Hua Hin with family

After the relatively fun expo ended (I didn't jinx it, yay!), I went straight to my aunt's house and enjoyed relaxing family time.  My aunt had a medical conference in Hua Hin the next day (Saturday), so we decided to make a short trip out of it.  We made the trip in a nice comfy van, with my nephew Dell running around the back, being equal parts cute and mischievous.  It was a nice, leisurely drive, and we stopped at Phra Nakhon Khiri National Museum on the way:

cable car!  Dell was very excited.

I guess I was excited, too.

with my aunt and Dell

you're not allowed to enter temples with tank tops or shorts (I had capris, thankfully), so I had to wear this scarf/shawl, which my relatives found really funny for some reason :P

creepy monkeys were all over the place, completely unafraid of people and even getting close enough to unzip one woman's backpack! eep... I don't think I like monkeys. at all.

with my super nice cousin-law, Dell's mom, P'Ae (on the far right)

got my name made in glass! very cool.

When we arrived in Hua Hin, we checked into the resort that the organizers at the medical conference arranged for my aunt, and OMG fanciest place ever.  They had given her a private villa with a private swimming pool and living room and huge bathroom.  Over the top!  But beautiful.

my cousin snapped this while I was doing a happy dance

bathroom

bedroom with private swimming pool in the back area

aaahhhhh

We did a bit of swimming and more relaxing, and then went to a ... park, sort of? A touristy place, for Thai people (and foreigners of course), hahah.  It showcased old traditional Thai foods and candies and carnival games.

I'm guessing this was a western touch... and Dell was too short, so I'm holding him up here. :P

with my cousin and his fam on the left, and my uncle and aunt-in-law on the right-hand side

The next day was uneventful; we headed back and stopped to eat at this restaurant overlooking mud flats with lots of teeny crab and mudskippers to see.  My cousin likes to eat as much as I do, yay!

5-flavor shrimp, some sort of shellfish, and soft-shell crab, mmm!

my cousin, P'Chat

Dell and I watching the mudskippers (fish that walk on land!)

When we got home, I helped to make cream puffs for the first time!  They ended up being way too small, so it was difficult to get the cream in, but they were delicioussss!!

pre-bake-age

great. I just made myself hungry.

I went shopping with another aunt the next day, bought a couple of genie pants and dresses to wear on the island, then took the train to Chumporn the next day (Tuesday).  I arrived in Koh Tao at 5 am the next day, and got to stay one last night in my beautiful suite at Montra before packing up and moving back to Coral Grand (because the high season was over, and I was getting spoiled, haha).  So I'm back at Coral Grand, both living and working here, and it's nice.  I miss the luxury of Montra, but I really can't complain.  I've been diving lots, but now I should be studying and getting my DMT exams out of the way!

Will post again soon, hopefully. :)