Jungle Boogie

I had three categories I wanted to indulge in during my great Southeast Asian Adventure: architecture, nature, and food.  So far it looks like each country I visit will more than satisfy all three.  I should pause for a moment to mention that while my next two posts will be about Thailand, I am in fact already in Cambodia.  Too much is happening everyday, and I can't keep up; I've only been in Siem Reap for two days, and I already feel overwhelmed, full.  But I cannot move on from my discussion of Thailand without a description of the jungle.  The Jungle!!!!

 

 

Cory and I left our colonial paradise in Chiang Mai after four days and began our trek into the wilderness.  The destination?  Our Jungle Treehouse Resort in Khao Sok National Park.  We were promised the jungle, and we were not disappointed.  Tucked away at the end of the road, right against a cliff, Our Jungle Treehouse was a rare experience.  It's basically a collection of bungalows and treehouses on the river, with a clubhouse/restaurant/bar at the front of the property.  Yes, we had a bathroom and a cold trickle of water that served as a shower.  Yes, we came into contact with all manners of insect life.  Yes, there was a bat in Cory's mosquito netting the night we got there.  But more importantly, we had unbelievable food, met wonderful people, and saw parts of nature that I don't know we'll ever experience again.

 

 

You'll have to forgive me, but I really don't have too many pictures of the food.  This is not for lack of trying - the main issue is that my camera does not work well in darkness, and there's suprisingly little light in the jungle after the sun goes down.  But no matter.  You can walk with me down culinary memory lane.  First of all, we once again had excellent options for classic American breakfast.  I have accepted that despite my huge appetite for culinary experimentation, when it comes to breakfast, I want eggs.  And toast.  And most likely bacon.  But while American breakfast is certainly important, but it is by no means what I came to Thailand for.  I came here, primarily, for curry.  In Chiang Mai I had the incomparible opportunity to make Thai-Burmese curry: pork belly!  pickled garlic!  more chilis than you can shake a stick at!  Thai-Burmese curry is not coconut-milk based, but the addition of pickled garlic and peanuts add almost as much richness.  And really, have you ever known me to argue with pork belly?  But I digress.  I want to talk about Our Jungle Treehouse's addition to my curry repertoire: Panang Curry.  WHY HAVE I NOT HAD THIS BEFORE?!?!?!!?  It's criminal I tell you, criminal.  This is thicker than your average red curry, using more of the coconut cream, rather than the milk.  The curry paste has the main ingrediants such as chilis, galangal, etc.  But then, peanuts!  These delightful legumes are toasted until fragrant with coriander and cumin seeds.  Coconut cream, curry, and meat blend together to form a velvety, spicy concoction.  The dish is garnished with lemongrass leaves, their herbal acidity a lovely note to the decadent curry.  What can I say?  This is the kind of curry you want to bath in (and then lick off yourself).

 

 

Luckily, however, prudence prevailed and I did not bath in said curry.  That might have had unfortunate consequences during the jungle trek.  On day one of our totally awesome jungle adventure Cory and I got right down into it and hiked the jungle.  Our guide was a helpful, knowledgable, yet almost incomprehensible Thai man.  He felt very strongly about preparing us for jungle survival.  And bamboo.  The man loved bamboo.  Cory and I learned all about what kinds of bamboo you can eat, drink, use to build shelter, and use as kindling.  This last item was one of our guide's favorites.  Have I mentioned that it's rainy in the rainforest?  As we trekked through the mud our guide continuously pointed out the specific type of bamboo which, no matter how wet on the outside, remains dry on the inside.  And proved this to us.  Again, and again, and again.  Every now and then along the trail he would grab a piece of bamboo, break it in half and say, "See?  still dry".  He was kind of like the Thai answer to the Slap-Chop guy, except in the jungle, and without a police record. 

 

 

 

Our guide also schooled us on the various forms of wildlife we could potentially encounter during our hike.  He gave us an excellent primer on what to do when bitten by a cobra (wait seven seconds and then die painfully).  He pointed out elephant footprints.  He alerted us to a squirrel-chipmunk death match, which our corrupt Western ears were unable to detect.  And of course, he showed us monkeys.  But really, the wildlife highlight of the trek had to be the leeches.  Que the thell!  The jungle is teeming with leeches!  Why, during no part of my indepth shoe research did somebody say, "hey, get closed shoes, cause the jungle is teeming with leeches, I tell you, teeming!"  Actually, I should confess: I remained leech free during the hike.  Poor Cory bore the brunt of our leechy escapade, and with aplomb.  The only "good" thing about Thai Jungle Leeches is that they bear no resemblance to the leeches from that memorable scene in Stand by Me.  Had that been the situation I would have uttered some very unladylike language and then forced Cory to give me a piggy-back ride the rest of the way. 

 

Okay, so sometimes nature sucks.  Literally.  As in, your blood.  But at other times nature is stunningly beautiful.  Sometimes nature seduces you with its blue, bath-like waters. 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it humbles you with its unexpectadly gentle magnificance. 

 

 



Despite the discomfort, our time here felt like a gift.  Here is this amazing corner of the world that invited us in, let us hang out, and let us pull back just a little bit of the curtain. 

Oh, and did I mention that we rode elephants?  Elephants!!!!