Day 29 Van to Surat Thani
We are leaving Phi Phi Island today.
We wish we could stay – but to do that we needed to book up earlier; full or expensive now.
That’s the trade with being flexible… sometimes you can’t get what you discover you want!
So we have our last lovely day, delicious breakfast.
We watch the monitor lizards on the beach.
Then drinks in the PP Princess again watching the kayaks.
The trip to Surat Thani is actually straight forward leaving from the port.
Speedboat to Krabi and minibus.
We arrive in Surat Thani early.
Unheard of!
We are just here one night in the NBPOD Station hotel to get the train to Huan Hin tomorrow.
Few mozzies but okay room with no window behind the curtains! £12 though.
Food market and local cafe for dinner, make for a better night than we thought!
Day 30 First Thai Train
We’ve second class aircon seats.
But turns out, not next to each other.
It’s busy with locals on and off.
We see some amazing scenery, carsts and lots of palm oil trees ????
I’m reading though- best book so far! Great writing and set in Scotland. I finish it in the 5 hours!
No food for me as nothing veggie. Pete gets a fab pork and rice dish for £1.25. I eat crisps.
Hua Hin train station is fairly new and not too far from town.
But we get a Grab in this heat!
The Thirupai Beach hotel is fine, fabulous location and soft bed!!
Big room too.
We explore, and turns out the beach is long BUT the tide comes right in leaving a sliver or no beach at all in places!
Nice Chinese temple.
Lot’s of food places practically in the sea, which is cute.
Scary statue of a man killing a shark. Enjoy the swim.
My migraine rages on. Therefore as Pete is feeling sorry for me we get to eat at a Vegan.
The Hua Hin Vegan and Wine cafe is beach chic modern with a great menu.
Nice tunes. Comfy seats. Only let down by the food sadly.
Veges in a sticky paste of peanut butter and chilli powder reminds me of something I’d make badly experimenting at home.
Petes bean chill isn’t much better.
Nighttime we find a great tourist street market, grab a spot and people watch over a couple of light beers.
Hua Hin is a retirement place. Suits us fine.
There are lot’s and lot’s of older gentlemen enjoying their time with a mix of Asian beauties.
Some bars, show casing beautiful woman and ‘ladys’.
It’s a clear expat place. We have 10 nights here, wondering if its a mistake.
Day 31 Valentines
This morning we get to try the hotel breakie – not the best – before we head to the laundrette.
Pete brought a card with him! We weren’t doing that!
It’s a nice one though. ❤️
Afternoon we walk along the beach to the large shopping centre Hua Hin Market.
I am following another couple navigate the shallows. Pete ops for his own route.
I end up in very wet heavy cotton shorts and a wet arse when the sea suddenly gets deeper. Humph.
The centre is great, cool and lots of different markets stalls and a huge food hall and Dr Watsons. We need toiletries.
I spend the first 30 mins being miserable trying to find new dry shorts.
I dont see what I want, quick dry shorts.
Pete buys two shirts, of course he does, he loves shopping.
For once I actually said.. you must get that. Japanese print shirt.
Windswept and interesting for an old boy.
Finally dry, we find a great wee coffee and waffle place.
We are near a gym so go check it out for later in the week.
We also find a Tops.. food /electrics/home store a bit like a Waitrose.
Great salad self service and fruit. Feel healthy.
We book a hotel near here for the remaining 8 nights here. 18 in total!
Not a holiday..living.
Night time we book La Terrasse, a higher end Thai / French seafood place on stilts over the sea.
Food is amazing. Best so far. Pepper crab and Pete has a Paella.
We splash out on a glass of wine too.
We do the night pier food market to watch the full blood-moon above the horizon.
Never see the moon so red and full! Pic is crap.
Really lovely day.
Might be okay here after all!
Day 32 Discovery
Turns out after some reading that this is a bad time of year for Hua Hin. (WE WERE WRONG)
Monsoon season and high tides. Arggggh.
So different to the other areas we’ve been!
We cancel the last 8 nights, and book a bus to Pattaya, on the east coast of the Gulf.
After exercising this morning we head to the beach for a swim and read in the shade.
Find a new book. The Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty.
First time we’ve paid for sunbeds. Prime real estate though.
