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We live near Wat Kathu which is a Buddhist temple (wat is temple in Thai). In the morning I am often welcomed by the fragrance of incense coming from the temple and often individual homes. It's like a daily "welcome to Thailand".
Things I've learned here about plants in Thailand:
- there are about 20 varieties of bananas
- there are at least 10 varieties of orange juice for sale here
- there are a wide variety of bamboo including one with sharp spikes on the trunk
- banana leaves are a useful, green(lol) for wrapping food
- bamboo can be used for a huge variety of construction
- coconut and the associated milk is amazing
- there are probably 20 varieties of rice some of which are not bad for diabetics
- there are varieties of mango as well
- there are a ton of vegetables/fruit that I was never aware of
- bamboo is used as scaffolding even for multi story buildings
- There are so many beautiful flowers in the world
- cannonball tree - look it up. beautiful
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Kathu has a big reservoir in the south. It is right off the Kathu road loop near one of the golf courses. A range of mountains separate the western edge of the reservoir from Patong, the tourist area. The reservoir serves as a source of water, an exercise facility, a social meeting place and a event location. Every evening people gather in the parking lot near the dam to run, walk and bike. At this time the sun is less intense which makes a big difference. There is a 2 or 3 mile paved loop around the reservoir. It is well marked to allow for cyclists and other pedestrians. There are lots of varieties of tropical plants, insects and birds. There are hikes off the paved loop where you can ascend to a small temple, visit a waterfall or pass thru an orchard. I found a beautiful waterfall with a pool created in the rocks to cool off after a bike ride. As I got in the water I noticed a huge scorpion. How exciting!
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Before we left Thailand the reservoir was empty. The pumping station that usually floats in 20 feet of water was on dry ground. Even after a couple of months of monsoon season we had not had significant rainfall. The neighborhood had been cycling thru water cutoffs by neighborhood. People get their drinking water from water services that deliver 4 gallon jugs of prepared water. We had a pool which we were able to keep filled. Occasionally the water coming out of the tap was brown. I often used the tap water to make coffee and never had a problem with it. We would drink the bottled water which cost us 33 cents for about 4 gallons. |
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