M&M Palisades

                                                                                       not of the chocolaty variety

Bearing  your compass to the North East of Thailand, Khao Yai is a mere 3 hours of careful driving outside of Bangkok.  It has become the new “in” place for the “IT” people to satisfy their weekend holiday jaunts.   The scenery from a hilly point almost matches lush green valleys and mountains of Switzerland.   Village huts in the distance bring us to reality that we are indeed in Thailand in the province of Nakorn Nayok or Nakorn Ratchasima whichever way you are facing.

Deemed a tourist by my companions, the truth of the matter was – I was.   Teased for jungle creepy crawlies that my city condo has never seen, not even mosquitoes or the essential house lizard, I was embracing myself for the inevitable jumping frogs, flying mantis, or monitor lizards. It was a first time for me, and a leveler for a city girl, whose daily morning scenery is the concrete jungle.

Layered into the factor of anticipation was meeting new Facebook friends for the first time, the weekend was going to either be a burst of friendship or an explosion of quiet polite enemies.

Transport my host’s skills to any weekend destination in the world, you would have the dream organizer who has reached a height of excelled guests’ anticipation.  Even a fastidious hotelier would have to grudgingly defer.   My host’s additional talent is capturing the essence of the characters together for blending what is to be a life long association. A friendship that skims on the surface of sharp witted, fused with energy among highly cerebral people. A friendship that most jaded people convince themselves, “its just another frolicking weekend.” In actual fact this was a foray of emotions, plunging into personality depths that drew on the empathy of each other’s daily fight, shared good food, peeled the layers of our disposition and had an immense time uniting our common bond.

Pitched dark, no lights round the windy road, except for the car headlights, my host, gently suggests to her husband, for fun, to turn off the headlights.  I guess this was for the benefit of us city folks whose neon signs, and bustling city lights can never be dimmed…..or maybe this was their romantic interlude before the  weekend begins.  He chuckles at her suggestion, and keeps on going, oblivious to her remarks.  They have done this many times before.

In the dark, we arrived at M&M Palisades just in time for what my English friends would call a “light supper.”   “Light” it was, but “supper” was more like a “feast,” enough to feed a platoon.     The wooden long table that would easily seat 14 or more people was laden with delicacies I had as a child.  It was comfort food, dialed to the max and I gorged myself as if the last meal I had, was way back in the distance.   In reality, on the journey of only three hours, snacks of wonderful pastries were passed around in the car – just in case – hunger strikes.   She thought of everything.

Romeo & Juliet was my assigned room.  The thick wooden door with a heavy latch, deterring any Romeo wandering through in the night looking for his Juliet was simply but enchantingly decorated.   The room said everything of my host.  Practical, logical, fastidious, meticulous, charming, warm, right-brain, with a quirky sense of humor.  A basket embroidered EMERGENCY BOX had everything you need, forgotten items or things simply that might be needed.   Equipped with everything from Paracetamols, mosquito repellent, sewing kit to toothpaste – I did not look further just in case there was the essential French-letter perchance Romeo came through the window.

An eye opener for me was a tour down the valley of Khao Yai.   The locals like to compare their surroundings to that of Tuscany from climate to vineyards.   They forget, you need to have a history into the “making” of the place.   Take Palio Mall. 

It could be a rich man’s folly or perhaps, a rich man’s sons’ inability  to secure a proper job after an expensive education, escaping farming the fields of Cassava plantation by turning it into a Mall.   The grand idea has been to bring the charm of Tuscany to the green heart of Thailand. Both places share a cool, sunny climate and both grow wine – although not to the same distinction. Indeed a tenuous link, it does bring the essence of Tuscany to those unable to manage the plane ride.  

Unlike most Malls,  Palio is a picturesque shopping centre, themed around a Tuscan village where out-of-the-ordinary combination of clothes and gift shopping, gourmet Gelato’s and Waffles in replace of the local north-eastern delicacies of Somtum & Nua Yang variation.  It has the essence of Universal Studios, or Genting Highlands where unreality turns fantasy in cardboard fashion.   In low season, their accountants would not need to start deducting taxes for the fantasy doubles up as backdrop for a TV or film set that offsets any balance sheet.

Next stop Toscana.   No, it is not Italy.  But Toscana Valley Khao Yai.   A significant investment was made to hire an award-winning architect from California.  Aram Bassenian and Carl Lagoni have transformed part of the National Park of Thailand into a miniature Italian oasis. Aram Bassenian, an Armenian architect from Long Beach California, and Carl Lagoni are experienced in planning residential communities.   It is understandable for second and third generation of  Italian and Armenian extract yearning for their home country to need to reproduce their past.  With Mexican and Spanish history, it is only natural that with their experience and success bringing about the Tuscan farmhouse, stone brick and wood to lend a distinctly Tuscan atmosphere in California does seem to fit well with Hispanic Americans.    I ask myself, why Khao Yai? Was I sleeping in my history class – I thought all along that Thailand was never colonized by Tuscanians or any other foreign moghuls. 

From Toscana we pass Kensington Gardens resort, and a few more kilometers we are in the Cotswolds .  I did not leap over the English Channel but cruising on the Mitraparb Highway and still very firmly in Thai terracotta.  It is obvious that nationalism is not flavor of the month and the next generation need to be pricked and poked to avoid sublimation of values.

Even the prescribed shop had a life size Teddington bear by the door.  

Evening descended with my tongue dancing for some wine, our vehicle somehow managed to veer itself from the highway and turn into Alcidini Vineyard. A family enterprise started in 2001 by Suphot Krikpitudh with his wife and son.   On offer for tasting was a four month old Alcidini Recioto 2013 having just won the Food & Beverage Association (FBAT) Bronze award.   Slightly sweet, made from Shiraz grapes Alcidini got a “very good” rating, from the wine competition held in Hong Kong against 1,300 entries from around the world.   Not pretending to be a wine connoisseur, it did not have the hint of the kind of sophistication I’m used to, but it was fruity and very drinkable. 

It is an amazing feat how the body can adapt to vast quantities of food when under normal circumstance; two light meals are the norm. Another feast awaits us under the stars.   BBQ on the grill, salads, cheese platter and to follow homemade carrot cake, Fak-Tong, (Tong meaning Golden – I will leave the other meaning unclear) caramel custard to list just a few as the table was oozing abundance.  

It was a weekend of privilege.  

And I learnt a new speices.  

Clitoria Ternatea. 

I leave you to fantasize, ruminate and even pontificate its’ meaning.  This should certainly be the mascot for Khao Yai  as  the “Lilly” is for Italy. 

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