HB, if you were right here I'd know it!
Four in a row
It was monsooning when we woke up so we went upstairs to Chopsticks, the sukiyaki restaurant in the Sand Inn for lunch. Sukiyaki, usually just called “suki,” is popular in Thailand. All the suki restaurants are open for lunch but Mike and I are the only ones who ever actually show up at lunch time. As usual, we ordered a wide assortment of meats and vegetables and cooked them in the pot of boiling water at our table. Prior to leaving for Thailand I had discovered in my mail a “Sand Card” good for 10% off room, food, and beverages at Sand Inn and its two restaurants, Euro Deli and Chopsticks. I whipped it out as we ordered and sure enough we got 10% off bringing the total to 585 baht ($15) for the two of us. This is about five times as much as a simple meal of Thai food in one of the local shophouses.
We waited for the rain to stop and then went for a long walk. Mike was looking for an apartment to rent to stay here for a few weeks. We wandered around but didn’t find the perfect place yet. Mike thought it might be a good idea to look on line. After a few hours of walking we had a cool drink at Baitong, a seafood restaurant on the beach road. Mike had a Long Island and I had Mai Tai Served in Pineapple. Inside our rooms at Sand Inn was still another savings card giving 10% off at a few more places, this one included. Being a high-priced tourist place, Baitong charged 270 baht ($7) for the two drinks, but we got our 10% off.
We then crossed the street and proceeded to walk along the beach. We passed a topless black lady-boy enjoying the cool ocean air and the unnerved stares of passers-by. We found ourselves at the No. 7 restaurant, nearby the No. 6 restaurant where I have eaten lunch many times, and camped out on a picnic table facing the ocean with a bottle of Song San Thai rum, a bucket of ice, and several bottles of soda mixer. We drank the cold weak rum drinks, munched on salted peanuts, and watched the sun put on a stunning show for us as we felt the cool wet breeze underneath a pineapple tree. A smiling girl named Bap, about 14, kept our drinks refreshed and warned us to go under the shelter seconds before the rain blew up. The rain clouds obscured the sunset but we saw a bright orange pinpoint burning through, low in the sky.
The show over, we decided to head to Buffalo for dinner. They were having a special on their signature disk, Plank Steak, with salad and a glass of red wine included for 199 baht ($5). Plank steak is a steak served on a wooden plank. Mashed potatoes extruded through a pastry icer divided the plank into partitions containing the steak, gravy, and béarnaise sauce. Even though we ordered it medium-rare the steak came out cooked through. I’m not even sure it was beef, but it was tasty and the potatoes and wine were first-rate.
After dinner we headed over to the Rock for happy hour. The place was full of U.S. Navy personnel and signs all around town welcomed them. Mixed pairs of sailors and marines patrolled the streets, presumably to be available in case 80,000 youngsters who hadn’t had a drink in six months got into any trouble on their shore leave.
I told Mike I had been practicing the Four-in-a-row game on the plane over here. The Cathay Pacific 747 had some games built into the interactive video system and one of them was the popular Thai bar game Four in a Row. We wandered around and found a bar where they played it. Mike and I alternated losing game after game to the bartender while munching popcorn and drinking. Despite my being able to beat the computer I still couldn’t beat the Thais.
After a full but relaxing evening I was ready for bed.
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