Hua Hin Weekend

The night market.

After returning from Pattaya Saturday, the campus two crew headed off directly to Hua Hin, where the teachers from the other campuses were already staying. Hua Hin is another town located on the Gulf of Thailand, in the opposite direction from Bangkok as Pattaya. We didn’t stay in a resort this time, although the hotel was not bad and very reasonably priced (about $30 a night – split between two people). The back of our hotel actually faced onto a night market, which we explored both nights we were in town. 

While in Hua Hin, we really started to vacation! We began Sunday with a trip to the Hua Hin railway station. The station we visited was a new building, made to replace an earlier station. It featured some interesting Asian architecture, and there were many tourists taking pictures. We didn’t spend long there, because although it was neat to see, there was not much to do.

The Hua Hin train station.

After a quick stop at the station, our group migrated to the beach, which was actually a lot nicer than the one at Pattaya because it seemed a lot cleaner. All around the shore were tiny little crabs living in holes in the sand, which you had to be careful not to step on. Along the beach there were some horses that you could hire, although we chose not to. This was my first time swimming in an ocean, and it was a beautiful day for it. Also, I can now attest to the saltiness of the water first hand.

The beach at Hua Hin.

While in Hua Hin, I also experienced a true Thai massage. Although the massage places can be kind of sketchy, I went with a group of three other people and we were all fine. The massage was my first ever, and it was different than I expected. The massage incorporated a lot of stretching, and the masseuse used different parts of her body (her legs and feet, etc.) to stretch mine. At first it was kind of intimidating and uncomfortable, but as I relaxed I got used to it. Also, the massage was focused on all the parts of your body, including your legs, arms, head, feet, and back. Overall, it was very relaxing, and I think that if I go again I will enjoy it even more.

The Monkey Temple.

Another attraction we visited while in Hua Hin was the monkey temple. I was a little bit intimidated before we left, for we had been told that monkeys could be vicious, especially around food. We took extra care to take bags that zipped close, and left all unnecessary valuables at the hotel. We hired a truck in town to take us to the temple, and sat on the benches in the back that lined the box. To reach the temple, we drove through a small fishing village along the side of the “mountain”. The temple itself was at the very top of the hill, and we climbed a large staircase to reach it. The temple was quite small, and on the inside there were two monks and places to leave donations. I have heard that the monks retreat into solitude during a certain point of the year, and that they rely on various donations during this time. Surrounding the temple were many rows of bells, and some burning incense. Because of its location, the temple afforded us some terrific views of the Gulf of Thailand and Hua Hin. The monkeys all congregated around the base of the temple, and were actually quite docile. It was apparent that they were used to humans, but they didn’t surround us while we didn’t have food. It was a very unique opportunity for us to get close to monkeys in the wild.

A monkey explored the truck while we were at the temple.

Some of the monkeys at the base of the temple.

On our last morning in the town, I went for a pedicure with a group of English Lertlah teachers. This was also an experience, because with the language barrier it is hard to explain what you would like the beautician to do. Overall though, it was not a bad experience and my feet look a lot better for it. Hua Hin was a great place to get away from Bangkok. I enjoyed the activities and the beach, and overall the town provided lots of things for us to do. Further, we had some great meals at sit-down restaurants, and there were plenty of places to hang out afterwards and have a drink. I am glad I got to experience the town during my stay in Thailand.

I believe that this type of monkey is called a brown macaque.