Koh Samui

I was greeted at the port with less than thrilled emotion. I'll be honest, I was questioning my decision slightly. 4:30 in the afternoon it was. I wasn't sure which way to go beyond the ferry pier. So, I chose left. I walked along the water, trying to look beyond the litter floating in the water. I do realize that water has to push things in a direction, just so happens that that is on the welcome side. I hate litter.  As I walked on I watched waves passing by. I then heard the occasional 'Where you go, where you go?' from the curious motorbike taxis and tuk tuks drivers.  I simply replied, 'mai ow ka' (I do not want). On I walked, just getting a feel of the land and sea.

I soon realized that if I was ever in need of a 7Eleven or Family Mart (similar to 7Eleven), I'd be in luck.  There was one or the other within eye-distance.  What else did I see? Well, I will give you a run down. If we were to walk a few blocks together here is what we would stumble around: restaurants, souvenir shops, rental places (motorbikes, sport gear), massage shops, travel & tour shops, massage shop, tour and travel shops, resorts, women's clothing shops, 7Elevens, barber/hair shops, Family Marts, massage shops, clothing shops, restaurants, resorts, resorts, REPEAT.. and this goes for both sides of the street. In addition I would add street carts selling items such as noodles, fresh fruit, grilled bananas, fried chicken, processed meat balls and tofu-like meat chunks on sticks (pork, fish), mini grilled pork or chicken kebabs, ice coffee/tea/bubble tea, etc. I walked for about 35 minutes, then decided I wanted to see a little more; I turned around. I backtracked for maybe 20 minutes, then cut inward down a curvy road.  From there I started see more touristy-looking shops.  I hoped that I would find a hostel or something of low cost for my first night in.  I walked, walked, and walked down the streets.  I saw a handful of tourists along the way, though I soon began to realize that I wasn't in the lodging area of Samui. I saw two small hotels in a 1 hour walk down what I thought was a popular street, as I saw many shops selling clothing, sunglasses, postcards, etc. I did meander into a couple shops, but honestly I was rather tired and was just hoping to find something to eat and a place to crash.

The sun was starting to go down and I started to take in the last minutes of the day, looking for something to make the day a little more memorable. And I think I found the moments I was aiming for. I love the water, the people, and the colors..these are the happy memories I think of when I think of my first night on Samui. I love this picture (above).
After some time I saw a market in the distance, so I decided to make a stop. The market was very quaint and raw, which is what I found most intriguing.  It wasn't long before a small pair of brown eyes caught my attention.  Just a little girl playing in some food baskets while her mom was working in a stall.  I checked out some of the local produce and seafood. I definitely caught sight of some new and interesting things, the most interesting thing.. a bucket of moving muddy rocks. Ok, so they weren't rocks, more like mollusks of some sort. The picture doesn't do the crawliness justice. Beyond the market I walked some, taking in the local shops and such then turned around, decided I should just see how much the hotel was about an 45 minutes back. And that is what I did.

 She's yelling 'farang' (means foreigner in Thai). I imagine not many foreigners find this market.

Just playing.

Live mollusks - reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean as they were crawling around.

A Samui alley. Yes, Twin, Thai graffiti does exist. A few locals were staring at me and followed me because they were wanting to know what I was looking at..surly I wasn't just looking at the graffiti.

I set foot in the hotel, eagerly waiting to drop my backpack.  I asked for the cheapest single room, 500 baht at Nathon Residence. Whoah, 500 baht. That was twice as much as I was willing to pay, so I thought. Before thinking it over, I just said ok. I starting walking up to my room, realizing I was about to stay in a real hotel room. I started getting all these magical thoughts about how my room could have comfortable bed, sheets, Oh my gosh their could be A/C.. and hot shower with water pressure.. I had to contain myself on the way up. I didn't want my imagination to take me too far, so fast.

hotel window view, Saturday morning

I opened the door and saw a real bed. Already no regrets. I turned the air on, sat on my clean bed, put the backpack down.  The place had wifi, so I quickly had to text Nick about my splurge.  After I took in the room, I set out for a snack. I went to the Tesco Lotus down the way.  Tesco Lotus chains are found throughout Thailand (and Europe).  Most are about the size of a decent gas station, but in touristy areas they seem to be larger, more like a legit grocery store size. I then bought a bag of apples, green apples. I don't know why, but they just looked so good and I never see green apples in Surat Thani, city.  I then bought some yogurt to go with my homemade Muesli. It was a good night.  I went back, threw some texts Nick's way then laid down on my comfy bed. I soon discovered sheets, which was a huge highlight. My bed in fact had a top sheet and a fitted sheet...AND a blanket. A blanket. No towel for a sheet. It was my second time sleeping under a blanket since January (ridiculous facts that I remember).  I may have turned the temp down on the AC, just so I could comfortably sleep under a blanket. It was lovely.  That next morning, I woke to NO roosters. It almost didn't feel right.

