Koh Samui Thailand

We are in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, which is an inlet of the South China Sea. That is a mouthful, but it gives you an idea anyway. We are on a 17 day vacation from Beijing for the time of the Chinese New Year holiday. It is tropical here, so hot and sunny with some rain, but this is not the rainy season. The town of Lamai is a small town with lots of little shops but bustling with tourists, mostly from Europe and Scandanavia. We hear many languages being spoken besides Thai and the people we visit with are often from Russia, Switzerland, Britain, Sweden and Norway.

Our villa is called Samui Panorama...it's the topmost, over 190 steps up the long winding stairways past where the last vehicle can drive. It has beautiful views of the water and is about a 10 minute walk to the beach.

Since it is Chinese New Year, there is a bit of celebrating going on here...lots of these little Buddhist temples set up in people's yards...tomorrow is Kai Buddha day. Last night included a noisy party for the police but the worst noise comes from a fair at the local temple with VERY BAD singing that goes on until 2 in the morning...I mean terrible!!! They say we will have to endure it until the 27th.



After we settled into our villa, our hostess, Palm (pronounced Bom) took us into Lamai and showed us around, presumably so we wouldn't get lost when we went by ourselves later. Coming back we caught one of the colorful pickup trucks with benches in the back that serve as an alternative form of taxi. We got off at the market, about a 10-15 minute walk from our villa. We found that the best spring rolls come from the market, and the first few times we were there, we could buy a Thai dessert that is similar in taste to creme brulee, but much better. It is like a baked meringue filled with custard. These are cooked over a low flame in aluminum half sphere molds. We saw many banana trees on our way back from the market and I took this picture.

We have a tuckee, a sort of lizard, that greeted us the first night. Usually he hangs his head over the roof and stares at us while we eat and read, etc., on the porch. I think he comes down eats insects after we go inside. Every so often he "talks". It's a pretty loud sound.

The second morning we picked up Bill and Angie from the airport. While waiting for them I made the acquaintance of a couple from Russia who will be here for 2 weeks. The husband is a businessman and has friends in Minnesota who he has spent time with. We've had quite a bit of rain today even though the rainy season is supposed to be over. After eating out tonight we took a taxi home...not very far but cost $6...so taxis are expensive. We had to walk to the top of the mountain which is where our villa is...in the rain...and the dark.

While waiting for Bill to get a haircut, Angie and I sipped tea, and I managed to get some good pix while she watched Dave cavorting around in the rain outside.

These huts are a few hundred feet down the road from us. Some are in the process of getting new roofs which is interesting to watch.

Hibiscus bloom everywhere. This one is along the steps at Seaview Paradise.

Dave

On day 3 the four of us toured the island. First stop was the famous Grandfather Rock. Can you tell which one is Grandfather?

Bang Kao is another beach area. Home of the tamed monkey below.

One of the many beautiful and still isolated beaches along the coast. This beach is isolated but a vendor was stationed there selling a variety of food and drinks; I remember hot sausages.

Angie, wisely deciding not to cross over to the other side of the waterfall. What did Bill say to her to help her make such a smart decision?

Portable produce market. I took this picture through the front window of a van. This guy obviously uses his vehicle for his store. My favorite is the eggs riding on top.

After walking the length of the beach for a few hours we stopped for refreshments. This was the first day I took my camera out after it spent a week in a bag of rice following the dunking at the waterfall. This day it narrowly escaped a big splash from a wave.

Coconuts are everywhere. On a walk, I saw a 3 foot tall coconut tree growing out of one similar to this. If allowed to grow, I imagine this will do the same.

The day we toured the island our first stop was Grandfather and Grandmother rocks. By the time we'd been here ten days we walked there. This picture is taken looking back toward Seaview Paradise.