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We went to Hua Hin, a coastal city in Thailand and stayed near the beach. Hua Hin’s beaches are better for surfers, so we didn’t really spend much time in the ocean water (surf beaches aren’t great for swimmers and snorkelers– water is too choppy). But we did spend part of almost every day in the pool.
And that’s because it was hot. Hua Hin, like Bangkok, was hot hot hot and humid! We still went out and did things, but we are more or less always a bit stymied by our timing. If we wait for things to open up (9 or 10 am), it’s too late in the day and things are getting very hot. If we wait until night to do everything, I still wake up at 4 or 5 AM and rattle around for 4 hours, and then end up not getting enough rest because insomnia sucks.
OK, that all aside, we did have a nice time in Hua Hin. We visited the local temple to the Buddha’s footprint, the beach, an artists’ collective, and the nearby Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand animal sanctuary where abused and exploited wildlife go to life out their days in peace. This was by far my favorite part of the trip so far, and I did a bunch of little “study” sketches of some of the animals we saw.
We returned to Bangkok for a few days before catching our flight to Cebu, in the Philippines. We’re there now, having been here for a couple of days and just starting to get our feet under us. While in Bangkok those last days, I did find a nice quiet spot on the rooftop “garden” at our hotel, where I would go and write for a bit each day, which was quite nice.
This visit in Bangkok was also our last opportunity to hit the big tourist “must see” item, the Grand Palace and Wat. Which were amazing and beautiful, but there’s a point where it’s so much that you have a hard time telling the difference between the palace and the dressing room building where the king would change clothes before going out.
Not shown in the photos, because we weren’t allowed to take pictures, is the underlooked Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. This is a “do not miss” for fiber artists, and it is air conditioned, unlike the rest of the Grand Palace, which is outdoors. So, for a very important break that is included in your ticket price to the Palace, do not miss this stop. Four galleries take you through the manufacture of Thai silk, the sumptuary laws and practices that determine which weaving patterns are appropriate for what courtly rank a person has, and the color theory applied to ladies in waiting. The fourth gallery showcases the more modern wardrobe of Queen Sirikit, including some extremely fashionable pieces that blend French fashion with Thai style. Really a great visit, and something I highly recommend.
Please enjoy the rest of the photo dump. John and Suzanne take better pics than I do, but I have these available on my hard drive, lol.