fried, coconut battered sweet potatoes

In the late morning that Saturday, Prom and Koi (pronounced Goi in Thai) met up with me.  ((I made a brief stop in a small alley, I came across some sweet potatoes. They were alright. I found some on the streets of Khanom the weekend before, was hoping for the same experience. It was a bit of a let down, but worth a shot for a gal that loves sweet potatoes and rarely sees them.)) Then off I went with my 20 baht spent, to find my friends, snacking along the way.

Prom and Goi had taken the morning ferry with their car and picked me up near the pier. From there we set off. They told me they had a second bedroom in their resort (Anantara Vacations) and offered me it for the next two nights.  I was excited about that. Plus, they know the island well, so I figured I may enjoy this touristy island best with some inside information. We arrived at the hotel, which was going under renovation. The setup was beautiful, had a bit of modern Asian feel to it.  To my surprise, we had our own private pool. I saw maybe 2 guests during our wholes stay, supposedly it was booked for the whole weekend.

Restaurant view, probably the best coastal view of Samui from what I saw. Beautiful.

We settled in some, then headed off for a late afternoon lunch after a short drive around the island.  They chose to take me to one of their favorite restaurants, one known for the seafood.  We started by choosing a fresh crab out of a tub.  I am an indecisive person, I was debating taking one home as a pet for my roommate or choosing one to satisfy my hunger. I went with hunger.  And there we had it. Fresh catch.

Left to right: fresh crab, raw oysters with my DIY garnish (garlic, chili sauce, lime, herbs, sauteed red onion, and a spicy sauce), morning glory with mushrooms and sauce, 2nd row: Tom Ka Gai (tangy coconut chicken soup.. Mmm), raw oysters and the fixings, and 3rd row: orange curry (spicy fish curry..not my favorite, tried it several times - fishy tasting). 

 Food is art.. I love it. Takes a creative mind an adventurous palate.

After lunch we drove around a bit to see the area.  As we were driving, Prom and Koi asked if I had heard of the Grandmother and Grandfather rocks. I hadn't, so they both decided 'I had to go.'  We arrived.  It was a rather touristy area, Thai's vacationing and then typical backpack herds lingering around.  There were several eateries and island tourist shops.  We made our way to the shore and my, what geography Thailand has to offer.  Always an interest somewhere. (I lost my pic of the grandmother rock..not such a bad thing)

After some rock climbing and people watching, we headed back, but not without some coconut ice cream. It's definitely on the list of one of my top, favorite Thai desserts.  It was served in a coconut with pumpkin, roasted peanuts, dried mango, and preserved lychee fruit. None of us were hungry, so we shared..as this was a unique dessert, too great to pass up - though it was almost over half melted after 3 minutes.  One the way back to our stay, we circle around the perimeter of the island.  

Upon arriving back, I decided to check out the beach side of the resort. It was interesting, nothing spectacular.  This was surprising to me, as I was expecting a very private beach. I walked to the water and on either side of me.. people.  I decided to walk along the beach on one side just to get a feel of Samui.  I quickly discovered that there were resorts stung all the way down the side of beach.  As I looked farther from the shore, many people were sitting in the sun, drinking or eating.  I guess, it really didn't appeal to me. Perhaps it would be better with some company.  And in case you are wondering, most of them were non-Asian.  Though it was a cloudy, cool (low 80s), holiday weekend, most Thai's appeared distant from the beach scene.  

I ran into an Italian man. I thought he spoke English. Not so much. But we tried to make conversation. All I wanted to do was speak Spanish to him. I picked up more of his Italian than his English.  We talked about food briefly (he brought it up, not me), a little on Thailand, then he said he loved my toe-nail polish..I wasn't sure how to respond to that..so the conversation was kept short and ended oddly. I smiled, waved, and said goodbye. When I got back, to our place we decided to choose a tour package for snorkeling on the islands.  They left the decision up to me. I chose the one with a trip to Koh Angthong - National Marine Park island, as it was on my Thailand bucket list.

