Hua Hin

I slept later than I have been on this trip.  The bed is quite hard and I had to get up to save my back. Melissa said to me at the beginning of the trip that mattresses in Thailand typically run from firm to extra firm.  I was the first one up and I made a cup of tea and sat by the pool.  I enjoyed the morning breeze, the sound of the birds, the tropical vegetation and a chance to catch up on what is happening in the world.

When everyone was up and caffeinated we headed out to explore Hua Hin.  Our first stop was Jek Piek Restaurant.  It is listed in Lonely Planet and described as a kind of food court setup.  We walked in at 11:30 a.m. and were ushered to a table by a woman who was definitely large and in charge.  She brought us the extensive menu and told us that there was only food available from three of the pages.  They opened at 6 a.m. for breakfast and close at 12:30 p.m.  The vendors are in food carts around the perimeter of the restaurant and all but two of them had left.

This was the vendor who made the pork noodles. I love that her T-shirt said, “I love my job — Texas Roadhouse.”

We decided to walk a couple blocks to the ocean.  We wound our way through narrow streets, past stores advertising that they speak German (wir sprechen Deutsch).

We got occasional glimpses of the Gulf of Thailand.

We walked up to Jai Mae Tub Tim Shrine.  But it was closed.  Melissa peeked in a gap in the concrete bricks and was met with two gray eyes of an elderly woman who said, “Peekaboo” in Thai.  There were steps down to a slippery rocky ocean access but we didn’t attempt it.

Chinda had purchased a Thai dessert that was a coconut pudding with taro at the bottom.  We ate and enjoyed the ocean breeze.  It is unseasonably warm everywhere in Thailand.  Chiang Mae gave us a reprieve from the intense heat but we are feeling it as we continue to head south.

We walked around the corner to see the sand beach but we were hot, it was crowded and we had the stroller.  We headed back to the car with hopes of a sandy beach stroll this evening when it is cooler.  We encountered so many German tourists on that short stroll.  Hua Hin appears to be a retirement community for Germans.  Back at our pool villa, Yves sported his new bathing suit and went into the pool for the first time.  He was quite perplexed by the experience, clutching on to the side of the pool as if his attentive parents might fall down on the job.

He kept his fingers in his mouth most of the time for comfort.

His parents got him an infant life jacket for when we take a long tail boat to Railay Beach.  He did not like it one bit.  I’m guessing that boat ride will have one unhappy camper on it.

We arrive in Railay Beach in a couple days and spend five days there.  Hopefully he will find his inner water boy while we are there.

We rested the rest of the afternoon, which was much needed given the intensity of our schedule.  We went to Aroy@HuaHin for dinner.  We ordered Tom Yam Kung, 

Piper  Sarmentosum Leaves with Crab Curry, Broiled Shrimp Salad with Thai Herbs, 

Steamed Prawns with Vermicelli and Baked Scallop with Cheese and Salt Egg.  It was a good dinner.  Chinda and I have an ongoing debate about who is buying dinner.  She paid for lunch and I wanted to pay for dinner.  She told me that I usually end up paying for the more expensive meals that don’t taste good and she feels sorry for me.  :)  She said you can pay for two more meals for the rest of the trip.  I’m taking that as a challenge!

After dinner we headed to the beach now that it is cooler.  The scent of fish was heavy in the air.  A sign in the parking lot said they release marine life (blue crabs) every morning at 9 a.m.  We experienced bioluminescence — the production of light by living organisms.  On a certain wet section of the sand light flashed out with each step we took.  It was hard to photograph but so, so cool to experience.  Some of the best things in life cannot possibly be captured in a photograph. 

We headed home to pack for tomorrow.  We leave for Chumphon tomorrow.  Along the way we will stop in the Khao Sam Roi Yat National Park.  If all goes well some of us will hike to the Phraya Nakhon Cave where there is a small pavilion in a cave.