Road to Phetburi
We leave Nakhon pathom at
07.30. It took 2 hours ride to reach Phetburi. Our first destination was Suan
tarn lung thanon (Uncle Tanom Fram).
Once we reach Phetburi
province territory, we started to see dessert shop which sell kanom morkeang.
It is made of eggs, flour , coconut milk and sugar palm
The shops sell dessert
for souvenir. Thai people who drive pass this town is always stop and buy the
dessert for friends and family.
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| Beautiful bridge on the way to Lung Thanom Farm |
Along the way, we can see palm
tree grow on the paddle of rice field. Many of them has small bamboo ladder
attach. The palm tree perhaps give view, shade and fruit for the rice owner.
That was my perception before our first stop.
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| Palm trees |
We arrived at lung Thanom
farm around 09.30. We walked along the palm farm to access the land which is 10
rai (3.8 acre) and grow 450 palm
trees. Rai is traditional Thai measurement of land area. Distance between tree is around 3.5 wa or 4 meters. We took snap shot of
row of palm tree which is nice with beautiful.
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| Luang Tanom fam |
Introduce to Tarn Tanod (palm
tree)
Tarn Tanod is the main actor
of this tour. It has scientific name "Borassus Flabellifer Linn "
Common name is Palmyra
palm or Lontar . This tree like to grow in area that has hot weather . It grow
well in sand or Loamy Sand (ดินทรายปนร่วน). If this tree grow in Clay (ดินเหนียว) and close to blackest water swamp, the palm will grow very well and produce the
best quality of palm sap , sweet. This tree do not like wet land, dry weather
is better for them. It is original from east Africa. Then grow in Sri Lanka before access Thailand and south east Asia.
If there are airplane , palm tree do not need to make many stop over as old day before reach Thailand. :)
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| Palm Tree |
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| This is un-identify gender of palm tree. |
Welcome Drink & Get to know Uncle Thanom
Uncle Thanom welcomed us with fresh palm sap. We set on small pavilion which has all kinds product made of palms. Lung Thanom started to introduce himself and talked to us about his life and how did this project. He was born 4 years before World War II in 1938 (B.E 2481). His father and brothers was involve with palm by selling sap and made palm sugar. But he worked as Kamnam (Title of Village chief ) to serve the public since he was young .
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| Lung thanom give us overview of his work |
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| Nong Da taste Look tarn ( It is small seed inside palm fruit) |
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| Look tarn which is fresh, the young one has sap inside, sweet |
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| palm sap juice and ice, the best drink ever |
Get to know uncle Thanom (ลุงถนอม Lung Thanom )
He graduated just elementary
school and after retirement he research and spend time to see what career path
that he want to do. He think Thailand is proper for agriculture. In addition,
this area has a lot of water, it should be proper to grow some plantation. He
studied about lemon, sandle wood, and many kind of plantation. He hope to grow
the crop that can bring sustain income stream. But it was not that easy.
Finally, uncle Thanom decided
to grow the palm three in 2535 . He remember that day well. It was 12 August
2535. Each year, Thai people know it since it mother day or queen birth day.
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| Bloom made of palm leave |
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| Dry flower of palm trunk |
Learning about palm
Palm is not give fruit or flower if it grow less than 20 years. If you grow with well care with fertilizer, it will start productive at 12 years. Palm life cycle is over 200 years. If you want to cut the palm trunk, the wood is very durable than teak wood. The color of wood of palm is nice and special design.
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P' Amnard with full equip and ready to collect palm sap
Work shop
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We got to do some workshop
after talk session. We separate to 4 group to learn about palm for 5 bases. It
started from seeding, harvest, making sugar, squeeze the sap, and cooking dessert.
Seeding
The palm tree has 2 genders.
Only female one create fruit. Inside the has shell look similar to coconut but
smaller. Soaking the seed is canal for a month. It will start to grow soft root
and hairy head. The young palm tree look very funny. It looks like been spouse but bigger size. On
the head part, there are hair cover. Plant the palm three in bamboo container
with soil. Wait till embryo come out. Then it is ready to grow.
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| Young palm seed, -- Hairy moster |
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| After leave in bamboo can, it guarantee to grow. |
Harvest
Palm tree turn mature at 20
years, then the gender of palm will occur. Male palm has trunk which is look
similar of ivory shape. On branch has 3 trunks. Farmer will use only 2 trunks
for each branch. Farmer will massage the trunks for 6 times within 6 days. It
is kind of like give no warning before crush the sap. This area they use bamboo
container to collect sap. Farmers will climb the tree two times a day. The sap
can sell as drink or for be a raw material for making palm sugar. Harvest palm
sap is more complicate than coconut sap.
