Dining in Margaritaville

My husband's school department chair took us out to dinner on Saturday night. He does this every year with his new teachers to welcome them, get to know them, and spend time with them. It is a nice way to get to know one's employees outside the school.

He picked us up at our house (he lives about ten minutes away) in his car, which we had been looking forward to riding in all day. Just imagine: being picked up and going somewhere without having to find a ride. But I guess we are already more accustomed to our current way of life than we realized because the concept of going somewhere in a privately owned car seemed so foreign! My son kept asking with disbelief if we were getting picked up by someone who owned a car.

My husband's supervisor took us to this place that was only about 15 minutes from us, tucked away on Soi 191 from the busy Ramkhamhaeng Road. It seemed like a different world. Where just down the street was the rushing of traffic and honking of horns, this place was peaceful and quiet, with the sounds of a wall of waterfall and birds, and a body of water right under the flooring of the restaurant. The restaurant reminded me of places we had been to previously on the shores of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, with a chill, tropical vibe. The ambiance was reminiscent of a lazy summer night on the beach. All that was missing were a pitcher of margaritas and fun, summer music.

Connecting the restaurant to the street where it is located is a small walkway, where I was treated to  this view.

As the sun set, lights and lanterns in the trees came on, giving a glow to the place.

Decorations and sparkly lights in the trees.

The "waterfall." We sat right next to it, where the light is in the picture. It was so relaxing and peaceful to listen to the trickling water.

A view of the restaurant as you walk in from the road.

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A pleasant evening spent in a pleasant setting, with amazing food (isn't it always?) and great company. We learned a lot from the department chair about different aspects of working and living here, from filing taxes (I don't even want to think about how complicated that's going to be next year!) to the phone numbers of a food delivery service in Bangkok and of a woman named Miss Emma who is a private driver for hire. She charges 300 baht/hour (about $10/hour). A private driver for only $10/hour?! I'll take it!

On the way home, my husband subconsciously reached for his wallet to pay the driver, only we didn't need to pay for this ride. What a sweet feeling it is to realize that we were on our way home without having to deal with flagging down a taxi driver! A perfect end to the night.