A break away from it all

"Fancy a week or two in Thailand?" I asked.  "OK... let me think about it... oh alright then." was his reply.  Well, long before the earthquake of 3/11 we had booked a holiday in Bangkok and Hua Hin for ten days.  Little did we know just how ready for it we were going to be.  For a while, it looked pretty unlikely that we would be able to get away.  David had a job to do and it wasn't going to be over any time soon.  Right up to the last minute we weren't at all sure we would be able to go, but go we did and it was an amazing ten days in a place we really fell in love with. 

We spent four days in Bangkok in a great hotel in the middle of the business district - shopping?  No problem.  Dinner?  No problem.  Relaxing by the pool in 34 degrees?  No problem.  We were well and truly pampered - the seats by the pool were sorted for us, towel laid out before us,  Just a little more shade?  No problem.  Would Madam like a drink while she basks in the sun?  No problem. An extra towel?  No problem.  And so it continued. We cruised the River at night and enjoyed a lovely dinner on board a very grand vessel, passing the temples and bridges which were simply stunning.

We were very lucky to arrive in Bangkok at Songkran - their new year festival.  What we didn't know was that to celebrate the new year the Thai people congregate in Si Lom and spray water at each other and daub chalk on each other - and it is very lucky if this happens to you.  We arrived in the Si Lom area quite by chance.  We had driven through it the night before on our way to supper on the river and decided to visit it the following day.  It was an area that looked real.  Busy and bustling with many people and shops and interesting back alleys.



Si Lom at Songkran

  When we arrived by taxi at a nearby hotel we sauntered down the road wondering what on earth was happening and why most of the young people seemed to be toting huge water pistols.  It became quite apparent that we were to run the gauntlet of enthusiastic youngsters as the sprayed and squirted and shot at anyone passing - age was no barrier in the end although we did think we might get away with it.  I was wet pretty quickly and it took some very brave souls to spray Dave - but he did not escape unscathed.  We laughed and smiled and ran as fast as we could down an alley which gave us some insight into the seedier side of the area.  Bars and girls and some very unsavoury looking men lurked there.  Not somewhere I felt I needed to return to when the sun went down!

The Hyatt looked after us so well.  They transferred us from the city hotel to their sister hotel in Hua Hin by shuttle bus.  When we booked this we were not at all sure about the standard of such a bus.  Would it be comfortable?  Would it  be airconditioned?  Would it be full of loud tourists?  Would it be safe to travel in?  We need not have worried.  This amazing four by four arrived to whisk us off.  We were the only travellers and there was icy aircon and ice cold water at our disposal.  What an amazing trip - three hours south of Bangkok on a holiday weekend and we arrived in what can only be described as manicured paradise.  It was stunning - palm trees, butterflies, wonderfully fragrant jasmine and staff who smiled and smiled all combined to make the place seem perfect.

 Our suite was gorgeous.  Cool, large and very comfortable.  We would be very happy to base ourselves there for a few days and the best thing?  The earth did not move - at all although it took us a few days to stop looking at each other inquisitively when we felt a slight movement.

We were befriended by a lovely Japanese woman who was the Guest Liaison person and she took pity on us!  We were uprgraded to a suite in the Spa and I have to say it can only be described as palatial.  We took one look at it and asked ourselves what on earth we could do in it.  It soon became clear... there was a free massage each, every day - taken on the airconditioned verandah area and a bath that would take a whole rugby squad (sadly, I had to make do with Dave!)

Our HUGE bath

The bed was nine feet wide - we needed a mobile phone just to see if the other was awake!  Along with this there was a lovely beach to enjoy:

View from the suite verandah

G&T anyone?

So we lolled around and totally chilled then headed back to Bangkok for a couple of nights before our return to Tokyo.  We stayed in the Hyatt again - fab room and all the comforts of home.  We nipped across the road to a rather smart Italian restaurant (part of the Intercontinental) and then back to the bar in the hotel basement where I nearly lost Dave to the well known charms of the local ladies of the night!  I had left him in the bar and returned to the room to get some sleep and within moments of my leaving (this is Dave's story and he is sticking to it!) a lovely young girl asked if the bar stool next to  him was taken.  He, very much the gentleman, said it wasn't.  I am not clear what then ensued but he assures me he left after a brief conversation with her!