Crazy about Evason Hua Hin

Hua Hin in Rainy October

See the Discreet Stream? It is There

Call me crazy, but I was back in Evason Hua Hin twice in the last 2 months. The first time was in October, a month filled with rain. The sun broke between lengths of bleak cloud covers but the upside was the cooling and constant breeze that enveloped this seaside resort. As always, Evason's theme of eco friendliness knocked my stress level down many notches the moment I was whizzed into the compound on their golf buggies. Just strolling within the resort is itself therapeutic to the senses, but beware the free acupuncture sessions from mozzies. Night walks after dinner was lovely among her walkways through the greens, a serene sense of calm. Lined along most paths are hidden streams where the fauna sprouts, but these could be booby traps for one not to careful. So, take your time, stroll and enjoy the fresh air, walk slow in case if you were to end up submerged in the dark, at least you get submerged slowly. I saw they have bicycles for leisurely rides among the compound, which could mean you can end up submerged very fast in either the lotus pond or the many streams if you ain't careful in the dark.

More Night Water Traps.....

This weekend, surprisingly the pool was not a zoo compared to the last time I was there. And so I had the chance to waddle in her large open waters gazing out the rough seas breaking shores. It was also the first time I had tried the dinner within her restaurants. Though every dish in her buffet was sumptuous, the variety was very limited probably due to the small number of diners. When in Hua Hin, holiday makers usually eat out where the local delicacies are plentiful more. Breakfast, I sort of got a feeling they had it well plan out in advance for the weekend mostly Asian crowd. No longer do we need to fight for that sacred bacon as it was constantly refilled, plus they had an additional buffet line setup just for satisfying the cravings of a hundred bacon fetish patrons. Many many more pigs must have been sacrificed just for the weekends, and they must have been doing it in the kitchen for being able to make steady supply.

Organic Gardens in Evason

Well, as for floating in my private pool villa, staring up at blue skies in relaxation, no, it did not happen. For some reasons, our bookings went haywire and we were "downgraded" to a studio room. It all began when we got strange calls from the hotel discouraging us to go on the weekend we booked, they said there was rain. We told them we did not want to postpone our company trip just because of that. If they had told us that NASA had calculated the projectile of some mysterious near Earth asteroids that will hit Evason, we would have gladly postponed. Not going into details on how the mistake was made, I will only highlight on how professional it was handled eventually. Evason strived in every aspects of customer satisfaction, you will not be let down. We definitely were well taken care of with the sales admitting her blunder. I will be back again for that much needed break in her pool villa. I was so pleased with Evason that I decided to take an extra night the next round I am there.

Hua Hin Winter December

Jacuzzi

And so I was back for the third time in December following that previous booking hiccup which turned my trip a bit sour. This round, I stayed in villa 237. I found out that some of the villas actually are much larger in area and spots an additional Jacuzzi. Not only that, villa 237 has a large garden within, the lotus pond divides in between. To get into these villas, one will have to know they exist first, thus my review here to tell. You need to request for them, they go for the same price as any of the other villas too. The first thing I did was jumped into the pool. The next thing I immediately did was quickly get out of the pool after my nipples turned into stone. Anyone would associate Thailand with warm tropical climate but this year 2013 in the month of December, Hua Hin was enveloped in sub 30 degrees C temperatures in the day which cooled down to a low 18 in the night. As a result, water cold, many bodily extremities shrunk.

Nice

So it took a couple of wine and running around in circles before I decided to engulf myself in the square tub Jacuzzi located next to the sala. I found it pleasantly warmer then the pool, could be the wine, could be it was just that warmer because it is just that a smaller body of water. Downside was, why was the water murky? I didn't want to imagine what the previous occupants were doing in there. Ok maybe they just took a soapy bath. So, just I laid back, relaxed and hope I didn't see any floating tiny curls left behind.

Great Steak

I went for the half board 2000 Baht package, never regretted, highly recommended. It included free bicycle rentals, an archery session to shoot at boards, not birds. Also included was a spa treatment, the first ever which I tried in Evason and it was fantastic. I became a pile of melted cheese glued to the bed and never wanted to leave. There was a dinner in the package, picked a starter, a main course and that sweet desert to close the feast. I contemplated much about having the steak, but glad I was I eventually did have it. No one makes good steak in Thailand, most chefs and menu highlights of western food are all in a way fake. From my experience, there was once I had asked for medium and felt like I was eating a live cow instead. So through another episode I asked for medium well and I ended up eating what I felt was a rubber ball. I developed so much jaw muscle on that dining experience that my facial shape began to resemble our exiled prime minister. But here at Evason, the steak was fantastically great. The tenderloin was cooked to the right degree, the texture of the meat was easy on me jaws. The searing was done correct, the fragrance of beef fats, the juices flowing, you just gotta try it. Three days and two nights passed so fast, till we meet again Evason a relaxing stay always.

