Thai Fish Camp
Thailand… what a place! I’ve enjoyed the week. So far, I’ve played golf at great courses, had meals at interesting places, been to the Pattaya Beach, viewed the Gulf of Thailand from high atop a condominium, and been to a transvestite cabaret show. Oh yea, I got some work done too! …… Yes I did! The plant is running fine, and I’ve been checking on new mockups for a special product too! Really! I know, you probably don’t believe me. If I tell you more you more, it may get worse, but here goes.On Monday, I mentioned to my driver let’s go for lunch. (I could really get used to this driver situation. He is great. Always there and charging along while I relax in the back seat of his van with fresh oranges and apples!) Anyway, back to the story. As we rounded a bend in the road, he suddenly pulled across into a gap in some thick brush that looked to me like we were entering some automobile junkyard. But suddenly there appeared ahead in the lane up ahead, a log building with an entry that framed water in the background. Yes, there behind the building was definitely a lake.
Gullalong, my driver, ran in to check to see if the restaurant was really open. No one looked to be around. Soon, he was returning with glee in his eyes and a prance in his step (he always has that). Parking across the gravel lot between a couple of dogs that didn’t seem to care about us being there, we stepped inside the building to find a wonderful deck over a relatively large pond. Sitting at a table near the edge, I was impressed with how immaculate the grounds were kept. Flowers lined the banks. Pots of flowers hung from the overhang of this restaurant. It was like we had walked into a rustic cabin on a lake in the Yellowstone. (Okay, not quite that nice – no mountains in sight.)
I stepped over to a refrigerator and got us some soft drinks, while Gullalong ordered lunch. Nothing was in English, so I was just gonna get whatever he ordered. As we waited for the meal, a waitress brought us a bag of fish food. At least, that’s what it looked like. I was a little worried it was an appetizer. But my initial instincts were correct. Gullalong dropped some of the pellets into the water below our table, and you would have thought the first food in years had just been served to this pond of fish. An eating frenzy ensued as the fish fought over each other to get at the nibbles of grain. I’ve seen the like at Lake Lure or Smith Mountain Lake, but there you can see the fish beforehand. Here there was no sign of life in the green water before Gullalong dropped the seeds. Now there was life. The fish kept coming up begging for more.
Many other guests entered in time for the lunchtime meals. Many were dressed in uniforms, of which, I never could quite distinguish their trade. They may have been military, but they were more likely school administrators or government officials. I never saw anyone salute another, just those graceful bows of recognition.
The traditional Thai meal consisted of a plate of rice and several plates of seafood and vegetables to please the palate. It certainly had some hot spices, but not too bad. In fact, it was great. What a pleasant surprise. One never knows where they’re gonna find a great “fish camp.” That is what this was, without the grease!
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 2:58 PM
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