Just had a weekend away at the beach here; what a wonderful break. We went to a seaside resort about 200 Km away called Hua Hin. It’s where the King of Thailand lives since his health is not the best (rather than live in Bangkok), so that’s quite the recommendation eh?

We stayed at a Marriott resort, right on the beach, a hotel about 50 years old or so (I think). It had fabulous gardens, a lovely big pool, and of course, Sun, Sand and Sea as well as several good restaurants and bars.

Mostly we just “vegged” by the beach and I got in several swims in both the sea, and the pool. It was great also to wander round the garden, with all the water features and exotic plants, as well as some interesting bird life too. Most of the patrons, however, appeared to be wrinklies or wobblies of the expat nature, though there were a few young families there to bring the average age down below 50.

Nice people, the ones we met, and a mix from all over the world. I particularly enjoyed the sea though, as it has been 4 years since I last swam in the sea, and that was on a quick trip to Jamaica with Christina the year she graduated from High School. It would have been nicer if the water had been blue, with some snorkeling, but just salt water, and the sand between the toes was worth the trip. The sea, by the way, was a cool 30 deg – quite hard to take! The only bummer was that I don’t like making dribble sand castles alone – please come home Christina?

The last part of the w/e was a bit of a drag though. I had another of my marathon nose bleeds, and ended up in the emerg at a local hospital over night. The treatment was very good, but not exactly the way I would have chosen to end the w/e. Ah well, all was OK the next morning, and no cauterizing this time, only packing, and after the 3 hour drive home todaym it was back to work. What a shock to the system that was after such a completely relaxing (except for the end) and fabulous w/e away.

Back to the grindstone eh?