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THAILAND TRAVELS: A Journal
PATTAYA (cont'd)     Page 10



Like villages, towns and cities all over Thailand there's an ever presence of people selling almost anything on the streets.
Pattaya is no exception as can be seen in the photos on this page.
In the main, it's food items they sell and inspite of the dubious hygiene conditions, the food, particularly the barbecued or boiled stuff, is quite edible and safe. Well, put it this way in all the time I've spent in Thailand I have yet to have a tummy problem (may it last).
However, there's one type of food that I could never embrace and that's the surprising variety of cooked insects and frogs! There's scorpion, grasshopper, cricket and a thing called pimp (horseshoe crab). All megga yuk! There's a sample of what I call "Insect Food" at the bottom of the page.
One thing is for certain, in all of the places I've been to in Thailand, there is absolutely no shortage of food; it's in abundance.



       


       


       

ABOVE: Typical street scenes. Toys, shoes, clothes, brushes, etc, etc, etc. There's no end of what's for sale. These carts are trundled along the streets day and night.

There's also no end to the variety and quantity of food available from these street vendors as seen below....



       


       


       

  • TOP ROW: Food, food and more food.

  • SECOND AND THIRD ROWS: Spices, fruit & vegetables abound. There's no food shortages evident in Thailand.
  • BOTTOM ROW: I wish I knew what half the stuff was.

Here's some more examples of what's on sale on the street and in the many markets. A movie and some stills:





       


       


       


Click for enlargement
       

  • TOP ROW: Aom shopping for tasty bits.

  • SECOND ROW: The array is endless and the barbecued fish in the right-hand photo is actually very very tasty.

  • THIRD ROW RIGHT:

    This is Durian friut. When opened-up the smell is revolting. I have been reliably informed it actually tastes good; Aom, for one likes it and many Thais love this stinky fruit.
    Regarded by many people in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk.
    ... its odour is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock; it really can be smelled from yards away.
    Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia.


  • BOTTOM ROW:

    This what I call "insect-food". Many Thais see it as a delicacy and, yes, Aom bought some the other day and tucked in, and then asked would I like some.... errrm, I'll think I'll pass on that offer.


In fact, here's some shots taken in a hotel and in a bank to prove a point... pooohh!!



       



More on Pattaya on the next page...