Crazy about Evason Hua Hin

Hua Hin in Rainy October

See the Discreet Stream? It is There

Call me crazy, but I was back in Evason Hua Hin twice in the last 2 months. The first time was in October, a month filled with rain. The sun broke between lengths of bleak cloud covers but the upside was the cooling and constant breeze that enveloped this seaside resort. As always, Evason's theme of eco friendliness knocked my stress level down many notches the moment I was whizzed into the compound on their golf buggies. Just strolling within the resort is itself therapeutic to the senses, but beware the free acupuncture sessions from mozzies. Night walks after dinner was lovely among her walkways through the greens, a serene sense of calm. Lined along most paths are hidden streams where the fauna sprouts, but these could be booby traps for one not to careful. So, take your time, stroll and enjoy the fresh air, walk slow in case if you were to end up submerged in the dark, at least you get submerged slowly. I saw they have bicycles for leisurely rides among the compound, which could mean you can end up submerged very fast in either the lotus pond or the many streams if you ain't careful in the dark.

More Night Water Traps.....

This weekend, surprisingly the pool was not a zoo compared to the last time I was there. And so I had the chance to waddle in her large open waters gazing out the rough seas breaking shores. It was also the first time I had tried the dinner within her restaurants. Though every dish in her buffet was sumptuous, the variety was very limited probably due to the small number of diners. When in Hua Hin, holiday makers usually eat out where the local delicacies are plentiful more. Breakfast, I sort of got a feeling they had it well plan out in advance for the weekend mostly Asian crowd. No longer do we need to fight for that sacred bacon as it was constantly refilled, plus they had an additional buffet line setup just for satisfying the cravings of a hundred bacon fetish patrons. Many many more pigs must have been sacrificed just for the weekends, and they must have been doing it in the kitchen for being able to make steady supply.

Organic Gardens in Evason

Well, as for floating in my private pool villa, staring up at blue skies in relaxation, no, it did not happen. For some reasons, our bookings went haywire and we were "downgraded" to a studio room. It all began when we got strange calls from the hotel discouraging us to go on the weekend we booked, they said there was rain. We told them we did not want to postpone our company trip just because of that. If they had told us that NASA had calculated the projectile of some mysterious near Earth asteroids that will hit Evason, we would have gladly postponed. Not going into details on how the mistake was made, I will only highlight on how professional it was handled eventually. Evason strived in every aspects of customer satisfaction, you will not be let down. We definitely were well taken care of with the sales admitting her blunder. I will be back again for that much needed break in her pool villa. I was so pleased with Evason that I decided to take an extra night the next round I am there.

Hua Hin Winter December

Jacuzzi

And so I was back for the third time in December following that previous booking hiccup which turned my trip a bit sour. This round, I stayed in villa 237. I found out that some of the villas actually are much larger in area and spots an additional Jacuzzi. Not only that, villa 237 has a large garden within, the lotus pond divides in between. To get into these villas, one will have to know they exist first, thus my review here to tell. You need to request for them, they go for the same price as any of the other villas too. The first thing I did was jumped into the pool. The next thing I immediately did was quickly get out of the pool after my nipples turned into stone. Anyone would associate Thailand with warm tropical climate but this year 2013 in the month of December, Hua Hin was enveloped in sub 30 degrees C temperatures in the day which cooled down to a low 18 in the night. As a result, water cold, many bodily extremities shrunk.

Nice

So it took a couple of wine and running around in circles before I decided to engulf myself in the square tub Jacuzzi located next to the sala. I found it pleasantly warmer then the pool, could be the wine, could be it was just that warmer because it is just that a smaller body of water. Downside was, why was the water murky? I didn't want to imagine what the previous occupants were doing in there. Ok maybe they just took a soapy bath. So, just I laid back, relaxed and hope I didn't see any floating tiny curls left behind.

Great Steak

I went for the half board 2000 Baht package, never regretted, highly recommended. It included free bicycle rentals, an archery session to shoot at boards, not birds. Also included was a spa treatment, the first ever which I tried in Evason and it was fantastic. I became a pile of melted cheese glued to the bed and never wanted to leave. There was a dinner in the package, picked a starter, a main course and that sweet desert to close the feast. I contemplated much about having the steak, but glad I was I eventually did have it. No one makes good steak in Thailand, most chefs and menu highlights of western food are all in a way fake. From my experience, there was once I had asked for medium and felt like I was eating a live cow instead. So through another episode I asked for medium well and I ended up eating what I felt was a rubber ball. I developed so much jaw muscle on that dining experience that my facial shape began to resemble our exiled prime minister. But here at Evason, the steak was fantastically great. The tenderloin was cooked to the right degree, the texture of the meat was easy on me jaws. The searing was done correct, the fragrance of beef fats, the juices flowing, you just gotta try it. Three days and two nights passed so fast, till we meet again Evason a relaxing stay always.

