Finishing projects, packing artwork, and dining on Phad Thai in Tha Yang


Dec 27

Yesterday was project day. We finished the fountain project and managed to muddy the steps and the house floor in our efforts. I had mopped a couple of days before so I was mildly distressed thinking about sweeping and mopping again but decided to wait until we were completely finished with the project and mop in the morning due to the heat factor here. The entire house is tile floor and the main part is high gloss tile. Every spill shows as do tracks. 

 In the afternoon we worked on packing artwork we intend to take home with us. We have three paintings from Sri Lankan artists and one watercolor from India, a great street scene with a woman carrying a basket on her head filled with produce. Ron brought two large flat-screen TV  boxes from home in order to have something to take the paintings home as checked luggage. He had to reconstruct the boxes to fit the paintings and sty within the airline size limit but we got one box with three paintings completely packed and sealed and we are under the weight limit. YAY! The second box needs to be reconstructed, so Ron worked on the reconstruction today.

 After packing the first box we rested and since I had another bad night of sleeplessness I fell asleep and Ron left and walked up to the little ‘village’ and got a haircut. Great haircut for just $4.00.

 We decided we wanted a good dinner so we drove towards Chaam, about t45 minutes south of us to a seafood farm and restaurant where we have eaten numerous times over the years. The food is always fresh. We dined on Pla Capone Grantiam (deep-fried sea bass with tons of garlic)  Yum Yum. It is really scary to drive at night here because a number of motorcyclists do not turn on their lights so you would see them right after you hit them. So Ron slowed down on the way home as we were on a country road with two lanes.
We ended the day watching the three-hour movie ‘The Irishman’ with some great acting by De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino. We got to bed around midnight.

 Dec. 28
Sunrise over King Monkat memorial park
This morning I woke up at 6:40 after a good night’s rest and jumped out of bed to be able to get to the park for our walk and best the heat. We were successful in arriving at 7:10. We walked for 40 minutes with six loops around the park and there was a cloud cover or smog keeping us from getting too hot. The air is bad here and I managed to lose my face mask. It has to be here somewhere but so far I have not been able to find it.


After breakfast, Ron worked on the blog posting and I worked on the floors and steps. They look beautiful. Ron promised he would mop next time. Deal! The house required daily sweeping since we keep it completely open day and night. There are two sets of large windows that are French doors and one that we can open so the openings on all three are completed clear. It helps to keep the air flowing and with it comes some debris like sand. We also live with geckos so there is the need for gecko poop patrol each morning as well.
We went out for a light veggie lunch and massage. Then off to grocery shop. We eat breakfasts here and go out frequently for lunch or dinner. When we do cook it is simple meals: marina sauce with portobello mushrooms over spaghetti, omelets with a few veggies and cheese, and salads like red quinoa or a hearty green salad with hard-boiled eggs and tuna. I was hungry after our light lunch so I bought numerous snack items like fresh fruit, cookies, and roasted broad beans, a snack like peanuts.
We drove to the neighboring town of Tha Yang, for GREAT Phad Thai. The many local patrons prove the quality. We've eaten there many times on prior trips.  This town is also a real Thai town, with very few "farang" (westerners). Parking is very difficult on the narrow streets, but the Chinese temple next door allows parking for 20 baht (about 80 cents).  The meal was as good as we remembered.

 After putting the groceries away, we sat down and had some banana cake and fruit with a sweetened lime juice that Ron fixed for us, a very refreshing drink. Tonight, we will have a green salad. It’s just too hot to cook

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