Off to the Beach..Again!

This previous weekend I headed to Hua Hin (which is about 3-4 hours from Bangkok) with Taryn. It was a great getaway and it had been about 2 weeks since I put my toes in the sand! I prefer Hua Hin to Pattaya any day. The area is much better (it’s the other beach close to Bangkok); the atmosphere is just pure beach, none of the high energy clusters of crowds seeking hedonistic entertainment that plague Pattaya. My friend Taryn and I arrived in Hua Hin really late at night because it was so painful to get to the southern bus terminal. It was Bangkok’s rush hour and the southern bus terminal is the farthest bus terminal for me and it was simply difficult for my friend coming from nearby due to the relentless traffic. It took just as long to get to the bus station as it did to get to Hua Hin! So, on Friday my friend Taryn and I grabbed a night cap and hit the sack after arriving at about 11:30 p.m.

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and walked across the beach. As we walked across the beach, we noticed there was an amazing variety of shells across the ground .There were so many! I had never seen a higher concentration of shells on one beach in my life! My friend Taryn went crazy and picked up at least 100 uniquely beautiful shells and I being the amateur shell collector figured 5 that would suffice. After picking up shells, we strolled to the next beach over. We saw a HUGE golden Buddha seated on the side of the cliff that separated our beach from the next. It was breathtaking. We also heard that there are monkeys that live in the hillside cliff.

When we entered the other beach, it wasn’t packed at all. There were only a handful of people compared to other beaches I have been to in the past in Thailand. It was a calming and trancelike walk that Taryn and I went on. It was like this never-ending space of beach, the sun was shining, the waves were crashing gently over our feet, and the breeze was strong but relaxing. So after our walk, we spotted this incredible resort along the beach and decided to see if we could grab a pina colada inside. The resort was gorgeous and food and drinks hit the spot! The staff was kind enough to let us lounge around the pool and utilize the “swim up” bar. We spent a good 4-5 hours just lounging around. It was a truly relaxing day at the pool, an infinity pool to boot! After we left the Wora Bora resort, we got massages on the beach, because after you’ve been reading my blog entries you’d know that I consider it a crime not to get a massage at least once a week when in Thailand  After our amazing massages, we then headed to a wonderful restaurant at the Veranda lodge right on the beach. We again, gorged ourselves with all the delectable entrees and appetizers and post dinner, decided to treat ourselves to yet another massage! Ha Ha Ha - life is just too tough over here!!

The next day, Taryn and I decided to walk the other direction of the beach – which again, it was 7km, so It appeared to be never ending! After about 3 hours of walking ( we took breaks to enjoy the scenery, snack, and swim) we reached the end and were pleasantly surprised by yet another large golden Buddha and a quaint fishing village. W inquired with the locals as to where we could get a bite to eat, (we were looking to get a bite from a casual Thai restaurant) but they referred us to a lovely Swede run resort. There, we enjoyed another EPIC meal – complete with quite a few fruit shakes and wine! It was gluttonous activity at its best! After our meal, we figured it was best to head home since it was getting late. We took a shuttle minivan and got back into Bangkok at about 9 p.m. on Sunday. The weekend was relaxing and just what I needed…it’s funny to mention this, but over the course of the weekend, Taryn and I spent about 5 times more on Food, Drink, and Massages than we did on our accommodation – and it was a backpacker bungalow, it was a decent hotel. But that’s how it can be in Thailand – especially in touristy areas 