Trip to Kho Kret

This being my last weekend in Thailand, during "this trip", some of my friends from work decided to take me to

another place that I had never been. They always seem to know exactly what I enjoy. Namely Thai food and Thai culture. I'm not so much into the beaches where there are so many other tourists. I want to experience Thailand the way Thais live in Thailand. So we went to a place called Kho Kret. This was a Burmese settlement centuries ago. It is actually an island on the Chao Phraya river. The Chao Phraya rivier is the "Mississippi of Thailand". It runs the length of the country, north to south, and divides old Bangkok from modern day Bangkok. Kho Kret is an island oasis in the middle of the river

Kho Kret is famous for its pottery.

The sign says Baan Ohng which loosly translates as "Home (earthenware) Water Jar". And guess what, I translated it myself.

เก่งมากฟิล (Geng Maak Phil) Very Good Phil !

But I was content with the food! Mine is the Green Curry Chicken in the foreground. The plate of veggies that you see are there to be added to the dish. Everything is fresh in Thailand. I ate an extra helping of Thai Basil to clean out my arteries after eating Burger King the night before.

I also enjoyed seeing some new flora. I have learned one thing: if it is a flower, it grows in Thailand.

And of course there were the Wats (Temples).

I was particularly impressed by the large Buddha that was across the river.

There was also some very interesting woodwork.

And in typical Thai fashion, there was food everywhere.

After the one meal at Kho Kret, and some walking around, the team took me to another restaurant where they ordered 12 different dishes. The pic is a bit dark, but I think you can see how many plates of food there are. And can you spot the fish? It was beyond delicious.

After the 2nd meal we went to visit the home of one of my friends (work associate). I was

excited because this was my first visit inside a Thai home. In this pic you see Eve. One of the associates who helped make this trip possible for me. At the start of the trip I took a tumble scraping my knee. "Watch Your Step" signs are not popular here in Thailand. As I was looking out over the river walking on what I thought was level ground I met a step. They say 'roll with the fall" which made it all the more dramatic. So all day Eve was there by my side, as I got in and out of the boat, walking up/down stairs etc. hoping to prevent a repeat performance.

I had an idea of what to expect to see in a Thai home. Since living here now for 3 months I think I'm learning the style of housing. Tile floors rather than carpet, two story and functional in ever detail. But I was still impressed. There was exceptional woodwork inside the home everywhere I looked.

And there was a special place reserved for prayer and meditation. It was next to the living room.

I was interested to see a Thai kitchen. As I expected it was spacious and designed for everything Thai. Plenty of room to prepare food and cook. And there was also an adjacent outdoor cooking area as well. That's my friend (work associate) Champ with camera looking the other way. And our hostess with the big smile.