Day 3: Mommy, Where Does Sugar Come From?

We start the day at the Train Market -- a street market literally set up on train tracks. When the train comes, the merchants do some ninja disassembling of their shop, then just as quickly reassemble back into sell mode. The children disappointed we wouldn’t let them get hit by the train.

An early highlight is a boat ride where we meet many friendly people who live on the canal. Apparently, quite content to have us floating through their backyards.

We stop at a floating market where we sample coconut juice and tiny bananas.

Then to a local (non-floating) sugar factory. Step one: Climb bamboo ladder and hack at coconut root with machete. Catch the juice. (Sammi, Ben, Jake, and THA climbed the bamboo ladder) Step two: Juice is boiled in a big pot. Then again. Then again. Then again. Finally, into a mixer where it has solidified into something like sugary taffy. Everyone got sample of different sweet stuff -- sugary! The Thai women were fascinated by Sammi and wanted to steal her (her pale skin, which she inherited from her beautiful white father). The owner of the joint said Jake’s Thai was very clear.

Lunch was at a floating restaurant where the children fed huge pieces of pork to huge pork-eating fish. Sammi and Ben buy small clay statue of a peeing boy. (Fill him with hot water and he really pees!) Alexa buys one for Asa.

The restaurant is on the River Kwai and most of the family does the Alec Guiness thing and crosses the bridge. Because it is rickety, Dad and Jake shop for sunglasses, CDs (top American hits $3!) bracelets (Jake got three for 120 baht -- about $1.50). A DJ was in the square playing live music including “Islands in the Stream," and "It Never Rains in Southern California.”

A street vendor scolds Katy for saying “I’ll think about it” -- just say no so you don’t get hopes up.

Next up was the River Kwai museum where we learned what happened to American, British, and Aussie POWs during WW II. Like the scene in Spinal Tap where they visit Graceland -- a little too much perspective.

Outside the museum, we met cocks and Beezus the dog. Several dogs follow Matt like he was wearing Snausage socks.

The kids finally get to hit a swimming pool. Apparently, it's unlike any we have in America.

Exhausted dinner at 8 - weird burgers, weird pizza.