Bangkok, Thailand, April 17 and 18, 2009

Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 02:23:08 PM

The last time I visited Bangkok was to participate in the Lychee and Longan Symposium in 2002. As soon as I arrived I drank in the sounds and feel of the bustling streets, alive with the noise of car horns and commerce - the day-to-day of Bangkok. My friend Dang and her husband, mango growers nearby to the city, were waiting for me at the airport. We traveled 2 hours to their mango orchard northwest of Bangkok. On the highway I saw mangos for sale on the street, but they suggested going to the local fruit market. I gladly obliged, taking in the Thai countryside of rice, jackfruit and mango in its full glory. The market had good quality 'Nam Doc Mai' and 'Okrong Tong'. There were also 'Kheio Savoy', and a small local selection unknown to me. We partook in a few choice specimens in the afternoon heat, fully embracing the silky smoothness of the fruit.

We arrived at their farm with the sunset. The property is surrounded by gigantic tamarind trees that gave their farm its name. At the farm, dinner was waiting for us with fresh vegetables, fish with green mango salsa. The next day, bright and early we make a tour of the orchard. The farm is organic with some traditional cultivars, and most of their production is sold internally. Fruit were sold mature green and ripe, depending on the market and the cultivar. They had major problems with fruit fly, which they controlled by bagging.

In the afternoon we returned to Bangkok. I for one was full in body and spirit with the Thai countryside and her mangos - graceful and delicious at her peak.

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