Hua Hin, a seaside town in pursuit of past life memories

The first time I had the opportunity to go out of Bangkok was to Pattaya. But I don’t think there is anything to write about there (I was later slapped in the face, I will write this in another travelogue). So far, I have traveled to so many cities in Thailand, and Pattaya is definitely the most expensive and the most boring city. . The only thing that left a deep impression was that on the sea road to Jinshatan Island, the boatman made an exception and allowed my husband and I to sit on the bow of the speedboat and watch the large number of speedboats flying across the sea. It was just like a game scene. It was so cool. .
  
One weekend morning, I was drinking iced coffee and sunbathing at home, when suddenly a friend suggested that I should go to Hua Hin. I was hesitant at first, so I did some research online, but a picture became the reason for me to go there.
  


The initial impression is that since the third or fourth grade of elementary school, I always have the same dream repeatedly, dreaming that I am hiking up the mountain, going to A temple in a cave. The style of the temple was very unfamiliar. When I grew up, science and technology developed, and I learned through the Internet that this was the style of Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia (I later checked the information and found that Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand were the most suitable). This is not a joke or a script about the ancient city. I really regard this dream as a memory of my previous life, and have been looking for the temple in this cave.
  
- Khao Wang Palace -

Thailand’s coastline is like a crescent. If you open the map and look at it, Hua Hin is on the left towards Malaysia. . The most popular attraction in Hua Hin is Khao Wang Palace. Some scenes in the movie "Anna and the King" took place in Khao Wang Palace. Of course, there is a reason why this movie was not released in Thailand. The gap between the movie and reality is too big. The real Anna and the King are not as romantic as the movie said... The place where Kao Wang Palace is located is called Pana Phra Nakhon Khiri means city in the mountains.
  

The temple after climbing to the top is part of the palace


The monkey in the palace is like a master


“ Hey, are you here? Please come inside.”

Except for this famous movie, Kaowang Palace is indeed a beautiful place. There are many monkeys on the mountain. I was taking pictures of the monkeys when it suddenly squatted and seemed to be about to jump. I tried to open my hands, and the monkey jumped into my arms naturally. This action is so coherent! I opened the soda for him and another older monkey to drink, and he held my hand while drinking.
  

I’m so happy to be held in hand>_<

Khao Wang Palace is very large, spanning two hills. After reaching the top of the mountain, you can have a bird's eye view of Cha-am City and enjoy the visual treatment that King Rama IV received back then.

- Santorini Park -

After having lunch at the foot of the mountain and buying some souvenirs (the things sold at tourist attractions in Thailand are generally not expensive, and the same is true at the airport. The tour guide in the company said that he has been to so many countries, but he only dares to eat at the airport in Bangkok), we went to Santorini Park. Santorini Park is a man-made attraction, built to imitate the blue and white houses of the Greek island of Santorini. It is not a big place, next to a water park, and there is a commercial street inside. There are not many businesses settled in it. It seems to be getting more and more depressed in recent years, but it is very suitable for soft girls to take pictures or something. Because I bought the ticket with a Thai driver's license (the driver's license is really useful, and you can enjoy the local fare at the scenic spot), the price is only 50 baht.

- Plernwan Retro Market -

Then there is the retro market in the city. It has two floors and is not very big. I was quite excited to see a market of this size because I had not yet come across the Srinakarin Market in Bangkok. This market was renovated from a warehouse and is made of wood. It is quite nice. There are handmade products for sale in the market, as well as some local specialties of Hua Hin. You can try Thai milk tea and mango sticky rice, which are both up to standard. Finally, I bought some refrigerator magnets, Hua Hin road signs and mailbox-shaped ones.


Looking down from the second floor of Plernwan Retro Market, the architectural design is really beautiful


Because it is a renovation of an old building, all the wooden structures are maintained without losing the flavor.


There are also modern clothing and accessories shops, the prices are...really cheap, maybe it's because the cost of living in a small city is not high

- Hua Hin Railway Station -

Hua Hin Railway Station is one of the most beautiful railway stations in Thailand. It was built during the reign of King Rama VI. Many Thais take the train to this station specifically to take photos. Although it is old, the station has always been well maintained. The old trains are placed in the garden in front of the station for display and taking photos. The platform can be entered at will, and everyone sits or stands waiting for the train to arrive. When the train arrives, they still ring the copper bell to inform passengers. Everything seems to have stopped in that era.


Station bell

Many people also sighed after seeing it, "It's just a small train station." But if you have been to most train stations in Thailand, you will find that, except for Hua Lamphong in Bangkok, the train stations in other places are very small. The size alone cannot change the fact that it is beautiful.


I like this architectural style and color scheme


The telephone booth at the station is really usable, but I don't know who I can call after inserting a coin.

