where are you, eric liu?: 02/26/2006

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Egyptian food with the Duddy's

Egyptian food with the Duddy's
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

A return visit to the Middle Eastern area on Soi 3 off Sukhumvit. I caught up with Emily's parents on their last night in Thailand.

Pro-Thaksin rally

Pro-Thaksin rally
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Big screens televisions were set up at various points so all could hear the beleaguered PM speak. Apparently he is a billionaire and has pushed numerous government contracts toward his various companies and investments, yet he remains quite popular in Thailand. He dissolved the parliament last week amid corruption charges, and hopes being reelected next month (as he most likely will as the opposition parties are boycotting the election) will make the corruption charges irrelevant.

Hordes of thousands heading to the pro-Thaksin rally

Hordes of thousands heading to the pro-Thaksin rally
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

I took an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Khao San Road. I had only slept a couple hours before arriving at 0630. All the places were full, but after waiting around a few hours, I got a place in an back alley.
It is crowded this weekend near Khao San Road as a pro-Thaksin rally was held all day. Traffic stopped for the latter part of the day when Prime Minister Thaksin spoke. Tomorrow the anti-Thaksin rally will be held in the same place. It is almost a festive mood as people are waving flags and street vendors are out in force. There is also a strong police presence, but things remain quite calm.
Tomorrow I will head to Siem Reap on the government bus to avoid the tourist bus scam between Khao San Road and Siem Reap.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Lipetho stock

It's been really great revisiting Chiang Mai and Mae Sot. Even in Chiang Mai, I happened to rent the same motorbike from last year (one of them, anyways), but for 40 BHT less, so that's an improvement. I've gone back to the same places for food and even stayed in the same building/floor at Smile House (they remembered me from my three week stay last summer, but this time they put me in Heyman, Sahn Sahn, and Emily's room).
Tonight I'm taking the overnight bus journey back to Khao San Road in Bangkok. After a day or so, I'll hop on a bus to Siem Reap.
When I was in Mae Sot, I struck up a conversation with a local woman. She was born in Myanmar, but her family fled the Communist revolution in China, and had moved to Thailand when she was a small child. She told me how to make lipetho (lephet thok), so I thought I'd pass the recipe along:

How to make Lipetho leaves:
1. Take dried Chinese tea (any tea leaves) leaves (unused) and soak in hot water to moisten.
2. Mix wet tea leaves with any oil (vegetable oil, peanut oil, olive oil).
3. Add salt, MSG, and lemon juice.
4. Seal in sterilized jar, packed tight with as little air as possible.
5. Set on the counter for a week.

Apparently, the pickled lipetho leaves do not need to be refrigerated and can keep for months without spoiling. I don't know the amount of ingredients, so when you figure that one out, let me know.