Udon Thani Christmas Day. Started out freezing in the back of Whitchiens tuk-tuk on a 2 hour ride to see the Ban Chian historical heritage site. Home to lots of 3,000 - 5,000 year old skeletons. Witchien reminds me of my taxi driver in Terangganu - never takes no for an answer. He always wants me to see temples and doesnt understand that when youve seen a thousand temples youve seen them all. So, after the very interesting museum he said - now 10 minutes, temple. I said no, lunch. He said lunch then 10 minutes temple. I said lunch then 1 minute temple drive by photo shooting. He didnt understand but agreed. So, after lunch were walking to the temple and go past a pond and small temples. Hes said here wat feet. Many feet. Big feet. Little feet. I recently watched an NHK Japan program about a roadside hot spring where people sit and bathe their tired feet so I said OK - but then 1 minute temple and go back. We stopped at the pond and he bought two bags of fish food and said OK now WATCH FISH!!! So we fed the fish - huge, 100 lb plus, catfish and smaller but still at least 30lb silver carp, burning up another ten minutes. Then we went to the temple and saw an exact replica of the ruins we had just seen at the museum!!! I asked him if there were any Japanese restaurants in Udan Thani and he told me there was a Shabu Shi, shabu shabu restaurant like the one Mike Jones and Ji Young Hwang and I went to in Bangkok and I went alone to in Phuket. Then he got on the phone and chattered away to his wife. He hung up and said OK you, me my wai (wife), and two university daughters go to Shabu Shi for Christmas dinner tonight, 8PM. Thats going to blow my budget big time, but, what the hell, its Christmas. I later realized that Whitchien can say Shabu shi and shabu shabu but cant say watch, wash or fish. So theyre picking me up at 7:30PM for an 8PM dinner. Hope Im home in time to call and wish the crowd at my house a Merry Christmas before thay have Christmas dinner back home.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 10:54:28 +0000