Koh Samui, Thailand

After Kuala Lumpur I went back to Chiang Mai for a few weeks before heading Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand.  I was a little disappointed when I got there.  Growing up in Florida I've seen my share of beach towns, and that's basically what this was, but it was a bit seedy and run down, at least in my area.  My hotel was right across from a nice sandy beach called Lamai Beach.  A block over was a busy street with lots of bars and restaurants. During the day the place was deserted while everybody was out and about, but at night the streets, restaurants, and bars were packed.  

 

The few days I was there the surf was really too high to enjoy. My first day I went to the beach and waded in.  Although there were a lot of waves, it didn’t look too bad, especially once you were past the breakers.  Boy was I wrong. The waves were breaking close to shore, and they were much bigger and stronger then they looked. It was all I could do to get past them to deeper water, but once there the water was the perfect temperature. I was really enjoying myself until I realize that the current had pushed me back into shore. Big waves suddenly started crashing down on me. This was just 1 week after I injured my knee and it was still giving me trouble.  The waves knocked me down and I was unable to get up before the next one pounded me again. I just couldn’t get my knees bent enough to get up.  I basically floundered in the sand like a beached whale, with wave after wave crashing over me.  All that rolling around was shoveling more sand then I cared to think about into my one-piece bathing suit.  I managed to keep my head above water and even hold on to my sunglasses, but I was not having fun. There was finally a break in the waves and I was able to get to my feet under me and stand up.  I staggered to my sun bed and thanked my lucky stars I didn't drown. I decided maybe the pool is a better option for me.  Once back in the privacy of my shower I was finally able to dump what seemed like half the beach out of my bathing suit. 

My snorkel trip for the next day was cancelled due to high swells.  I went to the restaurant across the street (on the beach) to hang out for the afternoon. The waves were even higher than the day before, yet there were still a few brave souls venturing in, and as I watched, I noticed a pattern.  There would be a group of big waves crashing into the beach in rapid succession, then a few moments of calm before the next set rolled in.  If you timed it just right, you could get out deep enough to jump with the waves before they broke.  I almost decided to give it a try but at the last minute my better judgement took over. Probably because I saw a few older people like myself get knocked down and slammed like I had been the day before.  So much for my beach holiday. Instead I worked on my laptop, overlooking the beach for the entire day. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch people. Not a bad way to spend the day really. 

That night there was a fire show right on the beach.  It was pretty cool; 2 guys did a whole show by swinging chains with fireballs on the end.  It was especially beautiful when they did routines that threw off sparks. 

 

A funny thing, the guy working at the hotel was Maltese. I should have known by his accent, but it was so unexpected I didn't really pay any attention to it. I'm used to hearing accents from all over the world, and I didn't realize why it sounded so familiar. He was the first Maltese I met outside of Malta.

 

There was a power box right next to the hotel, with power lines from all the surrounding buildings running into it.  It was a bit concerning walking past because all the lines were loudly crackling, and you could see an almost constant sparking of electricity. These over loaded boxes were all over this part of the island. You could tell from the streets as well; the infrastructure was way behind the demand the tourists put on the area.  It was a bit sad really, the island and beaches were really nice, it was just too run down and touristy for my taste.  I did an island tour and was surprised at how similar it was to Malta, with so many rocky areas dropping into the sea.  But there were some nice sandy beaches as well. 

 

I did a bus trip around the island to see the main tourist attractions. It was pretty quick, with maybe 15 minutes at each stop.  To be fair, that’s really all you needed as there wasn’t much to see.  There was a monkey show which was really sad. Basically, they train the monkeys to climb a coconut tree and then twist the coconut until it drops. I don't have a problem with the monkeys working, it seemed easy enough, it was more the conditions they lived in the rest of the times.  The next place we went to was a small waterfall. The sad part again, were the animals. There were a few elephants in tiny bamboo pens, barely big enough for them to move around in. As if that wasn't bad enough they were changed by one foot and literally could not move. There's a huge outcry in Chiang Mai at some of the elephant sanctuaries for the way they treat the elephants. Do your research before visiting; some rescue elephants and some exploit them.  People have been giving the bad ones negative reviews on TripAdvisor, in an effort to get them to change their ways. It's working to some extent, they no longer offer elephant rides at least. That was the main goal of this tourist attraction, elephant rides, so I left a negative review TripAdvisor. Sadly, there isn’t much else I can do. There are all kind of businesses around the world that are profiting off the misery of animals.  I would encourage everyone to look at how animals are treated at any tourist attraction you go to.  http://www.newsweek.com/why-taking-selfie-tiger-or-elephant-or-dolphin-act-cruelty-648500

 

I did meet some really nice people on the tour, there are only seven of us. There was a family from Bangladesh. They convinced me that I should definitely visit their country. I'm going to research it, why not? It's cheap, the weather's nice, and they gave me some great recommendations. 
 

I seem to be stuck with all early flights lately and my departure from Koh Samui was no exception. I got up at the crack of dawn for 9 AM flight. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time, which was a good thing because it was a long line. For once, my crutches didn’t get me any advantage.  Finally, my turn but the lady said, “I don't see you on this flight”. I showed her my e-ticket. She said, “your flight is on the 12th, this is the 11^th”. OMG! That's the first time I've ever done that. It was a pain in the ass hobbling around on my crutches and dragging a suitcase.  I had to walk a long way to the taxis, it was exhausting. I had to book another hotel and pay the taxi to said hotel.  Once I checked in, I found a nearby restaurant to get something to eat. While sitting there, a torrential downpour trapped me and several other tourists for the entire afternoon. It was during that time that I realized my original hotel was booked through tonight. Feeling like a total idiot, it seems I paid a $95.88 idiot tax for round trip taxi and extra hotel room. Oh well, this was a nicer hotel and closer to the airport, so at least I could sleep a bit later in the morning.