It’s Sunday, and I want to get my steps in. I have this idea that if we walk early enough, it won’t be so hot? But I forget that we’re in an area where the overnight temperature drops to a chilly 26 degrees, so there really isn’t any temperature where a walk would be a pleasant experience. Nevertheless, before I realize this, we set off to walk to Bluport.
We walk about 10 minutes and come upon a 7Eleven. Maylin apparently does not know the words “I would like a snack”, so just kind of barks “I’m hungry” whenever she sees something and remembers that sugar feels good on her tongue. The girls and I head in and pick out a couple of pastries for them, and I go to pay. I search my entire backpack before realizing that my wallet is on the shelf in the kitchen, straight out of last night’s dress pocket. I didn’t grab my keys from that shelf this morning, Joe did, so I didn’t realize I didn’t have it with me until right this moment. Luckily, Joe has a 100THB note in his pocket, and we are able to pay for their pastries. Generally, there’s a minimum amount required before the convenience stores will accept credit card payments, and 39THB is not even close to the limit.
Without my wallet, where all our cash generally lives, we are stuck with a dilemma. Does one of us hop on a 15THB tuktuk bus ride back to the condo to pick up the wallet, and then meet the rest of us at the mall? Do we all head home, spending the last 60THB? I say “we need to get more cash out anyways”, Joe says “ok, we’ll just do that then”, and I remind him my card lives inside the wallet as well. Oh, he says. I ask, do you have your cards? And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is when we discover Joe has no wallet either today!
Téa however, has some cash! I gave both girls a bit of Thai Baht when we arrived in the country, but Maylin decided not to carry her backpack, so we have Téa’s cash to go by. We’re headed to a mall, and may find some things that we can tap our credit cards for, but there are no guarantees. (Thank goodness for technology, am I right?)
So, decision made, we trudge on. We’re still about 20 minutes away from the mall, and we’ve made it this far, why not continue? Joe is carrying and drinking cold water, as I froze a half bottle of water for him overnight. Fill with water in the morning, and at least it stays cold for a little while. I tried freezing both my own and Maylin’s double walled steel bottles as well, but they turned warm instantly when I added water this morning. Experiment truly failed.
On our walk, we see some wires. I’ve had wire picture and wire comments before, and thought of you all when I took this beautiful photo. If you know an electrician, maybe save this to scare them with next Halloween?
We get to the mall, and head into the market area to find beverages. The ticket box lady only accepts cash, and luckily, Téa has 500THB that we exchange into a market cash card. I want a fruit smoothie, Joe wants a juice, and the minute she sees a smoothie stall, of course Maylin desperately needs a smoothie. Joe reels when he sees the price of the juices vs the smoothies, and changes his mind.
Téa opted for no smoothie, and as luck would have it, there was plenty of smoothie to share. Maylin had maybe 1/4 of hers, as it’s really just a taste she wants, not an entire smoothie! We also had a little bit of a flavor competition, and all agreed that mom’s choice of mango apple was the most delicious one. Joe’s face reminded me of the videos “baby tastes lemon for the first time” when he took a sip of his! But I’ll give his smoothie bonus points for being very refreshing…
Joe and Téa had been to Bluport on Thursday, so they got to be our guides today. We walked through the floors, and found a huge kids entertainment area. Trampoline park, indoor playground, movie theatre… Apparently upstairs is sometimes used for rollerskating!
After a lot of browsing and a lot of walking, we decide it’s time for lunch, and hope to find one that we can tap our credit cards from our phones to pay. The Pizza Company does, and so pizza it is. The girls order a cheese stuffed crust pineapple and bacon pizza, and Joe and I try a Tom Yum Shrimp pizza. Joe and I usually like trying more local food than necessarily eating the same foods we can get at home, but this local version of a North American pizza was really tasty! I was massively impressed by the flavour, and less sad to sit in Thailand eating pizza, again. The girls loved their cheese stuffed crust experience, and were soon full. We successfully tapped our cell phone credit cards to pay, and headed to the grocery store.
