Do you prefer a natural landscape or a man-made one? If you’re keen on natural views, you’re lucky – because there’s a brand-new place near Ton Lea Ba Ti that provides you with a close-to-nature outlook.

My friends and I arrived at Palm Village at 10:30am after about an hour’s  drive. When we arrived, we were surprised, because there were lots of interesting places on this two-hectare site to kill time.

On the right-hand side, we could see a long tent where visitors can enjoy their lunch; a playground for kids to have fun; a lake that provides fresh air, a pleasant view and calm surroundings; a coffee shop for people who can’t resist the smell of coffee; and a library for those who enjoy reading.

In front of us was a row of several cabins for customers who want to stay overnight and really relax.

Not only that, visitors can go swimming, because there’s a swimming pool on our left-hand side. It’s extraordinary that Palm Village, such a small place, can provide so many things of interest.

After we did some sightseeing and took pictures around Palm Village, a waiter showed us to the lunch tent and asked us whether we wanted to order food.

“Here, unlike in other places, the customers have the choice of bringing their own food or ordering our food to eat,” the waiter said.

Because we hadn’t brought any food, we ordered several dishes including baked chicken, baked fish with salt, beef larb and soup.

As we waited for our food, my friends amused themselves by playing cards. Because of the heady aroma from the coffee shop, however, I couldn’t resist  trying a cup.

On the way to the coffee shop, I met the owner of Palm Village. “My co-workers and I plan to offer more things for our customers, such as providing bikes for older people to

do workouts – and not only bikes, but carts so young people can experience the feeling of riding on them,” the owner said.

I continued my trip to the coffee shop, sat down and drank a cup, and immediately felt a lot fresher.

About 40 minutes later, the food we had ordered was placed in front of us and we could fill our stomachs.

After sampling some of the dishes, especially the chicken and the baked fish, we all agreed they were delicious.

After we had finished our lunch, the waiter told us:  “If you come on Sunday next time, there will be a small market located at the tents in front of our restaurant and you will be able to buy some of the items or foods the local people have on sale.”

Even though spending some time at Palm Village had made us really enjoy our day by putting our stress aside and strengthening our friendship, we still felt a bit unlucky because the swimming pool was not yet completed and the small market took place only on Sunday.