Asia Update: From Bangkok Chaos to Hua Hin Calm

I’m currently on a longer trip around Asia, and it’s probably time for a little update.

I started out in Bangkok with my sister Trine. I love Bangkok, but after a week in the city, she had had enough of big city life in Asia and was ready for sun, beach, and a slower pace. So we hopped on a bus from Ekkamai Station and headed to Hua Hin.

The minibus had definitely seen better days, and I’m pretty sure the suspension was shot, so we were bounced around quite a bit during the four hour ride. Still, it was completely worth it, because Hua Hin was exactly what we needed.

We spent a couple of really lovely weeks there, with great food and long, slow days by the beach and the pool. We stayed a bit south of central Hua Hin and mostly went to the beach next to the kite surfing school. You could rent sunbeds, order food and drinks, and the whole vibe was much more relaxed than the main beach in town.

The food was good across the board, and we ate a lot of fish and seafood in every possible form. The absolute highlight was the grilled fish I had at Saphan Pla, the night market out on the fishing pier. The fish was served with rice noodles, fresh herbs, lettuce leaves, and two different sauces, so you could make your own wraps at the table. Simple, fresh, and incredibly good.

watch the video about the grilled fish

We also joined a cooking class at Takiab Thai Cooking Class and I ended up going twice. It’s a small group setup, and when we were there it was just the two of us, held in the teacher Preaw’s own home, which made it feel very personal. We learned to cook several dishes, including miang kham, which is one of my favorite snacks. It’s a classic Thai bite with betel leaves filled with things like toasted coconut, peanuts, lime, ginger, chilies, and a sweet savory sauce. You wrap it all up and eat it in one bite, and the mix of flavors is just so good.

Steve flew down and joined us for the last couple of days, so we got some time together with Trine before she headed back to Denmark. Steve and I are now back in Bangkok for a few days before heading south to Khao Lak, and later on to the Surin Islands.

Surin Islands are a protected national park, and the number of visitors is limited. I’ve wanted to go for a long ti

me, and it finally worked out with this trip. We’ll be staying in tents and snorkeling several times a day. I have a feeling it’s going to be really special.

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