Outdoor Bath

Off the Beaten Track to Hua Hin

A trip to Hua Hin and anyone will tell you to take Rama II road, onto Phet Kasem and through Phetchaburi. Eventually one arrives in Chan Am where one takes the straight road south, skirting pass Hua Hin airport and finally arriving into her town. Getting there on weekends means raised blood pressure in stupid traffic because everyone in Bangkok wants to go there at the same time.

Off the Beaten Track

Now, there is a more interesting and relaxing way to get there for the traveler, a shorter way, but on narrower roads. This means slower drive but at least, one is moving in car instead of swearing and extending curses to all the ancestors of the drivers in surrounding vehicles. This is a less well known route through the coastal planes inundated by salt farms. To get on to this alternative, head left just immediately off a PTT petro station on Route 35. Not sure what the name of this road is but to the station is mark 13°21'25.53"N, 99°56'17.36"E on the GPS. The turn off is also also spots a small sign that states Shortcut to Cha Am.

The Alternative

Immediately, you will be greeted by a vast expanse of flat lands on the rural roads that you travel. On both sides will be waterlogged pastures of which some are for aquaculture but mostly for harvesting salts. You could easily tell which areas are meant for what by simply winding down your windows. Stench of a thousand rotten fish means fish farming, no stench means where the salt is. If the season is correct, which unfortunately for me was not, there will be salt flats gleaming white and visible, stretching for miles beyond and into distance. To satisfy your hunger, the area is dotted with countless small restaurants offering very fresh seafood from the region. We found what was called Boat Restaurant (13°15'53.26"N, 99°56'35.98"E) and never regretted our decision to try it out. As the name says it, it is a restaurant on a boat. There was a not so common exotic vegetable dish that we ordered and it seemed to be the kind of stuffs that you scrap off the bottom of fishing boats. But hey it was tasty nevertheless and we found out eventually that it was harvested from the many mangroves surrounding. We had baked crab and we hit jackpot. It was fully pregnant with roe and ohhhh roe so good.. but so bad for the cholesterol. The Fried River Prawns with Garlic was fantastic too with the white meat deep fried in good hot oil. The shell was a crisp and the meat retaining moisture with the taste of garlic well coated and permeated. All in all, the meal was reasonably priced at a mere 700 Baht. Took us 4 hours to get to our destination but it was a great drive and the Boat Restaurant was an added discovery. Get off the beaten track and onto something new. Thailand is so big and so full of places to fascinate one that seeks. Always something amazing and unseen at every turn of the common roads.

PTT @ 13°21'25.53"N, 99°56'17.36"E

The Scenic Route is full of View Points

Roe, so much Roe

Signs stating you are on the Scenic Route

In the Restaurant

The Strange Weedy Dish

Boat Restaurant

What are Thais Doing in the Midst of Protest?

Well, it's well known all over the world now. With the turn of events yesterday in which an anti government protestor, whom is a student, was shot dead, things are getting from bad to worst. This marks the end of peaceful and cheerful protest. Smiles had definitely be wiped off faces and anger is the rising sentiments taking over. Violence erupted between university students and red shirts who were stirring up trouble where Ramkhamhaeng University is located. More rural red shirts engaged are streaming in from provinces, strength of anti government protestors remains strong and growing in Bangkok. More protestors invaded government offices (government officials within actually carried big welcome signs). What are we coming to? So amidst all this, what is really happening with our everyday lives? Well, we still work for sure. But we are told to avoid protest sites, and if we do attend, do not wear company shirts. Office may end up burnt to the ground if company names are identified. Thais are rather fond of burning things.

Party

Party mood of the people will never be doused among news of shooting and explosions going on. I was at a great new pub and restaurant on Rama 5 called Three Days Two Nights yesterday and it was filled to the brim. The illegal parking along the road spoke for itself. We ate, drank and partied. Food was great but required a bit of lengthily waiting. So in between moments of eating, we watched live soccer match on the big screens, not live Bluesky channel where protest ongoing are broadcasted. For those not interested in soccer, we stared at the line between shorts and white thighs of the numerous attractive "pretty" doubling up as waitress. This is one good reason why this restaurant is so popular. Look, although people may be divided here, but we all (ok guys only) have a common interest that will halt us in our tracks of whatever political driven actions we are about to embarked - coyotes. What if, as violence is about to erupt somewhere, the police suddenly release a large flock of bikini clad coyotes gathered from the entire Thailand? Firstly, the angry crowd will be diluted (we really have many many many coyotes here in Thailand) and then feelings will turn from that of aggression to immediate erection. Ask the leaders to step aside with their babbling and channel LMFAO over the air. Then whichever side you are, everyone will suddenly be throwing away their weapons and be busy grappling boobs and doing LMFAO!!! And we all live happily ever after.

