We started our Year of the Tiger with a trip to Thailand, escaping a week of deserted streets and closed everything as Saigon virtually shut down for Tet (Vietnamese New Year week). We stayed 6 nights at a resort on Pakweb Beach - a long stretch of undeveloped beach just north of Khao Lak in southern Thailand. It was a very different Thai beach experience to my others - no beach bars, no (evil) buckets and no backpackers. Instead - the fairly empty beach was backed by jungle with one resort in the middle and not a dreadlocked firetwirler in sight! Luckily (as otherwise it would have been a bit TOO undeveloped for my liking) there were a few Thai beach shack restaurants tucked away at each end. We fell in love with the delicious food at a little family run hut called RimLay Seafood and ended up eating there most nights. Coconuts and larb gai - mmm....! Now - it's back to sunny Saigon and wondering what the Year of the Tiger will hold for us!
