{"id":6802,"date":"2014-06-14T18:03:14","date_gmt":"2014-06-14T11:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/?p=6802"},"modified":"2014-06-14T19:36:04","modified_gmt":"2014-06-14T12:36:04","slug":"days-of-gluttony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/2014\/06\/14\/days-of-gluttony\/","title":{"rendered":"Days Of Gluttony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"justify\">Been here in Trat since Tuesday; heading to Bangkok tomorrow, and then on to Penang. It\u2019s not so much the rain that kept me from going to one of the islands \u2013 though it\u2019s been coming down in almost non-stop torrents \u2013 but rather, it\u2019s that Trat has become my fruit <em>mecca<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Durian, you say? It\u2019s <em>better<\/em> here than in Chanthaburi (though not as many different varieties from which to choose)\u2026and cheaper, too.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Mangosteen, you say? It\u2019s <em>better<\/em> here than in Chanthaburi\u2026and cheaper, too. It\u2019s not only abundant at the Markets, but also walking down the street. Practically every-other shoppe \u2013 nominally selling clothes, or seamstress services, or mini-mart products, or <em>whatever<\/em> &#8212; has a big crate of Mangosteens (and usually Rambutans or Longkongs as well) out front. I found one shoppe whose fruits&#8217; signal-to-noise ratio is <em>almost<\/em> perfect \u2013 and the taste is&#8230;well, there&#8217;s a <em>reason<\/em> it&#8217;s considered the Queen Of Fruits. The teenaged boy who weighs up my catch and takes my money may be under the impression, given how many kilos I\u2019ve purchased from them, that I couldn\u2019t possibly eat anything <em>other<\/em> than Mangosteens.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Watermelons, you say? Not only the best\/most consistent I\u2019ve had in Asia, there\u2019s only one grower working the Seattle Farmers\u2019 Markets whose are better than these. Not kidding. Only one vendor, that I\u2019ve seen, selling them here. He seems to be aware that he\u2019s got the Watermelon market cornered, and also that his are so outrageously delish: they\u2019re not exactly cheap. Fucking worth every last Baht he charges, however.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Mangos, you say? Better here than in Chanthaburi\u2026and <em>much<\/em> cheaper. Still not in the same class, to be clear, as what I was eating in Chiang Mai a few weeks ago. But their season is earlier in the year here in the south.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Cucumbers, you say? <em>Much<\/em> better here than in Chanthaburi\u2026and cheaper, too.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div align=\"justify\">Even Sweet Corn: not really close to what one would find back home, but very much good enough to eat. Rarely even see it sold raw in the Markets in Asia, though steamed or grilled corn is very widely available in most cities.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"justify\">And, you see, I&#8217;m <em>not<\/em> here trying to besmirch Chanthaburi&#8217;s fruit scene. It&#8217;s truly great. But (it&#8217;s been my experience that) Trat&#8217;s is both more better and more easier on the pocketbook. Huhn, it\u2019s kind of a wonder I have time to even <em>sleep<\/em>, such has been the prodigious quantities of fruit I\u2019ve been consuming.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-003936.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 003936\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-003936_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 003936\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Do the binoculars seem an odd inclusion? It\u2019s a blanket here at my Guest House. Sure, I get that binoculars are frequently employed to aid in the viewing of wildlife. But, why put them all over a <em>blanket <\/em>filled up with images of said wildlife in its natural forest setting? Whatever.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Didn\u2019t have much opportunity to get out and explore, as the rain barely ever let up for more than twenty minutes at a time. The first two days here, though, it did hold off for a few hours in the afternoons.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Went out to a lake near town, which is 10km to walk around. Unfortunately, there\u2019s not a separate pedestrian trail from the main road, so the traffic noise is too much. It\u2019s pretty nice, though. Some people down in the marshes harvesting something.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-150635.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 150635\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-150635_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 150635\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-151524.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 151524\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-151524_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 151524\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-151602.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 151602\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-151602_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 151602\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">There\u2019s also a reservoir about a half-hour\u2019s walk from downtown, with lots of green space around, and plenty of walking trails (with pagodas, from which to escape the latest downpour, spaced out around and about). No motorcycles! It\u2019s great \u2013 and surprisingly deserted. Maybe people prefer to go there in the evenings to jog around on the paths?<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Odd thing, there\u2019s what <em>looks<\/em> to be an airstrip right in the middle of it all.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-132153.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 132153\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-132153_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 132153\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">When one walks down the strip, dragonflies come out from the grass there on the right, like five or six at a time, and escort you down the road. Even doing <em>tricks <\/em>right in front of you, as well; flying backward, zooming to-and-fro&#8217;, crossing manoeuvres, and shit like that. It\u2019s kind of spooky \u2013 like if one were being escorted by UFOs \u2013 but also very cool.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-133935.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 133935\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-133935_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 133935\" width=\"580\" height=\"772\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Okay, one doesn\u2019t usually find <em>that<\/em> many chickens gathered in one spot, least of all festooned with garlands. But, to me, the weirdest thing about this shrine is, why did somebody leave as an offering a frickin&#8217; <em>tool box<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Chickens, by the way, play an important role in the town\u2019s streetlight regime. So awesome.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-174933.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 174933\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-174933_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 174933\" width=\"580\" height=\"772\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">And <em>this<\/em> shrine, it looks like a Buddhist D&amp;D game in progress\u2026<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-153650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 153650\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-153650_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 153650\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Some more goofiness. Anybody knows what the sign says, please advise.