6/17/08 Hua Hin

After what seemed like an unusually long bus ride, I just got back to Bangkok from Hua Hin and am now sitting in a restaurant eating some strange chicken green curry soup that the waiter talked me into. Not really my favorite but it's pretty good... a little spicy. The beach was really nice. I took a few pictures, but was only there on Sunday afternoon. Monday James and I went to a National Park near by called Khao San Roi Yot and did a lot more hiking and climbing than we bargained for! It was pretty steep and rocky on some parts and then it rained part way into it which made it also slippery! It was definitely a thigh workout and I was pretty proud of myself for making it through... and no injuries! But as we climbed mountains we saw some really great views! The ultimate goal was a giant sinkhole/cave where we saw a petrified waterfall and a small shine down there. I was pretty bummed when I realized that there was not another way out as I thought, but rather we had to go out the same way we came in!! We did see a baby monkey though and its mom. We could hear others and see the trees moving, but they were very hard to see! After we climbed out we had lunch at a small restaurant there and then took a little boat trip around some of the islands and then got dropped off at our starting point to our awaiting taxi driver who was a pretty cool guy! He spoke English well and I found out that he grew up just outside of Hua Hin and his family is all there and they farm pineapples and bananas.


This morning I went to a "temple" where I got ripped of my a monk and a monkey all in one trip! I use the word temple pretty loosely because it was pretty chinsy as you will see by the picture of the Buddha with flashing disco lights around his head! I didn't even step foot inside the shrine because I could tell it was just another opportunity to rip me off! But there were monkeys everywhere which is what I came for. When I first came in I walked down this hill and there was a Monk outside a small kind of shrine. He saw me and was very admit that I come in and sit down. He then proceeded to put a friendship bracelet on me, not seeming to concerned that I touched me from time to time. (Monks aren't supposed to touch women, they are supposed to give and receive everything through a layman) The he grabbed a bundle of small sticks, dipped them in holy water, whacked me over the head a few times, and shouted a quick prayer in Pali. When he finished, he immediately said "OK, now you give me money." I was prepared to make some kind of donation but I was a bit shocked by his demanding tone. So I attempted to give him 20 baht which he gave back to me and kept carrying on until I gave him 100! (that's about $3 and some change) I was like "Wow! I just got ripped off by a Monk!"

After that I walked around, took more pictures of monkeys, climbed up to the "temple". The I looked around in some of the little tourist shops. They had bowls and vases and other things made of mango wood which I think is quite beautiful but I didn't really want to buy a big piece. So I finally found a small candle holder that I decided to purchase. After that I was just going to get a coke and head back. As I was walking to wards the stand where the Nuns were selling food and drinks (I'm telling you this place was shady! One of the Nuns was even smoking!) a monkey ran up and grabbed my bag with the candle holder and took off up the temple steps! I watched as he unwrapped it and took the candle out and gave it a taste. He soon discovered that didn't taste very good and threw it down, where another monkey also decided to give it a try. Meanwhile, the 1st monkey took out my beautiful candle holder and gave that a few bites too before setting it down. Of course the 2nd monkey also had to see what it was. This one was a bit more persistent and walked around with it a but and even ate the price sticker off the bottom. Just when I thought all hope was lost, he got interested in trying to turn on a nearby tap in the hopes of getting some water. He was so distracted by this he forgot all about my candle holder, but was still too close to it for me to risk a retrieval. Then one of the Nuns saw him fiddling with the tap and came with a stick and chased him away! I finally had my candle holder back! A few monkey teeth marks, but not really the worse for wear... if fact I decided it added character!

So that's it for my Hua Hin adventures! Tomorrow it's on to Ayutthaya! I may not have another chance to post until after I get back from Chiang Mai on Sunday! Until then, enjoy the pics of Hua Hin!