Within 48 hrs of arriving in Chiangmai, I was at the airport again, this time flying. To Nakhon Si Thammarat for the wedding that brought about this whole visit.
The bridegroom’s mother, her sister and niece met me at the airport and her brother and two nephews will meet us in the south having driven from Nakhon Nayok, just north of Bangkok.
We flew Thai Lion Air via Bangkok’s low cost airlines’ airport, Don Meuang – the old International Airport and much more manageable than the new, much larger, Suvarnabhumi. I lost my car in a car park at Don Meuang some 15 years ago and kept my brother and his friend waiting an hour in the heat while I was driven round on a motor bike to find it!!
The airport looks really good these days and the airlines that use it offer great value for money, though I was concerned to see what looked like a 737 MAX still in service.
I was amused as we checked in for the second flight and passed through security to find the seats near the end of the scanner belt with this sign above them:
Another short flight and we were safely in Nakhon Si Thammarat, taking a taxi to a new hotel in the town. Laekhon Nonbai apparently is owned and was designed by an architect – and it shows! Very simple rooms, relaxing, beautifully unobtrusively lit, each with a balcony. The rates include breakfast and there are views of the local famous temple Chedi from the rooftop bar.
We were keen to meet the bride and groom and did so that evening, sharing a meal of ‘goong gata’ (prawn barbecue) with them at a restaurant across from the hotel. Five of us had an ‘all you can eat’ Korean barbecue style meal for about £17. It’s cook it yourself al fresco style eating and good for sharing so you cook as a group sitting around the tabletop barbecue pan which also boils soup.
Thursday had us shopping in the nearby wholesale market and finding somewhere for hair to be done before the wedding.
Later in the day we visited Wat Phrahatat Woramahawiharn Nakhon Si Thammarat which houses the chedi we could see from the hotel.Fascinating to watch life go by there in the early evening – families, people exercising, others praying or meditating and some just looking. One little boy got very brave, turned to me and said, very quickly, ‘Wot your name?’ And then became tongue-tied when I asked his. But he clearly enjoyed the interaction and seemed pleased when, having dragged the Thai word from the darkest recesses of my memory, I was able to tell his parents I thought he was very brave to initiate a conversation.
We had decided to have dinner at a seafood restaurant as this area is famed for its seafood. Seven of us ate royally for way less than we’d have had to pay in the UK. It’s good to see how the boys enjoy such a variety of food!
And now the preparations begin in earnest!
Living the Journey 