The Ramadan of the year 2005 was nearing its end and Eid was on its way, so we decided to spend some days in Thailand. The government had been very generous and declared three days public holiday, so with the weekend and two days extra we were off for a week. Allah was not so generous with us, as he sent the most lousy weather you have ever seen, notwithstanding the fact that November in Thailand is supposed to be beautiful. Even worse, in Dhaka it was beautiful, cloudless and sunny. Below, you can see how Hua Hin was and how it could have been....

Still, we enjoyed ourselves. We had rent a condominium on the golf course, which appeared to be enormous, very quiet and on a beautiful spot. Furthermore, it was equipped with an espresso machine and a DVD player, to lighten up our lives. The songs of Winnie the Pooh brought never ending joy, even though the celing lamps were sometimes shaking because of the vehement thunder. And since we brought a lap top and MP3 players, the boys and Elodie were more than also happy. Suddenly, their world was without maximum time limit of computer-playing.
Not that we stayed indoors all day. Of course we went to play golf, swim in the pool and in the sea, and made some trips as well. And, last but not least, we enjoyed the food. Hua Hin used to be a fishermen's village (not that there are any traces left apart from a small stinking harbor) and the fish and other seafood come straight from the sea.
Hua Hin is the beach resort in Thailand with the longest history. It is situated about 200 kilometers to the south of Bangkok, and when the railway reached the city in 1911 and a station was opened, the place became really attractive. The royal family did not fail to notice and built a family residence here. King Rama VII, who is said to be one of the more enlightened rulers, who struggled with Thailand's constitution, built his summer place here, Klai Kangwon (far from worries); unfortunately, the worries were not far enough and in the end he had to move to England. The palace still exists but the village has changed totally. It used to be a high class resort, nowadays it is a mixture of good hotels and low-budget places, mainly visited by Europeans and very crowded. It is also the target of organized golf tours, as there are many golf courses in the vicinity. The railway station is still a tourist attraction.
The railway hotel, built in 1922 with 14 rooms by the State Railway still exists, but it has undergone some change. It is now in the hands of Sofitel and has 207 rooms, not to mention 6 swimming pools, daily High Tea and other facilities. But it is still one of the most beautiful hotels with a vast garden. In 1984, part of the film "The killing fields" was made in this hotel. It took the place of the Royal Hotel in Pnom Penh, as in those days Cambodja was not yet as tourist-friendly as nowadays.

For delicious recipes of Thai food, please click HERE or on the pictures below.