Our first stop was at a very popular food stand packed with locals. There were about 15 different dishes in big silver pots that people were choosing to eat over rice. We choose two: one was the spicy kao pao with chicken and the other was a bamboo vegetable dish. Not the best we’ve tried, but a great 66 cent snack! We continued down the road and walked along a market that seemed to go on forever. Both sides of the street had fresh goods of all sort available. This road eventually took us by the train station with the typical circle of tuk tuk and taxi drivers waiting. Liya grabbed her daily supply of soy milk along the way. Around the next block we walked past a noodle soup stand that stood on its own. The three people working there must have been Father and two daughters. Our ‘eye test’ passed as the wontons and pork looked fresh and very nice. The eldest daughter (probably in her late teens) told us in well spoken English what was being served. We decided to give it a try and were happy to help out the nice family. The noodle soup was solid, and made for another great 66 cent treat.
Next we walked toward the center landmark that stretches high into the air. The Chedi in Nakhon Pathon is the largest in the world. We were very impressed with the size and beauty of this impressive chedi. Marble stairs took us up to courtyard that wraps all the way around the chedi. At the top of the stairs was a large, golden Buddha with flowers, candles and gifts that presented all colors of the rainbow. We enjoyed a lovely walk around the outside of the chedi where we gazed at trees with ultra colorful flowers and said “sawaisdee kaa” (aka hello) to the monks that passed by. Finishing full circle, we walked to the parking lot where a big night market was happening.
In usual fashion we walked up and down the long isles to scout out what was being offered and note what the locals seemed to be drawn towards. We walked back to one noodle stand where a family of four were pumping out noodle soup dishes at a feverish pace. We sat down at an empty table and watched the process unfold. About five minutes of waiting and we wanted to get our order in. We got the attention of the man in charge, he looked at Ben, then looked directly at Liya and starting speaking in Thai (just as most do, everyone thinks Liya is Thai or knows the language). We pointed at a gentleman’s dish nearby and got a simple response. The man who was eating the dish we wanted to order stood up, came to our table and told us, “he said you will have to wait 30 minutes for your dish.” Not sure why we asked the man and he told us, “he’s having really good business.” So to our surprise, the family working at such a fast pace were doing so because so many people were ordering the dish that ours would take 30 minutes to arrive. What is this, the Olive Garden? 30 minute wait for a noodle soup dish that takes less than 40 seconds to prepare? Wow, the locals must love this stuff! In no hurry, we were happy to wait. Luckily, the stand right next door was serving one of our favorite dishes. A simple dish, steamed rice with boiled chicken on top with a side of vegetable soup. Super simple, great flavor, and consistently good. By the time we finished that favorite, the noodle soup had arrived. Egg noodle, a good broth, bacon, wontons, and fish balls made up this popular dish. Long story short, it was pretty good, but not the best we’ve had. Two dishes for two dollars, we love Thailand!
Now in search of dessert we were able to get some fresh jackfruit (one of Ben’s favorites) and a new item we had not seen yet. It was essentially a big thick round waffle folded over with fresh coconut shaving and coconut milk in the middle. Pretty good! The walk home took us by a stand serving Liya’s favorite dessert, so we had to stop for one more treat. Super full, we watched a movie (There Will Be Blood - pretty strange film) and let our food digest before heading to bed. Oh yea, the blogger forgot to mention the pet bird that swaks and yelps all night long…
Next morning we got up, packed up, and walked around another part of the town before check out. We made our way to the area where a large university is and one of the royal palaces. We crossed a bridge that took us by a mini zoo with all kinds of animals in cages. We saw tons of tropical birds, crocodiles, a leopard, bears, monkeys, deer, rabbits, turtles, and a few others. We were very disappointed with the quality and upkeep of the pens that the animals were kept in. Being so close to the royal palace we expected higher standards of care. Pretty sad to see…On we went through town and we walked by a small restaurant that seemed like a good place for a quick meal. The A/C was a welcome extra while we ordered from a menu with no english to a waitress that spoke only thai. We said a few of our favorite dishes - kao pao, guay thiew, and pad si ew - and she was able to understand. It was quite an experience. The three dishes were good and reasonably priced, a good way to start the day. We then made our way back to the hotel via a new stretch of town that we hadn’t see yet and checked out. A short walk to the police station where all of the buses stop just outside of the gates is where we found our #78 bus to Damnoen Saduak.
No comments:
Post a Comment