After the Convention

After the intensity of the convention we needed to get away for a few days to unwind – we needed a little oasis of calm and serenity, not to mention somewhere to catch up on some much-needed sleep!  We found it a two hour drive away (not driven by us I hasten to add!) in Hua Hin, at the Centara Grand resort.  

Originally built as the Railway Hotel in 1924 in a resort popularised by the King, the Centara Grand retains the colonial feel (although Thailand has never been colonised, Britain has been a favourite example since the days of King Rama V (famous as the King in The King & I)), lofty and airy corridors, space, gardens (with exotic topiary!), pools and beach.

We ventured out occasionally for a little light shopping & eating, including small elephant souvenirs and a couple of jackets tailored in 48 hours, but other than that we just enjoyed the peace & quiet.   

Apart, of course, from our visit to a Rotary Club!  At the convention we met some Rotarians from Hua Hin and discovered that there are two clubs in Hua Hin, one older established & Thai-speaking and one, meeting in the next door hotel, that is two years old & English-speaking and having their Presidential Inauguration for the 2012-2013 Rotary year on the Saturday night of our stay, the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin.  And so we spent the evening in the company of the mainly expatriate members and their other halves, the incoming District Governor and his “Special Representative” (no idea what that is), several Presidents of neighbouring clubs and visiting Rotarians from Hawaii, Nepal and St Petersburg.  Great fun and good to see a new club doing great Rotary service with the local schools.