As a last taster of Khmer food, and as fuel for our journey, we returned to Vitking House for a bowl of their sumptuous bobor. Hiding at the back of the photo above is the secret sauce - sieng phaem - sweetened fermented soya beans (not nearly as scary as that sounds), which add a depth of umami richness to the rice porridge. This version also comes with a number of mock meats - pseudo ham, chicken and pork balls it would appear - to mimic the usual recipe, but it is tasty without these impostors.
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| Western Baray |
We boarded our flight to Krabi, via Bangkok, and said goodbye to Siem Reap. We took off from the same landing strip we cycled around on a trip to the Western Baray a week or so ago, and were afforded a magnificent view over the enormous body of water and the West Mebon temple at its heart.
Air travel has been internationalised so
that the procedures, equipment and terminal buildings are largely uniform across countries. This takes much of the excitement out of entering a new country, which apart from its airport is likely to be completely different to the one you just left. It would be much more fun (if maybe not so safe) if the airport reflected the character and level of development of the nation; if the steps up to the aircraft were replaced by ones made of bamboo; if the bags were offloaded onto a cart pulled by an ox, and the shuttle between terminals were a convoy of elephants. Sadly, this is not the case and at Don Mueang domestic terminal, after alighting via the industry regulation air-bridge, we were greeted by such worldwide pervasive brands as Starbucks and Burger King. Having no Thai baht yet to spend, and the departures area offering no ATM or bureau de change, we couldn't patronise these institutions even if we had wanted to.
Landing at Krabi airport was smooth and we flew in over a very different landscape than the urban sprawl of Bangkok we had just left. Regular patterns of trees, which must be plantations, cover the flat land in between sudden rocky outcrops.
Arriving early evening, we had decided to stay one night close to the airport, before getting the ferry to the island of Ko Lanta tomorrow. Taking the short ride to our accommodation for the night revealed roads with more cars, fewer motorbikes and, most surprising of all, not a single tuk-tuk in evidence, in contrast to Cambodia.
Thai people drive on the left, as in the UK. Cambodians ostensibly drive on the right, but in practice many drive in the middle of the road, against the flow of traffic, or on the pavement, as it suits.
As with Vietnam's billboards of Ho Chi Minh, and Cambodia's displays of King Norodom Sihamoni, Thailand venerates King Bhumibol with similar public images. The King of Thailand trumps Queen Elizabeth II as a long-serving monarch, having reigned since 1946 (versus the Queen's accession in 1952).
In hindsight, staying in Nuea Khlong, close to the airport, was probably a misstep. While the family-run accommodation was fine, it lacked a restaurant and was far from any means to get provisions. We took a walk into the small strip that constitutes town in search of an evening meal. Stopping in at the first place we saw, we had a polite but abortive conversation about the availability of vegetarian food. We haven't yet mastered enough (any) of the Thai language not to cause embarrassed confusion. We decided to move on.
It seems that the Thais subscribe to the 'unidentifiable-meat-on-stick' school of cooking when it comes to fast food. Aside from these snacks, the street-side offerings appeared to be the parts of the animal (skin, organs, tendons) that no restaurant would take. Aside from some delicious-looking sausages, I can't say I was tempted by any of the street food as I have been elsewhere.
As there was little in the vicinity, we took an ill-advised gamble on a restaurant discovered using Tripadvisor, which promised to be a short walk to one of the resorts. Checking the restaurant's website did not contradict the information we had on its location, but after a lengthy walk, we found nothing but an unpromising road to the airport, empty countryside and a glowering sky. Cursed technology.
After this wild good chase, we dared to show our faces again at the place we first thought of. This time we sat down, ordered a beer and attempted to find some veggie-friendly food on the menu written only in Thai. The staff were most understanding and whipped up some vegetable fried rice, which was predictably delicious. Being vegetarian is at times quite frustrating, as we would like to indulge in the local tastes, but do not want people to make extra effort to vegetarianise the food especially for us.
In principle, a meat- and seafood-free diet should be simpler, but many cultures associate such a humble diet with times of poverty and privation. Why would you decline meat when at last you can afford to eat it? If fish in the sea are plentiful, doesn't it make sense to base your diet around them? Having the luxury to say no to certain foods seems like a privileged thing to do. We don't make a fuss about fish sauce or shrimp paste - choosing the monk's 'blind eye' approach - but vowed to learn some Thai to explain ourselves better and not to end up The Very Hungry Vegetarians.
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