There are a lot of farms in Chanthaburi. Fruit production is very popular here and a lot of tropical fruits like durian (remember that one?!) mangosteen (a sweet and tangy fruit), mango, coconut, snake fruit and guava are grown here.
Yesterday, I drove past a salt farm. I had never seen one before. It looked like fields of little pools of water. The fields were lined in clay and the thin layer of salt water can evaporate and leave white salt behind.
Being close to the ocean means there is a lot of fishing and fresh caught seafood. Seafood is a staple in the diets of people here. I’ve had some delicious fried sea bass, catfish, shrimp, squid and muscles.
With the rainy and monsoon season, there are risks of floods. Streets and neighborhoods can flood easily. In fact, right before I arrived in Thailand, there was a major flood in Bangkok. Luckily, by the time I got here, the city had mostly returned to normal.
Also, Thailand has had earthquakes and tsunamis in the past. However, I haven’t experienced any and though they can be dangerous and scary, people aren’t living in constant fear of that happening. In fact, no one has really talked with me about it and we have talked a lot during my Fulbright orientation about health and safety in Thailand.
