Best of January

Best discovered fruit: Jackfruit (Khnau in Khmer) is a thick, rubbery flower-petal the color of industrial cleaning gloves, squishly texture and a small blossom reminescent of cinnamon. It comes from a prickly green globe and must be meticulously peeled.

Best dinner: Fresh seafood in Chaklolum bay, especially coconut-curried seafood and rice.

Best beer: Singha

Best beer for wallet: Chang

Best beer for waitsline: Minere bottled water

Best music: 2 Thai guys doing the accoustic guitar/ bongo / windchime gig in Thai and English at a local 20-somethings hangout in Bangkok.

Best compliment: "You look like my daughter." From awoman sitting next to me on a 2-hour cross city bus ride to the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. She invited G and I to stay at her home in northern Thailand. She had breast cancer and her husband had just died of cancer. Her daughters were university students in Bangkok where she was visiting them and getting another round of chemotherapy. In broken english she tearfully conveyed that my presence beside her was her ''daughter staying with me for longer".

Best song Gina and I made up: "MALARIA!" To the tune of "Mary Mo"from the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack. Tying for second - "The Klong Song" (obviously to the tune of the "Thong Song").

Best song we sing for real: Bob Marley's "One Love"

Best animal spotting: When I hurdled over a green jungle snake on Sairee beach

Best used-book salesman: Mr. PJ in Chaklolum bay - made me some deals and reminded me of the Thai version of Papa Ned.

Best run on a beach: 5K on Haad Rin at sunrise

Best halftruths given by an ex-pat: Dave, the 40-year-old English teache4r in Bangkok who was full of urban lengends designed to scare young, paranoid female backpackers from America.

Best observance of a thoroughly respected monarchy: Standing on the street in Bangkok at 8 am while all traffic and pedestrains stop, absolutely still, while the national anthem is played and watching hundreds of thousands of Thais dressed in black waiting at the plaace to pay respects to the king after his sister died in mid January.