Turns out the sea is clear and so warm and shallow – perfect swimming really.
Just very few fish. But no jelly fish either!
This is us all day
At night we have soft drinks and mooch round the market.
Coconut ice cream with roasted nuts. OMG.
I order a mint cocoa drink randomly at the bar we’ve been going to as trying not to drink beer.. sore heads.
Like drinking ice cold mint aero… toooo good!!
Day 33 Gym Time
We have our breakfast routine down well now, so after lots and lots of eggs and fruit, we go to Fit 88 gym for a sesh.
Lurrrve it. Feel sooo much better after a good 90 mins working out and stretching.
Great gym, lots of free weights, machines and good showers.
I manage a bit of a head stand.. with help.
Lunch is next door in Tops and then a lazy late afternoon back on the beach.
We go to Patio street market again for tea. It’s like a tourist- clean / sanitised food market.
I try the bao buns and shrimp dumplings. I wonder if the shrimp was wrapped in pork though?!? Oops.
Pete has even more pork.
We try wine Spritzers 55 – old red wine and soda in a bottle.
I like, Pete doesn’t. We both also try Thai wheat and dark beers. Yum.
But end up listening to covers of the 70s, including The Beatles, and drinking water to save ourselves.
We’ve both been cursed with constant headaches, made all the worse with any alcohol!!!
We sort out our hotel for Bangkok before bed.
Day 34 Dream Massage!
Morning at the pool and reading… great book.. another who dun it.
We venture for our regular walk.. this time the beach is full of kite surfers!
It’s a blowy day by beach standards.
We then stoat round looking for a local massage place.
Wow. The best Thai massage yet for.me, Pete had a back and neck massage. Both brilliant.
More food at the patio at night. Bad singing.
Day 35 Migraine wins
Decide on slow day by the pool.
Walk a good length of the beach.
Walk to the pier before tea.
Lots of street art.
Much of it is by a local artist – Jo – who is now deemed a vandal and has been told to paint over it!
He’s eye art/graffiti is literally everywhere.
Pete has the best Pad Thai in the market.
Day 36 Gym Time
Feeling fresh and head to the gym. Much busier but have a great time – topped off by a yoga yoga teach instructor taking pity on me.
I was doing some final bad yoga stretches when a woman approached to help me.
Older lady, fabulously flexible. Turned out she taught wanna-be yoga instructors in China.
She then decided to help me stretch my glutes, and hamstrings and back for the next 20 mins. She was amazing.
I need to join a class!
We sat in the beach and watched a mental Thai guy rope people into playing kick about with a football.
Pete was desparate to join in, but didn’t go.
Had a glass of wine – budget blown – people watching in the evening.
We think Hua Hin Pride weekend is coming. Turns out its been, but like Christmas they haven’t removed the decs yet!
Day 37 Headaches getting me down
Day by the pool and a little walk.
Then back to the massage place.
Both opt for back massage… wasn’t as good as a painful Thai massage. Sadists.
Headache driving me nuts.
Day 38 Golden Buddha
Its cloudy so we are able to do th 3.5mile beach walk to the Golden Buddha.
Loving Petes Vinted shorts.He can’t knock Vinted- both our swimmies are off there. (NEW)
Didn’t realise it was so far but it takes us into Takiab, full of condos and large hotels next to the beach.
We like the old town better!
We venture up to The Buddha and have a drink.
We dont tackle Monkey Mountain. Apparently the monkeys are large and menacing!
We walk 1.5 miles back to Bluport shopping mall for lunch.
I try the mackerel- complete with head.
After a van ride back we grab a coffee from our favourite spot The Coffee Man.
We manage a call to my lovely mum and dad whilst on the beach.
Its really windy and after both getting bashed on the rocks – we agree its not a good swim day!
Night time we head to the pier market. I try the dessert mini pancakes we’ve seen everywhere.. soooo sweet and a bit fishy?!?
Day 39 Last night
We are heading to the gym when I realise I’ve no trainers.
Losing stuff is usually Petes domain. I’m so mad at myself and won’t hear the last of it.
He’s being very understanding. It’s annoying.
I’m hopeful they are at the gym… and they are! I still won’t live it down.
We have washing to do today, but manage a couple of hours at the beach too.
I take zero pics today!
