Pranburi :: สวัสดีค่ะ :: ปราณบุรี

We drove 45 minutes to 30km away from Hua Hin. Destination- Pranburi (ปราณบุรี). It sits in the same Prachuap Khiri Khan province as Hua Hin, within the Gulf of Thailand and is north of the long beach line up from the east coast of Malaysia, directly across from Pattaya, Si Racha, and Ko Samet. Pranburi is blissfully sleepier. Emptier too. There're usually more domestic tourists than foreign. No touts, no frazzling crowds. During this period, after the New Year holidays, we've counted barely a hundred people on the beach at the busiest.

In case you're wondering, no, this entire trip isn't about eating and eating and eating. Between filling our stomachs, we walk LOTS. Perspired buckets. How else would we find space to fit the food? Think of it as carb-loading for all the activities later. Hurhurhur. Pranburi is our long stop on this road trip. It's time to rest, chill out and also tank up on the exercises. Our awesome friends ignored our protests, sorted out and paid for accommodation at every stop. They're mad! Here, they put us up at Aleenta in a gorgeous corner suite with a fully stocked fridge full of drinks and snacks; spacious patio, pool access and a fabulous view of the sea.

Also, kitesurfing. OMG. What an adrenalin rush. I'm iffy about surfing. Much better with catching the wind to ride the waves. It's pretty similar to wakeboarding, but the balancing feels more like snowboarding. To me, it's definitely easier than surfing. Falling off and getting dunked in the water is par for course. That takes some effort to get back upright. Altnough I'm really frightened of falling in the middle of a jellyfish swarm. The waters here are infested with them. Everyone warns you of the jellyfish. That, and this irrational fear of not being able to see what's underneath the surface of the sea. That's why I never swim in the sea or do much in it unless it involves scuba diving.

Our suite faces the east. I wake up daily at 6am to catch the sunrise. Well, the sun is blazing and impossible to look at by 7.15am. So the short hour on the beach or at the patio (with plenty of insect repellent slathered on) is spent in quiet reflection either sitting or curved in deep stretches.