Red-hot rooming, writing, reading, relaxing and roaming in rainy Thailand.

[dmgale]

If you need to spice up the food, ask for some 'prik nam pla'.
It's basically fish sauce with chopped chillies and is a served as standard with many dishes.
Per the small bowl in the photo.

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That stuff is deadly! Speaking from experience.....

 

[Quickstatus]

I’m beginning to strongly suspect that Thai food has a somnolent effect

The cause of Food coma or post prandial somnolence is generally unknown.

However, there are complex hormonal changes which trigger somnolence in the brain - digestion is better when the body is at rest or so the theory goes..

I wonder if the generally high GI of thai food contributes at least partially?. Plus the hot and humid weather?

There is another theory that post prandial blood amino acid level change due to insulin in a way that preferentially increases tryptophan which is an essential ingredient in melatonin formation.

That stuff is deadly!

Just need further training.

 

[Flyfrequently]

The cause of Food coma or post prandial somnolence is generally unknown.

In our family we point the finger at MSG @Quickstatus @Human

It either has us sleepy or bouncing off the walls at 2am.
"Uncle Roger" (comedian) has made a living out of his love of MSG, we follow him on YouTube and Instagram.

The Flyfrequently offspring gave their Dad an orange polo shirt one birthday - pic is of Uncle Roger (not Mr Flyfrequently, slight resemblance though thanks to his Mum !)

 

[Human]

Today began a little differently: with an 8:30am guided bicycle tour. I love bicycle tours – they’re a great, low-key way to experience the local area, so despite the already-hot and humid conditions I was looking forward to this one. It was described as a way to “explore the local charm of Nam Kem Village”, including the “surrounding scenery” and experiencing “a glimpse of local life along the way”, and “a fun way to explore the local community”. It didn’t really meet the description, but it was still worthwhile.

Our bikes had definitely seen better days, but they were more-or-less fit for purpose – a very leisurely pre-breakfast meander through the local streets.



After a ride of about 1.4km we stopped at the Tsunami Museum. I had been wanting to visit and so I was not unhappy at all that we spent about half an hour there, which was ample time.





We began our time by being shown a genuinely moving video about a European tourist’s return to Khao Lak as he sought to find the local man who rescued him from the 2004 tsunami as a boy. It also covered a little of what happened and went through what’s involved in an evacuation drill (which is practised by the local community every year).



The rest of the museum focuses on the events of December 26, 2004, the consequences, the aftermath, and what steps have been taken (early detection, early warning, evacuation procedures) to ensure that in case of a repeat, the loss of life will be zero, rather than many thousands.





We then continued our cycling through the various streets of the local town…


Before stopping again at the Tsunami Memorial Park. I had already visited this park, so I walked over to the sea which was beautiful and tranquil.


We then returned to the Pullman, and I had a very productive few hours writing. I’m not sure how much I wrote because a lot of it was re-writing and expanding on previous chapters, but it felt productive, which was satisfying.

 

[Human]

Lunch today was a spicy beef salad and mango sticky rice for dessert.



In the afternoon I did more research and writing in my room.

After a couple of hours I ventured out on a whim to the open-air massage place which is about a 100m stroll up the beach from the hotel.



The massage was great. The combination of the sea breeze, the gentle sound of the waves breaking on the shoreline and the massage itself was unbeatable.

I returned to my room just in time to attend an AFF webinar!

I then sat down to draft today’s Trip Report post … but I couldn’t help but notice that the sunset was going to be spectacular. So I got my priorities right and made a beeline back to the seashore.

Indeed, the sunset was amazing. Unlike two days ago where there were a few too many clouds on the horizon, I could watch the sun setting all the way down to the water.




For dinner I got the equation wrong. I thought that appetiser + appetiser = a good sized meal, so I ordered two appetisers. Little did I know that appetiser + appetiser = way too much! Both the sun-dried crispy beef and (especially) the satay chicken were delicious, as usual, but this time I had no room for dessert.



I cannot believe that tomorrow will be my last full day in Khao Lak! I’m already beginning to mull over when I’ll return…

 

[Human]

The cause of Food coma or post prandial somnolence is generally unknown.

Sort of (but not really) related question for @Quickstatus , @Flyfrequently and maybe even Uncle Roger...

Without wanting to go into gory details, I suffer from reasonably regular Irritable Bowel Syndrome when I'm at home, but (despite loading my bags with loperamide) it hasn't been an issue at all in Thailand even though I have quite clearly eaten too much. What is it about the Thai diet that has temporarily cured me of this troubling ailment?