A Day Trip to Hua Hin

Because of the ongoing tension in Bangkok, now more than ever we badly want to get out of this mad city. It does not help of course that the malls have been shut down, the bars and clubs have stopped playing music, and there's a real danger of some random grenade attack while you're on the Skytrain. How do you spell haggard?

So last weekend, Miss Bubbles, Binibining Liwayway, and I went to the resort town of Hua Hin. We initially thought it would only take us a couple of hours on the road to reach our destination, but the train ride actually reached four hours... on a non-air conditioned carriage at that. It was hot all right, but it was a good opportunity to sit back and update each other of the latest news on politics in Bangkok.

We reached Hua Hin at about two o'clock. Hua Hin is a popular weekend destination for Bangkokians. It's definitely not as crazy as Pattaya but not as laid back as Koh Samet either. Hua Hin has its fair share towering resorts, and many old rich families in Bangkok own a weekend house there.Think the Hamptons, dahling... not that I've been there... hahahaha.

The first time I went to Hua Hin about a year ago I had the impression the seaside town had a prevailing geriatric feel, mostly Westerners who have turned orange and leathery after spending too much sun time. It seemed then that it is basically like one humongous retirement city. But since we arrived in the afternoon last Sunday, the old folks were probably still taking their siesta.

Instead, the beach was filled with Thai families sitting on lounges underneath umbrellas. The northern end of the beach was pretty crowded because the next day was a holiday. The water had receded when we dropped by the beach, so there was hardly anyone swimming, instead the people camwhored on the rocks by the water's edge.

From a distance, we were fascinated by the huge kites hovering above the water. I don't know how to call this sport, but it's something like water skiing, only it is a kite that pulls the person on the other end. Kite sailing perhaps? You tell me! But damn, it looks appealing ha and it's definitely on my list of future things to do.

We covered about three kilometers of shoreline until the sun set. It was a relaxing walk along the breezy shore that took us about five hours. Exactly how a laid back weekend should be spent.