Koh Samui

It's been a while between posts. Since last time we have managed to find our way down south to the island of Koh Samui - 10 hours on a bus and 2 hours on a ferry.

Koh Samui has a population of about 160,000 with about 40,000 born and bred Samuians. Our accommodation is a bungalow about 20 metres from a private beach which is nestled in between the two main parts; Lamai and Chaweng.

The private beach is nice in that it is private and that there aren't people trying to sell you things and generally pester you. The downside to it is that it is a reasonable distance from other beaches and other people. So if you haven't got any friends at the resort then you effectively isolated unless you taxi, walk or scooter somewhere else.

The first couple of days on the island were really good, we spent alot of the time hanging out with a couple from the UK that were really nice. It also allowed us to ask lots of 'living in the UK' questions and we told them about NZ as they are visiting in a month or so. Who knows, we might end up having a catchup over a world famous 'Strongbow' when we get to the UK.

The island is ridiculously commercialised and must be frequented by alot of Australians as a common greeting from sales people is 'How's it hangin' cobber?', or more simply "aussie, aussie, aussie". It's very amusing, if not slightly unfortunate hearing the Thai's talking English with an Aussie accent.

We had some scooters for a couple of days which was great as it let us see the island at our own pace. It's slightly unnerving driving through the busy areas of the island but we both found that once you get used to it the unwritten Thai road rules are really straightforward.

Tomorrow we're leaving the island which just quietly we are rather looking forward to. No offense to our "tropical paradise" but the slow pace of life and isolation is getting to us a bit. Koh Phanang, the next island we're visiting is marketed towards backpackers and young people so should be more our kettle of fish.

Highlights:
- All you can eat self cooked Thai Buffet. This place costs 100 baht (NZ $5) per person and is el fresco dining at its South East Asian best. You get a coal based wok style cooker on your table and select raw ingredients to cook. You can also select precooked food to eat while your stuff is cooking. The locals are really into it and it's got an air of local cool about it. We've been dodging most of the meats as they are left uncovered on the tables for long periods of time.
- Thai beaches, the water is so warm you could almost say that it isn't refreshing. Swimming can easily become a full morning/afternoon activity.
- Utes full of Thai people. These guys are the definition of efficiency when it comes to transport. Not uncommon to see 10 or more guys on the back.

Lessons Learned:
-In Thailand the Thai's are always right. Don't even argue, there are better things to do with your time.
-Before entering a store of any kind be clear on what you want and what you will pay for it.
-The waterfalls on this island aren't what they're cracked up to be (at least not at this time of year). Their purpose is to attract you to the other tourist activities on offer.