Rain
In Portland, it rains from October-May. In Thailand, it rains from May-October. Guess what…I left Portland in May, and came to Thailand in June. This means that out of the past 10 months, 9 of them have had more rainy days than dry days. Am I sick of the rain? Yes. Am I ready for it to be sunny and dry? Yes. Would I like to leave my umbrella at home? Yes.
Rain
However, I think that some of my favorite memories so far in Thailand have been finding shelter from the rain. We have stopped on the side of the highway to climb under a bamboo farming hut. We have found shelter at the entrance to a temple while watching orange-robed monks do the same across the street. We have stopped at a bus stop along a country road where we were joined by stray dogs. We have stopped at the bus stop on Huay Kaew Road where we were joined by CMU students. (Not that I’m comparing students and dogs…they just happened to be at bus stops.) And today, we simply lingered for an extra hour at the Galae Restaurant.
The Galae (Hillside) Restaurant is surrounded by a traditional Lanna-style garden overlooking a small reservoir and the city. Our table was right at the edge of the water, and the rain started right after we finished eating. All of the tables are covered with large green umbrellas to keep the direct rain off, but the wind still carried a nice mist underneath the canopy. When it really started coming down, the waiter walked down the hill with a golf umbrella for each table so that we could leave without getting soaked. How nice! Although we were finished eating, we opted to wait it out. Watching and listening to heavy rain while sitting outside under cover has to be one of my favorite things. Especially when the setting is this beautiful and I have great company!
The Galae Restaurant
For lunch I had a Thai dipping sauce accompanied by fried greens, cucumbers, boiled eggplant, cooked cabbage and green beans, and a fried Mackrel fish. The dipping sauce was delicious and a bit spicy. The vegies were good, but I wasn't fond of the fish.
In other news…here are some photos from the past few days. Nik and I have been meandering a lot lately, so here are some of our finds!
The Neighborhood...Rainy day, Open Windows, Satelites, Athletic Club
Near the Market...Small Canal/Sewer, Sun Halo, Delivery Cart, Delivery Truck
Meandering...A huge outdoor Restaurant with playground, The Orange wall, Abandoned Construction, the Green Beast
Ban Tawai Tourist Village
Rural Drive...Rice Field, Watch House, On the Road, Gate to Nowhere
To read more about the drive to Hang Dong and Ban Tawai…