Category: Thai Society/Culture

Lethocerus Indicus (Giant Water Bug)

“The Vietnamese call this insect cà cuống. It is a highly prized food and often boiled and fried whole.” LINK

Here in Thailand, it is called maeng da or malaeng da, and is mostly used ground up in chili paste called nam phrik or jaew bong. The pheromone that so famously attracts the females has a unique and powerful scent, unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. Not unpleasant in and of itself, but very strong. I can eat it, but have never tried it raw… I found the one above freshly dead, in my driveway. It did not smell. It’s the only one I’ve seen in the wild, although they sell them live at the fresh markets and deep-fried at edible insect stalls.

Incidentally, maengda is also slang for “pimp” in Thai.

Why I still love Thailand

The ad blurb translated by Googs:

Last day. Golden minute. When it’s gone,

Boiled chicken. Golden minute. Big size. Only 89 Baht each!!!!

One day only. Discount for 60 baht immediately when shopping for fresh food department. 600 baht or more / receipt.

This Chinese food festival!! with valuable quality at Tesco Lotus.

Tesco. Boiled chicken with entrails. Size M. Size 1.4-1.6 kg. Normal item is 189 Baht each.

⏰ Golden minute. Reduced to 89 baht each!!!!

⏰ Golden minute. The last day. 1 July. Year 63

Photos of the “Elephant Cage” in Udon Thani, Thailand

Pages like this one and this one and this one got me interested in the cold war antenna array known as the “Elephant Cage.” It was built by the US military in Udon Thani province, northeast Thailand, at an air force base used for signals intelligence back in the day, and suspected of housing a CIA black site in more recent years (although it is now apparently a mushroom farm/museum open to the public). Wikipedia describes the Elephant Cage as thus:

The AN/FLR-9 is a type of very large circular “Wullenweber” antenna array, built at eight locations during the cold war for HF/DF direction finding of high priority targets. The worldwide network, known collectively as “Iron Horse”, could locate HF communications almost anywhere on Earth. Because of the exceptionally large size of its outer reflecting screen (1056 vertical steel wires supported by 96 120-foot towers), the FLR-9 was commonly referred to by the nickname “Elephant Cage.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/FLR-9

None of the Elephant cages exist anymore, although parts of the one in Udon might still be found around town, if local stories are to be believed. I just wanted to compile all of the photos I’ve bookmarked in a single post.

Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1528890/ex-us-base-not-secret-prison
Source: https://disabledveteransthailand.wordpress.com/ramasun-station-thailand/
Source: http://www.83rdrrsou.org/7th_pictures/tour_of_ramasun/Tour_of_Ramasun.html
Source: http://www.83rdrrsou.org/7th_pictures/tour_of_ramasun/Tour_of_Ramasun.html
Source: http://www.83rdrrsou.org/7th_pictures/tour_of_ramasun/Tour_of_Ramasun.html
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/boondocks/254318616/
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/boondocks/254433519
Source: http://www.83rdrrsou.org/Maps/Non_Sung_Mueang_Udon_Thani_Thailand.html
Source: http://topicstock.pantip.com/wahkor/topicstock/2008/05/X6597669/X6597669.html
Source: http://topicstock.pantip.com/wahkor/topicstock/2008/05/X6597669/X6597669.html

Two-wheeled Uranai

Driving down a main street toward Mitraphap Road in Khon Kaen, something caught my eye…
It was a broken down bicycle with trailer (or maybe a tricycle with a bed?) being used as a mobile fortune telling booth!

Little things like this still blow my mind every day in this country – it’s part of the charm.

Fortune telling is still a huge part of the culture, and for some reason, tarot cards seem to be getting very popular from what I see online.

Why TripAdvisor Sucks.

Holy shit, no wonder Northeast Thailand is so misunderstood:

The closest the Mekong River comes to Maha Sarakham province is around 170 kilometers away, in Mukdahan. One of the tributaries of the Mekong, the Chi River, does flow right through Maha Sarakham province and city, so it is connected, but if you want to use that logic, I nominate the Adriatic Sea as a wonderful Thing to Do in Maha Sarakham Province.

Also, the Mekong probably shouldn’t be grouped into Nature & Parks anymore since the water is barely flowing at times and most of the wildlife is dead and gone. The most accurate description for the foreseeable future is, “Heavily Exploited Power Source Where Giant Catfish Once Lived.”

I clicked the green See 1 Experience button shown in the lower right corner of the graphic above (the actual page is here). It took me to a page called OVERVIEW MEKONG DELTA (My Tho – Ben Tre)… Both of those places are in Vietnam for fuck’s sake! Not sure if Trip Advisor is aware if these two countries are not same same or if they are aware and it’s all just keyword games (because the word “Thailand” is in the link for a page having nothing to do with Thailand), but either way, it’s fucking despicable… Shitty travel sites should at least be responsible for lightly educating the shitheel tourists and backpackers they foist on the locals, yo.