Our cruise stop in Thailand says Bangkok, but it is actually at the port of Laem Chenang, which is about 90 minutes south of the big city. The idea of spending a minimum of three hours on the bus to go to a very hot crowded city had us looking at other options. South of the port is the big international beach resort of Pattaya, but – eh. We decided to take a tour to see the market in a small nearby town of Ang Sila.
It turns out that while the foreigners are whooping it up at Pattaya the people of Thailand have their own beach getaway. First thing we saw was the souvenir market. Our guide told us this town is very popular with people from the northern mountainous part of the country. And they want to take seafood back with them. So – dried seafood it is.
Next stop was a fish market. We were curious because fish markets are usually an early morning affair. Turns out it was seafood on offer – mostly live. I expect the fish part happens in the morning.
On these tours there is always a stop for shopping. Usually we walk around, observe local crafts people and rarely find anything to buy. This time the product on order was hand made mortar and pestle sets.
These were considered the minimum size for actual use in a kitchen and were of average quality. They weren’t terribly expensive – about twenty dollars. But no one seemed terribly interested in hauling several kilos of stone in their luggage.
While walking through the stone yard we met this fellow.
In the front of the picture is a cockerel in a wire cage. The man has another bird on his lap, preparing it for an up coming fight. He is giving it a bath. With apologies to my mother, this is therefore a picture of a man washing his c!ck.
Last stop was a Chinese temple. This one is quite new – built in the 1980’s – and expanding. It is very…. bright.
This was our last shore visit – next stop Singapore after two days at sea.
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