Today we go on medical missions (not for me I hasten to add) to Trat 60 km north. The German couple here with the "mystery wife" are in need of some strong controlled drugs and need to go to the hospital. And Steve is heading northwards to meet up with his daughter and needs to be dropped off at the bus station. So along with Julie, we pile into Chin's rather luxurious minibus. After the hospital drop off we repair to the pharmacy for simpler drugs. I take the opporunity to stock up on Cipro's as all the ones I keep buying "just in case" case go out of date as luckily I haven't needed the "just in case".
I then spend a happy hour exploring Trat. Last time I was here it was just overnight so I didn't really get a feel for the place. Having said that, whilst there are more people about in the day, there still wasn't much to see. I still love seeing the orange monk offering gift sets on sale full of toothpaste and Tide. But good to spend some time in a workaday Thai town with no tourist infrastructure. And I loved the car park in the temple grounds - very spiritual!
But I will really miss the Mairood - we were joking last night that Chin puts something in the water! It's hard to define. On the surface it's a collection of little hut bungalows like many others surrounding a little pool. The rooms are above basic, ok and clean but not 5* luxury, the beds Asian hard. It's on a lagoon not a beach (that is about a five minute walk away along the coast). And when you get to it there is nothing else there, just a narrow beach of white powder sand with odd bits of rubbish washed up on the shore. It's on the edge of a fascinating but rough old fishing village so nowhere to go to get a drink or eat out. The food is amazing but the restaurant is brightly lit and the chairs are the white plastic garden variety. There's no "set piece" sights around to go to. But the place has an atmosphere of calm and relaxation which is hard to describe. When you first arrive, it looks like any other, but very quickly it draws you in. Almost everyone who checks in, unless they have a strict timetable, extend their stay as I have done. And many people return, as I plan. So what is it about the place? Chin and his two sisters (they are both US residents) are kind, generous and caring hosts and it's a quiet and relaxing setting with no road noise. The only noises are birds, the roosters and the occasional chugging of a boat. But that still doesn't explain it - I think there's magic in that water after all...
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Location:Khlong Yai,Thailand