Name of Restaurant in Thai

Parking Overflowed to the Road

Klong Lad Ma Yom Floating Market

The Klong

While most people this past Sunday gathered in masses for either the pro or anti government group to show their people power, I was on a little adventure to discover a floating market near my home. The good thing about staying away from town is that one gets to really immerse in the locality of things. Living in what I called suburbs, the air is better, the surrounding rural. There will always be that paddy field around some deep sois, that cow or buffalo beside the road. Klong Lad Ma Yom Floating Market seemed to me like the real raw deal, unlike the many other artificially inseminated floating markets found in the other touristy locations such as Hua Hin. This market can be located at an easy turn off the main Western Outer Ring Road. There will be ample parking available in the many gravel pits for a mere 20 Baht.

BBQ Chicken Parts

If you want a single place to see all the diversity of Thai food, then this is it. The myriad of local Thai delicacies such as "moo stick", live BBQ river prawns and the rainbow colored desserts. The list goes on. Its free sitting and you have to tunnel around the many narrow alleys to order and bring them food to your own table. You can easily spend 2 hours in there grazing on all her variety. Eat and eat again till you defecate in your underpants. If satisfying hunger is not your purpose there, take a ride in the river taxis along the klong where families of ducks will greet you alongside. Where there's water in Bangkok, there will be fish. So throw bread into water and stir up a storm of fish for fun. The good practice I saw was that patrons will clear away their own foam and paper plates after eating. Unlike other places where there usually will be a bunch cleaning crew, typically scary looking and cannot speak Thai, this place has none scurrying around. So everyone was nice and brought their own trash to the nearest green bins that were located sparsely there and there. I was told that places like these are located throughout Bangkok where there are klongs. Just have to keep your ears open, visits them Thai forums and there will always be something new to explore for all your weekends in Thailand.

Free Sitting

Order from them Boats

BBQ Catfish

Live BBQ Prawns, Dead now of Course

Moo Stick

More food on Boats

Sweet, so Sweet

The Klong and the Boats

The Infestation of Hua Hin

Evason Hua Hin

What Happened to the Easy Drive

The Route

Getting to Hua Hin is a straight drive along Rama II till the end where one turns left on to Phetkasem, and from there on straight pass Cha-am and into Hua Hin. I remembered that getting there used to be an enjoyable drive of less than three hours. I remembered the smooth flowing traffic under pollution free crisp blue skies. Music accompanied our chit chats, the ever present hint of tyre noise permeating into our cabin. A pleasant drive with occasional stops at petrol stations for that snack or that toilet break, smiles on everyone's faces you met. I left home as usual on this trip, but this time I reached my destination only after an agonizing four and a half hours. The jams, started on Kanchanapisek, way before turning right on Rama II. Trucks laden the roads, pregnant with payload and slow, they do not stick to left lanes. They dominated all lanes without regards to faster moving agile cars. What was supposed to be a nice journey, turned out to be an antagonistic obstacle course. On Rama II, still the trucks infested the lanes, and on Phetkasem, the traffic filtered down to hordes of cars on a snail's pace. Why? Because of the long weekend where Vesak Day fell on a Friday. Discovery Channel can make a Great Migrations episode out of this in fact - Mad Thais on Long Weekends. Within those hours, anyone would turn from pleasant driver to devil on wheels. We need to forget all the civic manners and adopt a combined performance made up of all the appalling driving behaviors from Kuala Lumpar, Jarkata and Ho Chi Minh city, with Bangkok inclusive of course. That way, you will move, if not, you become permanent parts of the roads most of the time. Most cars I witnessed executing amazing feats on the road are Beamers and the Benz, for some reasons success in business also showcased in success on roads. The worst traffic behavior, it is no wonder why in some countries, Asians behind the wheel are notorious for their disorderly manners. Drive wicked, use the service lane, cut into everyone's path and force your way in if it even means gaining just one car's length. Climb, the horizontal ladder of traffic that's what many did. Be wicked, reach your destinations in shorter times. We ended up stressed, angry and upset, the expression of the exhausted sprit I seen at petro kiosk. Be good and your trip to Hua Hin could take you into the night. Road rage or do a Driving Miss Daisy, your choice, your time.

