In a recent article published in the Phuket Gazette it was reported that the National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) has finally received the money from central government for 2 more tsunami warning buoys that will protect the towns and villages on the coast of the Andaman Sea. These will add to the 79 warning buoys the six southern provinces already have, with the tourist destination of Patong on the island of Phuket with three towers, although five have been requested.

The following is an edited version (for clarity and size) the original article can been found here.

The NDWC has finally received 165 million baht from the central government to install two more tsunami-warning buoys in the Andaman Sea. They will be installed by the middle of 2008, NDWC Director Dr Smith Dharmasaroja told a conference in Phuket City, held to simultaneously update a total of 77 key figures in the region.

Dr Smith confirmed that the budget was approved only the day before the seminar, on January 20 saying “The two buoys will be about 250 to 300 kilometers from Phuket, much closer to shore than the one already installed, which is about 1,000 kilometers from the coast. They will give us better and faster information than the old buoy; the Meteorological Department will be responsible for making sure they are functioning,”. He added “The buoys will confirm whether or not a tsunami is approaching, and will be critical in making the decision whether or not to issue a tsunami warning,”.

Dr Smith warned the conference though that, “We have to hurry because there have been many earthquakes in the region” and expressed concern about the system of warning towers throughout the six tsunami-affected provinces saying “Many areas still need more warning towers and some islands still do not have any warning towers at all….with Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong provinces asking for more warning towers”. He went on to say that with only one tsunami shelter on Koh Phi Phi Don the number of tourists there in the high season wont have enough protection, if hit by another tsunami.

Phuket Gazette 23 January 2008

To get the perfect Pad Thai you have to go to Thailand and spend some time eating at the street vendors in Bangkok, now this isn’t for everyone as the hygiene at these places may not seem to be that important to them. I have taken various family members and friends, from the UK, to my favourite vendors but some of them have down right refused to even sit at a table and wait while I eat, but that’s their choice and loss.

Pad Thai looks such an easy dish to do when you actually watch the Thai people but it is very hard to replicate back in the west, in-fact its hard to replicate even when you live in the country. The basic ingredient of rice noodles can be your 1st stumbling block as the type used in Thailand are often not available in the west. The ideal type are the thread rice noodles not the broad rice noodles and they must be softened first before you start the dish. In Thailand this step is not necessary as the noodles they have seem softer and only take 30sec or 1min to soften in the wok with some water.

The list of ingredients are also a point of disagreement, with everyone having their own recipe and style and some people actually saying their is an official recipe that other don’t follow. The following list of ingredients are what I have seen go into the majority of Pad Thai’s in Bangkok, it should be noted that the amounts have been omitted as this is a very personal preference.

• Thin Rice Noodles (pre-softened)
• Firm Tofu (cubed or strips your choice only make it bite size)
• Dried/fresh/frozen prawns (shrimp)
• Meat (your choice which, bite size pieces, can be omitted for vegetarian option*)
• Cooking Oil
• Shallot (chopped)
• Garlic (crushed roughly)
• Egg
• Pad Thai Sauce (see below for more on this)
• Crushed Red Dried Chillies
• Beansprouts
• Crushed Peanuts
• Spring Onions
• Lime

Pad Thai Sauce

The sauce used for Pad Thai various from vendor to vendor but after some time I believe that the pad thai sauce is far more simple than I first thought. To make a Pad Thai sauce combine equal amounts of tamarind paste and fish sauce (about 3tablespoons of each) with 2tablespoons of palm sugar, bring to a simmer and stir it gently until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is runny, this takes about 2-3mins.

An even easier method to making pad thai sauce is to add fish sauce, brown sugar and oyster sauce directly to the noodles as they get stir fried in the wok, I’ve seen this done many times by street vendors often replacing the brown sugar with palm sugar.

The Method

Again there are much differences on how best to bring all these ingredients together, so what I suggest here is just that, a suggestion.

Heat the wok and add 1-2tablespoon of oil, shallots and garlic. The wok should be on a medium high heat but be prepared to increase it as the stuff is added. Fry these for about 30 sec then add prawns and meat and cook it quickly moving the stuff in the wok all the time. Add the tofu, fry for 30 sec then add the noodles all the time ensuring the food is moving in the wok, If the noodles start to stick add a few tablespoons of water. After about 2mins move all the food to one side of your wok and crack in the egg on the free side and fry it rapidly while moving it about, when it is almost cooked move the noodles mixture onto the egg and add the pad thai sauce, or sauce mix, and fry for a few more minutes. Last thing to go in is the beansprouts, spring onion and chillis, mix these through the Pad Thai and remove from heat after about 30secs.

Plate the food up and sprinkle crushed nuts over the top, serve with a wedge of lime, beansprouts and peeled cucumber on the side of the plate, with fish sauce, dried chillies and more crushed nuts as the accompaniments. This is, to me at least, the perfect pad thai.

When people arrive in Bangkok the heat and humidity often saps their energy, so much so they miss out on some of the cities most wonderful sights. I have listed, in order, the top 5 things to try and see while in the city, why only 5 you may ask? There will be other post on this site detailing things to do, see, experience and avoid while in Bangkok, so with all the lists combined there should be enough to fill most short trips to Bangkok.

I would suggest that you try and spend at least 3 full days in Bangkok to see most of the things the city has to offer, that’s without the sideline trips to places such as Kanchanaburi or the floating market which take a full day themselves.

TOP ATTRACTIONS IN BANGKOK

• The Royal Grand Palace – The number one must do while in Bangkok. To save time and enjoy the place more it is best to spend a little extra on this and book an organised tour and guide and best of all get a personal guide for you and your group, just not one who stands outside the entrance and touts.

• Wat Po & the Reclining Buddha – This temple is older than Bangkok itself and was enlarged in 1801 by King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok. Among many of the buildings on the grounds you will find the reclining Buddha lying cramped up in a temple just large enough to house it.

• The Temple of Dawn at Wat Arun – A different kind of temple along the river that is often missed but if you like temples and are already on a river cruise this is worth a visit.

• Wat Traimit & the Golden Buddha – This very unremarkable temple hidden at the end of Chinatown is home to the worlds largest golden Buddha. Weighing over 5Tons and standing 15 feet tall this sitting Buddha has been estimated to be worth US$1Million.

• The Jim Thompson House -Thailand is renowened for its silk and without Jim Thoampson it may not be that way. He revived the trade after moving to Thailand to settledown in the 1940’s and falling in love with Thailand traditions and people.

You will hear people say that you don’t need a guide for many of the tourist sights in Bangkok as it is cheaper to get your own transport and find your own way around. This is so true, it will save you a few £’s, $’s or Baht, but take the advice from someone who has done it both with and without a guide, you see a lot more, have a more structured day and save your short trip time with a professional guide. On top of these benefits from using a guide service it is also a very good way to get to know a little more about the people of the country.

There is only so much someone can say about a building so after all the tourist chat, Thai people like to find out about other countries and in return like to talk about their own. This is a perfect way to gain an insight to what it’s like to work and live in Thailand, but don’t think of the person that guides you as an employee think of them as your friend in Bangkok and who knows maybe you may make a new friend half way around the world.