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Bangkok → Khao Sam Roi Yot → Hua Hin 200.7 mi (323.0 km) |
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Ohayō gozaimasu, minasan!
If that doesn’t sound like Thai, you’re right! Folks, I haven’t left the USA since the eclipse in 2019, and I’ve got some catching up to do! It just so happened that my mom also decided the time had come to voyage out of Incheon, and she’d been so taken with the durians I’d brought back from Thailand last time, that she said let’s meet up! I wasn’t about to turn down that offer, plus crossing the old Date Line was going to put me closer to my 6th Wonder of the World! Mama, I’m comin’ to Thailand!
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The trip got off to a super start! All Nippon Airways overbooked the first leg of the trip between LAX and Haneda, so they upgraded me to business class! I’ve never flown business class before, and boy have I been missing out! They served up a bon voyage glass of orange juice to start, a full menu of complimentary Japanese delicacies, and both a mechanized cubicle door and reclining bed! Who knew I’d ever wake up feeling rested on an international flight?!
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On top of the inflight goodies, I learned that business class gives you access to the business lounge: sunny views, showers, and a buffet of even more Japanese goodies with a neat blowing device that inflated the sanitary gloves and made them easier to put on! The lounge was a fine place to spend five hours, because there wasn’t much else to do at 5:00 AM! After all, Japan’s borders were still closed to tourists because of COVID-19! After some wandering, more snacking, and a dance session to the catchy tune at the airport’s anti-smuggling exhibit, it was time to continue the journey to Krung Thep!
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I met up with Mom at the airport, and boy was she excited to be traveling! It’s been five years since she visited me in LA! That’s okay with her, because her idea of a good time is kicking her friends’ butts at tuho. Once we landed, I wanted to introduce her to my friends, Pakpao and Mr. Tung Ting, but their nanny had just tested positive for COVID! That sent us looking for other places to stay, which is how we ended up a few hours south of Bangkok at the super fancy Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa! Hua Hin was Thailand’s very first beach resort town, thanks to the arrival of the Southern Railway in November of 1911. It’s marketed as the Thai Riviera! We had two days booked at this resort, and while I’d built a whole Google Map of things to see and do, we were going to be at the mercy of the weather!
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The clouds built up right away on our morning beach stroll, and we had to hustle indoors once the lightning erupted and a torrent of rain poured down. Living in Los Angeles, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it rain that hard! It was okay, though, because there was plenty to do indoors. The buffet, for instance, had dragonfruit and passion fruit so fresh we didn’t mind the funny looks the waiters gave us. (Hua Hin is still very much a locals’ destination.) They didn’t seem to get a lot of visitors like us, but I will say the folks at the spa really knew how to massage a beaver!
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I’m not a good relaxer, no matter how hard I try, and I really wanted to visit this place I read about called Phraya Nakhon Cave, part of Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. It’s a massive cave with an entire pavilion built inside it! Since the rain wasn’t supposed to come back until afternoon, we hauled tail about an hour to the south to see this amazing place before we got drenched or electrocuted or both!
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Only our journey was completely in vain! The rains from yesterday meant the boats weren’t running and the hiking route was completely “Close!” I was super disappointed, but Mom said we’d find something else to do. She, of course, has had to deal with much greater hardships in her life, like fleeing Siberia on foot with two young kits and two more on the way… That’s some perspective for ya!
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So we wandered the beaches a bit. Up the road, at Hat Nom Sao, we found a really great beach combing spot with neat spiral shells galore! We picked up a few oceanside souvenirs before the rain came back, and we made our way back to the resort to figure out what was next.
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I was still feeling a little crabby, which gave Mom an idea after a few hours of browsing back at the hotel. She’d found an even more glorious beach resort to try! It would take another short plane trip to get there, but she said it would be perfect both for my adventurousness and her relaxation! I hope the weather turns out better when we get there!
Southbound we go!
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Total Ground Covered: 200.7 mi (323.0 km) |
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