In the evening Prom and Koi  said they wanted to go to Q Bar, one of Prom's favorite bars in Thailand. The bars are actually a chain, each unique from what I have gathered.  We arrived just after sunset.  The view was something.  I know that had I not been with Prom and Koi, I never would have found the location.  The bar was found through winding roads and steep hills.  Upon arrival we took seats outside. The view, great.

So the picture isn't much, but just know that it was a great view. Much of the lights outlined the island. In the distance I would occasionally see lanterns going up in a similar pathway through the sky.  It was beautiful to watch. I was imagining what people were wishing for. I may have made a wish of my own, not sure if it works like that, but hey, why not?  We sat there for a while and talked. Then, a Thai lad, maybe 55 years old (88 lbs) was signing on a small stage opposite us.  I found out that he had a song list. Prom was encouraging me to choose a song. The songs were of the cheesiest oldies. I chose "My Girl." He gave it his best. It was applause worthy, I'll give him that. And yes, it made me smile a time or three.  Later he came over to me and talked with me for a bit. His English was good, he said that was previously living in Boston, originally from Bangkok. After a couple of hours, Prom asked if I'd like to go to another bar to play me in pool. The catch, Prom and I play pool and the loser buys the other a beer.  I was thinking no, but it was only 10:30.  I said ok.

Koi asked me if I had ever heard of Green Mango, I said no. I had no idea what it was. They remarked that it was near in Chewang Beach, where many backpackers go. I wasn't thrilled about the idea, but I figured if Koi was going it probably was an ok place to see.  So off we went. It was like a strip mall of dance club/bars.  There were lots of tourists and Asian vacationers.  We made our way in to the Green Mango, where Prom found the pool table. We played, I believe it was about a 15 minute game of pool. I am no good at pool, but somehow lost by 1 shot after a significant comeback.  He suggested I buy the beer on the ferry back to Surat Thani mainland. Sounded fine to me. Leaving the pool playing area, the two said that I needed some real Green Mango. I soon learned that that meant I was headed for the dance floor. The three of us danced some, it was actually pretty fun. I met some fun travelers. We danced for about 45 minutes, til we were ridiculously hot and sweaty, and made our way back to the resort. Alarm set for 7:45 for an 8-8:15 pick up.

Sunday morning hit, and I was pretty excited.  I though on a suit and clothes, packed some sunscreen and got ready to head out.  We made it to the meeting point and paid for our tickets, the cost was 2100 baht for the trip, and an extra 100 baht for me to enter the National Park (Koh Angthong), as I am not a citizen.  We were given breakfast. Our options included: coffee, tea, bananas, and sandwiches. A little more on the sandwiches, white sponge bread (tasteless), a slice of ham (spreadable floppy meat), and a slice of cheese (more like a butter slice). It was interesting, gave it a bite. Sadly, I was unable to finish mine.

Time to load up under the overcast skies and cool tropical air. I jumped in the speedboat, seated about 40 passengers. That's a lot of people.  I sat down.  One of the staff on the boat decided that he would put the side flaps down on the boat. As he unrolled the plastic, I looked just in time to see a stream of water land in my lap. Yep, cold. That sure woke me up. 

We made the 1 hour speed boat ride to our first island. Brr, I had goosebumps, and the poor French lady next to me was sick for the entire ride, sea sick. I wanted to help her but there was really nothing I could do, sadly it hit her after 5 minutes into the ride out. We were going against the waves the entire way, hitting lots of waves and followup air time. Kids in the front were loving it, lots of little girls screaming with excitement.

Looking for the snorkel site.

The geography really made me miss my Twin. Can you name this island?

We made it to our first stop after a little over an hour. The snorkel site, near Monkey Island.  Our boat dropped anchor along a limestone island formation.  I put on the provided snorkel mask.  I jumped off the boat to check out the underworld.  The water was really nice, had me worried because I was still rather cold.  I had to make the most of my time before the 39 jumped in.  The weather wasn't the best for seeing, cloudy and grey skies.  However, I did see some large orange fish, brightly colored neon fish, small tropical green fish, coral, and more. After a few minutes in, floating around, small fish started coming up to me nibbling on my arms and legs. It made the experience that much more fun.Unfortunately that was about 12 minutes in of snorkeling, just before not one, not two, but 3 more boat loads of people showed up.  If each of the boats were full, that is about 160 people (not everyone swam). Ridiculous, my downer thought of the day. You can guess where the fish went. Fun little fact, I'd say 90 percent of people wore life jackets. Safety first, yes, I just found that surprising. I have never seen people snorkel with life jackets. Snorkeling is effortless and you float.

