Hua Hin Birthday

We flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and made it with time to spare to the BKK train station where we caught a train to Hua Hin, to celebrate my birthday. We arrived at 2am after a ride of 3 or 4 hours and checked in to our hotel just a few minutes walk from the train station, which had enough room to walk around the bed AND a real shower! We slept in until 10 and headed out to the beach around 11. It was only a few minutes walk from our hotel and was absolutely beautiful. White sand, horses, very few people; picture perfect! We spent pretty much all day at the beach; lying on the beds, in the water, reading my book, walking along the shore. It was very relaxing, and something I have been wanting to do in Thailand! There were very few people. Some foreigners, and just as many Thai. But not crowded at all. I spent most of the time in the shade as I began to look like a lobster very quickly, and am now burnt badly on the entire back of my legs and it hurts to sit! I do this to myself every summer... stupid!

We loved the beach so much and only forced ourselves away around 8 at night when the mosquitoes started biting. We went back to the hotel, showered, got ready and around 10 headed out to dinner. We were told by a guy we had met trekking that Hua Hin is great for food. Our lunch had been the best Thai food I have eaten since arriving in Thailand, and our dinner was just as good. It was this beautiful place on the main street, fancy but still cheap enough that we could afford it... and VERY cheap compared to what a dinner out at home would cost! Dinners, drinks, and dessert for two only came to just over 700 baht! That is less than $25! We usually spend between 200 and 300 for a meal, so it was more than usual, but worth it and a great birthday dinner. I will definitely remember my 21st birthday in Thailand forever.

We woke up at 6am to catch an early train back to Bangkok. We are in a hotel now for a few hours, resting and showering, and soon will head to the airport to go home. I am going to miss Thailand a lot; the people, the scenery, the beauty. We were able to do and see it all; from the busy streets of Bangkok, to jungle trekking and hill tribes of the North, to the beautiful beaches of the South. Today Sarah uploaded her pictures from India and that, combined with getting ready to leave, is making it really hit me; the trip is over. India and Thailand are both incredible. I am so, so glad that I decided on these 2 countries. And am just as glad that Chris was able to meet me in Thailand. I have seen things that I only saw in movies and never thought I would see. I have also learned so much about the cultures, the people, the issues facing them, and the beauty they experience. Now it is time to go back home, and figure out what to do with my life now that I am graduated University!! At least I will have great memories to keep me sane while I try to figure it out :)