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-170307.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 170307\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-170307_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 170307\" width=\"364\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">There <em>are<\/em> some good-looking temples \u2013 including a few that are nice and secluded, back in the woods \u2013 but they\u2019re all all closed up. Barely ever even see any monks or novices walking around the grounds. This is kinda neat, at any rate.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-10-140624.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-10 - 140624\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-10-140624_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-10 - 140624\" width=\"580\" height=\"772\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Some beautiful leaves around, too &#8212; and some Cherimoyas coming in.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-142354.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 142354\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-142354_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 142354\" width=\"644\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-151058.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 151058\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-151058_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 151058\" width=\"644\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-153849.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-11 - 153849\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-11-153849_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-11 - 153849\" width=\"323\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">People-watching isn\u2019t in the same league as in Chanthaburi \u2013 but that\u2019s at least partially owing to all the rain (i.e., fewer <em>opportunities<\/em> to be out and about checkin\u2019 things out). It\u2019s not bad, though.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-122707.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 122707\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-122707_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 122707\" width=\"514\" height=\"772\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-172654.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 172654\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-172654_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 172654\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-173106.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 173106\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-173106_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 173106\" width=\"644\" height=\"429\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-173200.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"2014-06-12 - 173200\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-12-173200_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-12 - 173200\" width=\"644\" height=\"484\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">The cab drivers are pretty funny. They seem utterly shocked when you tell them you don\u2019t need a ride either to the Bus Terminal or to the coast to get a boat to an island. It\u2019s as if no farang ever spent a night here \u2013 though there are a good six to eight budget-priced Guest Houses in town. (Hmm&#8230;come to think of it, I <em>have<\/em> only seen two or three other farang walking around.) Also, the cabbies are always after bumming Mangosteens off me.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Okay, here\u2019s a example of how hard it\u2019s been raining. Over and over and over again, the torrential downpours arrive, with nary a moment&#8217;s opportunity in-between to catch one&#8217;s breath. At the end of the clip, there\u2019s a shot of a tree that came down on my second night here. The owner of the Guest House, a very nice guy name of \u201cJum\u201d, came out and hacked it up.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-6802-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/youtube\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sxVhOloWkSU&#038;_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sxVhOloWkSU\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sxVhOloWkSU<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"justify\">\u00b7<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">I love rainy season, don\u2019t get me wrong. And the temperature is absolutely <em>perfect<\/em>. But, it would be nice to have <em>some<\/em> time, if only an hour or two per day, for walking around in sunny\/dry conditions. (I did go out running during one squall \u2013 wearing only a pair of swim trunks. <em>That<\/em> was a <em>lot<\/em> of fun &#8212; including, happened to pass by one of the many schools in town, and the kids &#8212; nominally at recess, but in reality just huddled together under a shelter \u2013 had great fun cheering on the nekkid farang in the rain.)<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Also, the nightsounds are pretty intense here.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-6802-2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/youtube\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9fx3UowWDf8&#038;_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9fx3UowWDf8\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9fx3UowWDf8<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" align=\"justify\">\u00b7<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">And the harder it rains, the louder they get. Don\u2019t know how they do it, but they bust out with some bizarre doppler\/stereo effects, too \u2013 it\u2019s at times kinda like listening to a Pink Floyd record (or what). It does all begin to get annoying after several hours&#8217; persistence. But then, around midnight, it suddenly and without warning <em>stops&#8230;<\/em>and the silence is just about deafening.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">In a few days\u2019 time, I shall be eating Durian in Penang. But <em>now<\/em> for my last Puangmanee feeding. Don\u2019t let their small-ish size fool you: these things pack a gustatory <em>wallop<\/em>. Most all the Durian-addicts are of the opinion that it\u2019s the finest of the Thai varieties \u2013 can\u2019t say that I disagree.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/IMG_20140614_175638.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"IMG_20140614_175638\" src=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/IMG_20140614_175638_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20140614_175638\" width=\"644\" height=\"482\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">Here&#8217;s hoping that <em>my<\/em> dimpled ass finds itself back in Trat sooner rather than later!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Been here in Trat since Tuesday; heading to Bangkok tomorrow, and then on to Penang. It\u2019s not so much the rain that kept me from going to one of the islands \u2013 though it\u2019s been coming down in almost non-stop &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/2014\/06\/14\/days-of-gluttony\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-fruit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6802\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}