We knew we had overdone it a bit on Saturday, so we took things a little more slowly yesterday.

We enjoyed a dim sum brunch at our hotel in the late morning, which was delicious. I think I prefer getting to choose my own dishes, like at our regular Sunday dim sum place, Oriental City, in Amsterdam, though. The Shanghai Mansion has a better egg custard bun, I must admit. And like Oriental City, it was crowded on Sunday with Chinese families who were not guests of the hotel, always a good sign.

After brunching, we took a taxi to the Jim Thompson house. Jim Thompson was an American architect who built a gorgeous house using traditional Thai techniques and style, and who is largely responsible for the global trade in Thai silk. He disappeared mysteriously in the late 1960s.

This is the restaurant onsite. I took the picture only because my maiden name is Thompson, and it looked so pretty here.

Although the place was lovely, and there are several possible things to see, I can’t say it would normally make a must-see list for me. Yet I overheard and read of several other people who think otherwise. For me, it was a low-key way to do spend a Sunday afternoon. For Matt it served in lieu of a museum that struck his fancy.

To get there, we had walked through part of one of the protest zones. To leave in the direction of our next destination, we had to walk through the center of it. I am struggling to reconcile the reports I’ve seen of violence and deaths with the pretty orderly speeches and demonstrations I observed there. I can only imagine that the violence erupts very suddenly, rather than slowly building. Anyway, there were roadblocks all around the site, so we were directed to walk up the center of the road as we left (that’s another couple, ahead of us).

Our next stop was the Caturday Cafe, which seemed like a very kawaii concept. We were not only the only foreigners there, but older by approximately 20 years than anyone else. There were tons of gorgeous cats and giggly girls and boys playing with them.

It was their 4th day opened, and they were a hit.

We’d been there about an hour when Pepijn appeared outside the window. We paid up and split.

I had my first alcohol in a month in a gay bar amidst many, a pitcher of Mai Tai. Way too sweet, but fun.

When we finished the pitcher, Pepijn left us and we had a nice dinner then went back to the hotel.

This morning, we had breakfast at the hotel, which had excellent coffee, then checked out. We took a taxi to the Victory Monument, then 2 minibuses (vans seating 12-14 people) to the ferry for Koh Chang, then a shared pickup truck to the town where our bungalow resort is located, then walked a kilometer because the driver didn’t know where to take us. Total travel time: 7 hours.

The owner here is Swedish and very friendly. Our bungalow is comfy and has cute towels.

We checked in, cleaned up, and walked to the beach. We found a nice-looking restaurant and enjoyed great food and drinks with the sound of the waves in the background. I’m looking forward to seeing it by daylight tomorrow!