Vanuatu Part 2

Weekend starts here today.  Will pop into the office this morning for a couple of hours to catch up on a few things. Then later this evening off for a Sri Lankan curry dinner feast. Then tomorrow heading for Mount McDonnald the highest point (647 meters) on Efate Island. By pickup truck of course, no walking or anything silly like that.  But first off this morning a bit of work. Got some design reviews and a visit to a quarry planned for this afternoon. I know hardly retirement BUT I DON"T CARE !!!  It's all good.

The curry dinner is at Club Hippique, which is owned by an Australian couple, She being of Sri Lankan extraction hence the style of dinner.

The place itself is a resort offering horse riding along beaches and up and down mountain tracks etc and various other  activities. Check it out. Club Hippique  Looks a lot of fun.

Fun evening getting underway

The jagged lines on the left are palms.....

Well we did not see the top of the mountain. But we did go up a step hill and got some amazing views.

Check out the slope on this road......

Next weekend we go to the horse racing on Saturday and Sunday/Monday  the island os Santo. So lots to see and do.

There is also a turtle breeding farm to visit.  not sure when we will manage that...

Restaurant Down The Road

Decided on a quiet weekend and planned on doing very little. And managed it !!!!!

It was hot and sticky and threatening to rain. We have had high winds and very heavy rain all last week. So much so that at work, the access from shore to our jetty construction site was closed down for 3 days this week. Makes construction progress very slow and sitting around waiting is probably one of the worst things. For me that is a given.

Horrible conditions and in a way I find it quite depressing. I'm in the sunny tropics not the north sea coast.

I might add we were still waiting on electrical connection to our house so there was nothing much we could do in that area either. More frustration. No point buying stuff before the guys come down on Wednesday to start the refurbishment.

So Sunday arrived. Saw us both quite lethargic and we settled for a short drive along the coast to find somewhere for breakfast/lunch with teh planof returning home straight afterwards. It had been threatening rain again on my day off even as we left the Condo.

Anyway we decided to make a go of it. Off we went for a very short trip. We only went about 20 kilometers along the coast. Few people around. We found a spot. We opted for a very local shack/hut/shelter/Restaurant/Road side Cafe offering some fabulous smelling dishes. We settled on a soup of Pork and veggies with a wonderful aroma of coriander and other herbs, that was to share then we had "Hoi Tod"  Deep fried mussels with pancake wrap stirfried with fresh vegetables and water cress. Talk about tasty. One of the best dishes I've had for ages. Wanna seemed to know what all the bits were. I just sat back and enjoyed eating it all. I made a mental note to remind myself to get back into cooking once we move from the condo !!!! A silent reminder in case I have committed myself to doing the real cooking....

Anyway food was absolutely excellent. And I will be going back there again on the next rainy Sunday.

I took a few photos and then went outside and did a full 306 deg movie. Movie really to show hte surroundings.

The shop was on a side street and was in so many ways a typical Thai "spot". Nothing special. All the usual stuff. Dogs, motor bikes, houses open to the road. Everybody living on top of each other etc etc.

And I've no idea who is the guy reading the newpaper !!!!  And across the road was a shop selling Thai deserts/sweets.  Looked very colourful.

Then home for an afternoon relaxing.... Hopefully the rain stops soon. I'm beginning to get very fed up with it all.

Rayong Street Food

We stopped off for some food the other day.  Quick lunch. Located on one of the corners on the route to work is a small shop/stall selling meals. Though we would give it a try. All fairly basis Thai food but delicious. Just choose form about 8 per cooked dishes. Site down and eat. Wash down with water or a cold beer. Had boiled eggs, pork and curried bamboo. Delicious. Not much of a shop to look at and if on holiday you would not stop here. I am sure you would just pass it by thinking that does not look so good,  but it was clean, friendly, the food tasted good and was cheap. And no repercussions......

Looking into the shop

Making a choice....

Still making a choice.....

And again........

Warning  This is not whiskey.  Its normal ordinary 95 octane petrol which is sold to local bikers riding by.... So many people here use a motorbike for transport. So good business opportunity.

The "Restaurant"

Street Life

Street Life

Street Life

Take a seat....

Street Life

Tasty

Enjoy

Rayong Quick Lunch...........................Meal for 2.

Popped out for a quick Lunch. Small restaurant on our street. Clean, simple and friendly.

Had some Nam Tok Moo, Cucumber Salad and rice. Followed up with an ice cream.  Excellent. 

