I do like Hua Hin. Close-ish to Bangkok (and even closer when the high speed train arrives!). Full of both international and local restaurants, plenty of watering holes
and the usual array of rental shops, tailors, taxi and laundries plus, of course,
excellent street food (this lady makes the most amazing papaya salad) but with none of the seediness of the likes of Pattaya, Patong in Phuket or Chaewang in Koh Samui. Hua Hin has a definite charm and even some sophistication about it so absent in many other Thailand ‘tourist’ towns of similar size.
In the centre, the beach is more busy than packed, not only with people but horses
and many, many stray – albeit friendly- dogs. However, go just a few miles further south
and you could easily be on your own on a stretch of pristine sand.
So I have taken the plunge and paid a small deposit to reserve a bit of land west of Hua Hin
on which my idea is to build a small hut or install a Portakabin in which I can hibernate in future winters. With luck there might be a bit of extra space so I can accommodate the odd guest or two! If all goes according to plan (whenever does it?) everything could be ready by the end of the year! All quite exciting, really!
There is now a catamaran ferry which runs between Hua Hin on the west side of the Gulf of Thailand and Pattaya on the east side. The journey takes 2 hours- or it should do but history repeated itself and half an hour after departing we came to a grinding halt courtesy of some trash stuck in the jet engine inlet ports. The amount of rubbish in the sea is frightening but clearly the captain of this vessel had encountered such a problem before as he merely put the engines in neutral but in reverse and literally blew the offending detritus to kingdom come.
In my opinion, the best view of Pattaya and the neighbouring town of Jomtien is definitely from the sea!
because once you disembark you are subjected to a barrage of brashness, tackiness
and, especially at this time of year, hordes and hordes of Chinese tourists. Having said that, by and large they keep to themselves although I am unsure what they do all day as they are not beach lovers,
unlike the Russians who are also here in droves! 
And as for the Brits, I think it’s more a case of least said, soonest mended. I have only been here a couple of days but I have heard more bad language spewing out of foul mouthed Brits during this time than I have during the 3+ months I have spent in this part of the world. At least, though, the local tattoo industry must be flourishing!
There are reasons why I am here for a short time in this particular part of Thailand so I will do my best to enjoy the good food, the relatively cheap beer and of course the sunshine I will, though, be very happy to leave.
Am I getting old?
Phileas
thelasthurrahsite 