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| After massage the trunk for 6 days, it is ready go give sap |
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| Close up of the trunk which has little flower of palm. |
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| Nong Da, our camera man climb up the first step |
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| Tye and Nong Da are most get to the top |
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| The high of this platform is around 15 meters |
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| keep up the exitment , Tye still can smile. |
Sugar making
Cooking well on the stove and
stir it since it blend well. It is very similar to coconut sap. But they use
less fuel and they use more labor to stir the sap till it turn harder.
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| Stir for life, You can get muscle from doing it , I guarantee. |
Crush palm fruits for kanom
tarn
Each day farmer got palm
fruit from female Tarn. Peel the shuck, inside appear a strong yellow color of
palm spathe. There is fiber and some meat which is soft than coconut. Squeeze
this part and leave it for one day, they will get palm meat which has natural yellow
color and yeast. They mixed this part with flour, coconut milk and sugar. Once
it blend well, put it in small banana leave container and stream it. Yummy.
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| Palm fruit after pealing the buck |
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| Palm seed |
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| Palm fruit before process |
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| Palm seed in the canal |
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| Yummy Kanom Tarn |
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| Mixed flower for Kanom Tarn |
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| After stream |
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| Our MC |
Having lunch at palm farm
We have lunch on the farm.
There are three dished selection. One is Keng hua tarn which is highlight It
cooked with coconut milk which is so yummy.
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| Lunch and taking photos |
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| Lung Thanom join us for lunch |
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| Snap shot before leave |
Craft work from palm leave
Then, we continued trip to
local house which expert in weave craft from palm leave and natural product. We
took some work shop making flower and mobile from palm leave and seed. Time fry
quick, I finished 4 flowers. It was fun and we got a chance to talk to older
generation and we amazing that all part of palm is so valuable. We also amazing
that local people really know how to make use of it.
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| Smaller side of basket |
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| Prof.Yada get good picture of mobile |
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| Basic equipment |
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| Tool for craft work |
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| My trainer and my first flower in last 20 years |
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| Cutting the palm leave |
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| Lamp on sale |
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| Other products which i wish to bring a truck to buy it . So cute |
Day Break
We check in at small resort
and break for two hours. We slept for a while. It was good relaxing. It will be
better if I have Thai Massage for this free time.
Rice field and Palm Trees
Then continue to Tungna
patarn at Baan tad. The road to this
place is so exotic but it hard to remember since it was too many turns and
intersections. We pass rice field, see buffalo and villages. When we arrived
the destination, we saw simple dinner table and local people cooking for us. I
think tonight it will be a lot of fun.
Note, this landscape is amazing and most romantic place ever.
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| All girl having fun with post for pictures on rice paddle |
Pa Chua (aunt Chua)
We met aunt Chua, 79 years
old. Every day she climb up 5 palms tree
to collect the sap for cooking sugar as her daily life. She was amazing and highlight of this trip.
After say hi and talked for a while. Most of us ask about what she did, how old
are you, how do you take care yourself and end up by ..Can you show me how to
climb the palm tree?... She tough the we want her to climb 5 trees , we said
not just one. Then it took her for 5 second she went to the top of the trees .
This is so unreal . How can she keep up good health with this age. Moreover,
the hospitality and attitude is best. Everyone fell in love with her in a
second.
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Pa Chue explained her work
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| Start quick |
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| there she go |
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| Almost reach the top |
I can not pictures my health condition when i were 79 years old like her. Keep up good work Pa Chua.
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| Prof Yada, Pa Chua and me |
Local Alcohol
The local demonstrated how to
make Krachea (กระแช่), local kind whisky which similar to sake of japans. It is very
simple recipe. Krachea made of palm sap and fig tree marinated. Once you drink it, you can tell the latitude
of the drink where was it in your body.
Professor Oiy said, it should be the about 7-10 degree of alcohol.
However, we do not know why it makes people drunk so quick.
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| pig tree bake on fire before use for Krachea |
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| ready to drink |
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| Soak palm sap inside to pot |
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| Nong Da , Prof Sai and Prof Aoi were curios about Krachea smell |
Cooking
The demonstration of cooking
Woon tarn (Palm fruit jerry) , it was nice. They are also cook sweet jaw tarn
deep fried, This one is a little to sweet for me.
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| Deep fry Jow tarn Chuam |
Dancing and Dinner Time
After that, we enjoy dinner
which is both local dish and seafood. The local perform Plang tone (เพลงโทน) , the local music when they hang out during enjoy krachea (local
alchohol). Some drink, dance while having dinner.
This is very interesting
dinner in a good scenic view which is hard to forget. The more I think of this place, I think it
would be a perfect dinner for honeymoon couple.
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