Outdoor Bath

The 50 Baht Heritage Tour

Where we boarded the Boat

Back to the Klong Lad Ma Yom Floating Market. There along the klong, a somewhat middle aged man was speaking through a loudhailer. I decided to move closer and have a look. What's this I asked. 50 Baht tour by boat, one hour plus, visit home stay. Whatever that really meant I had no clear idea, but jumped at it I did. It was only 50 Baht and I had time on my hands.

We sat shoulder to shoulder, two to a row in the long tail boat propelled by a splattering diesel. Well most of us sat that way except for a lone big farang. Farangs are very useful in theses very low riding long tail boats, he was asked by the boat man to shift left, right and then some till the boat balanced out. Didn't know large farangs can be used this way, organic counterbalance indeed. The engine revved up, with a puff of diesel fumes emitted from behind the boat, our journey started.

The Thailandpost Postman

Riding low and gently slow along the narrow waterways, we saw how life was like by the klongs. Alongside were footpath erected above the water, that's the only way the folks there could get home. The inhabitants could be seen walking the windy and sometimes precarious pathways, on occasions a motorcycle steering about in a carful balancing act whizzes pass. Electrical cables on poles sprouted out of the murky waters and ran the length of the waterways. Plastic blue pipes delivering fresh water into the vicinity held by ropes hangs off the walls. There was one fisherman we saw clearing his net as our boat drew close to him, his catch was not fish but an accidental water snake. We were taken back a few decades on this journey, I saw how post was delivered by the postman on boat. This is real life, not a mock up of past traditional ways.

Homes by the River

About half an hour later, we arrived at someone's house. The boat berthed alongside his residence and we gingerly stood up and stepped onto dry land trying not to rock the boat about too much. He welcomed us in, the whole crowd, and explained things. Life by the klongs are fast disappearing, many of such areas had been overtaken by large developers offering large sums of money. These developers fills the land in, and erected large scale housing estates we see so common now across rural areas surrounding the metro. His community will resist the offer, and keep life the way it used to be. This so just to retain the heritage, for us and all future urban folks to see. The house was of very traditional built, weathered timber infused with cement, red tiled floors and wooden decks. He welcomed us to visit all rooms, except maybe one that is lock with his daughter changing within. Decorated with items of antiquity, the visitors posed, the cameras clicked. We chatted in cool winter weather, he told tales of the river lives, the people, the past, the now and the future. This is the way life was and is for him. His ambition, to submit the area into the UNESCO list.

Home Stay.. . . . Eerie..

We were guided to walk the pathways to where our boat was waiting. Go through the home stay over somewhere there and then ask for directions to the temple where our boatman awaits. Somewhere there? Where? He said follow the path then left left right left or something. It turned out to be an interesting treasure hunt as we separated from the main group on our own. Navigating the walkways not marked on the GPS I so desperately tried to use, we somehow arrived at a doorway where a woman greeted us. She ushered us in and told us she had turned her compound into a home stay for visitors. Among the greens and algae ridden stone walkways, there one rustic bungalow that look from the set of Tim Burton's movies stood. Interesting indeed to find such lodging within a place like this, it is well known not, but through words of mouth and social media her hope is for the reach.

The search for the Temple

Going further thru the lost world of the rural, we eventually found the temple and we found our boatman. We stepped in the long tail boat floating low on the water, the farang shifted according to instructions to balance the boat. The engine revved up. Puttering spluttering, our journey ends with the sight and sound of the floating market that came into view.

Riding low on the Klong

Riding low on the Klong

A Traditional House by the Klong

The Compound from Above

Rustic Furniture

Open Roof Toilet

Dining Table

A Small Classroom

Free Drinks for Guest

The Alley

A Traditional House

Riding low on the Klong

Off the Beaten Track to Hua Hin

A trip to Hua Hin and anyone will tell you to take Rama II road, onto Phet Kasem and through Phetchaburi. Eventually one arrives in Chan Am where one takes the straight road south, skirting pass Hua Hin airport and finally arriving into her town. Getting there on weekends means raised blood pressure in stupid traffic because everyone in Bangkok wants to go there at the same time.

