Ballyhoo: So Good

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

So Good

As we drove on north to Bangkok, there was one more stop to make: Krua Chao Phraya Restaurant. Kade had already been once, and now she wanted me to experience it. The restaurant specializes in seafood, and is on the Gulf of Thailand, in the province of Samut Songkhram, a place where I took my great-uncle, Jim Vann of Headland, Alabama, on a trip to a huge floating market back in 2003.

This was our third consecutive night of feasting on seafood - all very good, but this was the standout. Food alone. It's been six weeks since we were there, and I still dream about it. This is clearly one of, if not the best, seafood dining experiences I have ever had.

If you lived in Bangkok and wanted a day's trip outside of the congested, noisy city, this province and a couple of others adjacent to it, all along the coast, are great escapes. And although you can get delicious seafood in Bangkok, there's nothing like being in an environment like Krua Chao Phraya Restaurant, where there's a long pier and gazebo out over the water, sea gulls flying in and water birds wading in the shallows, searching for small fish and crabs. And then you have that pleasant saltwater sea breeze!

When you finish viewing my images, take a look at the video. During the meal, I looked up, and there was a sea eagle (guessing here!), soaring majestically against a strong ocean breeze, giving the appearance of it being stationary. A beautiful sight. After the meal, we drove up to a nearby temple and got out for some photos. I included this is my video. Once that was done, we worked our way down some quiet roads towards the interstate. And as we did, we caught sight of cloud forming a cool shape (a rabbit?) in front of the sun, which was setting over a picturesque bay. The only task remaining was to make sure Kade's brother didn't fall asleep while driving! It had been a long day.