☕ Diary Entry: From On-Site Work to Cooking at the Mountain Market...

☕ Diary Entry: From On-Site Work to Cooking at the Mountain Market 🌿🍲

Hello everyone!🙏🏻♥️

Today I want to share my experience from yesterday. It was a day where I was truly "on the move"! Besides our regular work, we were lucky enough to get an additional project at a very convenient location – so close that we could easily drive our trusty backhoe there and get to work! 💨

📍 Afternoon Mission: Clearing the Abandoned House, Preparing for the Future
My new workspace is a semi-abandoned old house surrounded by lush trees. I started by surveying the area with the owner to plan the cleanup. We'll be burying debris in holes, and the owner wants her husband to help secure the large trees, which are the highlight, so they can be cut down and sold later.
Once the plan was finalized, it was time to get to work. We began dismantling the old house structure, burying debris, and clearing the tree trunks around the house until the area was level and beautiful. The owner mentioned that they plan to plant oil palm trees in the future. I'm proud to be a part of starting this beautiful garden. 🌴

💰 Mission to Earn Money and an Adventure at the Night Market
I worked until 5:20 PM, then it was time to finish work. On the way home, I started thinking about what to have for dinner. But first, I needed to refuel and see my boss to "collect my wages" for the day. In total, I worked a full 8 hours today! Getting paid makes my face extra cheerful 😊555
My next destination is the Night Market Behind the Mountain.
It's a huge and bustling market. Luckily, it was open today, with a dazzling array of goods on display. The first thing I rushed to was the dessert shop. I bought a big set to take home for my aunt who is sick, my sister-in-law, and of course, my little daughter's favorites too 🍰✨

👩‍🍳 Homemade Cooking Tip: When Packaged Curry Doesn't Suit You
I initially planned to rely on packaged curry for breakfast, as I'd already cooked rice at home. But I arrived a little late; only jungle curry was left, which isn't my style at all. The vendor even joked that if I wanted really good jungle curry next time, I should call and reserve it. I just gave a dry laugh, exchanged a glance with my husband, and hurried out. (Did I look like someone who really wanted to eat jungle curry? 😂)
But for a cook like me, not having packaged curry didn't deter me. I went to the fresh food section and got 2-3 kilos of fresh sea fish. I shared some with my sister-in-law,
and also some for my cat at home. A menu immediately popped into my head: sour fish curry with papaya! Plus, I added some rambutan that I picked along the way to give it a natural sour and fragrant flavor. Guaranteed to be delicious! 🍋‍🟩🐟

Before heading back, I didn't forget to do some more shopping!
Beautiful lemons, hand-picked by me (the price is a bit high these days, 100 baht per kilo!) 🍋
Fresh vegetables, including bitter melon, cucumber, and leafy greens, to make some warm soup 🥗
The fried chicken from this stall is amazing! I bought some to snack on while walking around the market; the taste was incredibly delicious 🍗
Thai desserts: Thong Yip, Thong Yod, and Piak Poon – I bought so much that my hands were overflowing 🍡

Ending the day on a happy note! I got home before dark because I finished work early, giving me time to prepare a delicious dinner for my family. Before I go, I took some beautiful photos of the scenery along the way to share with my friends so you can miss me less. 📸✨