2008 Sep: Thai a short break (Lifestyle mag)

Thai a short break

Never one to waste an opportunity – Valerie Tay tagged along with the kids when her husband went to Bangkok for a seminar. Consider a little escape the next time school holidays coincide with parents going away for work.

My eyes lit up with possibilities when I heard the hubby was heading to Bangkok for a seminar. The timing was perfect – during the school holidays!

Before long, our two boys and I were booked on the same flight as the hubby and heading for the Land of Smiles on a Monday. The boys and I paid for our own airfares, but accommodation was free. We shared the hubby’s room at the Grand Hotel which really was pretty grand with a spacious, high-ceilinged lobby, and ornate décor, and our room and bathroom were nice, too.

Tuk-tuk around
In the mornings, breakfast was with the hubby before he headed for the function room, where, poor thing, he’d spend the rest of the day.

I went off with the boys to explore Bangkok by tuk-tuk, which go at breakneck speed and get the boys screaming with delight at every sharp turn. The kids and I would spend the day shopping, playing and eating.

One of the department stores had a free kids playroom on the women’s floor. It was a little like Ikea’s, staffed by two young women. They even had the familiar faux lion and tiger fur-clad mechanical beasts in the ladies department, which my boys could ride for a token fee. As I shopped, to my horrow I saw the boys astride the beasts and unable to steer.

They were headed in different directions and looked like they were about to charge headlong into racks of clothes and display mannequins. Luckily, the two women wrested control of the beasts before the boys did irreparable damage.

After an early dinner, we would head back to the hotel before it got dark. The hubby would end his day at the seminar around eight each day, and spend the rest of the evening with us.

Some nights, we took a short walk from the hotel to night markets, one called Huay Kwang, and another at Sukumvit Road Soi 3. We were awed by trays of fried insects that the locals were buying like they were kacang putih snacks.

On to Hua Hin
Finally, the seminar wrapped up on Friday morning and we checked out like speeding bullets to rush to the South Bus Station, finally on our way to the seaside town of Hua Hin, just two hours away from Bangkok by bus.

There’s no need to pre-book as buses leave hourly. We bought four one-way tickets to Hua Hin, and remembered to book return bus tickets immediately on arrival in Hua Hin – all-in a really inexpensive way to travel.

From the bus station, it was a trishaw ride to the Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa. The luxurious hotel had a nice pool that the whole family enjoyed. Right behind the pool is the beach with very fine sand, like what you would find in an hourglass.

Horse rides on the beach
After the kids had built enough castles with sand, we rode horses on the beach. Half hour rides cost 150 baht (S$6). Horse number 60 was a smart one – she waded into the water to relieve herself. Its poop plopped right into the sea and the toilet-trained mare sauntered off. I had second thoughts about getting back into the water after that.

Some of the other horses weren’t so smart – they pooped on the sand, leaving their handlers to clear the mess immediately. I wasn’t so sure about the sand after that, too.

Right in front of the Hilton is Hua Hin town with little lanes on both sides lined with shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants where you can dine well and cheaply; hair salons where at that time you could have your hair braided ala Bo Derek for 10 baht (S$0.40) per braid, and pedicures and manicures for 300 baht (S$12); and massage places from el cheapo ones to clean and classy ones – with corresponding prices.

To market, to market
In the morning, pay a visit to the Chatchai Day Market to stock up on local fruits in season. Coconuts were just 10 baht each. Of course, we visited the night market at Hua Hin, and then treated our tired feet to a one-hour foot massage at a nice and clean massage parlour just across from the hotel.

On Sunday morning, we checked out and took the 8am bus back to Bangkok for our flight back to Singapore.

The boys have since grown several centimetres taller, but we still reminisce about our Hua Hin trip. Maybe, it’s time to go back and show the new additions to the family all the things we enjoyed.