Sunday 16 September 2012

I do love to be beside the seaside!

After a couple of days in Bangkok and a fairly long drive, I finally arrived in Hua Hin to start a week's R&R in the hope of shaking off the bug I had caught on my way home from Indonesia. It was lovely to feel the sand under my feet, explore the waterside restaurants and jetties, and sample some of the local cuisine.





I fell in love with this young pup who had crawled under the boat to be as sick as the proverbial dog. (I think it was the Miss Bella ears that won me over.)  I even started making all sorts of crazy calculations about vets and quarantine and airfares until I remembered that I was flying on to Jakarta to work and not heading home. But all is well that ends well. When I checked again the next morning, Pup had made a full recovery, and I realised was probably a dearly loved family member from one of the fisherman's cottages by the beach.







That wonderful coconut shell and orchid combo, again.







Sorry Mr Hilton if the purple umbrellas below are yours, but this is not my idea of fun at the beach. Imagine being Umbrella 11 in Row E. Maybe the Europeans are more used to massed umbrellas, but it's just not the Aussie way.




I regret not having bought one of the terrific shell mobiles.

One of my Thai connections told me that Hua Hin was an 'old money' resort. It became popular during the twenties when Kings Rama VI and VII both built residences there. My base for exploring Hua Hin was Baan Bayan. The main building was a beautifully restored beach house from those times, reminiscent in many ways of a traditional Queenslander from my home state, but with even more under-cover veranda space: a great design for the tropics. 

This is the rear of the building from outside my own more modern unit. I love the blue and white ginger jar against the lemon at the top of the stairs.








I've been thinking of having fairy lights put into the big poinciana in my front garden, but these white shades are another great option.

There were some wonderful dendrobium orchids in the garden, as well as the beautiful Indian Cork tree I had fallen in love with at Bang Pa-In Palace, a few days earlier.










12 comments:

  1. Feel better soon!
    I love following your travels.

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  2. Thanks Mac. I have been lucky that I have been able tack on mini-breaks at the beginning or end of each trip for this job, or get away for weekends to see some great spots while I'm based here.

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  3. I have been thinking I should re-pot my orchids into something a bit nicer - love those coconut pots.

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    1. It's a great idea, isn't it/ I've seent hem in a few places now.

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  4. I love the place you stayed at. It does look right for the tropics and a quite a bit of a contrast to the concrete hotel with the multitude of umbrellas. You must get tempted with all those wonderful shops. I think I'd be coming home with all sorts of things.

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    1. Amazingly, I was quite well behaved with my shopping in Hua Hin, though I did get two colourful sheer cover-ups, and there are hoards of great tailors there. Since I have been back in Indonesia though I have bought a couple of lovely painted wooden bowls. I might 'show and tell' them in a future post!

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  5. Oh, to live in a place where you can grow orchids outside! I say that as fall begins here in upstate New York, United States. Too soon the cold winds will blow and the snow will fly.

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    1. I'm a terrible wuss when it comes to the cold, but I do envy you your seasons. It must be wonderful to have autumn leaves and beautiful spring bulbs.

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  6. beautiful stunning places. I love your photographs. Nice post
    PS: I have moved. Come and join me to my new address.

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    1. Thanks. I love your new look and I'm ready for inspiration. I can still manage to get most ingredients for Italian food here, despite the very different stock in the supermarkets.

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  7. What a beautiful place you visited. So different in culture and scenery.

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    1. It's been lots of fun. I'm a very lucky girl.

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