Nakhon Sawan
6 hour bus trip to Nakhon Sawan from Chiang Mai - cost included a quickly gobbled down lunch. Amused at the bus's ceiling and light fixture. I think the driver and I were the only people awake on it! The limestone outcrops were just before our destination.
We were off to the market by 6.30 am. This sushi is quite an interesting development on the Japanese stuff - perhaps a sushi party would be fun for a change.
My friend Sally has been to NZ a few times so understands my fascination with Thai markets and the way they display stuff - including the pig heads.
Freshly cut bamboo shoots of the sall and large variety. So much nicer than the tinned stuff we get here.
Fish ready for breakfast.
Another type of galangal
I'm one of those people that like smelly durian - unfortunately you can't buy it in single portions and it isn't the cheapest of fruit so I didn't get to partake of it this year.
Heaps of different rice varieties - came back with some packaged black rice this trip that customs approved no problem. Below is the chook food..
Sally has added a four story wing onto her 3 storey house - one whole floor in the new part is set up for the Persian cat breeding operated by her son and his wife. New foyer and one of the lounges photographed below..
We had leftovers from this breakfast! The bottom right dish was incredibly spicy. The brown bit in the bottom left dish is pork blood. The kebags had been marinated - yummy, the green dish was paeticularly delicious There were two fish dishes etc etc and heaps of yummy sticky rice in woven cylindrical containers.
Off on an excursion to see a rather spectacular temple about 50 km away. Built by a monk who has his ornate coffin at the front of it. Gets thousands of visitors who purchase rather strange offerings and pray in front of his coffin then give the offering back to a monk for it to be re-purchased by the next person. The big buddha statue is down the other end - massively huge place. The next temle on the same property is nearing completion but quite a different style. Coffee culture rife in Thailand now. Sally's doctor told her she should drink 3 or 4 a day for good health.
Feeding the fish by another temple across the road from the others is a popular money spinner - you buy specially made long flattish loaves for the occassion - see below right.
Past kings outside the main temple.
The temple complexes and gardens are massive.
To finish on a more humble note. This is a fresh noodle making place that starts up at 4 in the morning over the alleyway from Sally's property.