The highlight of the night was the seafood dinner. Hua Hin is a city by the sea, and there are many stilt restaurants built on the beach. The environment is very good, and the price of seafood is much cheaper than in Haikou (later I experienced the even cheaper seafood in Rayong, and I felt that the prices in my hometown were so bad that I couldn't even cry). The combination of lobsters, blood snails, prawns, and fish only cost about 80 yuan per person. Of course, the romantic environment is the key point. After dinner, we held hands and watched the sea water slowly hit the rocks, and crabs crawled out of the beach and ran around.



Hua Hin is currently visited by many people from Europe, America and Thailand.


The environment is really beautiful. Although it is not a high-end restaurant, the experience is excellent.

- Khao Long Cave -

I got up early the next day and saw some photos of local attractions posted in the lobby of the B&B. So I asked for directions and went to the Seven Kings Square along the coastline. The Seven Kings Square is a newly built place with a large area. It houses seven famous kings in Thai history (five of them were great kings. After the death of King Rama IX, he was posthumously named the sixth great king). Because it was newly built, it was not on Google Maps. I asked locals along the way and found that it was not officially open, so there was no entrance fee. Just a simple "security check" (check whether the clothes are appropriate) and you can enter the square to visit. The scene looks very majestic, because the statues are huge and the material is unknown, it looks particularly majestic.


The one in the middle is King Taksin, who founded the Thonburi Dynasty and came from Chenghai, China.

After leaving the Seven Kings Statue, we continued along the coastline to Phe Puri. We met many campers on the beach. Some elderly people moved stools to sit on the beach to bask in the sun. In the grove, a family was playing with their dog. We stopped to buy coconuts to drink and enjoy the sea breeze. Probably because of the low tide, the fishermen were all on the shore, and the boats were stranded on the beach, giving off a "three-day net drying" atmosphere.


There are often such sheds in coastal cities. They are probably built by fishermen for rest. Some also sell drinks and snacks.


The weather was great, so I started playing without realizing it...


There were a lot of stranded boats, and red flags were hung on the shore. In short, it was not a good day to go out to sea.

Kaolong Cave is a natural cave on a mountain. After climbing for a long time, I met a foreign uncle. I asked him how far it was to the top of the mountain. The uncle answered me, two kilometers. Seeing that I opened my eyes in surprise, he laughed and said, I was kidding, it’s not far, it’s only two hundred meters away.


I looked at the sea from the mountain, and the layers were so beautiful.

The cave was full of stalactites and bats lived there, so the environment was humid and dark, and I could only rely on my phone for lighting. When I walked to the bottom, there was a naturally formed gap in the top of the cave, and the light poured down. Suddenly, I felt that the atmosphere was like "Grave Robbers' Chronicles".


Light pouring down from the stalactite cave

- Phaya Nakhon -

After going down the mountain, we had lunch at a small restaurant by the sea, and we spent the rest of our time in Phaya Nakhon. Phaya Nakhon is far from the city of Hua Hin, and the journey is inconvenient. You have to rent a boat to go a section of the waterway, and then go to a small island. There will be a guide to take you to the foot of the mountain. Give a 100-baht tip, and you can go up the mountain by yourself. Despite this, I still insisted on going, just to see if it was the place in my dream.


The deserted beach on the island is really rare, and the comfort is MAX

I was looking for familiar scenery along the way, but who knows, everything feels so familiar and strange. When we arrived at the cave entrance, my husband asked me, how do you feel? Is this the place you dreamed of? I said I don't know.


The tall plants on the way up the mountain make people feel at ease

In the dream, there was a water source near the cave, but there was none here. Then we walked down into the cave, and there was a brief introduction next to it. I read it and found that there was indeed a water source here a long time ago, but it dried up. It's incredible.


The vegetation that grew up with the sunlight from the gap is really tenacious

What shocked me the most was the scenery of this cave. The small temple was built in the cave near the inside. When you walked into the first cave, you would never guess that there was a different world inside. The two caves are connected by a small wooden bridge. I was shocked after just one look on the wooden bridge. My husband was still taking pictures outside, so I quickly called him over. He just uttered, "Fuck!"


The temple in the cave, there is a human in the lower left corner, you can compare the size of the plants

There are many giant plants inside (see the comparison between the people and plants in the picture), and the sunlight through the cave provides the basic elements for the growth of these plants. After visiting the temple, I walked around these plants again and again, marveling at the wonders of nature.


I was really shocked when I came here. The life of nature is so tenacious.

Although I didn't know in the end whether this place was the place that appeared in my dream. If it was a memory of my previous life, it should have happened many, many years ago. The landforms and environment have been changing. Maybe I really can't meet the dream again. But I met Phaya Nakhon, this beautiful cave, which guided me to come here through mountains and rivers. I was very satisfied to see the beautiful scenery. Thanks to the Thais, they didn't overdevelop this place, didn't build any artificial facilities here, and didn't set up stalls to sell water and hot dogs.