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Experiences of a Dutch Journalist
Relaxing in Thailand 2, April 2002
Even though winter was two weeks shorter than last year, it was still long enough to make us long for warm Thailand. Emile hadn't there been in fifteen years. He worked in the north of Thailand when the tourist resorts in Phuket were just being constructed. That is where we didn't want to go. Being after a 'traditional' Thai village that had luxury to offer, we ended up in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin is a 3-hour drive south of Bangkok along the coast. It is in a beautiful bay with some hotels but mainly apartments. We were lucky enough to get a room on the 16th floor, the top floor of the Hilton hotel, with a very nice view over the bay.
It really was a nice hotel with four restaurants (great food) and a spa, where we enjoyed a massage nearly every day.
The day after arrival it was 'Songkran', Thai New Year. People throw water at each other the whole day to celebrate this. We got completely soaked twice.
First time on an elephant for both of us. Nearly every town has a place where you can ride an elephant. Just like our horse riding, although far less comfortable....
To Emile, a holiday is not a holiday without sailing. A British guy hosted the trip, he had built a luxurious ship with bar from an old fishing boat that had been laying on the bottom of the sea for years. Great fun.
During the sailing trip we stopped for lunch at this traditional Thai fishing village, where we had some of the best food thinkable in Thailand.
Emile wasn't scared of this constrictor, just out in the wild at the snake and crocodile farm we visited (Thailand is full of them). Believe it or not, I held it too, but wasn't smiling as Emile. This was one of the least dangerous snakes at the farm.
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