This vacation was exactly what I needed to get my head a little straighter. Today, Brandon and I awoke naturally at dawn, strolled down to the stunning infinity pool overlooking Bangkok and the river, and ate at an incredible buffet full of all kinds of food (Thai, Indian, American, and everything in between). Despite myself, I’ve been smugly smiling at the thought of my xenophobe friend, amused at how much beauty he must be missing.
After a relaxing morning, we headed out to pick up the rental car at the airport, and Brandon masterfully handled the shift to left-side driving. (Oh, yeah – I forgot to look that up before we came here.) We stopped at a few points on the road to Hua Hin, our stop in between Bangkok and Phuket, and made some pretty rad decisions (if I say so myself).
First up was a quick lunch at a roadside stand (we’ll make steel of our stomachs yet), then a stroll through SWISS SHEEP FARM. Yes, that’s right. Whatever you’re picturing, intensify it. It was a moderately functioning sheep farm amusement park, complete with life-sized statues of Swiss people and rednecks, Christmas trees (because, as Brandon later said, Thais’ perception of Christianity must be that they “celebrate Christmas all year, or at least at some point, and they like decorating trees”), Spiderman, robots, and a literal room full of alpacas. Real alpacas. That basically molest you upon entry.
But who am I to do this place real literary justice, when they’ve done it for themselves? Just look at their website’s description:
The complex nature. Come in contact with the atmosphere of a farm in a valley surrounded by the love that surrounds you with warmth, style European country. Farms that will take you time to dream again.
Join today to add power to your fatigue. Add fresh restore your love for us.
Oh, and the icing on the cake? Brandon and I were apparently part of the attraction. As the token random white people, we were photographed… several times.
We hit the road again and, after some consternation, found an elephant sanctuary that hosted rides and experiences with the elephants. Although a nearby safari offered similar services plus experiences with real, live tigers and lions, we heard through the grapevine–and TripAdvisor–that the treatment of the animals there is not humane, and the felines are likely drugged. As much as Brandon would have loved to have a picture of him with a tiger for his Tinder profile (this is a real trend), we passed in favor of the humane place. It was kind of an out-of-body sort of experience – high above the ground, riding an elephant. A freaking elephant! We fed it bananas and it played a harmonica for us. What. The. Heck. It was amazing and surreal.
We ended up staying at the Intercontinental in Hua Hin – a stunningly gorgeous resort with, yes, another infinity pool, this time overlooking a gorgeous beach. As I watched the fluffy pink clouds fade into the night sky tonight while floating in the most breathtaking pool I’ve ever seen, I realized how truly lucky we both are. We’re in Thailand, healthy and blessed, with an expansive love and a deep happiness together. And I’m in the fourth infinity pool in less than a month (San Antonio, St. Thomas, Bangkok, Hua Hin). What the hell do I have to be sad about? Life is good.
30 Before 30 