At the end of that week, we took a long weekend in Hua Hin.  Hua Hin is a resort town known for its white sands, lush landscapes, restaurants, and European tourists.  We went down with Nigel, a Bangkok friend who spends weekends in Hua Hin, where he and his long term partner live. Nigel is a microbiologist from Wales who has been in Thailand for 15 years. His partner, Rung, is from Isan, and she is really sharp! They were most gracious and spent a lot of time showing us around and introduced us to some of their Thai friends.

One of Rung and Nigel’s friends owns a garden restaurant and, on the night before the annual Loi Krathong festival, was having a dinner party.  It was a beautiful evening with great food and drink and Karaoke in full throat under a clear sky and full moon.  As the karaoke was dying down and the party nearing an end, a drawing was held.  Judy held the winning number, and first prize was a beautiful gold amulet with a figure of Buddha!  The net day we bought a gold chain to wear it on.

Rung made Krathongs for the four of us for Saturday night’s Loi Krathong festival.  Krathongs are elaborate, colorful floats woven typically from banana leaves and are dense with flowers built on a banana stalk base.  Joss sticks and candles stand in the center.  Rung’s were exquisite.  On the night of Loi Krathong, these vessels are released into the sea, rivers, canals or even into the swimming pools of resorts.  

On Loi Krathong night, we ate at a seafood restaurant on the end of a pier out over the gulf as a full moon rose again.  We watched hundreds of lanterns rise into the night sky and krathongs make their way out to sea.  Later on, we released our own krathongs into a canal.  Our vessels bore our transgressions of the year, a few coins, and good wishes for the future.  We lost sight of the candles and glowing smoke of joss sticks as our krathongs drifted into the distance.

But who could ask for better luck or good fortune than Judy and I have had?   We celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary in Hua Hin that weekend.  Last year we were in Capetown for our anniversary, next year ????

On Sunday, Rung took us through the Hua Hin market and to an outdoor noodle restaurant for lunch.  We then drove up a mountain for a view of the city.  Spreading beneath us along the coast with a mountain near the sea, Hua Him reminded me of Rio.

Nigel just wrote a very interesting article, “Fungal Frenzy”, that appeared November 17 in the Bangkok Post.  If you don’t think you care for fungi, check the article out.  It may change your mind.  Go to the the Bangkok Post, sign up for the archives and search on “Fungal Frenzy” if this link has expired.

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