By Shelly
Phanom Sarakham, Chachoengsao
My town of Phanom, shortened by the locals, is actually no more than 10,000 people. There is one main highway that runs through Phanom (Hwy 304), and then 2 main streets and small side streets. On the first main street next to my house is a market that takes up an entire block.
In it you can find prepared meals, smoothies, and the most unfamiliar fruits (as you can imagine) all for under 1$! My favorite fruit here so far has to be mangosteens. Unfortunately, their season is just ending. Onto the dragon fruit, tang mo (watermelon), pineapple, and other fruits I can’t remember how to say! 
Although buying food at the market is cheap, it can also be the most challenging place to figure out what to eat. I guess the easiest way is point and say neung (one), but the challenging part is where you are trying to figure out what exactly is in the food you see. So far, I have gotten what I thought was green vegetables and beef, only to figure out later in my meal that it was liver. Clue #1: it is VERY hard to find any place that serves beef here (much less a market), and if you DO find it, it’s usually not the highest quality. Chicken please! I also have a variety of restaurants at my disposal, and Phanom even has a burger joint called “Witchy Burger” (which also has the best ice cream sundaes you’ve ever seen)!
There are a couple of actual coffee shops (and then quite a few coffee stands) with my favorite being Farm Coffee on Hwy 304. It is a covered outdoor coffee shop with lots of plants and free Wi-Fi. It’s a very cute place with friendly people.
My two favorite restuarants in Phanom are only open during lunchtime; one serves Khao Mun Gai (rice, chicken and a side of chicken broth with the most amazing garlic/ginger/chili sauce to put on top) and the other serves Pad Ki Mau (Wide rice noodles with ground pork, basil leaves and chilis).
I read an article recently that gave tips on how you know a place to eat in Thailand is good without ever trying their food, and my takeaway was that restaurants that only serve 1-3 things, are only open a couple of hours a day, and of course, has tons of people eating there are guaranteed to be amazing. CHECK. Okay, off the food tangent :)
I have about a dozen or more adorable boutiques in my town to shop at, with clothing prices ranging from 100 – 1,000 baht ($3.30 – $30) On a similar note, I have so far seen 4-5 wedding dress (white gown) stores in my town. This surprised me a lot. I have been under the impression that Thais wore traditional wedding gowns and here were western style wedding shops all over the place. So I guess if you are looking for a wedding gown and want to come to Thailand for vacation… kind of crazy :)
I was disappointed to find out that the swimming pool I was told was in my town had been closed for over a year now. However, the upside is the incredible park available that has a running path weaving through it and both traditional outdoor equipment (pull-up bars, sit up benches, a couple different weighted stone dumb bells) and what looks like playground equipment that is actually elliptical, Stairmasters, bicycles, rowing machines, and other machines where you use your body weight to maneuver the machine, all surrounded by a pond.
There is also a basketball court, a futbol field with a dirt track around it, and a couple of playgrounds. PERFECT. The only equipment I brought with me was my TRX (which works perfectly at the park) and a jump rope. I am pretty set for fitness :) There is however, someplace I have yet to check out – the local “gym” which apparently consists of an old farm house where Mr. Two (5 times the size of any Thai person) will train you for 40 baht ($1.30) a day. This Mr. Two can bench press 600 something pounds and was actually training for the Olympics when he was in a motor bike accident where he lost his leg. Rather unfortunate. My co-teacher Clay has been there a couple times, so he will take me sometime soon for a firsthand experience.
Lastly, there is Tam-Tam’s, the most popular of the local bars that serves food and live music is played.
The owners, Ann and her husband P Pong, wanted a place where all of their friends could come together and relax after they all closed their shops. Matt and I went there the last time he came to visit and Clay (with his musical talent) was asked to play a couple songs on stage with the band, so he sang and played Sublime’s “What I Got” on the guitar. Chelsea, a fellow OEG teacher visiting from the province of Chonburi, was also there to join in. A good group of people, fun crowd, and man do those Thais love their Whisky!