Notice the life jackets. Nearly everyone wore life jackets.

Upon arrival at the first island, we took kayaks out.  The kayaks held 3.  So I took the front, Prom and Koi in the back. Just as we broke from shore, there came the rain. 

 Just some kayaking.

 Kayaking.. (looking forward to more of this)

Just some friends kayaking. In the rain. Trying not to get flipped by the boat waves. We kayaked around an island then had to head back as, we had 50 minutes allotment before we even set foot on land to get to the kayak. Timed kayaking, so fun. We made it back to the main island, in time for some lunch. 

Lunch was provided with the tour. It included: steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, green curry (gaeng kiew wan), watermelon (tangmo). It was much better than the breakfast. And I was hungry after a morning of wave beatings, snorkeling, and kayaking.  We then headed back to the boat to head the next stop, Koh Angthong - Marine Park Island - the island I was curious about.

 I climbed vertical stairs, not sure how far up it was. The steps themselves were very narrow and awkard, not something for those afraid of heights.  This is my view to the right.

 The view to my left, the way we came from.

 Looking to the islands and into the gulf.

Emerald Lake or Talay Nay - Koh Angthong National Marine Park

These colors are absolutely real.

Making my way down.  Closed my eyes to make a wish..

Beautiful clear, emerald green water. I wanted to stay the whole day. Perfect place for some hiking and swimming.

My view walking along the bridge.

 I really wanted to snorkel here and trek..did I mention that..

 All the Asian tourists were taking pictures here. I took so many pictures of them, they insisted I be in one.

 I just kind of hung around the lake area til the last minute. I kept watching the sea life, crabs and fish. If you look closely in the upper left corner, you will see hundreds of little green fish.

 What kind of blogger would I be if I skipped out on the food? Take a look at our Thai-style meal (similar to family-style in US).  I let Koi and Prom do most of the ordering, my only request was som tum.

Pictured (left to right, top to bottom):  Som Tom (spicy green papaya salad), asparagus with mushrooms and garlic in soy-based sauce, stir fried spicy pork with garlic and herbs, fried chicken (very popular), spicy glass noodle salad with shrimp, and finally sticky rice with mango (kao neow ma-muang) - served with a sweetened coconut milk (not necessary, extremely sweet dessert).

Soon enough Monday morning broke, 4 am for me. I woke feeling overwhelmingly nauseous.  I tried hiding it as best as I could, only works for so long. I knew from the start of that day that I just wanted to go home.  I had mentioned to Prom and Koi that I had heard about Wat Phra Yai, aka Big Buddha temple, and they suggested we make a stop there which we did. The temple is located on the NE coast of Koh Samui.  It was well worth it, especially given the holiday.

Buddha is 36 feet in height.  He was placed on the coast in 1972.  The statue is a symbol of purity and enlightenment.  This was a beautiful sight. The artwork was amazing. I could  have easily spent more time there.

Ring the bells. The entire upper balcony is full of bells, encompasses 3 sides of the upper level of the temple. Grab a stick and ring away.

Prom thought we should head to a coffee shop until our ferry departure. Therefore, we headed to a small shop on the coast and he had his coffee and fried chicken. I was just there hanging out, starring at the water hoping to kick the ill. The two hour ferry ride back to Don Sok went alright, not a lot fun.  In case you are wondering, I couldn't buy Prom his beer, as there are no beer sales on Buddhist holidays in Thailand. Fun little detail, as we were at the counter trying to order, these two you Thai girls didn't speak any English, but told Prom that all the tourists were confused as to why there were no beer sales. So Prom suggested we write it on paper. He ended up taking the pen. He left an interesting message - 'No beer sales today be *^#*ing Buddhist holiday. Thank you.' The girls were grateful to have something to show the non-Thai speakers. And no, they had no idea what Prom wrote. I smile, caught me off guard a little. I was wishing I felt well enough to people watch. No, Prom doesn't practice Buddhism, though born and raised. It was a joke. He doesn't have anything against the religion, it's just his humor. He's a good guy. Trust me.

 I slept most of the way back, which helped with the nausea.  Upon arriving home, I found my super firm bed and it didn't even matter - it was a bed.  Thankfully I had the next day off, with the holiday weekend. I was glad I came back a day early. 

Trip highlights: the island scenery, Emerald Lake, Big Buddha, kayaking, my company, warm water, my blanket, a good bed, and yes... the food!