Thailand – Laos: Day 4 – Part 4 – Review of Maggie Guesthouse and Journey to Hua Hin

Continued from Thailand – Laos Travel: Day 4 – Part 3 – Wat Thammikaram Worawihan and Return to Maggie Guesthouse in Prachuap Khiri Khan. For pre-travel, please refer here.

As soon as we arrived at Maggie Guesthouse (MG), we rushed into the room and packed up. In remembrance of Nok’s good service that allowed us to check-in as early as 9.00 am, we reciprocated her service by check-out precisely at 12.00 pm as she wished. We must preserve the good name of our country…

Back then, we didn’t shower because the time is almost reached 12.00 noon … except for Aqif.

A lot of excess food had to be thrown away to reduce the number of bags that had to be held by hand. Then, we put backpacks and belongings in the front room of MG.

Then, I asked Nok if there is any minibus that is available to go to Hua Hin. Today is December 31, 2016, and tonight is the celebration for the new year 2017. I’m starting to worry. I was concerned if no minibus is available. Plus, this is the first time our family will be riding a minibus and haven’t yet understood the pace.

Suddenly Nok came back to me ….. she said that all the minibusses were already FULL !!! I was instantly startled. Oh my … do we need to spend another one more night in Prachuap? We don’t know what else to do here. So I asked Nok to try again. She was persistent and tried to call the minibus again. So what is the outcome? I’ll tell you later below …

Meanwhile, let me tell you a bit about Maggie Guesthouse.

One of the single rooms. At first, we thought it was a resting place for the public, but apparently, it was a single room.

Maggie Guesthouse

In Prachuap Khiri Khan, it seems that the price of accommodation here is the cheapest. We found this MG by accident after being recommended by the locals. What is interesting for solo travelers, here there is no dorm but has a single room with a shared bathroom. Single rooms start at THB200. But there may be travelers or backpackers who are not interested because they can not mix with travelers from other countries as similar to the concept of a dorm.

Double rooms start at THB350 to THB600 per night. We got a double room with a bathroom, airconditioner and wifi for THB500. Suitable for families. There are no mosquitoes. The toilet is ok but not like a 4-star hotel.

MG is a community-based homestay or guesthouse. So, everyone has to maintain cleanliness, noise and others. If you want to go to Prachuap, I highly recommend MG and if I go back there, I will choose MG again. There were two westerners and I had a chance to chat with them, one from France and another from the US. Both of them chose MG for accommodation and did not know how many times they stayed in MG each time they came to Prachuap.

MG is run by Nok, who is Maggie’s aunt. She’s about 45 years old. Nok is very kind to us and she also has Muslim siblings. We always chatted about Malaysia and Thailand and even went so far as to talk about Zhulian gold-plated chains. She said the gold-plated era from the Malaysian company was trending in Thailand during the 90s.

GPS location of Maggie Guesthouse: 11.805762, 99.797933

The distance between MG and the beach is only 300 meters and the distance from the Night Market where there are Muslim stalls is 400 meters.

These are the hut-shaped receptionist counter for MG. It is unique because it is located outside and seems like a stall selling cakes, sticky rice, or fruit.

When we arrived early yesterday morning, it was at this hut that I tried to contact the host. You don’t need to use your mobile phone, and you can use the phone that is placed on the table.

A relaxing place to sit and lie down is provided free of charge only for residents.

A lounge area is provided in the living room and is filled with sofas. That was the couch I was lying on to sleep on when I arrived here yesterday morning. For almost an hour, I fell asleep so soundly!

Room for watching TV.

Mini library…

A washing machine is also provided, but we didn’t have time to use it here because we washed our clothes more by hand.

Free kitchen for residents. It is also similar to a community kitchen. If you come here and have excess food such as bread, biscuits and cooking ingredients, you can keep it here and donate it to other communities.

Other facilities available are bicycle and motorcycle rental, but I forgot the rental price per motorcycle. Suppose I’m not mistaken, between THB200-250 a day. This place is very suitable for those who travel on motorcycles because you can park motorcycles in the compound area and may even park close to the room you are staying in if the room is located outside.

Haha … this statue is hilarious. When Aqif wanted to take a picture here, he held the head of the statue. Suddenly the head of the statue fell to the ground. It isn’t very easy to reassemble the head of this statue. Luckily I managed to plug it in.

I get to know a Frenchman named François Vuillaume. It looks like he’s already in his 60s. He was very kind and friendly. It’s true what people say that the people of France are good, maybe from a certain part of France. Except for Paris because the city is full of various foreigners just like London.

When we first arrived at MG, he was the one who helped us to contact Nok or Maggie and told us a lot about the beauty of Prachuap. These are his second visit here.

On the way to checkout from MG, we chatted for a while and he showed us lots of pictures of the volcano near Mont Blanc and the Swiss border. He was a great man of his age because I could see a picture of him standing next to a volcanic larva. He is a mountain climber and very well established despite his old age. No wonder that he could travel to South East Asia (SEA) alone. He said he had been in South East Asia for two months.

He stayed in the eastern part of France, close to the Swiss border and very close to Geneva. I don’t even remember the name of the town. But, to be sure, if there were any sustenance to France, perhaps we would head to his house because he earnestly invited us to his house.

