Recently the Government has been trying to promote another tourist destination, which is an island on the South East Coast of Thailand in the province of Trat. This island has not been developed too much but with the opening to Bangkok Airways flight to Trat you can easily get to the ferry which crosses over to Chang Island without having to drive around three and a half hours to Trat. Trat province is the last province in Thailand to the east before you cross over to Cambodia. During the reign of King Rama III Chantaburi and Trat became Thai province.

           King Thaksin the Great, not to be confused with our prime minister who uses the same spelling for his name but pronounce differently, regained the land from the Cambodians after the fall of Ayuthaya. King Rama III allowed many Chinese who came from the mainland to immigrate and settle in these areas. In the past the whole of the South Eastern Provinces of Thailand was known for growing Durian, Rambuthans, Magusteen and peppers. The only large city on the coast that everyone knows of is Pattaya. The growth of this area came during the Vietnam War when the Americans built an air base for its B52s in Utapao.

  Then with the development of Pattaya as a tourist destination and an R&R point for GI’s the area grew bigger. Industrial parks and deep-sea port are built to cater to manufacturing and export. While this is going on Trat remained a fairly sleep town. Things have not changed that much even though there is a daily flight to Trat. Koh Chang or Elephant Island is starting to attract tourists and a new but narrow road is built around the island. Hotel and other kinds of lodgings have sprung up all over the island but the people on the island do not want their island to develop without some control and foremost in their mind is that the development of the island should not be at the expenses of the environment.

      We will all have to wait and see if they can achieve this balance or will succumb to the temptations of what money brings. At this present time Chang Island is still not crowded or overly developed. The sandy beaches are still clean and the water is crystal clear. It is a perfect time to visit Koh Chang before real development begins.I went as usual to shoot my television show but did not stay in Koh Chang but chose to stay in the city of Trat. I discovered that amongst many fishery products that are farmed in this town; soft-shell crabs are very popular and selling very well. They do not have enough for the export market but just enough for the local market.

            . I did not know that by bring live hard shell crabs to raise in brackish water over time the hard shells will become soft as the crab sheds its old shell in order to grow. It takes 45 days to raise the hard shell crab to become soft-shell crab, which weighs around 100 grams each. They sell them at the market for around 30 Bahts each. I loved soft-shell crabs. When I lived in Delaware USA I had to have a soft-shell crab sandwich once a week. So on this trip to Trat I was looking for a local restaurant that serves soft-shell crabs in different manner.To my delight and surprise I went to eat at a local restaurant Called Num Choke which means Lucky or bringing luck. It is not a fancy restaurant, no air-conditioning. Everything is open air without mosquito nets. The food is fresh and delicious and the surprise I got was that it was very very cheap. 10 of us had dinner there and ordered around 10 dishes and the whole meal cost 500 Bahts or so. What did I eat? Well as go on this eating adventure at Num Choke Restaurant.

    When we arrived I saw the open kitchen with all the condiments and produce in the refrigerated windows. Everything looked fresh. I started to salivate! We ordered a spicy salad made from raw soft-shell crab. This way of cooking seafood by using limejuice is similar to the Spanish or Mexican Ceviche. The difference is that our Plah Pu Nim or fresh soft-shell crab salad was very spicy and hot, It was delicious and fresh. I did not get a stomachache from it. They have Gang Pa Pla Ged Kone or Jungle Style Curry with fish, which was rich and flavorful. This curry should be eaten with steaming hot rice and fluffy Thai omelet. The rich and creamy flavor of the omelet mellows out the heat of the curry. Jungle Style Curries do not have coconut milk in it. We tried the stir-fry hard shell crabs with black pepper it was spicy and hot and you need to use your fingers to eat it.   Not being squeamish I use both hands and all ten finger and such the flavor off my fingers for good measure. Their free ranging chicken chopped up, marinated and fried with Thai herbs are very good but here again you will have to use your fingers because the chicken is chopped up boned in.

          The enjoyment of chewing on a bone brings out the primal qualities in us. It brings us down to earth and I feel that we are enjoying the real thing not the wrappings. There was the sour curry with Pak Ka Chade, a vegetable grown in water that has a nutty taste. This curry should also be eaten with Thai omelet. Before the meal ended they brought over stir-fry ostrich meat in black pepper which was like eating lean beef. It was very tender and hot. And to was our palate they gave us a salad made from fried dry shrimp with shells and pineapple. This Yum Kung Siep was perfectly balanced. It had the right amount of sourness and crunchiness and nuttiness if the fried shrimp. Enough chili peppers and shallots to give it heat and fragrance, which made me, wanted to know the recipe of this dish so I can duplicate it on my television show. All this and more that I ate at Num Choke Restaurant in Trat costs just over 500 Bahts. A very good value for money and should you be traveling that way before you board the ferry, drop by this wonderful place and treat yourselves to a delicious and remarkably cheap meal at Num Choke.