Boxing Day - having tried to avoid Christmas

 We did our best - fending off all well-meaning attempts to persuade us to join in with festive roast dinners in Santa outfits and tinsel in tropical 27 degree sunshine. Bah humbug indeed. Fairly successful, although Jack and Bua did manage to sneak a decorated topiary bourgainvillea into the house when we weren't looking.

Our hosts have also been very kind in driving us on a couple of trips - to the famous teak temple of Ao Noi a few miles up the coast and to Waghor Aquarium.

Perhaps the most interesting discovery for me was finding that our village here is a centre for marine research. Just behind the fishing harbour and next to the topiary park is a large facility run by the Thai Ministry of Fisheries where they are growing sea cucumbers. The team are researching their potential use both as human food and as an anti-cancer treatment. Apparently sea cucumbers (Holothuria scabra)  are valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They contain an active agent that has been found to be effective in stopping the cell cycle and slowing down metastasis in advanced prostate cancer. Sadly, the species is endangered in the wild so the research is being conducted to find out how to farm them efficiently. Hence the hundreds of concrete tanks here.

I wonder what they taste like? They don't look particularly appetising!

The other interesting finding was in the fields next to the aquarium where hundreds of dome-shaped concrete pods are stored, ready to be taken to sea and used to create one of the biggest artificial reefs in Thailand. The hope is that this will help the coral ecosystem to regenerate. I don't know why the pods are sitting in the field and not in the sea!

Other than that, various photos...

Ao Manao beach

Jack and Bua also drove us to a large garden centre just beside the Myanmar border. The border post is closed of course but it's interesting to see.

The unused border post 

I just like yellow flowers against a blue sky.

We had a hell of a storm the week before Christmas. Indeed a Thai warship and two fishing boats were lost just off the coast in the Gulf of Thailand during the storm. Very sad.

Prachuap Khiri Khan prom. Windy!

This is back in the fishing village next to our place.

Most nights we eat at one of the local restaurants along the front and have a few beers.

The sun rises from behind the mountain and it can look quite dramatic

We did get to watch some of the footie of course

This is the trip to the aquarium and science park.

Back at Khlong Wan, the Min of Fisheries research station has a series of hatching ponds with plenty of bird life

Ao Noi teak temple

The obligatory cave with reclining Buddha.

And many a sunset view with beer from our balcony!

Never been very good at selfies!

     

Uprooting ourselves - heading for Thailand

 8th December

So we said a fond farewell to our lovely Luang Prabang and set out in search of adventure (and visas) - a month in Thailand.

A last sunset drink on the Mekong. Of course we've been enjoying the World Cup - but catching just the early games. The big ones tend to be at 2 in the morning here - and we're not that dedicated!

Although it was Laos National Day on the Friday, Toui kindly gave us a lift to the airport to catch the afternoon AirAsia flight to Bangkok. It's only an hour and a half and we had booked a hotel room within walking distance of the airport so it was all quite easy.

 Our Thai language skills are non-existent and most of the eateries around our "hotel" were street food vendors but eventually we found a nice-looking wanton bar and ordered something from the picture menu. It was good!

The next morning it was taxi across the city to the bus station and then a bus trip down the coast to Prachuap Khiri Khan. 

It should've taken about 4 hours. In fact it was more like 6 hours! Patience was needed - but we got there eventually.

Our guest house is quite amazing. You know those Californian beach houses you see in the movies? It's as if one of those has been transported to the shore of a fairly scruffy little Thai fishing village. Our hosts Jack (American) and Bua (Thai) spent 5 years, a lot of money and massive amounts of stress building the house (it's a typical "Grand Designs" tale of corrupt builders, incompetent subcontractors and bewildered locals). But the result is (as Kevin McCloud would say) an awesome blend of light and space - with views from every angle. I love it.

 

Our room is on the third floor with terrace and balconies overlooking the fishing harbour, the mountain and the sea.

As I say, the village of KlongWan is nothing special but the locals are friendly and there are noodle shops, an amazing fish restaurant and nice little bars near by.

The high street

The temple is much bigger and grander than the Lao equivalents!

So we had just about settled in and then the storm came! It absolutely hammered down, off and on for 2 days with dramatic displays of thunder and lightning. Quite unusual at this time of year apparently.

It was a relief when the skies finally cleared and we were able to get out and about. It's a half hour walk round the headland to get to Ao Manao beach, which is good for swimming apparently.

Ao Manao

Great topiary in the Min of Fisheries garden

In the evening the sun goes down behind the mountains in Myanmar, which is only 10 km away

My breakfast spot

Our friendly local taxi driver Chai has lent Trevann his guitar

Fish and chips! We didn't realise that each fish we had ordered would normally be enough for 3 persons! No English menu - we're relying on pictures! 

The fishing boats were unable to go out during the storm so were tied up around the town pier. Colourful.

This is the little harbour at the back of our guest house

After the rain...the view from our room is just spectacular