Thailand: Days Two to Four

  Hua Hin, Thailand
Monday, December 25, 2006

  Well, as sad as it was to leave the Shanghai Inn behind, we had a bus to catch to the warm beaches and hot sun of Hua Hin.
  . . . and what a bus!  Mercedes by brand, but with suspension that would embarass Geo manufacturers.  Three hours isn't a long trip by Canadian standards, but it's a whole new story wile aboard the 'tooth-chipper.'  The scenery along the way is amazing.  I'm told that Bangkok is known as the Venice of the East.  There are canals running along and perpendicular to the roads for miles and miles in all directions.  In all fairness though, I suspect the Venice of Italy's canals have a little more charm.  It's clear that these waterways aren't so much intended at a way of getting around, so much as they're a sort of open air drainage system.  Bangkok is one of those cities that spreads out into the neighboring country seamlessly.  We drove for an hour and a half without realizing we were in a different province.  Finally though we broke free of the sprawling metropolis and into the lush green country side.  Fields of rice, with windmills and temples dotting the land along our pot-holed highway all the way to Hua Hin.
  Hua Hin is fantastic.  King Bhumibol the Great, also known as Rama IX, spends his summers here.  Lyndsay and I wouldn't dream of coming here in the summer.  It was hot enough in the dead of winter.  As we walked along the streets in our t-shirts and shorts sweating and exhausted from the heat, the locals were wearing toques and bundling up the street dogs in sweaters and booties.

  At first Hua Hin didn't seem all too impressive, we spotted a few rats, and a lot of roadside garbage (we saw no evidence of garbage collection), but once we got to our resort it was a different story.  Beautiful!  Tropical plants everywhere, orchids, palms, lizards!!  We had our own little cottage with king sized bed, a front and back porch to hang out on, and a swimming pool in front of our place.  If we didn't want to go in that pool, there was a different pool behind our cottage.  Thai massage for only 350 Baht (about $12 Canadian for an hour's massage), fruity drinks, warm beach.  Hua Hin is paradise.  The hotel's beach had recently washed away after some nasty weather before we arrived, so they offered a free shuttle service to nearby beaches.  The water was a little cold, as can be expected from most oceans, but warm enough that Lyndsay and I managed to go body surfing and boogie boarding until we were more red than the flowers that were blooming all over everything!

  Our first Christmas together would be in Hua Hin.  So it wasn't the traditional Canadian Christmas with snow on the ground or a warm fire, but we did get a visit from Santa - Thai Style.  Instead of the standard "Ho Ho Ho," it was more like "Whoo whoo whoo."  Santa may have gotten into the egg nog, but it was pretty cool.  Although we love Christmas dinners with family, we're pretty sure Christmas 2006 will be hard to beat.  On the 24th we heard lots of music and drums from the property next to our resort.  The next day we inquired and found out there was a dinner show, we signed up for the 25th, and what a show it was.  Traditional Thai dancing, music, and food.  Words can't fully express how awesome it was, but luckily enough my camera has a video function, so be sure to look at the clips we're uploading on this site.  At one point the performers even recruited Lyndsay and I to join in on one of the dances.  It was a little like the hokey-pokey (what with the left foot in, left foot out business), but with bamboo logs, so if your foot stayed in too long the logs would snap together with your foot between, nothing painful, but loads of fun! 

  Sadly Christmas was our last day in Hua Hin.  On Boxing day we had to pack up and leave the hotel.  Our next stop was Chaing Mai.  We would take a taxi back to Bangkok, then a quick flight to the Northen capital of Thailand.  However there was no time to look back, elephants were imminent!!