t identify the different potato types by name but I picked up some that looked like Yukons. Squaring the sides, I cut them into batons about 3/8″ wide. No peeling beforehand and no rinsing after.

Next, place the potatoes in a Dutch oven or other heavy, deep pan along with the oil. Peanut oil was recommended but as that wasn’t readily available here, I used canola oil. I also added a few tablespoons of duck fat left over from a previous cooking project. A little duck fat or bacon fat will add more flavor to the fries. How do I know this? Because they add flavor to anything!

This cold oil method is attributed to a recipe from Jeffrey Steingarten, a food write whose approach to food (and life) and style of writing appeals to me. It was attributed to the method of Michelin-starred chef Joel Robuchon.

This is where the process really breaks all the rules. You put the pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high until the oil is boiling. During this time you do not stir the fries at all. After the boiling starts you continue to cook for about fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are limp but the exteriors are starting to firm up.

It is only at this point that you start to stir the fries, gently unsticking any that have caught on the bottom of the pan or each other. After the fries are golden and crisp you can pull them out and drain them on paper towels, paper bags, newspapers, or whatever else is handy.

The resulting fries were very tasty, if just a little overcooked. But who is going to complain when you have freshly made french fries sitting in front of you?

I mentioned that the author of this method discovered a few unexpected benefits. Not only does this cold oil method result in a lot less splatter and, subsequently, a lot less “fried food” smell inundating your house, it also results in fries that absorb a lot less fat. Based on some scientific analysis, the CI lab found that fries cooked by the cold oil method contained about one-third less fat than the conventional twice-fried method: 13% versus 20%. When I went to pour the oil back into the bottle, I was surprised to discover that it refilled the bottle nearly to the top. Only a few tablespoons had been lost in the entire process!

Now, I don’t know that I’ll be making french fries again anytime soon. But I’m glad I gave them a try.

Stroll Along Mai Khao Beach

Posted on 27 October 2009 by christao408

The final chapter about Phuket…

Jason was busy tanning, Kahlua on the Rocks in hand, and Tawn was napping after his yoga, so Stuart, Piyawat and I decided to go for a stroll on the beach. The condo we rented is on Mai Khao Beach. “Mai Khao” means “white trees”, a reference to the strands of birch trees located in this area. North of the airport by less than a kilometer in a straight line, this section of the island has little development in comparison to the busier cities on the south and west sides.

Our guard dogs, Sing and Yuri, ran under the fence to join us. I was initially concerned that they would run away and get lost but they were very well behaved, never straying too far and always racing back when we called.

Here’s a two-minute video highlighting the stroll:

It took about ten minutes to walk the kilometer or so south towards the airport. The runway ends just next to the beach and you can get quite a view of departing airplanes. Being an aviation enthusiast, I had to stop and watch a few THAI Airways Boeing 777s depart.

The airport is unique because it is located in an isthmus-like stretch of the north end of the island, wedged between two hills. You can see the control tower (white) on the hill to the left of the runway. The back entrance to the airport is by the narrow road that runs to the left of the taxiway. I can’t exaggerate how close this road is to the taxiway. When the jumbo jets taxi by, you feel like you need to duck lest their wingtips slice off the roof of your car. The terminal and ramp area are parallel to the beach at the far end of the picture.

Also at the end of the runway is a small creek which runs into the sea. It is fed by runoff from the airport grounds. Here we have a father and son fishing for dinner in this creek. I can only imagine what sort of petroleum residue there is in that water.

We encountered another fisherman on the way back. This man was fishing in the sea and landed an interesting fish as we walked up. It was long with a needlelike nose and small teeth. The color was translucent green on top and he was wriggling around like crazy.

Sunday afternoon there was no rush to leave as our flight wasn’t until after 7 pm. We all piled into the car and drove ten minutes up the road to the Sala Resort, one of the high-end resorts located on the north end of the island. I think I’ve figured out the best was to enjoy resorts: just go visit them and have a drink. You get all the attentive service and ambience without having to pay the exorbitant nightly rates.

The design of the resort is, I understand, by the same person who designed Alila Cha-Am. (See this entry from September 2008 about our stay at that beautiful resort on the Gulf of Thailand.) This means that it is largely modern in design, although Sala has more contemporary touches such as this vaguely Chinoiserie style screen at the entrance. Notice that some of the octagons rotate. Neat touch.

Guest registration, which looks more like an open-air bar.

The path from registration towards the beach. Notice the “white trees” – birches. All the guest rooms are individual pavilions (that’s where the name “sala” comes from, “pavilion” in Thai) hidden behind walls and gates on both sides of this path.

Heading through a wall of mist on our way to the spa to check our their offerings and prices.

Tawn chilling out in the lounge outside the spa. There’s just a little bit of water circulating amongst the stones and another quiet waterfall trickling down the black wall in the back.

The pool area near the beach. Surrounded on two sides by outdoor dining patios, we positioned ourselves on the large white sofa at the far end of the pool for some drinks and snacks. I didn’t realize it at first, but there is actually a seating area on top of the roof with reflecting pools, benches and tables.

Here’s the view of the pools taken from the top of the roof, directly above the white sofa at the far end of the previous picture. The wide lawn was very different from most beach resorts and with the pine trees, it reminded me more of a mountain retreat rather than a beach side resort.

Kobfa and Tawn in one of the many love seat swings on the property.

Okay, that’s it for Phuket for this trip. Hope you enjoyed!

Really Lost in Translation

Posted on 26 October 2009 by christao408

A good 70% of the residents of our condo are Thai. Nonetheless, the company that serves as our building management, a division of Plus Property, usually does an effective job trying to accommodate those of us who are not native Thai speakers. Within a day or two after notices are posted, an English translation will be taped up alongside.

Tawn and I are still scratching our heads about this one. Unfortunately, the Thai version didn’t make much sense, either.

Stringing Power Lines

Posted on 24 October 2009 by christao408

Tawn and I were eating lunch at S&P Restaurant up on the north end of Thong Lor a few Saturdays ago when we noticed a commotion in the trees across the street. Who should emerge from the branches, crawling along the power lines, than a person? Yes, this is how we string new power lines here in Thailand.

The worker actually pulled the cable along as it was being fed by two of his coworkers on the ground. This is just one of those things that makes me roll my eyes, shake my head a bit, and say “Well, this is Thailand.”

Want to see a video showing some of the high-wire daredevil act set to the music of 1980s band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark? If so, please click below.

Have a nice Sunday.

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

Author Archives: christao408