The Sanctuary of Truth or Prasat Mai

Noom, my friend from Bangkok came to Pattaya and convinced me to go and see this marvel located just outside Pattaya. A bit more than most places at $17 admission and a $8.60 taxi each way, it proved well worth it. Looking ancient, the structure was conceived by a wealthy Thai businessman and commenced in 1981. It is scheduled to be completed by 2025. 

It combines Buddhist, Hindu, Khymer and Thai themes. The structure is composed entirely of wood and consists of thousands of carvings. 

Two oddities. Thai gas station and Max the pig dog.

First is the motorbike gas station. Sold in used 100 pipers scotch whiskey bottles, gas in this suitably  sized container sells for $1. 

The second is Max. This old dog looks remarkably like a pig, complete with a curly tail. Max lives permanently outside an outdoor restaurant and presumably is fed restaurant scraps. He sleeps most of the day and someone has painted his toenails a phosphorescent green!!

And...did I mention the food?

Thailand undoubtedly has one of the best cuisines in South East Asia. There are so many places to eat from the carts everywhere on the street to quiet restaurants. Almost all serve good food. Everything fresh. Chicken and eggs are all free range. Pork is passable to good. Beef is ok. Seafood is everywhere. Shrimp is the best value and taste in my view. Falang or foreigner food is everywhere as well. You can eat Thai food from a cart for as little as .75 cents or ear a gourmet seafood platter for $25 at a seaside restaurant. Tonight I went with a friend to an Italian restaurant and had the meal shown below. Beautiful beef tenderloin with spinach and Gorgonzola cheese. Cost $18 and one of the best meals I have ever had.

The fruit is great here. Many standard fruits are grown here as well as the exotic. Durian as shown below is the most bizarre. It has a most unfriendly exterior, smells terrible and has a strong sweet taste unlike any other fruit.

Watermelon is especially good. Shown below is the watermelon truck which sells a whole small melon for 30 cents. Note the practical use of watermelons for markers.

This was my breakfast one morning... A bunch of the small bananas is 65 cents.

And as I have mentioned before, mango sticky rice is my favourite desert. The following picture shows how sticky rice has evolved.

The place I am staying at

Yensabi Mansion. The building isn't spectacular. The rooms are a bit Spartan. The rooms are spacious, have a/c, TV, hot shower, kitchenette, seating area, tables and chairs, king-size bed and marble tile floors. All this for $270 per month plus $30 for water, electric and weekly cleaning. I think a very reasonable cost.

Bangsaray Beach

About 25 minutes outside Pattaya is Bansaray Beach. A small town possessing a small beach but more importantly a fishing dock. From there, squid and fishing boats set off daily in search of their catch. On the day of the Thailand election most places are closed. I thought it a good time to go so I arranged with a friend to take me there on his motorbike. What follows are a few pictures of the squid and fishing ships.

The Bug Wagon

Epicurean delights. Suitably named, this wagon contains insect snacks and other assorted delights. Very popular with those from northern Thailand or Isan, I noticed meal worms, frogs, crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches. Afraid to try myself, I'm told all you taste is the oil. Snack anyone?

Chinese New Year

Today was Chinese New Year's Eve. Firecrackers awakened us all today. Thailand seems to celebrate all worldwide holidays. Any excuse to party! Chinese New Year is widely celebrated as there are many Thai-Chinese and ethnic Chinese in Thailand. According to the Bangkok Post each Thai spends 3600 baht ($110) on offerings for departed ancestors. Some of these can be quite elaborate. As you can see in the pictures that follow, food and drink predominate. Some even include alcohol.