Have you ever imagined pure nature in the heart of the tourist city, Pattaya, or have you ever thought of something apart from sea and sand when you go to pattaya? If the answer is no, experience this.
THAI STYLE ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD
By the time I arrived at Sugar Hut it was lunch time and my stomach was crying out for some food. The traffic to Pattaya had been bad; I had nearly cried during the three hours drive from Bangkok. I didn't know what to expect at the Sugar Hut but any preconceived ideas that I did have turned out to be totally wrong. The resort of Pattaya is known for little else than the fact that it has a beach and is next to the sea. As I stepped out of the car I realized that this was the kind of place that my stressed-out nerves had been longing for.
The hotel's staff welcomed me and led me to my room. I followed them as we walked deeper and deeper into what seemed to be a forest. It was like a journey of discovery, a walk into the past and the feeling of being Thai became clearer with every step. All the hotel's cottages or, properly, houses, were all in the style of those found during the Ayutthaya period of Thai history. I couldn't wait to see what they looked like inside. So, lifting my feet I climbed the stairs and stepped into my room.
The effect was almost hypnotic. This is something that had been missing from my life the Thai style decoration and a mosquito net. Rather than make me feel stimulated, as the colour red usually does, the crimson bed sheet made me feel sleepy so I threw myself onto the soft bed and forgot everything I had to do when the holiday was over, the traffic in Bangkok and even where I was. The only thing that mattered was the here and now so I blissfully fell asleep.
I woke an hour later and was immediately torn between deciding whether to just lie there and go back to sleep or if a swim in the pool in front of my room would be a good idea. Deciding to go for a swim, I pulled myself up from the bed and went to get changed in the bathroom. On opening the bathroom door I got quite a surprise, not only did the bathroom have a flush toilet and shower but also held two large earthenware jars. Another surprise was the open ceiling above me, which allowed the bathroom to be flooded with daylight. I lifted the top of one of the jars to see if there was really water inside. There was so I took a traditional Thai style bath, and once more felt the feeling of somehow stepping back into the past.
After a quick bath, I couldn't wait to get into the pool. While changing into my new, colorful swimming suit, my eyes caught sight of something colorful hanging there in the bathroom. It was a sarong, or Thai bathrobe and even though I am Thai, I'm still crazy about these things and couldn't help putting it around my body. "Very trendy", I thought to myself, looking at the mirror. The pool was empty, the water looked clear and clean with a colour different from any other pools that I have Swum in. This colour was created by the mosaic tiles used in the pool's construction. I swear, you feel as if you are swimming in a lake or lagoon, far from everything.
As there was nothing to disturb the atmosphere. I swam away all the stress of work, Bangkok and the traffic. It really helped me to relax although I couldn't say how far I swam. When I'd had enough, I got out of the pool and got into an "in-the-middle-of -nature" Jacuzzi. The water was warm because of the early summer sun and I wouldn't have got out of the Jacuzzi if my stomach hadn't told me that it was time to eat. After dressing in my easiest style, after all, it feels good to be out of tradition sometimes, I walked past a second swimming pool to the hotel's restaurant.
The restaurant was sited in another 'house'. While waiting for the food to arrive, I discovered just how much red can influence your feelings. Much as the colour had made me feel sleepy earlier, the red napkins were now making me feel hungry. So, when the food arrived, I just laid into it without any hesitation. I ate and ate and soon found myself left with four empty plates in front of me. I had been hungry but the yummy food had filled me up.
While taking a walk around the resort, I was suddenly stopped by the sight of a couple of rabbits. They were playing with each other and weren't scared by me at all. They ran away when I tried to move closer and touch them. As I walked along, I saw more rabbits, as well as peacocks, chickens and other kinds of animal. I soon found myself at another pool. This was another one!! It was not the one in front of my room, and it was not the one at the restaurant either. The owner must have been crazy to have built three swimming pools at one resort, but it was true. No wonder the pool had been empty earlier.
When I got back to my room is was around six o'clock and I was feeling a little hot from the exercise I had just done. "The sky was still light so I took out the novel which I was reading and had nearly finished. The wind got stronger as the evening began and it touched my face as I turned the pages. I couldn't help feeling sleepy because of the nice weather but decided not to have another nap. Instead I returned to my room, unpacked some things, got out my little diary and wrote about that wonderful day.
By the time I had finished writing, it was already dark. The time went so quickly here. I didn't bother to look at the clock but just used my feelings of hunger to decide what to do . I took another shower, this time with the stars rather than the sun keeping me company. After dressing in another casual outfit, my stomach walked me to the restaurant. This time I decided to have dinner by the pool in front of the restaurant. The view of the restaurant at night was different but very spectacular. Because of my diet, I didn't eat much but still finished every single thing ordered. I couldn't resist the taste of the food here.
I wanted another swim that night but feeling lazy, I walked back to my room, enjoying the beauty of nature and the Sugar Hut at night. Back in the room, I picked up a magazine and thought about visiting the fitness room I had walked past that afternoon. Maybe I would do some exercises there in the morning. Two pages into the magazine, I began to feel tired. It had been a long day and I was ready for bed. While still half-awake, I lay thinking and hoping that everything would be the same tomorrow morning not just a dream . Good night Sugar Hut