Off the Beaten Track

Now, there is a more interesting and relaxing way to get there for the traveler, a shorter way, but on narrower roads. This means slower drive but at least, one is moving in car instead of swearing and extending curses to all the ancestors of the drivers in surrounding vehicles. This is a less well known route through the coastal planes inundated by salt farms. To get on to this alternative, head left just immediately off a PTT petro station on Route 35. Not sure what the name of this road is but to the station is mark 13°21'25.53"N, 99°56'17.36"E on the GPS. The turn off is also also spots a small sign that states Shortcut to Cha Am.

The Alternative

Immediately, you will be greeted by a vast expanse of flat lands on the rural roads that you travel. On both sides will be waterlogged pastures of which some are for aquaculture but mostly for harvesting salts. You could easily tell which areas are meant for what by simply winding down your windows. Stench of a thousand rotten fish means fish farming, no stench means where the salt is. If the season is correct, which unfortunately for me was not, there will be salt flats gleaming white and visible, stretching for miles beyond and into distance.

To satisfy your hunger, the area is dotted with countless small restaurants offering very fresh seafood from the region. We found what was called Boat Restaurant (13°15'53.26"N, 99°56'35.98"E) and never regretted our decision to try it out. As the name says it, it is a restaurant on a boat. There was a not so common exotic vegetable dish that we ordered and it seemed to be the kind of stuffs that you scrap off the bottom of fishing boats. But hey it was tasty nevertheless and we found out eventually that it was harvested from the many mangroves surrounding. We had baked crab and we hit jackpot. It was fully pregnant with roe and ohhhh roe so good.. but so bad for the cholesterol. The Fried River Prawns with Garlic was fantastic too with the white meat deep fried in good hot oil. The shell was a crisp and the meat retaining moisture with the taste of garlic well coated and permeated. All in all, the meal was reasonably priced at a mere 700 Baht.

Took us 4 hours to get to our destination but it was a great drive and the Boat Restaurant was an added discovery. Get off the beaten track and onto something new. Thailand is so big and so full of places to fascinate one that seeks. Always something amazing and unseen at every turn of the common roads.

PTT @ 13°21'25.53"N, 99°56'17.36"E

The Scenic Route is full of View Points

Roe, so much Roe

Signs stating you are on the Scenic Route

In the Restaurant

The Strange Weedy Dish

Boat Restaurant

Klong Lad Ma Yom Floating Market

The Klong

While most people this past Sunday gathered in masses for either the pro or anti government group to show their people power, I was on a little adventure to discover a floating market near my home. The good thing about staying away from town is that one gets to really immerse in the locality of things. Living in what I called suburbs, the air is better, the surrounding rural. There will always be that paddy field around some deep sois, that cow or buffalo beside the road.

Klong Lad Ma Yom Floating Market seemed to me like the real raw deal, unlike the many other artificially inseminated floating markets found in the other touristy locations such as Hua Hin. This market can be located at an easy turn off the main Western Outer Ring Road. There will be ample parking available in the many gravel pits for a mere 20 Baht.

BBQ Chicken Parts

If you want a single place to see all the diversity of Thai food, then this is it. The myriad of local Thai delicacies such as "moo stick", live BBQ river prawns and the rainbow colored desserts. The list goes on. Its free sitting and you have to tunnel around the many narrow alleys to order and bring them food to your own table. You can easily spend 2 hours in there grazing on all her variety. Eat and eat again till you defecate in your underpants. If satisfying hunger is not your purpose there, take a ride in the river taxis along the klong where families of ducks will greet you alongside. Where there's water in Bangkok, there will be fish. So throw bread into water and stir up a storm of fish for fun.

The good practice I saw was that patrons will clear away their own foam and paper plates after eating. Unlike other places where there usually will be a bunch cleaning crew, typically scary looking and cannot speak Thai, this place has none scurrying around. So everyone was nice and brought their own trash to the nearest green bins that were located sparsely there and there.

I was told that places like these are located throughout Bangkok where there are klongs. Just have to keep your ears open, visits them Thai forums and there will always be something new to explore for all your weekends in Thailand.

