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The temple itself was an architectural work of art.  Set on a square platform, it was surrounded by dozens of identical bells, which visitors would bang with sticks to create a continuous clanging sound that functions as a Buddhist chant.  [See the video]

After some time at Wat Khow, we headed back down the mountainside.  At the base of the hill, we found ourselves in the middle of a bustling fishing village.  The scent of the sea permeated the air, and fishing families attended to the business of preparing nets and fish.  Small roadside shacks offered the fresh catches of the day.  

We left the harbor around 12:35 PM and hit the road again.  About fifteen minutes later, we happened upon the following sign:

Curious as to what a "fire viewpoint" is, Avi and I decided to turn toward Khao Hin Lek.  Again, we found ourselves scaling a steep hill.  Once we hit the end of the road, we found our answer in the form of two things: a massive aviary and another vantage point overlooking Hua Hin and the ocean.

I love aviaries.  The best one I've seen in the States is located at the Desert Museum in Tuscon, where hummingbirds fly over, around, and between you.  The aviary at Khao Hin Lek was neat because it was unexpected and gave me the chance to see birds like these:

                    [See the video]

It's not every day you get to walk among peacocks!

After exiting the aviary, Avi and I trekked up to the lookout point.  We were met at the top by howling winds and another gorgeous view.  [See the video]

Finally, it came time to return to Bangkok.  Unfortunately, since it was Sunday on a holiday weekend, everyone else in Thailand seemed to going back to Bangkok as well.  The return trip ended up taking well over four hours, not including a stop we made along the way at Rama II mall (named after the Thai monarch).  

I should take a moment to talk about Thai malls.  I never expected this going in, but Thailand has the most incredible shopping malls I've ever seen.  They far exceed any mall I've seen in the United States, with the possible exception of the Mall of America in Minnesota.  These buildings are massive, modern, and full of fascinating shops.  To fully explore any one of the malls I visited during the trip would have required a day apiece.  All of this comes as a surprise considering the relatively impoverished state of everything outside the malls' walls.  Why does a third world country have bigger, better malls than those in the U.S.?  

At Rama II, I bought some nice pearl jewelry for my mom and grandma, and Avi and I ate at a great restaurant called Daidomon.  The spicy squid salad was spicy as hell, but unfortunately Avi didn't react well to the meal — he staggered outside the mall coughing up blood.  Uh oh.   

After taking some meds, he got back behind the steering wheel and we made our way back to Bangkok, where we rested a while at his uncle's place.  Later that night, we went bowling.  Thai bowling alleys have a couple neat features — and no, I don't mean the blaring Asian-techno soundtrack.  When you purchase your shoe rental, you're given a token.  You take this token over to a shoe vending machine, where you insert your token, press the button corresponding to your shoe size, and — BAM! — watch your shoes tumble down a chute and into a receptacle, not unlike a soda can.  

Also, instead of sitting in a horseshoe-shaped row of seats in between turns, you sit at a proper table with a full menu and wine list.  Wait staff shuffle to and from tables, serving you as if you're at a restaurant.  Besides the obvious convenience of food and drink, it's also nice to be able to sit down and face each other while you're waiting your turn.  All this is part of the bright and shiny package that Thai bowling alleys present to their clientele. 

Avi ended up sick again after a couple games, so he made the decision to visit a physician the next day (good thing Thai copays are minimal).  It looked like I would be fending for myself the next couple days.

On 2 January 2005, it was 84°F during the day and 64°F at night.



Map of Thailand's Central Coast