All Roads Lead To China

This is the plan for a High Speed Railway that will connect Southern China and Bangkok - it happens to be sponsored by the Chinese government.  I thought it unusual because the poles are reversed - I'm not sure what that says about China's world view.  Anyway, I hope they hurry up because it goes through Korat and would turn a 4 hour drive into a 2 hour train ride.

The Road Less Travelled - Chiang Rai

Last week, I joined some buddies on a trip to Chiang Rai.  

Chiang Rai is the sister province of the more popular (and more populated) Chiang Mai.  I spent the second month of my 3-month Peace Corps training in Chiang Rai and was happy to return to see how things had changed.  

It had been over 20 years, so I'm not sure how much Chiang Rai had changed or how much my memories had faded.  I do remember a little Italian restaurant on this small street (it's now closed).  After eating only Thai for the first month in Saraburi, we would spend 2 or 3 days worth of our per diem for some lasagna and pizza

Although we did spend most of the time catching up over beers, we did take in a little culture.  Here's the Chiang Rai clock tower.

Gourmet Wannabe

I've been trying to up my cooking skills with an Anova sous vide circulator.  My steaks and burgers have gotten better as far as making them a more consistent medium-rare, but I'm far from beating a good steak at a decent restaurant.

With all my technology, I was a bit humbled when one of Nuch's friends made me these amazing steaks

on a frying pan, cooked on a portable gas grill, sitting on her window ledge.

View From Above

If aliens decided to invade Korat at night, this is what they would see.  You can kinda make out the shape of the square moat that goes around the old city.  I live in the Northeast where the 3 roads heading out of Korat intersect.

This is Bangkok looking westward.  The green lights on the left (Gulf of Thailand) and top (Andaman Sea) are squid boats.  The green lights attract the squid and they scoop them up with their nets.  Nuch and I live on the bottom left edge of the blob of lights that is Greater Bangkok

The Grill Room

Korat finally got a world class restaurant called the Grill Room.  Unfortunately, it also has world class prices.  With $75 steaks, I'll have to wait until the boss is in town before I go again.