Free Sitting

Order from them Boats

BBQ Catfish

Live BBQ Prawns, Dead now of Course

Moo Stick

More food on Boats

Sweet, so Sweet

The Klong and the Boats

Seastone Villa Phuket

The Unforgettable Pillow Encounter

Congested

On my recent trip to Phuket (The Racha Experience), we extended our holidays for one day in Phuket, just so much so to do what tourist do - shopping. While there, I stayed at Seastone. I choose this place for one reason, the pictures on web looks nice and it has a pool and 2 rooms which my friend could bunk in on my recent holiday in Phuket. To my dismay, I only realized it's another one of those property investment sort of real estate business this place is. People buy and make it their holiday homes, renting out the units while they are not here, hoping to make a profit selling in the future (if they ever do).

The bedrooms are large and spacious, the toilet very roomy. Between where the bed is positioned and the toilet is a an attempted to be a tasteful walk in wardrobe. Also in that same space is where a separated study is built. Left and right thus are 2 walkways towards the toilet featuring a large bathtub. As a result, you can run circles in your bedroom and toilet via these 2 connecting accesses. It's one of those places where you can play out your carnal fantasies, you the teacher chasing down that high school student in their tight shirts and skirts too short, then push them into the bath and continue your fantasy.

For relaxation after, you could jump straight into the lap pool located between your villa and the adjacent one. Its narrow, it's for laps. And it took me forever to figure out how to turn the pool filtering system on, which eventually I never did. The villa has kitchen facilities, so you can do your own cooking. It's pretty much self contained I would say, and unfortunately, in terms of what one can do there, that's about all of it.

For Small Cars Only

There is a lack of amenities in the establishment and the units are built smack one after the other, the feeling of congestion. For some strange reasons, the car porch is meant only for very small cars, so the front of our Nissan Teana jutted out into the road and yes, we were unable to close the gate. The road is narrow too much and if the opposite neighbor parks his car parallel front of his unit, reverse parking into yours would mean calls to the insurance company.

Breakfast was cooked in their main kitchen and served in our units. The quality was very mediocre. Most unforgettable while I stayed here was the pillow. Someone must have salivated gallons of secretions beforehand. The stench a mark in history burned into my memory. They should have a standard procedure in their makeup room routine to include smelling and changing pillows for goodness sake.

Breakfast

In the near vicinity, there will be nothing around and a drive to fun fun places such as Patong is going to cost you some 45 minutes. No taxis ventures in here, you really got to rent a car as we did. They tried their best to offer privacy and uniqueness but is a far cry of attaining those statuses. Comparing to what resorts of the same price levels could offer on Phuket which I had been, I would suggest staying here only if for some reasons, you really need to.

The Racha Experience

The Experience

The bay on Koh Racha

Racha, it's Thai word for King, and the experience lives up to her name. Woke up every morning in her lush rooms, opened them wide doors and there a full blown spectacle of layered ocean blue. The waves as they grew tall approaching the satin shores, into a concave wall of cyan blue so clear I saw. It was painting in motion, a canvas of saturated colors. The hue of blue permeated through me. And the breeze, enveloped me she did, ever reverberating, ever present. The morning sun, her slight tint of yellow reflected off all the white villas, the skies clear, saw for miles. The emotion came natural, a surreal feel of vacation can't describe in words. It was the place, the time, the setting so right. Paradise.

Fine Sand

7 years ago I was here. Her beach ridden with dead coral bits from the tsunami back then had grinded down into the finest white powdered sand my feet had ever walked. Clean, white, gentle wide shoreline enclosed in a pleasant bay we played. Waddled through receding waters after the waves broke shore, the easy incline made the retreat a prolong episode as the water thins out. My foot sank, in fine white they were embraced. My mind was just overcharged with the experience that there was nothing else that could pollute my thoughts. It was relaxation pure, there weren't a hint of work that could breach that sphere of peace I got. Unwind.

Getting to the Island

How we Arrived

Getting to this resort required a boat ride from Chalong pier. Getting to the pier from the airport was a hefty 800 Baht ride by airport limousine. Save yourself the trouble of hunting for a metered taxi, they may cost more and you may end up somewhere you may not want in the hands of illegal touts. Anyway the sign boards announce loud the standard pricing from the airport to the various destinations on Phuket, so pay attention to those and you shall be safe. These months, the rain should have stopped. But climate change in our lifetime made the weather unpredictable. Storm clouds built and bleak the sunny shores, the gust churned the blue oceans into choppy peaks. The ride was a roller coaster, don't eat too much before the 45 minutes journey thus. Voices heard, the trip provided by The Racha costly. But had you research and then you will appreciate the ride offered by the resort in her twin outboard private boats. Public operators charges the same to the island, but I bet they do not offer the same appeasing ride The Racha could. Large and spacious her boats were, this trip for me, laden with only less than 10 passengers on her two craft convey. Yeah, they could well have packed us up like sardines using only one boat, but that's the practice of other boat operators and not The Racha.

