Looking back on a great weekend . . .

As we approach the next weekend, I can't help recalling last weekend -- & I doubt if it'll be matched! A quick glimpse of Burma, lunch by the beach & then some great live rugby. That's a hard act to follow, right?

Last Saturday (the 10th), I travelled a little closer to Burma that I usually care to. Officially, foreigners can't cross over into 'Myanmar' but the border is less than 60km from my home & if you don't mind using some rather rough mountain paths, is also pretty porous. I have been told that it's easy to cross without knowing, according to some trekkers & motorcyclists. I'd rather not find out.

Anyway, why did I go anywhere near that thoroughly unpleasant, unhappy land? Well, I had been invited to take a look at a new development located on the western side of the mountains that form a backdrop to Hua Hin. Part of the AKA Resort development, this part was very scenic indeed. There are some lovely verdant plains beyond those dusty mountains, stretching off towards the Burmese frontier. Although we could see for a long way, there was barely any sign of life -- no sounds of traffic & very few dwellings. The lack of activity was partly due to the rather intense sunshine, which gave me a little sunburn before the day was over. However, it was worth it, as I enjoyed seeing the other side of the hills, & look forward to returning to that area soon & often.

We had lunch that day at Let's Sea hotel, on the edge of a patio right on the beach. It's a very nice restaurant, with attentive, English-speaking staff -- in fact, I'm taking 'her indoors' there for a Valentine's Day dinner tonight! Anyway, the Japanese visitors who were with us seemed amazed at how empty this long, sandy beach was -- & then I reminded them that this is still the peak season here! This part of the beach is about 4km from downtown & doubtless it was much more crowded around the Sofitel. However, Hua Hin never gets as crowded as some of those European or Florida beaches one sees on TV. Even after the tsunami, I'm willing to bet Phuket gets much more congested. That's one more reason I've only ever been there once -- for a short day trip -- & I have no plans to return.

My weekend ended in a very nice way when, at around 22:00, I watched the Ireland-France game, live from the hallowed turf of Croke Park, Dublin. Hitherto, there was no rugby at Croke Park. The Gaelic Athletic Association's rule 42 ensured that, as it was an English game, it could not be played there. This was partly because of the incident in 1920 when British forces fired into the crowd & killed 14 people, including spectators and players (an exaggerated version of this was shown in the film 'Michael Collins'). It was indeed a fine game, worth staying up for. Ireland got a try from the talented Ronan O'Gara, who also scored with 4 kicks. Indeed, Ireland seemed set for victory when O'Gara's fourth penalty in the 77th minute stretched Ireland's lead to four points (17-13), but France regathered the restart and sent Vincent Clerc through for the winning try. Final score was 17 - 20. As I like both teams, the result was fine for me, though it must have broken a few Irish hearts. I'm sure Guinness did well that night, though