When I found out he lived there, I asked about CERN (European Council for Nuclear Research). For those constantly researching CERN and the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), that’s where it is located. The funny thing is, he thought I was an engineer at CERN. No … I’m just a researcher on physics and technology as a hobby, not in-depth.

At the end of the meeting, we exchanged emails … see you again, François Vuillaume. You are very helpful and friendly to us.

Contact number for Maggie Guesthouse: 087 597 9720

Review from Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Hotel_Review-g1825963-d2177904-Reviews-Maggie_s_home_stay-Prachuap_Khiri_Khan_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan_Province.html

For your information, from 28th Dec to 12th Jan 2017, we visited 11 cities around Thailand and Laos. If given the first choice, we would like to go to Prachuap again compared to other cities. From here to Hua Hin is only an hour’s drive.

Ok, let me resume the story about Nok trying to call the minibus. After persistent trying to contact, there is still no answer. So, in the end, Nok told me to follow him on a motorcycle tuktuk belonging to the guesthouse to the minibus station. Not far, about 1 km only.

The image above is borrowed from Google Street View, and there is a story here. Her motorcycle tuk-tuk was parked outside the guesthouse, so Nok and I suddenly saw the MG signboard (which was green in color) fall, probably because the wind blew it. So I went to the back of the guesthouse to look for bricks because I wanted to add weight to the foundation of the signboard. Unintentionally ‘devoted’ to work with the guesthouse for a while, hehe.

Vroom ….. we headed to the minibus station while Aqif and Tatie waited at MG. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my mobile phone in case anything happens.

As soon as we arrived, I found that the minibus counter worker was relaxing. There are 2 to 3 empty and abandoned minibusses and no tourists are queuing in this area to board the minibus following what was said ‘tickets are full or sold out’ earlier. Why is it like this and different from what is said? I suppose maybe the one Nok called was from another company and he didn’t have a phone number for the minibus company here. For that reason, he took me straight here.

Nok told me to buy tickets first while he went back to the guesthouse and pick up my family and our stuff. I also bought tickets for three people. The fare per person is THB80. Even the little boys have to pay the fare. The counter workers were indeed a little fierce. Probably too disciplined and very punctual.

Hmm … why did Nok take so long to pick them up? I waited almost 15 minutes. This is the first time that is the longest time and farthest distance I’ve been separated from my family for a moment when we were in Thailand. In this case, only those who have been dubbed ‘fathers’ understand how I feel.

Suddenly they appeared in front of me …. ahh, I’m relieved.

We quickly unloaded our backpacks and put them in the minibus that was waiting for us.

Is the minibus waiting for us? When we just got into it, I found there were only two passengers in the back. I thought it was packed because it was not visible from the outside. After all, the windows were tinted dark. As I looked in the dashboard mirror, I saw a row of shops in front of us.

The minibus that we ride to Hua Hin.

I got off the minibus for a while. Meanwhile, I showed a hand signal like someone about to drink water to the minibus driver waiting at the counter. I told him I was going to the grocery store for a while to buy mineral water. He said ok but asked me to buy quickly and return here. I’m assuming that Thais are kind of punctual.

The ‘CJ’ grocery store that I stopped by to buy mineral water. I stepped as fast as Flash Gordon. Damn you, minibus driver, hahaha! I’ve told you that this is the first time we took a minibus.

Back to the minibus … hmmm … still waiting. I also took pictures of this place. It is still located within the city limits of Prachuap, just from a different part.

Waiting again …… I think it might be a prayer and an amulet to ensure the safety of each other on the journey. That’s my assumption. It was interesting to see three leaves attached to the roof by the minibus driver. What are the types of leaves?

Aqif is tired because he has been walking and climbing hills all day since morning. I think this is a photo of when the minibus started its journey leaving Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Goodbye Prachuap Khiri Khan. We will miss you.

Around the scenery on the way to Hua Hin.

Want to see a video in a minibus? Watch the video above.

Haa … I told you. Aqif was tired and fell asleep less than 15 minutes after boarding the minibus.

I stayed awake on the journey, which took almost 2 hours. At first, I thought it was 1 hour 15 minutes. But because the minibus often stops to pick up a few more passengers, so the travel time increases.

When I was very sleepy, I saw a row of Buddhist monks walking in the form of a long queue. I don’t know where their destination is and what their purpose is.

The image is a bit blurry. This is a typical sight … they don’t wear shoes.

We were entering a small town here. The distance to Hua Hin is getting closer. I was intrigued when I saw such a large wat on the hill.

We plan to stop at Rajabhakti Park, a park and memorial that houses 7 statues of the old king of Thailand. It is located halfway to Hua Hin. As we were about to carry a heavy backpack and step into the park, we canceled and continued to Hua Hin Clock Tower. According to my plan, maybe after arriving in Hua Hin, I will rent a motorbike to go to Rajabhakti.

Ok, the plan has changed. I’m still thinking about where should we stop when we arrive in Hua Hin? I got an idea.

Tip: I immediately Google Hua Hin Clock Tower and show it to the minibus driver. At a glance, he already knew and was clear about the destination. It’s straightforward… that’s the technique if you don’t know how to speak to the locals.

For those of you who follow my entry, you will be bored as I’m always writing about Prachuap. So this is the last entry and next, we will open a new book about Hua Hin!

Continued in the next entry …. Thailand – Laos Travel: Day 4 – Part 5 – Hua Hin Here We Come! Tong Mee Hotel and Night Market.