The grocery store here is larger than anything I’ve seen in Hua Hin so far. We didn’t venture into the grocery store at Market Village, so I will have to explore that one a different day. We were able to find things our local convenience store doesn’t have, like non-dairy milks (to help upset tummies still eat cereal), vitamin C drinks in bulk (I am loving the little bottles of passion fruit) and butter. I can buy butter here for much less than 200THB, and it’s smaller than the one at the bakery the other night, and will be used up long before it goes rancid.
After a successful lunch and grocery shop, we go back to the market ticket box lady to get the rest of Téa’s cash back. We feel done with the mall for the day, and order a Grab taxi to take us home. I am NOT making that half hour walk in the hottest heat of the day, carrying heavy milks and vitamin drinks!
Back at the condo, Joe heads across the street for his first Thai massage, and the girls and I head to the pool. Joe comes back feeling twisted, not quite bent out of shape, but maybe into shape? He said the massage experience was a different level altogether, nothing like a North American massage, with his arms and legs pushed to their limits. He’s got some back and shoulder pains that may need another round of Joe vs massage therapist to overcome, and at 400THB ($17.36CA) for an hour long treatment, I’d call it a steal!
It’s Sunday, so our last chance to eat at the night markets for the week. Seeing as Joe has only glimpsed the Cicada market twice, but never eaten anything there, that’s where we head tonight. Several times I have to ask “where are all the customers”? It’s so oddly quiet here tonight, compared to when the girls and I ate here on Friday night.
We buy our coupons and walk through the food vendors, and once my dish is ready in 90 seconds flat, I head to a table while Joe and the girls are still deciding. (Mom is seated with food first? What is the world coming to?) Maylin soon follows, then Téa and Joe return with their meals.
Half way through our meal, Joe and I switch plates. My chillies are … aggressive, and Joe (thinks he?) handles heat better than I do, so I get to finish dinner with a milder Pad Thai, and he gets the hot beef over rice. All in all a delicious meal was had by all!
Today, with everyone feeling great, we have time to browse the market. I have my heart set on a pair of sandals, they have my size but not a colour I like, so I ask them to make another pair by next weekend. Joe and the vendor exchange contact information, and they’ll let us know when the sandals are ready!
We browse all the talented artists at the market, and find one who makes itsy bitsy teeny weeny dogs and cats out of clay, and puts them inside those very small glass bottles. He has all sorts of glass containers with tiny pets and their environments. I giggle when I see a cork with a fish bone, and he giggles when he places it on top of the cat’s container and says “it’s for the cat”!
There’s a lady there, with the coolest looking metal characters, there are little iron Alien villains, an R2D2, a Wall-E, motorcycles, divers and all the rest. She says her brother makes these out of scrap motorcycles (of which there are a ton, both on the roads and surely also off). I also love the way a dress looks, and I ask the vendor if she has the same pattern in a darker colour (the white looks almost see-through), and she apologetically explains that this dress is one size only, and will not fit me. So yes, I’m reminded I’m still Western in an Asian country, trying to shop for clothes…
After browsing the market this evening, with it being Sunday and no more markets again until Thursday, we leave Cicada and head over to the mango sticky rice lady at the Tamarind market. The mango sticky rice vendor at Cicada wasn’t even present today! But due to the different structure and professional signage at each stall, we could see and miss their presence.
Once we pick up a larrrrrrge mango sticky rice at Tamarind, we head home to devour it. Maybe I should film it next time, the four of us over a portion of this dessert is like a battle, spoons digging back in until there is Not A Trace left! Actually, we’re pretty civil, and we do know how to share, so it’s not so bad. But Joe has declared it The Dessert He Will Never Get Sick Of.
The night ends with half a holiday movie, as we suddenly realize the time and head to bed… Tomorrow is Monday, and so back to school we go!