Clark's Fish Camp And Taxidermy

I visited a truly unique North Florida restaurant the other day called Clark's Fish Camp.

It's located on Julington Creek, so if you don't have a car, you can pull up in your bass boat.

The menu is mainly seafood and mainly fried. It also has an eclectic list of other meats (also, mostly fried) that you can try, if you're tired of the typical local fauna. The Kangaroo and Antelope are highly recommended.


Come for the food, stay for the virtual zoo that surrounds and abides inside Clark's. This alligator, along with a pizza-sized snapping turtle greeted you at the front door.


Inside was another story. In every corner, nook, and cranny Clark had on display a Noah's Ark worth of animals he had shot, killed, and stuffed while on his worldly travels.

Here are a few examples.

Enjoy

Orange And Blue

After over 10 years of following the Gators via Internet radio and enduring the midnight starting times, I finally got to see the Gators live and in the sunlight. Unfortunately, it was just the annual Spring Game scrimmage, but the good news is the Gators won.

Here's Tim Tebow taking a snap.

65,000 people showed up for a practice game.

Outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009? Football National Champions.

2006 and 2007 Basketball National Champions.

I'd like to think that I laid the ground work for the success of Gator Athletics during my 5 year stint at Florida in the early 90's, where I refused to attend classes the following week if the Gators lost.

After the game, I enjoyed my second favorite past time in Gainesville - barhopping. Chris, who drove up from Tampa, and I started at the Purple Porpoise (now, called Gator Country). Then, off to the Swamp.


Once the sun went down, we headed off to Salty Dog. This is Chris, his wife Shelley, and his father, Frank. I'm not sure why, but they posed like this in nearly every picture. I've deleted all my odd poses.

Looks like they haven't cleaned the bathroom at Salty Dog since I left in 1995.

After a late return to the hotel suite and painfully short night's sleep, here is Chris's son and future Gator, Colin, who woke me up at the crack of dawn, so he could watch cartoons.

He's a great kid, and I may have to wait another 15 years, but I've already started to plot my revenge.

Same Same, But Different

It probably should not come as a surprise, but for every odd, annoying, or amazing thing that I come across in Thailand I can pretty much find its equivalent in America. That goes for waitresses that look right at you, but can't see you raising your hand for service, soap operas with ridiculous plot lines, spectacular landscapes, or politicians with questionable ethics. Although we live on different sides of the world, it is still the same world. Thais like to explain it as - Same Same, but Different.

However, there was one thing that I never thought I would find a counterpart to in the US - the little Buddha shrines that Thais (in particular Taxi cabs) put on the dashboards of their cars. There's actually a website/ blog that is documenting the different styles of these mini, mobile altars called, Still Life in Moving Vehicles.

Here are some samples:

Finally, I found their equivalent on the streets of America.

Although, mobile religious symbols are not as common in the US as they are in Thailand (unless you count the Jesus fish), they are out there, and what they lack in quantity, they certainly make up for with intrusiveness and preachiness.

As they say in Thailand - same same, but different.

Generations

On Monday we had a family get-together. Although every one was not there (we were missing most of the Vromans and some Moodys'), all of the great-grand kids were there, including the two in the over.

Here's a picture of my grandparents and their 7 great-grand kids.

4 generations - Grandma, Mom, Karen, and the newest generation, Meline.

Gone Fishing

Yesterday, Nathan and I tried out his new fishing pole on the small lake behind my mom's house. We were told that the lake is stocked with some decent sized bass, but apparently, they didn't like our bait - slices of Canadian Bacon.


Unfortunately, we didn't catch anything (Surprise), but the good news is our Karma balance sheets remained in the black, which keeps Nuch happy and keeps me from having to save some catfish from the butcher's block once I get back to Thailand.


For our efforts (or lack thereof), we were rewarded with a friendly visit from the neighborhood swans.

Introducing Meline

One of the main reasons I made the trip home was to see my new niece, Meline.

As you can see, she's an angel - never a cross word.

Until, Karen left me to take care of her while she ran some errands, and Meline decided it was feeding time.

Black Songkran

Traditionally, April 13th is the first day of Songkran, Thailand's famous water festival, where people throughout the country come together for a no holds barred water fight. Typically, this consists of buckets of ice cold water dumped down your back and stinging streams of ice water sprayed into your eyes via the latest hi-tech squirt guns.


