All's well that ends well

All packed up and after breakfast where something got lost in translation and we each ended up with a humungous full English we start our trek South. Mr Lam and his battered taxi arrived to take us to the Friendship Bridge – half an hour sees us at the border to start our journey south via Bangkok to Hua Hin.  

Check out the hand painted dials in Mr Lam's car

The border crossing was as usual pretty shambolic with lots of people stamping passports and cancelling visas.  Asian queuing is slightly different to ours – no waiting patiently in lines – form a scrum and push for the window is the order of the day – John’s getting very good at handing off old ladies as he forges for the front.  

We cross from Laos into no-mans land, take a short bus ride across the bridge and arrive at the Thai border. Goodbye laid back Laos hello grasping cut and thrust bartering with Thai tuk tuk drivers.  Getting our breath and negotiating a fare with a tuk tuk driver, we met a large group of mainly expats from Malaysia who had all been touring Laos in 4 wheel drives. A couple who originally came from Barrow in Furness turned out to live in Melaka and they gave us some tips of where to stay in Kuala Lumpur  and where to eat in Malaka.  Paul and Dot, a nice lady in her sixties were friendly but her pencilled eyebrows gave her a constant look of surprise.

Getting back into the swing and armed with the Thai word Peng (expensive) we agreed a fee for the ride to the station – luckily we negotiated a ride for ourselves and luggage – other travellers were all rammed in together for what looked like a short but uncomfortable journey.

Everything was going smoothly, we arrived in plenty of time and relaxed with a couple of beers.  The train was on time and our first class cabin would make the 12 hour ride a pleasant and relaxing trip which would see us into Bangkok at 6.30am  but then the wheels came off (not literally). Although we had a confirmed reservation we were told ‘first class carriage not working’ by a smiling guard so second class it was and a little disappointed we joined the train and found our bunks for the night. 

An uneventful if noisy and uncomfortable night seemed to me to go on forever, although John in the more spacious lower bunk slept like a baby. The run into Bangkok shows a different side to the city with some pretty squalid conditions.  We note the street food vendors stalls parked overnight inthese hovels and resolve that no matter how good the food looks we won’t be sampling.  After receiving a refund which was straightforward we watched a couple of irate Germans get very mouthy and demand a full refund and compensation – after about 45 minutes they leave with the same deal as us!

After a donut and an iced coffee we board our next train to Hua Hin. It takes longer for the trains to get out of the City than it does to do the remainder of the journey as roads have to be closed to let the train pass - great in rush hour!

After a picturesque journey the train only arrived an hour late in Hua Hin. We tried to negotiate with a taxi driver who wanted 200 Bht – normally the first quote from taxis is about double the true price – ‘Peng’ said John preparing for the normal negotiation  - instead, the taxi driver shrugged like a Frenchie and wandered off muttering.  We are soon to learn that negotiation in Hua Hin is very different from Bangkok and their quotes leave little room for manoeuvre.

Finally, the Asari – wow wow wow wow  After travelling for 24 hours in the same clothes and carrying our battered backpacks we walked into an oasis of splendour. Check-in was smooth and we were quickly shown to our suite which contains a very comfy lounge,a massive bedroom and a bathroom of similar size which includes a sunken bath big enough for a football team 

Buddhist select XI wait to use bath

... with an indoor and outdoor shower and wet room. I could live in the bathroom! We have our own patio with plunge pool, sun beds and dining area……. Wow wow well everyone deserves a treat for Christmas and that is what we have got.

Brrrrrrr this water is really chilly

We walked through the fantastic grounds to a beautiful infinity pool with the largest sun beds including big recliners overlooking the sea. We plonked ourselves down and immediately fell asleep - I am not sure if we were snoring but when we awoke there was only about 4 people left in this area.

The hotel doesn’t encourage competition and with no beach front bars we went into Hua Hin for some food, essential supplies aka beer and a reality check.  We got the shuttle bus to down town and set about walking through the thronging night market full of everything you could think off and I mean everything. The food stalls all look fantastic but after seeing almost carcase sized bits of animal loaded onto barbecues we stop for a bite to eat. More wow, pork chops the size of Mr Kuzo arrive on plates and the taste was fantasic - we will definitely be returning to try some of the fish which looked so fresh it was still moving. 

No feel of Christmas here but colourful fairey lights are everywhere and you hear the odd Christmas song playing. After buying provisions we strolled back to get the courtesy bus with John trying to stop me looking at all the shoes and lovely clothes and handbags on offer. He will have mellowed in a few days and recognise that a few extra kilos can be accommodated in the back packs (John – you think so?), Watch this space as I have the urge to shop.

One last thing - Paul and Dot called us the 'Armani Backpackers' - travelling about from one comfortable hotel to another - which sums us up nicely, 

so from the Armani Backpackers – Have a very Happy Christmas xx