Nam Tok Moo is thin slices of cooked pork which is then reheated very quickly with several herbs and spices. Main ingredients are mint and coriander.  (At least I think that's what is in it.... :)

The cucumber salad is a take on the famous Thai "Som Tam" (Papaya salad, famous for being very hot). Cucumber salads also the same coming in various stages of hot to unbelievably hot. This one was just right. Saying that I cannot tell you where that fits on the scale hot to very hot !

MEAL, 

Pork

Cucumber Salad,

Side dish of salad (cabbage and greens)

Boiled rice

Sticky rice

2 ice creams

Water and ice 

Total GBP 4.00. 

Khon Kaen Restaurant

My last post was all about global warming. Well more about Oysters growing on lumps of concrete.

Was in Khon Kaen last weekend and stopped off in a small restaurant. A typical one, one of the thousands you see and pass along the road sides. This one was selling southern food. One of my favourite types of Thai foods. Southern food has a distinctive set of tastes with lots of hot curries more Malay/Indian in flavor and containing fish and mussels etc. The salads are also a bit different. Not sure how to describe “different” when it comes to salads. Ernest Hemmingway was the only author whom I’ve read who actually described the taste of something. Buts that’s just my opinion. Maybe I was eating salad as I read his book !

The restaurant also featured a spit roast for chickens. I took quite a few photos on the phone so I could select a few to add here. Well I had had a great meal and I think we shared about 5 dishes between us. Good indication that things tasted good. There were another couple in there as well. TV on and everything!The pictures tend to show a somewhat scruffy place. Don’t be fooled the food was great and no adverse reactions. I’ll be going back there again. In fact I think this was our 3^rd of 4^th visit in the last 12 months.

Tawatchai's Restaurant Rayong

Popped round to Tawatchai's restaurant yesterday morning before opening time.  Just thought I would have a quick look at how things are going and see where I eat in the evening. Tonight is the plan. Good to see it in daylight....

Tawatchai works with me. Civil Engineer and something of a businessman the rest of his time.

So going there makes for a much nicer dining experience eating at his place compared to "just anywhere". Will let you know how the food went..... Last time it was A1 OK.....

Bangkok and back

Just been down to Bangkok for a couple of days.  Checked out or Condos, caught up with Owen and Orn, attend an Horticultural Fair in Bangkok International Trade Exhibition Centre. So all in all a good few days.

We used the sky train once parked up and found it easy to get around. Had some street food. (Charlie eat your heart out....) Show was good in terms of features, flowers and presentations but did not have a great deal for us.  We met up with some other aquaponics guys and by chance also met a charming old chap,  Professor Rapee Sagarik (91 year old) who had been in charge of one of the more prestigious Universities in his earlier days did a lot for national agricultural development including setting up collages etc,and indeed had been a close advisor the the King. Very interesting person. Wanna told me he was a very respected person in Thailand. Told us he was having a good long life and his secret was to eat little and sleep little and keep busy.... Well I was impress as he told me he was off the the Chelsea Show later in the year and next year off again to Australia. I think he impressed Wanna the most by telling her how much he loved the Issan area around Khon Kaen and that he had been camping near there only  a few weeks back with his family.....

Charlie's Restaurant.....?

 The restaurant is across the road from our Condo. Easy to order.  They hold out a plate of fresh steaming rice and you just point and choose what you want. It goes on top of the rice and arrives at the table. Plate of rice, two choices comes to GBP 1.50. Can handle that....

On the way back  we stopped to buy some fruit etc and 10 monks walked passed. Quite a sight.

The Big 60

A very long overdue posting. Several times before I’ve said that time flys and nothing to write. This time I’ve been to Thailand and back and reached young age of 60. Well being 29th Feb I am really 15. That’s fine. Soon I can go out and buy and drink. And have some fun... And loads to write about but no energy. Funny when you leave things for awhile it all becomes hard work I had planned these blog posting to be my sort of diary for me and to share with family so not uploading anything interesting is a poor show. So this time is I know not going to be any better..... I mean if every time AI write and say ‘I’ve got nothing to say’ it a poro show right?
Well with all this travelling I only took a few photos. Had a great evening in Pattaya with Wanna and joined by my Dad, Gulshen and Owen and Charlie and Lynne and friends. Total 14. That was enough. After a great meal the young ones (that’s me ) wondered off to have a late night playing pool in a couple of local bars. Great evening.

Only disappointment was my Mother and Jane were unable to join us. Mother was not up to the flying and so I’ll have to find another time to get with her again soon.
I know is that all. ? @#$%^ !!!! Yes hat’s all. Next time.
Off this evening for a small Bar B Q in the local marina. Promise I’ll start posting again...