Another action packed two weeks have flown past here in Hua Hin, Thailand and our time in this great little city is fast coming to an end.
We’ve met up with some awesome families and regularly been meeting up at houses, beaches and parks, for the kids to have some important social time.
Shelter building on a deserted beach
Pran Buri Mangrove Forest is located about twenty minutes from Hua Hin, on the coast. The idea of strolling along a raised walkway above the muddy mangrove swamp didn’t set my pulse racing.
But it turned out to be very peaceful. A quiet boardwalk winding through the dense roots and branches, spotting brightly coloured mud crabs scurrying around in a panic before burying themselves in the thick mud of the swamp bed.
The real surprise though, was the beautiful beach, just a five-minute walk away. Without another person in sight, just us, the gentle sea breeze and a whole stack of driftwood scattered across the tide line.
We took time out to relax. That lasted about one minute before the kids got creative, deciding this was the perfect spot to build survival shelters.
Cue, thirty minutes of me lugging logs and branches twice the size of me into a teepee style shelter, my arms were like Popeye, and I was exhausted and ready for a rare cold beer.
Salvation came in the form of Eureka Beach Bar, the only sign of civilisation, a ten-minute walk up the beach.
Once again, we were the only ones there, which made the sinking into beanbags overlooking the golden sands of the beach and the distant coastal hills, sipping a cold beer, even more idyllic. That was until a swarm of ants, clearly excited to see new visitors, decided to join us and sent us packing.
A little piece of Italy in Hua Hin
Siam Venezia is one of the strangest tourist attractions I have ever been – mainly because it appears to be a complete flop, a ghost town. It allegedly cost USD$35m to build and opened roughly a decade ago. On paper, it sounds impressive: a Venetian themed park, complete with its own campanile, gondola rides, Rialto Bridge, along with many other famous Venetian & Italian themes, including a mini replica of Rome’s Trevi fountain.
But the problem is no one goes there. On our visit, there was one small tour group and a couple of stray tourists and that was it. It’s reputation as financial disaster appears to be well-earned.
We must be the oddballs, because we found it decent enough to spend ninety minutes exploring.
You can pay extra on top of the standard 200 baht (USD$6) per entry fee to access add-on attractions such as a 3D gallery, but we stuck with the basic ticket which included the petting farm and the “upside down world”, which to be fair, I thought was worth the entrance fee alone.
The kids were a little confused at first as they walked into the room to see an entire house, furniture, bedroom, tv and everything turned upside down and glued to the ceiling. Then, a staff member, clearly thrilled with something to do, took my phone and took a photo of us. She instructed us to rotate the photo and lo and behold, there we were, hanging from the roof like bats. Super Cool!
The crab and the horse
Whatever your beliefs on either Evolution or Intelligent Design, either way, there is no disputing the fact that ears grow as the baby develops in the womb.
I am just not sure it is necessary. I don’t think I will be alone in saying this: Why? Why bother when kids do not use them.
The thing is, whilst we want our kids to be free and experience everything, and learn from it, sometimes as parents you just have to step in for their own safety.
I have said this before, but Southeast Asia really keeps us on our toes when walking on narrow streets and pavements, if they exist, with cars and scooters popping out of nowhere, we often have to leap out of the way of on-coming vehicles. Thai driving stats do not make an enjoyable read.
Alex still insists on walking like a sideways crab or, for reasons unknown, backwards.
Meanwhile Sofia, with her love for horses, no longer walks, but trots.
In fact, whilst it is incredibly cute, it has got so out of hand, that not only does she trot, but jumps, neighs and flicks her imaginary mane – the full horsey package. Thankfully, she still uses the bathroom like a human, so we will count that as a win.
The locals stand bemused as the blond-haired crab and the prancing horse both stray in front of traffic while the parents desperately tug at their t-shirts to keep them safe.
We just smile and mutter “homeschooled kids innit…”
I have to say though, the kids have been incredible overall at adjusting to the new culture, without batting an eyelid. And as Anya’s phone tells us most days, we do between 10k-15k steps, and they hardly whinge.
The 7-Eleven game
7-Eleven convenience stores have a stranglehold in Asia, particularly here in Thailand, they’re everywhere in towns and cities.
They sell almost everything from snacks, to toiletries, stationery and alcohol. Some stores are located less than 200 metres apart on the same side of the road with another one opposite, just in case walking an extra ten steps is too much.
When we left New Zealand, we had a master plan: We would wean our kids off sugary snacks by saying that Thai people don’t eat sweets and we would avoid 7-Elevens, so they’d never see the mountain of sugary snacks on offer. Genius.
What fools we were.
Within 5 minutes of arrival on our first day, we all bundled into the narrow aisles of the nearest 7-Eleven to buy water. Naturally, the kids’ eyes lit up at the sight of all the sweet items on display at the checkout.
7-Eleven has now become our go-to almost every day whether we actually need something or just desperate to get a blast of air-conditioning.
The only upside? The kids have created a new game, “7-Eleven spotting” as they sit in the back of the cab, counting branches, which at least makes some of those longer cab rides a little less mundane.
$2 dinner & lavish desserts on Christmas Day
Christmas Day was largely just a normal day for us. Whilst Santa did manage to make a visit despite there being no chimney and a protective netting around our fifth-floor balcony, the number of presents was understandably fewer this year.
We toyed with the idea of having a full Christmas dinner in one of the European bars, but that was an easy decision once we saw that the prices were twenty-five times more than our usual NZD$2 chicken and rice dish. So that is what we stuck to.
But with our collective sweet tooth twitching, we felt we needed some form of indulgence, so we headed off for dessert at Hua Hin’s Chocolate Factory.
Despite the name, it’s not remotely Willy Wonka esque. Aside from one tiny window a lone lady can be seen making a few brownies, this is a full-blown restaurant rather than a factory. But their specialty is an extensive menu dedicated to all things chocolate.
It was worth it.
When the beautifully presented Dark Chocolate Lava Cake arrived at the centre of our table, I could feel the saliva forming as I picked up my spoon ready to tuck in. But just as I was about to dive in, the waitress whipped out a lighter and set the serving tray alight, igniting whatever magic lay hidden beneath. A plume of steam rose dramatically, earning collective “wows” from all four of us. It was a moment to savour.
Savour the chocolate I did not. As the cake was gone in about five seconds, half of it smudged across my face ear to ear.
Carefree lifestyle
When arranging a trip like, amongst other weighty decision points, there were two big factors to consider for us: weather and safety.
Since arriving in Hua Hin, six weeks ago, we have not had a single drop of rain or cloud to interrupt the glorious blue sky. The humidity is low and as a sun lover, it brings a spring to my step each morning as I watch the sun rise as I do my morning yoga by the pool.
As for safety, whilst I am sure there are pockets of issues and the usual tourist scams here and there, for the large part, Thailand feels incredibly safe.
The one thing we’ve noticed is how casually people leave their personal belongings lying around. Phones left on tables at the beach, helmets sitting on motorbikes, cafes don’t bother locking their doors at night. It’s a refreshing contrast from the paranoia of living in the West.
We find Thai people incredibly friendly, nine times out of ten, we are greeted with a huge smile, no matter the situation.
Thai people adore kids. The crab and horse, with their blond hair, despite the questionable walking styles, get a lot of attention.
Looking forward
We now have just two weeks left in Hua Hin, so our focus over the next couple of weeks will be to make sure we get to see what is left on the ‘to-do’ list of Hua Hin.
We have a visa extension to deal with, an apartment to tidy up plus making plans for the last few weeks in Thailand and the trip beyond, and several more 7-Elevens to spot…
