A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how I was a little disappointed in Hua Hin up to that point. It was honestly the first time in our travels that I had not felt like the place we had chosen was all that I had expected. I was disappointed in the fact that there are not many places to take Z to play with other children. I was bummed that there was not a younger expat/traveler community here.
I think I had just hit that point in traveling that happens to many long-term travelers, where I just was a little burnt out. It seems so silly, and yes quite a bit self-indulgent, but when one travels for long periods of time, sometimes you just want that comfort of knowing you are home and not going to have to go anywhere for a while. And you crave the ease of the place where you originated from, the stores, the playgrounds, the friends and family. It is a real thing, the long-term travel blues, you can read about them here on World Nomads and here on Traveldudes. What we had already planned for our stay in Hua Hin is what ended up being one cure to this long-term travel lethargy. We had already rented the villa for three months, and settled down and started treating Hua Hin like it is home.
This has worked quite well actually. In my life, it always seems that when I have finally given up on fighting for, or against something, is exactly when the result I was originally wishing for happens. That is what has happened this week. I am starting to appreciate and like Hua Hin, not love yet, but I think that it may be on the horizon.
Our villa has treated us well after the no running water debacle. All three of us have enjoyed playing in the pool, and the cool weather that high season has brought with it. And although we do not do many touristy things, I have been enjoying the relaxation of real life… you know getting my house cleaned for me, our laundry done by someone else, and eating out a couple of meals a day. Yes, real life is so hard (I really hope you can detect my sarcasm here). I feel incredibly blessed for all those reasons and so many more.
Besides the excellent living situation we find ourselves in, we have also been on the lookout for places to take Z to play. And by golly, we found some! One we found because of a helpful suggestion from a fellow blogger, freebutfun, who kindly told me about the kids play area in the Market Village mall here. We took Z there this week, and although there weren’t many kids for her to play with there, she had so much fun playing and running around for an hour.
The other was a playground we happened on simply by chance. While looking for a place to eat last night, we went down an alley and came upon a huge restaurant shaped like a yacht, and there in front of it was a playground! I felt like we had truly found a secret treasure. It was shaded from the sun in daylight and well-lit after sunset. She had so much fun playing after we ate dinner, and it was a delightful meal, because we had something awesome to bribe encourage her with!
So our time in Hua Hin is looking up and I am excited for all that is to come. Thanks for all the help and encouragement while I was feeling blue!
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