Days on the Island

Pirates?

As the late morning approached, like crabs on a migratory journey on Christmas Island, we saw hordes of day trippers marched and descended the slope side of the resort making their way onto the shore for whatever mating and spawning fantasy they had on their minds. Not too pleasant the experience as we had to share the secluded shores with them sometimes rather rowdy and rude crowd. They mingled and tried to breach the resort grounds, security was busy explaining to them the notion of private grounds. A mix of people from all corners of the world. Certain culture are born with over reactive salivating glands, and this particular flock walked and spew phlegm everywhere. Could be an inherited genetic defect. Some crowds were however well behaved and I was really impressed with them. There was a cheery bunch that looked like they came out of Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean and his crew actually carried with them plastic bags which they collected the beer cans after they had gulp its merry making contents down. They left the beach in the late afternoon leaving no trace of their visit.

So Bright....

Beyond 10 am, the beach will be a bustle of activities. Those hours left me flabbergasted at times at the sight of super bright luminous bikini swimwear the Asian ladies wore. They imitated all possible grace from b-grade magazines while the shutters clicked away. Bright colors in nature are actually warning signs to other predators that consuming them would be a bad idea because of poison, so those ladies were safe and were not eaten by sharks. The crowd merged into the rows of beach umbrellas and chairs on the left section of the bay. Those were rented out by independent operators who forcefully infiltrated the grounds desiring a piece of the profit pie. I do hope they do not grow beyond the rows of 2 which was already poisoning the tranquility and turning that corner into mini Pattaya. I was told during peak season, there could be up to 4 rows and that was disheartening.

Depending on the season, the waters in the bay will be a calm or choppy. This month of August, strong waves rolled in synch with seasonal winds that blew onshore. Snorkeling is not possible without smacking into rock formations or guzzling down salt water. But it offered a chance for many to try mini surfing, boards rented out again by independent operators who built an unsightly shack in the middle of the otherwise un-spoilt shorelines. Staff of the resort told me, during year end this part of the island will be flat calm as the wind blows on the other side of Koh Racha. However, during those good times, The Racha will have to move her floating jetty over. The jetty then becomes a platform for the day trippers to beach as well, the bay will be an infestation of moored boats. Snorkeling could mean smacking into hulls of boats and guzzling down diesel fumes if you venture out carelessly.

Floating in the Bay

The serenity returned later in the afternoon past 3 pm. The day trippers migrated back up the hill to the other side of the island where The Racha's floating jetty was located. When the last of the day trippers had left, The Racha deployed their band of beach cleansers cleansing up the entire shoreline. Such noble greatness The Racha, to keep the beach pristine and to clean up the carnage left by others. The beach belongs to the government, it is not private and deeply I wished it could be. We had to share her splendor for those few hours. Fortunately for us, we had the advantage to retreat back into the resort where her amenities plenty whenever we needed.

The Ongoing Battle

The Chinese have Came

Racha is idyllically located on the island within a bay blessed with magnificent white shores and inviting waters. Unfortunately, this spot is also exploited by many profiteers and the results are them bringing on the nasty day trippers so well documented in so many other reviews about The Racha. That was the only sour bit of the trip but come on, the world do not revolve about us. I could jolly well live with those few hours of unpleasantness by finding other things to indulge within the resort away from the mob. It is not the resort's fault that the crowd cannot be controlled, in numbers and in behavior. While I was here 7 years ago, the day trippers were significantly fewer. The mix of visitors, inclusive of hotel guests, were a majority of Caucasians and a small number of Japanese. This year, this season that I visited, just gazing out in idleness and between moments of thought, I was really lead to believe the Chinese was setting up Koh Racha as a base for their naval beach invasion.

Mini Pattaya

The local Thai profiteers will not give a second thought to the tranquility that The Racha tries her best to offer her guest. They just come and set up shop all over the place bringing filth and unpleasantness along, all they wanted is cash. Its though the negotiations must have been for The Racha and the independent businesses with the former trying to keep them in check. I wondered sometimes if the authorities in Phuket actually have control over these stubborn operators limiting what they can do and where they can carry out their shoddy business overcharging the tourist. I believe they come and they go whenever and wherever, evidence from the sheds on the bay which were left abandoned and to rot in the corrosive salty air. But looking on the bright side, these structures offered an interesting backdrop for any photographer with a keen eye for subjects, I did.

