Foco Coconut Juice

A Thai company called Thai Agri Foods Public Company Limited produces a coconut juice brand called Foco. The juice is offered in 17.6 fluid ounce (520 milliliters). The juice is offered in some Costco stores as I was able to buy a case of it at the Costco store close to the Pentagon. I decided to try the juice as it reminded me of my November cruises where I tried coconut juice for the first time. While doing a tour in Barbados, the tour guide raved about coconut juice. As I never tried it, I decided to give it a try though I didn't get around to trying it till I  visited St. Martin where a vendor was selling chilled coconuts. The juice didn't wipe me out though it was kinda neat to me to be drinking out of a real coconut.

Later, while shopping at the aforementioned Costco, I saw they had cases of Foco coconut juice for sale. I decided to try some. While the flavor didn't wipe me out, it was interesting. It does taste like coconut and, there are pieces of coconut mixed in with the juice. Price wise, I think a case of the juice was under $10 though I can't say that will absolute certainty as I haven't been able to find my Costco receipt.

Overall, I think Foco's coconut juice is decent stuff. I don't plan on buying it again as it hasn't wiped me out but, I have enjoyed the product. If you want to try some coconut juice, this would be a very easy way to try it and, it is pretty good stuff. Cheers all!

Rain

Today, we got a good bit of rain in Maryland. I was glad we did. We can use it. It'll help wash away the heavy pollen we've been getting for starters. The pollen has been so bad, you could see the yellow stuff on your car windshield or it coating your motorbike. The pollen has also been hell for those with allergies. A lady I know who suffers from them said this year will be one of the worst because there has been so little rain to wash the pollen away. Also, the grass has started turning brown in some areas unless you watered it. I suspect due to little snow this past winter, the reservoirs were lower than normal. The rain will help bring those up some. Lastly, it is nice to breath the fresh clean air during a rainfall. To me, it can be a bit invigorating. Supposedly, we have a good chance of rain continuing to fall until sometime tomorrow morning. We'll see on that. Stay dry all.

Old Speckled Hen Ale

Recently, I finished off a six pack of Old Speckled Hen ale. I thought it would be neat to try as I'd never had any of this English ale before. Also, it is genuinely English i.e. it is brewed in England and imported to the United States. Lastly, I thought it had a neat name. However, taste wise, I found I didn't care for it. Supposedly, it has a malty flavor and, that may be why I didn't care for it. The ale was smooth enough but, the malt flavor turned me off on this English ale. Because of that, I wouldn't recommend it though if you like an ale with a pronounced malt flavor, it might be for you. For me, I'll pass. Happy and responsible drinking all.

Ft. Meade Commissary

Yesterday, I visited the Ft. Meade Commissary for the first time in months. I don't tend to shop there because, it is out of the way and, you have to deal with base security to get on base. I was surprised to find out they'd changed the layout and entrance to the commissary. For example, the row with chips and snacks used to be further from the entrance than it is now. In regards to the entrance, it was shifted to where you enter the baked goods and deli section immediately. Another change was the deli counter as it was swapped around with the salads and roasted chicken section. (I wasn't impressed with their roasted chickens as they were as expensive at the ones you can buy at Sam's Club. Costco has cheaper ones.)

I checked out the prices on some items I was interested in. Supposedly, the commissary will save you at least 23% on your food bill. Personally, I have seen some savings on certain items. This trip I found out I was able to buy a 2 liter bottle of Barq's root beer, Seagram's ginger ale or any flavor of Fanta for 99 cents. That's a good price. I know Wal-Mart charges more than that though I can't tell specifically how much more. Another nice deal is their turkey bologna and turkey cotto salami. The commissary sells 1 pound packages of those for $1.25 which is a good price. I think you'd pay at least $2 else where.

One thing that confounded me a bit was the price difference between Coca Cola products. Coca Cola produces the entire Coke line as well as Sprite, Fanta, Barq's, Mello Yellow (their Mountain Dew equivalent) and Minute Maid lemonade. To my bewilderment, the 2 liter bottles of any Coke product i.e. regular Coke, Diet Coke or Zero Coke was $1.50 as was Sprite. I don't understand why those products would cost $1.50 while other Coca Cola products such as Fanta and Barq's cost 99 cents. Because of this, I skipped Sprite which I like and drink a fair amount of.

One last item I like about the commissary is the self check out. I find it tends to be quicker and, I can bag my own groceries. While the baggers at the commissary are nice and do a good job, I don't care to tip them for something I'm perfectly willing to do myself. It isn't that hard to bag 30 or 40 items.

Overall, my visit to the commissary went well. I didn't find everything I wanted. I wanted to be get some Pepperidge Farm bread sticks but, I couldn't find them. I wonder if Pepperidge Farm makes them anymore. I'll have to search the web and find out. However, I know I saved some money shopping there and was pleased with the service. I'll definitely go back again some time in the future.

Washington D.C. Jordanian Embassy

I drove down to Washington D.C. today to find the Jordanian embassy. Once I get within a month of the Globus tour I'll be taking to Israel and Jordan, I plan to visit the embassy so I can buy a 1 entry visa. Visiting the embassy will save me half of what it would cost me to use a professional service to get the visa plus, I'll be able to keep my passport in my possession barring when I have to turn it over to Jordanian embassy officials.

For those who haven't been to Jordan's Washington D.C. embassy, it isn't that hard to get to barring driving through Washington D.C. From the Capital Beltway (495), you take exit 33 to Connecticut Avenue. You head toward Washington D.C. on Connecticut Avenue. You'll go through 1 roundabout where you take the 4th exit which keeps you on Connecticut Avenue. You'll take a right on Van Ness St NW. You go a maximum of half a block and turn left on to International Drive NW. The Jordanian embassy is located at 3504 International Drive NW.

I wasn't able to determine how the parking was around the embassy. I plan to ride my TMAX motorbike so hopefully, it won't be a problem. For those who might be concerned about being able to park their car, an alternative plan is to take the Washington D.C. Metro (subway) system to the Van Ness stop and walk to the embassy.

According to the embassy's webpage (http://www.jordanembassyus.org/new/index.shtml), the consular office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's the embassy's consular office that handles visas. The form U.S. citizens need to fill out to get a visa can be found on their website. You'll take the form along with a money order for $37 (for 1 entry visa, multiple entry visas are higher) and a passport photo. Also, you'll need to take an pre-address Express Mail envelope that the embassy will mail you back your passport with your visa inside. The embassy website states that it can take up to 5 business days for a visa to be approved. Single entry visas can only be approved within 1 month of travel to Jordan.

Laurel Dutch Market

I visited the Laurel Pennsylvania Dutch Farmers Market on Maryland 198 this morning. I was interested in getting some meat ends from Beilers Meats. On Saturdays, the market opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. I arrived at 8:30 and to my disbelief, there was scarcely a parking spot to be had. The market was absolutely jumping. I think they really need to find a location in Laurel that offers more parking. The parking they have at their current location simply isn't enough. Too many times, I've had to scramble to find a parking spot.

Barring the parking mess, the market remains one of my favorite places to shop for meats, baked goods, juices, canned vegetables, candies and ice cream. They sell outstanding quality foods and, I'd highly recommend them to anyone. Just be prepared for the parking mess.