Evason no longer Exclusive

The crowd at Breakfast

Evason, just a little beyond Hua Hin, on corroded shorelines she resides. A road separates the compound from the sea. Mention the word Evason and the picture of peace and tranquility comes into mind. No, not on a long weekend. What happened was a zoo. Coupled together with the sub two thousand Baht packages Evason is so widely promoting through websites such as Ensogo, the pickup for many of their most fundamental rooms resulted in a serenity breached. Bangkok families squeeze more than two into per room. Officially or unofficially remains an uncertainty. I was told the entire resort was actually fully booked for the weekend. I had trouble finding a spot to park my car. Breakfast, it was a market. Crowds picked up and gathered in numbers when chefs were spotted ferrying the bacon to the stations. We wiped them out in no time, leaving many behind the queue with none. What's with Asians and bacon? Well, we perceive bacon as a precious rare food item from the western realms. The big pool viewing the sea, under scattered tall trees, the cast of bendy shadows. The breeze hot, of white clouds contrasting the blue skies the vista. Pleasant above but below the mayhem was. It was more like a water amusement park. And so I forgo that dip, and in my own villa pool a restful calm I had seek. This trip, for one night we picked the Evason Studio, for the next we picked the Pool Villa.

Evason Pool Villa - Bath

Evason Studio room, would not recommended it. If it is basic you want then the most basic room would suffice. The only different is the large balcony with a day bed outdoors, you lay in tropical climate and turn into a sweaty pile. Could be nice for wine in the night, but smacked tightly together the rooms divided by walls, little privacy there will be. But my second day was something else, the Pool Villa. Enclosed in high walls offering seclusion, an inviting pool was set within. Next to it the outdoor tub, encircled by a lotus pond she sits. The shower located next to the tub, in openness one baths under the stars. In the hot day not venturing anywhere to any attractions infested by the crowds, floating under the skies the cricks of nature accompanied my relax stance. One truly rest in a Pool Villa so this I highly recommend.

Great Breakfast Spread, Excellent Food

Asians and Bacon

Just too many People

Working by the Pool

Egg Station

Evason Pool Villa

Evason Studio Room

Evasion Studio - Day Bed Outdoors

Food Shortage

OX Restaurant

OX Restaurant - 12°24'16.20"N,  99°59'40.80"E

I had meals in this restaurant called OX previously. Where Evason is located, there aren't much restaurants around. So any establishments on a long weekend nearby will be packed like sardines. The non Thai and non English speaking crew guarantees to drive your frustration up a notch. The wait for food, two notches. When served the wrong food, that triples it. And when I tried to snap a picture of the rising moon set against the backdrop of the stunning horizon, the crowds kept getting in the way, so angry, so angry. This picture I shown, she (the big white one) was dominating the scene and refused to go away. For twenty full minutes she was posing away, like a mutant bull fly moving in circles on my LED screen while I watch a movie. By the time she went away, the best of lighting the dusky skies and the moon could offer was gone. And so I shall title the picture "Don't Eat too much at Hua Hin, or else...".

Arghhhh....

The Weekend Crowd

Gin Poo Restaurant

Gin Poo - 12°24'19.20"N,  99°59'30.00"E

The next day, we tried to lunch somewhere less crowded at a place called Gin Poo (meaning eat crabs). We ordered steam crabs. The waiter came back say "no crab left". We ordered fried fish in fish sauce. He came back later saying "fish finish". We ordered BBQ prawns, he came back later say "prawn finish". So we ate the only thing that was left - squid. Servings was small, taste was average, but the view of fishing boats moored along the river was great.

The Fishing Boats

Somewhere Good

Somewhere Good - 12°19'60.00"N,  99°59'51.00"E

The best meal I had was actually on an unknown restaurant, located at the corner of bend, a large wooden hut with several small straw roofed constructs. We were lucky we were early, at 11:30 we reached. The crowds soon came and many had to be turned away. The price was fantastically cheap for the quality of Thai food we have. I am a fanatic of fried rice, and this joint offers one of the best I had in a long time. The fragrance of the extra hot wok sealed the flavors of curry powder and crab into every grain of rice cooked to perfection for frying. In most places, the art getting rice cooked perfect for frying is scarce, fried rice usually ended up mushy but not here. Must try you must, must come again I will.

Huts

The Scene Beyond

The Limited Parking

So when is a good time for Hua Hin?

Never on a long weekend should one make any destination that needs to commute out of Phetkasem a choice for relaxing holiday. Unless, one leaves at ungodly hours such as 5 am in morning, the drive would turn you into a wild pile of fuming rage. The traffic had gone terrible lately with the increase of cars. This is thanks to last year's aggressive incentive schemes for first time owners, policy makers denies this of course. Anyways, all resorts will be cheaper during weekdays, quiet and private without the wild crowd. Heaps of resorts had sprang up all over Hua Hin, driving the migratory swarm even bigger. Trips to Hua Hin had always been good, too bad it is just not now.