In tune truly with nature, fortunately no concrete jetty was erected on the island as permanent eyesores breaking the curvature of her bays. The only way for The Racha to get her guests on shore was the use of The Racha's floating jetty which I mentioned. Unfortunately, this means sharing the only way of getting on and offshore with the public. This could be quite a nasty landing experience for some if our arrival and departure coincides with the hours when the day trippers arrive and leave. Most of the marauding invaders were likely never educated on Archimedes Principle of Flotation and moral education during their deprived childhood. They did not make way for us trying to do our best from falling into the water with our bags and cameras on the unstable platform. Two of those idiots actually ran and stomped on the jetty in our opposite direction brushing rudely across and beside us in a hurry, throwing us almost off balance.

The Main Pool

I wondered how the security staffs could differentiate who was hotel guest and who not. Magically, they were able to allow me to waltz into the compound and not let the day trippers through. Management must have trained them to have photographic memory. It will always be an ongoing battle between The Racha and those surrounding who are always trying to expand their encroachment and make quick profit. I don't think this will ever change and my favoritism will always be with The Racha. The small operators are only keen in taking advantage of The Racha's environmental conscious effort to keep the bay in harmony with nature.

Retreating Back

Club Del Mare

The main pool overlooked the beach with her high construction above the diner. On the infinity edge we were and chatted. On occasions the sea breeze strong it grew and the water flipped unnaturally upwards into a spray of misty droplets that soared over our heads. A lap or two we sometimes did but most of the time we just lazed and sipped coffee or that gin tonic ordered we did. Other days we were in her garden pool that was adorned with tall trees that swayed gracefully in the wind. At times the sky grew dark and the rain fell heavy but that did not douse our spirits. What was different from 7 years ago was that now The Racha featured a third pool at the foot of a hill fringing the resort grounds. It was tastefully christened Club Del Mare and the food offered was equally tasteful. Meals offered were reasonably priced in tune with the portion, extremely good service and the exquisite settings. With many pools also means the chance for one to hide effectively should one need a break from babbling wives, she will take at least an hour to find you. And if you are lucky, the sun would be out and that could successfully drive her back into the villa leaving you in peace for the rest of the day.

Waters so Clear

With any tropical island resort means the possibility of a million bites from mozzies and sand flies. Amazingly, somehow the resort had this under control. Unlike other beach destinations we went, we do not need to drink insect repellent and have it ooze out our sweat pores just to potently prevent them bites. Giant monitor lizards occasionally stroll the resort grounds so in case you need an adrenaline rush, you could try capturing one and wrestle with them fun creatures. If you are a cat lover like me, there are aplenty of them that originate from a restaurant of classic wooden built nested at the foot of a hill on the right side of the bay. These island born cats accompanied the guest sometimes as they strolled the beach and I was tempted to test out if cats could surf. I was also surprised at the sight of a mountain goat that made its way every day to the small rocky outcrop above the water in front of Club Del Mare. There it lazed staring at us people, wondering if them bright bikini ladies will be consumed by sharks. Goat shared the view with me as I gazed into the horizon looking for signs of fin.

I'll be Back

Perfect

Other than additional amenities, nothing had changed compared to the first time I was here. Still The Racha maintained her captivating essence and her villas had not deteriorated from fine mist of the sea. Maintenance crew could sometimes be seen retouching the walls showcasing the ongoing effort management had put in to upkeep The Racha's charm. This will not be the last time I will be here. I had travelled 9 years to cover most shores in Thailand. I cannot find elsewhere luxury strategically located in front of a sheltered mesmerizing shore, the fine white sands that embraced me, they crystalline waters of the Andaman. I was living in a painting for those 4 days. The beauty of which I had captured forever as I did my pre-wedding photography session within. I did not protest the sum when my card was swiped because I knew it was going in for a good cause. We all should appreciate the effort it takes The Racha to maintain the sparkle of her environment even though it is not under her control. The results of which are for us to fully immerse, body and soul, and sink into the enchanted vista as one. Not many places here can balance the comfort offered by manmade infrastructures and the pureness of immaculate nature. The Racha, her amazing management did.

See here for full photo set under The Racha Experiece 2013.

The waves are string in August

Shack where boards are Rented Out

Abandoned for Now

The Rain Came

Day Trippers Came in These

Day Trippers Marching to Beach

The Bay from a Hill

So Wide, So White

Strolling When there are no Day Trippers

Looking Out

Day Trippers mixed with Hotel Guest