Date with a dream

By Cai Shanshan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-06 14:16

Hua Hin beach [chinadaily.com.cn]

I have always dreamed of going to a typical beach town since I was a little girl.

All I could imagine were coconut trees, swimming pools, couches with hot girls in bikinis lazing casually, big umbrellas and white, soft sand under a clear blue sky.

This long-held dream of mine came true when I got a chance to have a getaway to Hua Hin, a beach resort about 200km southeast of Bangkok, for the annual jazz festival that kicked off on June 12.

When I arrived in town after a 3-hour minivan trip at about 5 o’ clock on the sunny afternoon, the first person who “welcomed” me was the taxi driver who took me to the hotel where I was going to stay.

“Are you here for the jazz festival? There are so many people coming to town today,” he said in English with a smile on his unsophisticated sun-tanned face.

I already sensed the festive mood when I saw hotels busy receiving local and foreign guests, big posters with festival logos erected at crossroads; stalls selling T-shirts with saxophones and also shops with jazz DVDs on sale in the streets.

After dropping my bags at the hotel room and getting changed into shorts and sandals, so began my real life dream at Hua Hin.

Before I departed the capital I did some research and learned that the resort was discovered in the early 1920s by King Rama VII of Thailand as an ideal getaway from the sultry metropolis of Bangkok.

With this special Royal touch in mind, I felt even more curious about this fishing village-turned-resort.

Then when I threw myself into the carnival atmosphere out on the streets, I found Hua Hin had all the ingredients for a wonderful holiday experience.

Indoor and outdoor bars and cafes, surrounded by coconut trees and decorated with glittering neon lights, were packed with festival-goers and food lovers who were sipping beer or wine, eating Western or local food, chatting and laughing happily.

This was reminiscent of my families who were far away in China. What a lovely night it would be if we all could sit in a bar and talk about whatever we wanted.

But this nostalgic emotion vanished when I hit the main street leading to the beach. A variety of shops lining both sides of the streets just made a great stroll. Tourists in different colours and styles, speaking different languages had snacks and icy drinks in front of stalls in threes and fours and bargained with vendors trying to sell tourist souvenirs, jewelries and T-shirts.

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