An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 111

We were then ready to leave for the day and left for Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park which houses the King's palace built by King Rama 1V, atop a 92 metres high hill way back in 1859, now serving as a museum, with his statue in it. The King would stay there in the rainy season, every September. Located at an hour’s drive from Hua Hin, Phra Nakhon Kher Historical Park in Phetchaburi province, can be accessed by foot with monkeys greeting you as you climb up the walkway, or can be approached by cable car.

Wichien Prasat on the western peak, where the statue of King Rama IV is situated.

The palace is a confluence of European, Chinese and Thai architecture as King Rama IV(he ascended the throne when he was 44) had been exposed to Greek, Latin and English while studying to become a monk (he was the inspiration for the film The King and I), and comprises three main sections – a temple or Wat Phra Kaew in the east, the main stupa or Phra That Chom Phet in the centre and the residential grand palace in the west, each located on the peak of a hill and connected by a walkway.

Ratchathamma Sapha on the western peak, used as a ceremonial hall in the reign of King Rama IV.

 Phra That Chom Phet on the middle peak – the chedi containing relics of Buddha


 Stopping for lunch at what could easily pass for a Thai dhaba, which specialised in just one item -- khow man gai -- rice cooked in chicken stock and eaten with chilli sauce, we could understand why it was so popular. Washing it down with Thai iced tea, which was most refreshing we walked across the road to our next tourist attraction Wat Kampang Lang Temple – a Buddhist temple made from laterite (stone made from lava, so a highly porous rock). The temple comprised a number of buildings used for various ceremonies.

Traditional Thai architecture – used by monks for various ceremonies

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 11

Our next stop was Hua Hin Railway station, a state enterprise

Hua Hin Railway Station is a sight for sore eyes. A state enterprise, its first building was constructed in 1911 during the reign of King Rama VI who had studied at Sandhurst and Oxford, and emulated many of the colonial symbols in the architecture of the station. Still retaining its original architecture,

its most attractive feature is the Thai Royal Waiting Room constructed in Thai architectural style. King Rama VI also built a golf course behind it.
 We finally reached our hotel, Escape, a quaint boutique hotel, in the evening around 4pm, and with an hour and a half at our disposal to unpack and shower before we set off again, we quickly got our act together.  As is my wont, I immediately called for an iron, unpacked, and ironed my clothes for the next two days. After a quick shower, prayers and a cup of tea, I was once again in the foyer, waiting for the others to join. 

Our destination was a factory outlet that we had passed on our way to Hua Hin. Not a very large outlet, it had some reasonably priced clothes of second-tier designers, so we spent an hour browsing and shopping before setting off once again, this time to satiate our appetites.

The restaurant that had been selected for us was Living Room Bistro and Wine Bar, a premier restaurant which used to be the colonial beach house of a member of the Royal family; it was recently rented out by them to people who have converted it into a restaurant but have retained all its original elements.

After dinner, our energies renewed, we went to a weekend night art market, Cicada Market, which boasts contemporary art including handmade decorative items and fashion clothes displayed in an innovative style in open air. Creative activities such as performances, dance, music and community theatre as well as workshops also take place at the premises. 

Back at the hotel we had a 'goodnight ginger drink' courtesy the hotel and packed in for the night. The following morning after a shower, and an early breakfast at 8 am we went for a stroll at the beach which was a brief walk away from our hotel.

An exhilerating, enlightening and exhausting trip to Hua Hin, Thailand -- Part 1

I am finally managing to get my breath back! Have just returned from a trip to Thailand as guest of Thai Airways -- part of a media FAM tour of Hua Hin and Bangkok -- a trip that I welcomed with open arms as I hadn't travelled to Thailand in a long while, and had never been to Hua Hin.
The briefing at the Thai Airways office the day of our departure helped the media group travelling together to get to know one another and become familiar with the itinerary. We were five of us including the country manager of Thai Airways -- Shirjeel from FM 107, Sarah from She magazine, Ali Imam from Express Tribune and myself from GLAM.
The flight to Bangkok was packed and the seats we got not the most comfortable so that the night was spent pretty much awake. We landed early morning in Bangkok and were greeted by our able and articulate and guide, Saung, who remained with us till our departure. After the four of us had purchased local sims from the airport, we set off for Hua Hin which is 200km south of Bangkok. Had we gone there directly we would have probably reached there by 10.30 am, but since we had scheduled stops en route, we didn't reach till 4 pm.
Taking the 168 km long ring road which connects to highways and suspension bridges and avoids city traffic, we made our first stop at a small fishing town to pick up breakfast and answer nature's call. We used public toilets, and to my utter surprise, not only were they clean, they were simple Indian toilets with water troughs and a mug -- something we in Pakistan could so easily emulate without incurring any great costs or worrying about maintenance. Fruit vendors were selling cut pineapples and rose apples neatly packed in cellophane bags with a couple of wooden skewers thrown in to assist in eating them hygienically, neat packet of sugar and salt mix stapled to them -- a far cry from the fly-infested fruits sold by our vendors -- and we happily helped ourselves to them. I also had my first exposure to orange tea; sadly, much as I love to experiment, it was not to my taste.
As we resumed our ride Saung kept up his non-stop flow of information and informed us that 95 per cent of the population in Thailand is Buddhist while 4 per cent is Muslim, making them the second largest religious force in the country. There are 5000 temples throughout Thailand, which comprises 77 provinces including Bangkok which is a special province with administrative powers.
We reached Hua Hin Hills, where we were to break for lunch, at noon. Located on a height, it enjoys a cool breeze in any season, and made us forget how hot and humid Thailand can be. The Hills is home to the largest vineyard in South East Asia and was an elephant corral where wild elephants were domesticated. To date it offers elephant rides through the picturesque vineyard to visitors.

 The Sala Bar and Bistro situated here which operates from morning till evening is a delightful eatery with a great view and equally great food. I ordered grilled salmon, and can state with confidence that I have not tasted a more succulent and juicy grilled fish to date. The appetizers, comprising  fish balls, prawn balls and spring rolls, were all delicious as well as was their signature grape juice.
 The award-winning Monsoon Valley Wines, produced from the grapes grown here celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012. Proud of their product, the owners have recently opened a high-tech green house that allows visitors to see the grape plant in all its glory no matter which season they arrive in, for otherwise, it is pruned before November and also uses the space to grow Italian tomatoes and the most amazing Japanese strawberries.

LESSONS IN VALOUR

I wish our electronic media would learn a lesson or two from our resilient public. Instead of painting a pathetic picture and hounding the bereaved families and asking them ridiculous questions like what they are feeling, and in so doing giving the terrorists the satisfaction they crave, they should proudly stand tall and strong, and announce from every pulpit that no amount of sacrifice will make us bow our heads before them. What the Lahoris have done today deserves a royal salute -- in spite of government directives disallowing public viewing of change of guards at Wagah border for three days, they showed up in full force, passion and patriotism to make it clear that they feared no one. If that wasn't a slap on the faces of the terrorists, nothing is. This attitude is more likely to daunt their spirits than seeing a family agonising over the death of their loved ones, which is what they want to see in the first place. Let us show our solidarity and may our enemies cringe at our show of strength.