![\"2014-06-08](\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-08-163746.jpg\" "\\"2014-06-08")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u2026and I\u2019ve moved on to Trat, in the far Southeastern corner of Thailand, near the Cambodian frontier. Had planned to chill out on one of the islands for a few days; but now there\u2019s a mammoth four-day rain event forecast to begin in the next hours. If that pans out, I may just head back to Bangkok, and then on to Penang.<\/p>\n Kinda got festivalled out near midweek; didn\u2019t spend much time perusing the stalls, events, or entertainments; instead choosing to hang in the park with the fruitists, and stalk the townspeople for excellent photo moments.<\/p>\n In re the former: As I say, truly marvellous company. Suppose it\u2019s probably true of any subculture\/community. But it\u2019s surely<\/em> true of the Worldwide Fruit-Eaters.<\/p>\n Including that Lindsay and Rob, the mad geniuses behind<\/a> The Year Of The Durian, finally showed they faces. They\u2019d been holed up in Bangkok, Lindsay in a frantic scramble to finish her excellent <\/em>(yes, I have already read it all through) new Durian Tourist\u2019s Guide To Thailand <\/em>e-book<\/a>. In celebration of the event, they throwed a big, fat Durian-eating wing-ding on Friday night.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the gang. A few more showed up later.<\/p>\n Slovenienne name of \u201cSpela\u201d, modeling the Rambutans in this photo, has uploaded a video<\/a> of her day, which includes a bit of footage from here. The vid also<\/em> includes some shots of The Pig<\/a>. I can tell you right now, next time I come to Chanthaburi, I\u2019m staying at the hotel at which they-all stayed, just so\u2019s I can make friends with that pig!<\/p>\n Looks like the town\u2019s Novices got wind of our little shindig and, blind with jealousy, decided they\u2019d try to one-up us. You may judge for yourself which party was the more spirited (or for that matter, which was the more spiritual<\/em>).<\/p>\n But you\u2019d have a difficult row to hoe to convince Nong that it had been — on either score — the latter.<\/p>\n In the park there are a poop-tonne of exercise machines. Most involve swinging or rocking to-and-fro\u2019 type action. Not exactly challenging. But, hey, at least they promote movement. Here\u2019s a sign giving instructions for its machine.<\/p>\n It occurred to me that there must be an online tool to OCR Thai script, which could then be sent through a translation machine. Lo and fuckin\u2019 behold, my OCR software that I\u2019ve already got installed will do the job on Thai (and many other languages as well). The OCR looks to my eyes very clean. Unfortunately, I don’t see a way to display a block of Thai script text within an English-language WordPress blog. But here\u2019s the translation engine\u2019s output. Having watched two fruit-eaters utilise it, I\u2019d say the translation has nailed this particular exercise more less to the T.<\/p>\n Four. Devices hips swing – and sample pair.<\/p>\n The use of any device upside ft.<\/p>\n Caution<\/p>\n Jack’s objectives? Patrick ?t taste of stunning scenery, peaceful muscular chest. The amount by reptilian jaw help pay inflated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Okay, so long as I\u2019m on about signs, here\u2019re a couple of funny ones. The first is from Chanthaburi, the second from Trat.<\/p>\n This one not funny<\/em>; but, have you ever seen such a long name for a school? (Although, it\u2019s nothing compared to the names of the Thai kings<\/a>. The current king, Rama IX, for example, is officially Phrabat Somdet Phra Paramintharamaha Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.)<\/p>\n How bitchin\u2019 is Chanthaburi? Let us count the ways.<\/p>\n And, of course, there is the people-watching. Most of these pics, as usual, are of people on motorcycles, or of people at either the Morning- or Night-Market. Must make efforts, next visit, to expand the repertoire.<\/p>\n On my last full day, I was snapping merrily away at the Morning Market. Spied a kind of goofy-looking guy in pink work-vest and galoshes, and began lining up a picture. But when he noticed me doing so, I made as to move the camera over the crowd, so he wouldn\u2019t realise I was shooting him<\/em>. But then he yelled out down the aisle for people to ham it up for the camera (at least, I assume<\/em> that\u2019s what he was yelling, though only this one person took heed his cajoling)\u2026<\/p>\n He then bade me photograph the lady minding the stall in front of which we were standing. He liked the result so much\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026that he reached over and handed me one of those little packets of dessert-rice you see there in the lower-left corner. It\u2019s sticky rice with some sugary coconut mixture, and then a big dollop of some other confection-y substance.<\/p>\n I did taste it. It was very sweet, and fairly pleasant. But despite I had only a very small quantity, I began to feel rather unwell immediately after eating. Don\u2019t know if it was reverse-placebo, or what; but I actually had to go and lie down for a while before feeling better again.<\/p>\n Chanthaburi, the very definition<\/em> of \u201cbeguiling\u201d. It\u2019s on the very short list of Asian cities in which, if I had it to choose, I\u2019d pick to take up extended residence. More fun than ten<\/em> barrels full o\u2019 monkeys. Until we meet again!<\/p>\n Festival is over\u2026 \u2026and I\u2019ve moved on to Trat, in the far Southeastern corner of Thailand, near the Cambodian frontier. Had planned to chill out on one of the islands for a few days; but now there\u2019s a mammoth four-day … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"