Thursday, October 19. Not the most informative of days. Visited a wood carving studio that carved elephant images exclusively. All the carvers are older than 59, so the studio is destined to shut down someday. Immense inventory. The most impressive items were lifesized cement statues at the entrance. Hard wood is used; it’s not whittling. More like working with stone. Chisels, not jackknives. The finished products aren’t smoothed or stained, giving the appearance (to me) that they are not complete.
Next was a drive up to the highlands, where the air was cooler but still intensely humid. For a Thursday, very crowded with Thais. Can’t imagine how it would be on a weekend. At times it was a one and a half lane, two-way road. We went on a nature hike that comprised all that I despise in nature hikes. Everyone else appeared to be enjoying it, so what do I know. Our destination had a view of the village below. Nothing remarkable.
Had lunch at a place with a busy but charming backyard which looked like something out of Wonderland. Or the Shire. (There was a round door on the side of a mound.) Good family-style lunch with a little of everything. Everyone but me had some kind of coffee, which the area is famous for.
On the way back we observed some massive police activity, which Are guessed had something to do with a visit from a close relative of the King. We also experienced an intense, short-lived rain storm. Impressive amount of water fell in a span of ten minutes.
We had no set dinner plan. I asked Are for a location that would have pineapple fried rice. He recommended a place named “The House of Ginger”. On the way I saw several small places that had the item on their menu, so I wondered why he’d send me further out. Turns out the beautifully decorated restaurant is a Michelin Bib Gourmand designated restaurant (“great food, low price”). Chose to change my food choice to Stir Fried Minced Beef in Basil and Chili. Spicy and excellent. By Thai standards it was an expensive meal. By USA standards, a steal.
A short walk around the area revealed a massive number of bars. Very reminiscent of the seventies.
