Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Thar She Blows

The best thing about going away for a holiday, in my opinion, is getting back home afterwards. Don't get me wrong, we had a really nice time at Sirarun Resort, Thap Sakae. The rooms were a little old and in need of refurbishment, but the staff were friendly and the grounds lush. The weather wasn't the best, with three days of gale-force winds that made the normally emerald-green seawater murky. I did a Google review (I'm a Google Local Guide with one hundred forty-nine contributions) and despite a few issues, I gave them four stars.

It's funny how after just eight months of living in Thailand, I'm beginning to look at prices differently. When I first arrived, I'd simply convert Thai baht to Australian dollars and marvel at how much cheaper things were. Nowadays, I'm more savvy about what I end up paying, and having a girlfriend who has spent a lifetime living in poverty has brought a new perspective on how I spend my money.

Sirarun Resort is fairly isolated and quiet. It's located around eight kilometres from a little gem called Ban Krut. The town has lots of small restaurants all along the road opposite the beach that serve cheap, high-quality food. One night we ate seafood and the next we went to a different restaurant and had Pad Thai. We spent under 400 baht for four meals, including drinks.

One day we explored the coast heading south from Ban Krut...riding my motorcycle slowly along the beach road. There were plenty of housing blocks for sale, but unfortunately, I can't buy land here in Thailand. For a brief moment, I flirted with the idea of marrying Nada and doing the whole 'her owning the land and me the house' thing, but we haven't been together long enough for that. It would be nice to build a small two-bedroom cottage somewhere along that stretch of beach, but the reality is rent is so cheap that it makes no sense to buy a home.

On the way back to Hua Hin, we took a detour via Sam Roi Yot National Park. The scenery is normally spectacular, with huge sheer cliffs rising right next to the road. Unfortunately, at this time of year, there is a lot of smoke in the air, and the views of the mountains are obscured. I noticed a lot of big, adventure bikes like mine touring around the area.

We are planning on returning to Ban Krut sometime soon, where hopefully, we will get better weather.