Always on the leading edge of Songkran water warfare, the Thai military, inspired by the red shirts, has introduced its latest Songkran super soaker - the water cannon.

Not to be outdone by the military, the red shirts have unveiled the flaming gas tank (the 21st century cousin of the water balloon),

and have hi-jacked LPG tanker trucks, strategically placed throughout Bangkok, to ensure the fun never ends.

Round And Round

Here we go again. Thailand used to be famous for its beaches, spicy food, rich culture, and endearing hospitality. Now, it seems Thailand is regularly in the news for quite different reasons.
Last year, it was the yellow shirts who were protesting to remove the Prime Minister. After a "judicial coup" and some behind the scenes help from the military, they got there way. Now, after just three months, it's the red shirt's turn to protest.

April 8th was supposed to be D-Day, when the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, was given an ultimatum to step down and call for new elections - or else. Needless to say, he didn't budge. It should be pointed out, though, that last year when Abhisit was the leader of the opposition party, and the yellow shirts were making the same demands of his adversary, he was quoted multiple times as saying that "a dissolution of Parliament was the only solution". Now, he's arguing that stepping down would serve no purpose, and he will remain as PM - echoing the words of the previous PM who was in the same situation. So, here we go again.

Fortunately, the red shirts have kept clear of the airport (so far), and have satisfied themselves with blocking the Victory Monument roundabout - the equivalent of London's Piccadilly Circus. Taxi drivers, coordinated by the taxi radio network, parked their cars 3 and 4 deep at the roundabout entrances. No one could get in, and a few unfortunate people could not get out.

I hope the irony of blocking a roundabout is not lost on anyone.

Here are some pictures I took for The Nation, Thai Photo Blogs, and The New Mandela

Kao San Rd Walkabout

Last week I had plans to meet Nuch for dinner on Kao San Rd. I was already downtown and got there a couple hours early, so I had a chance to explore the ever-expanding Kao San Rd.

Originally, the backpacker activities in Banglampoo district were restricted to the 500 meters of Kao San, but in the last 10 years, these restaurants, bars, and guest houses have taken over the the 2 streets that run parallel and the 2 streets that run perpendicular to the North end. Next stop is the river.

Here's a picture of Pra Atit Park, which is set along the river - the final frontier of Kao San Rd. I came across a group of students participating in a Jazz competition. I was happy to see this, as public performances (other than traditional Thai dance) are hard to find in Bangkok.

Still at the park with Rama 8 bridge in the background.

I think this guy was promoting a new horror movie.


Like America's Jason, Michael, and Freddie, Thailand has it's share of ghosts that are known by name and passed down from generation to generation. It's just a hunch, but this may be the ghost that comes back and sits on your shoulders. I'm basing this on a movie I saw where a college student sees his female classmate raped, but does nothing to help. Distraught, this girl decides to kill herself. The guy, who witnessed it all, is shamefully relieved and hopes the experience is behind him - no such luck. He's racked with guilt and can't eat - yet, somehow he keeps gaining weight. Finally, one day his Polaroid camera falls off a shelf and accidentally takes a picture of him along with... the girl's ghost sitting on his shoulders.


This is the old fort that stands at the park. It used to guard the entrance to the Chao Phraya river.



Also along the river, I came across these strange nets that completely cover the building next to Pra Atit park. They're not there to keep the pigeons out. These nets were set up after a bomb attack last year that came from the river. Apparently, some guys rowed up and tossed hand grenades and pipe bombs at the headquarters of what was then the anti-government propaganda TV station. Since, the "judicial coup" in December, they are, now, the pro-government propaganda TV station, but still need the nets.

From the park, I walked along the river to take in the sunset before heading back to Kao San Rd.

A while back, as Kao San continued to grow, it swallowed up a Shell gas station that was just around the corner. I remember it being empty for years until not too long ago someone set up a restaurant there.

A romantic dinner for two next to the 95 Octane.

This is the Buddha statue next to the Kao San Rd police station. I'm sure I've walked passed it a hundred times before, but have never really noticed it. It must have gotten a new, shiny silver robe that happened to catch my eye.

I did eventually meet Nuch for dinner, where we had some seafood and shared our table with some British retirees that spend 9 months in Spain and 3 months travelling around Southeast Asia, but I promised to stop taking dinner and food pictures. So, here's a picture of my night cap.