I feel like we've done a lot because we're actually here and reasonably settled in and I feel like we've done nothing at all because we've not been out of this wee little area of Cha Am.
Yes, it's complicated.
Given our very lazy day yesterday and the fact that it felt quite cool(ish) this morning we thought we'd best go for a good long walk. We went done to what I've been referring to as "the beach road", but in fact is Soi Ruamijit (Ruamijit Alley)
This is the location of Soi Ruamijit. It is 5.7kms long.
Our morning walk was 7.4 kms long but took us 1 hour and 40 minutes because we ambled along and I stopped to take, and edit, quite a few pictures. Most were crap, so you won't see them here.
During our walk we came across this place, which is one block away from the beach.
We will contact them and find out what a long term stay would cost.
Looking along the beach it seems like things are back to normal.
All the local business people have their setups back on the beach and are open for trade.
Tiz getting close the end of Soi Ruamijit
Once you step past the few bushes at the end of the road this is what you see
Heading north and back home from the end of Soi Ruamijit
Above is a view out to sea and if you look closely (see inset of pic below)
you see a couple of guys with fishing poles, up to their armpits in water, a long long way out!
I'd not seen people fish this way before.
Above are pics of the Grand Pacific Sovereign Resort.
It looks quite flash.
There appears to be a large villa, as in the European sense and not the dinky shrunken version of holiday resort developments, built on the roof.
We thought this gate might have been the entrance at its north end, as we saw it way off in the distance, but it was the Secretariat of the Prime Minister, according to the Google translation of the
sign.
Another of the really nice condo resorts along the beach Lumpini Park, Cha Am Beach
Thai style Uber Eats
.... and the ice cream cart, with kid attracting tune
In the evening we went the last night of the Rhythm of the Earth concert down at the beach. Not only did they have music but a great selection of food stall.
The road down to the beach, Narathip Rd., had quietened down.
One of the delivery vehicles we see a lot of around here.
They'll transport just about anything.
One of the larger local restaurants/take away just around the corner from our place
Lots of food to select from
... and at around meal times they sell these little bags of prepared sauces/marinades.
You add the appropriate meat, cook and you have a tasty meal.
At the end there is the fried chicken cart.
There are always people pulling up on their scooters and grabbing a few pieces.
Another similar, but smaller place, down the road a bit.
The square just in the background
Tiz getting her program as we enter
This is the program
First sight. The stage is way off in the distance.
Me taking a pano shot from the entrance
The pano shot I took at the entrance
Pano shot I took much later from the diagonally opposite corner, by the stage
It is on the beach and a cooling, for the want of a better word, breeze was blowing
It was getting busy but lots of tables and chairs were available
The stage was huge
Ancient Grass Jelly
Deep fried fish of various varieties
This stall was a standout, if only for the fact that it sold burgers and,
not surprisingly, no-one seemed to be buying them.
Burgers? When there is such a diversity of really tasty local fare available?
What were they thinking?!
Sayan Pork Sticks. You can tell how popular they were by the fact I couldn't get a pic of them
Flavoured shaved ices. Probably ripping sweet, like most shaved ices.
Super salads. They looked great, but I had my eyes on another delicacy.
Crab Salad Rolls. Sadly they contained crab sticks,
which are really starch and finely pulverised white fish (surimi)
Kettle Sweets. No, I'm not sure what they are.
Pork Innards, which , as the name implies,
uses all the internal bits of the pig that are normally discarded.
All cooked in an utterly delicious broth.
And, they were "Aroy Mak Mak" (delicious).
5 Colour Sticky Sweet.
Sticky sweet rice with 5 colours (flavours?) to choose from.
Mam's Lemon Pork
Chicken Dance. A local version of fired chicken.
Super squid, but I'll bet you a prawn they were mainly octopus,
which isn't a problem 'cos I love them both equally
Seafood on a stick, as opposed to "seafood sticks"
French fries and cheese.
Right down there, on my list, with burgers.
Coffee and chicken, go hand in hand here
Seafood, mainly crustaceans and shellfish
I really wanted some of these fried clams but they are available just down the road at any time
Squid eggs were too good to pass up
Yes sir, one small bowl of your best squid eggs.
Laid on a bed of shredded cabbage with a spicy "salsa verde" they exceeded expectations
Tiz, sensibly chose a Pad Thai, which was delcious
Tiz had had her on eye on this mango and sticky rice dessert from the start.
The sticky rice comes with two little bags to pour on it.
One bag has a thick coconut sauce and the other fried peanut husks that have a salty chilli flavour.
To finish off the night we bought three little sweets and the deep fried sweet cracker below
Tiz had hers with a G&T and I had mine with an iced coffee.
All up the night cost us ~AUD12
Today was a great day full of absorbing more of Thai layman's culture and a taste of local foods.
Take care and we hope to see you at the blog tomorrow.
