The Fabric of Life

Feb. 11-16, 2017

First time seeing a mango tree with mangoes on it
(not related to the blog - just wanted to share)

Tim's boss was spending his last week in Thailand, before permanently repatriating to the states.  He wanted to squeeze in one last round of winter golf, so Tim and a couple of other colleagues joined him for a Saturday afternoon game.  It was a Thai holiday weekend, so many of their regular courses were booked.  They found an opening at Crystal Bay Golf Club in Si Racha district, just north of Pattaya.  The city of Chonburi is in the same direction, so I decided to ride along to the course, then continue on for some fabric shopping.  Pattaya fabric shops are pretty limited and more expensive, whereas Chonburi has a big textiles market with several shops together in one spot, and the prices are quite good.

We had a substitute driver, which complicated matters a bit, because I didn't have good directions to the market.  I finally caved and activated a mobile data plan on my phone (I normally go without) so I could use Google maps, and managed to get where I wanted to go.  My heart sank a bit when I saw several shops closed up along the way - I was afraid they might all be closed for the holiday.  But I wandered down some back streets and found the fabric stores open as usual - whew.

Chonburi is a very Thai area, with very few farangs (westerners), and few English-speakers.  It was fun getting by with just my Thai skills - luckily everyone seemed to understand me okay.  The first shop I went to had a couple of fabrics I really liked, but I wanted to shop around some more first, and hoped I could find my way back to the same place.  I happened to be wearing a shirt I'd had made from some fabric I bought in Chonburi before, and the shop where I bought it recognized their pattern right away, and seemed really happy to see the finished product.

When I felt like I'd seen enough, I wound up back at the original shop.  I was disappointed to see that the fabric I liked the most actually had a flaw in it all the way through, and the woman wouldn't even lower the price on it.  So I passed on that one, but picked up a nice purple fabric I hope to use to make a dress for an upcoming wedding, along with some fabric to make a pair of black capris.  I can't generally find clothes in my size here, so having them made is the way to go.  The tailors here are very skilled and very reasonable.

I then went in search of a place to grab some lunch, and while plenty of street food was available, I really wanted to find some air-conditioning out of the steamy heat of the day.  It is always hotter away from the gulf, and it was an unpleasant 96°F here - and this is supposed to be the cool season.  I walked for blocks and blocks in one direction, then back in the other direction, and never found anyplace.  Luckily, I spotted the driver, and sought refuge in the air-conditioned car instead.  I remembered driving through the bigger city of Bang Saen on the way, so I stopped at the Tesco-Lotus there, settling for a stringy chicken burger from KFC.  At least I could sit in comfort while I ate.  Back at the golf course we found a shady spot to wait for the guys to finish.  I didn't mind the hour-and-a-half wait too much, because I had brought my crocheting with me, and made some good progress.  (Although I ultimately took it all apart to start over when I realized each row was somehow getting progressively shorter - my first real attempt at crocheting.)

Tim was off to India the week after that - his travel has been picking up lately.  Though I miss him dearly when he is gone, it does free up the use of the car for longer stretches of time during the day.  (I try to be a "glass half-full" kind of person.)  My friend, Mika, and I took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time in Bangkok.  Our driver, Mick, was thrilled with the idea - not!  He's got an aversion to Bangkok traffic.  I just heard a report that Thailand has the worst traffic in the world, according to INRIX, a global traffic scorecard.  The report says Thai drivers spend an average of sixty-one hours a year in traffic.  That's country vs. country; by cities, Los Angeles is rated the worst in the world with 104.5 hours a year.  Sorry, Khun Mick!

We picked Mika up around eight-thirty in the morning - her daughter had already left for school.  Traffic was not too bad, and we arrived by ten-thirty.  We parked near the Asok BTS (Bangkok Transit System) station, and walked to Hieng Yoo Huat, a fabric shop just below the stop.  Lots of nice, colorful fabrics at a good price.  I limited myself to just one fabric to make a shirt.  Mika went back up to the BTS to deliver a package to her friend who was meeting her there, and I joined her soon after.

for you, Connie

We took a look inside Terminal 21, a modern, multistory mall where each floor has a different world city theme.  The featured cities were London, Istanbul and San Francisco to name a few.  Saw the Golden Gate bridge - a mini-version - and a trolley car coffee shop on the San Francisco floor.  They are currently building a Terminal 21 on the north side of Pattaya.  I don't think it's due to open until sometime next year.

We rode the BTS one stop over to the Phrom Phong station, to an area that has many Japanese shops.  The stop I was most looking forward to was Sun Books - a shop that sells used Japanese and English books - heaven!  It is possible to find English language books in stores in Pattaya, but the mark up is pretty high.  At Sun Books, I was able to buy four used paperbacks for just over two dollars a piece.  I brought a pretty big supply of used books with me when we moved to Thailand, but the supply is dwindling.  I know, I know, e-books are a thing, and I've done my share of reading those.  Just doesn't substitute for holding that book in my hand.

We walked to lunch at a place called  the "Royal Oak" - felt like a good choice!  Got me to wondering about where the name came from.  From Wikipedia:

 Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Royal Oak, after the Royal Oak in which Charles II hid himself during his flight from the country in the English Civil War.  

The Royal Oak website said this place is located on the site of the oldest pub in Thailand.   Here I tasted my first Japanese beer, Asahi.  Very nice and refreshing on a hot day.  Mika ordered fish and chips, and I ordered a chicken burger.  She got peas, which she doesn't like, so we swapped her peas for my lettuce and tomato.  Felt like Jack Sprat and his wife!

Peas?  Yes, please!

chok dee ka!

this guy kept us company, dying a slow death on the ground beside our table,
 until Mika asked the staff to remove it

We visited a lovely little shop supporting the Good Shepherd Sisters ministries, called the Fatima Shop.  They sell lots of cute textile creations, like purses, dolls, cloth books for babies, etc., made by local women and girls from nearby slums or government housing.  They learn to make these crafts, and their creations are sold at the shop.  The quality of the items is excellent and the prices are reasonable.  I picked up a pot holder for my kitchen.

We visited a Japanese grocery and a Japanese bakery, where the sights and smells were irresistible.  Stopped at one more bookstore, then we rode the BTS back to the Asoke station, where Mick was waiting nearby.  As we were leaving the parking structure, I realized I no longer had my bag of books.  I said we should just go, but Mika insisted we had time, so Mick found his way back to the bakery, where I remembered having them last.  Must have been dazzled by all the sweet treats... Mika kindly ran in and got the bag, and we were on our way back to Pattaya.  We got Mika home with time to spare before her little one returned.  We fit quite a lot into our busy day!  A big thank-you to my personal tour guide, Mika!