This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. One of the reasons for extending our stay to include a weekend in Bangkok is to go to Chatuchak weekend market. We went there in our last trip a few years back, this time we wanted to make sure we covered the whole market. The market is just a few stations away. The hotel provides free tuk-tuk service to and fro the BTS station. (Sanam Pao station is deserted during the weekends. But as you get nearer to Mo Chit, the trains get packed) We reached there about 10 am, and the crowd was already…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Friday morning was an odd day to be leaving Hua Hin. Most people recommend to visit Cicada, an artist market, that is open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. But we wanted to make it back to Bangkok for Chatuchak Weekend Market, and we were already leaving on Sunday. So we had to give Cicada a miss, besides I think in the past week, we had our fair share of markets and shopping. Before that, one last look at our wonderful hotel for the last 4 nights. Getting back to BKK from Hua Hin…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. For our last night in Hua Hin, we decided to have dinner in a Thai restaurant near our hotel, called Youyen Balcony. This restaurant is quite well-known for serving traditional Thai dishes and snacks, and is recommended by many tourist blogs. Since it is only a few doors down from our hotel, we took the scenic route there, i.e. walking on the beach instead of taking main road. It was a good opportunity to take some sunset beach photos en route to dinner. Although, generally, the beach here is nothing to shout about compared to…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. After our morning in Plearnwan, we took a cab to 18 Below Ice Cream, a place very near our hotel. This place serves freshly made ice-cream and drinks in a very cosy setting. They have a very nice courtyard for outdoor seating and photo opportunity. But the biggest attraction here is their ice cream and ice cold drinks. Here’s our order. Both the drinks and ice cream was delicious, and we really loved it. If you have in Hua Hin, do drop by this place to cool off in the heat. Next – Youyen Hua…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Thursday was day 4, our last full day in Hua Hin. So far we’ve done pretty well on our itinerary, covering all of our planned stops. For today, we are going to Plearnwan Eco Vintage Village. This place, popularly known as Plearnwan, is an open air shopping arcade with a 60’s vintage team. The décor is main timber village, and the shops are a mixture of vintage clothes, toys, antiques and food stalls. I really like the whole timber and rusted zinc / aluminium theme of the place, makes it look quite authentic. There are…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. A few weeks before coming to Thailand, someone sent me a list of must-go cafes in Hua Hin, and Inu Cafe was one of them. Inu Cafe is a dog café, which are becoming very popular here in Thailand. More specifically, a café with Shiba Inu dogs (hence the strange name for the café). Shiba Inu is a group of rare breed originating from Japan, similar to spitz. However, unlike spitz, they are not noisy, and are world reknowned for their independent spirit. If I were to describe them they look like a cross between…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. *** Yesterday we received reports of twin bomb blasts in Hua Hin. Our prayers go out to the families affected. *** After some rest back at the hotel, we ventured out to town again at night for dinner. It was drizzling, so we hailed a tuk-tuk downtown. As we mentioned earlier, there are at least 5 night markets in Hua Hin. We had already visited Chatchai and Chatsila night markets, so tonight we went to Grand Night Market. Grand Night Market isn’t grand or big, it is named so because it is located in front…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. At the other end of the main road from the Railway Station, just beside the beach is the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas (formerly known as Sofitel). This stretch of beach is known to be the best in Hua Hin, hence all the best luxury hotels are here. However, the reason we walked the long mile here is for the Railway Museum in Centara. Well, there is little doubt that the Centara is a beautiful hotel, with its expansive grounds and colonial design. (pathway to Museum) An interesting feature is their well manicured topiary…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Ask any local what is the biggest tourist attraction in town, the answer is inevitably “Railway Station”. This 105 year old station is said to be the most beautiful in all of Thailand. So our trip to Hua Hin wasn’t complete until we visit the station. So after being dropped off from the Vineyard, we walked about 2 km to the station. It is near the centre of town, right in front of a busy roundabout. On the way I spotted this second-hand bookstore. Must be doing brisk business with all the international tourists here.…

This is part of an ongoing travelogue. To start at the beginning, please click here. Today we had made prior bookings to visit Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, one of the few vineyards in Thailand. It is rather surprising grapes can grow so well here, when the weather isn’t all that different from Malaysia. To get there, you can either hire your own transport (usually as part of a day trip), or book the Vineyard’s own shuttle. the shuttle leaves from downtown twice a day, 10.30am and 3.00pm. It is best to book in advance for this shuttle, they only have 10 seats. And you’ll need to pay the transport fee…