Time for the Beach

Koh Samui and Koh Tao

Colin and I decided that it was time for a beach vacation, we are in Thailand after all.  We went to two islands in the Gulf of Thailand - Koh Samui and Koh Tao.  We spent two nights at each island.  We flew into Koh Samui and then took a 2 1/2 hour high speed ferry to Koh Tao.

Day 1 Koh Tao:

Koh Tao was amazing.  Rustic but clean bungalows hug the coastline and are nestled within the trees. 

The ferry dropped us off at the Mae Head port which is a small town lined with souvenir shops, tons of dive shops, and restaurants.  The town had a bit of a backpacker/hippie feel...just enough to add charm.

A Songthaew whisked us away through pleasantly hilly landscape to our hotel. We stayed at the Charm Churee Resort at Jansom Bay.  Loved it.  A golf cart then took us from the reception down a steep hill (Thai transportation is always an adventure in itself) to our bungalow - which was right on the beach (Jansom Bay). The water was very beautiful and clear - shades of transparent blues and turquoise.  When the tide was up the water splashed underneath our bungalow, when the tide was down we had a little bit of sand that separated our front step and the water.  No TV, outdoor shower, and outdoor bathroom (but really nice and clean - not an outhouse - just not completely sealed form the elements).  We did have airconditioning (I made sure of this when I picked the hotel).  The one drawback was the relentless mosquitoes.  The bed actually had a mosquito net.  The bedroom was sealed well enough but we opted to sleep under the net.

Our Bungalow - look to the right of the glass door - that is the shower



View from our door step



  

That is Colin - he is sitting in the bay and letting little fish nibble on him

I liked the vibe of Koh Tao.  It brought back memories of camping (minus the commodities and the ocean). From the beach you had to walk uphill along a stone path to get to the restaurant, the reception or the town (a pleasant 10 minute walk into town).  Being surrounded by the trees while we were walking on the path kept reminding me of going camping (pleasant memories). 

We took a quick swim in the bay.  Colin found it entertaining that if you sat in the water little fish would nibble on you.  I decided to give it a try and I did not find it so fun - I thought one guy got a little greedy in his nibble and then I decided it was best to be on the move - plan worked, they only nibble when you are idle.

Stayed at the hotel for dinner and we were rewarded of beautiful views of the Gulf.

I got the bright memo - my shirt matches the decor perfectly!

Not great pix quality but I though this rock behind the restaurant was really cool

Koh Tao Day 2:

The main reason we went to Koh Tao was to scuba dive. It has been one year since we earned our certifications in the British Virgin Islands.  So the big day finally arrived and instead of reviewing the training book prior to the trip I am frantically trying to review it over breakfast right before the dive.

 We did two dives.  Colin did great on both.  I had a little trouble with my buoyancy on the first one.  At the same time I was trying not to float to the surface we were being tracked by a Titan Trigger Fish.  I could not figure out why the Dive Master was not helping me - I believe she was preoccupied by this Trigger fish. I did notice that the really large fish had two large front teeth but had no idea it was being aggressive (I thought it was really cool).  Later she told us that the Titan Trigger fish was displaying signs of aggression (putting up a fin and tracking us) which they sometimes do when protecting a nest; they do occasionally bite (her friend just got stitches).  The combination of me floating to the surface, the trigger fish, and strong currents  took us off course and we ascended  quite aways from the boat...which in strong currents makes for a tiring swim.  Second dive went much smoother (increase weight belt and worked on some techniques).  Dive was beautiful - my favorites were the trigger fish, Morey eel, stingray, and clam. 

I was relieved when the dives were over.  I love diving... I love seeing the life of the ocean and feel accomplishment when it is over - but I always feel nervous beforehand.   We went into town for dinner, which is a 10 minute walk along a nice meandering stone path.

Koh Tao and Koh Samui Day 3:

Yay, I can relax at this breakfast....what a view.  Watched the fish play in the water below us.  I am afraid my camera won't pick up on the fish but here is a photo to show how clear the water is: 



Spent the rest of the morning snorkeling and hanging out in town for lunch before catching ferry to Koh Samui.

We stayed at the Nora Buri Hotel on Chaweng Beach.  It was on a nice quiet end of the beach (I think I am getting old - I prefer the quiet end of the beach now).  However, the water is just not as pretty as Koh Tao.  The resort was gorgeous and vast.  Bungalow style but not rustic. 

Koh Samui Day 4:

Spent the day at the pool and the evening in town.  Beautiful pool overlooking beach and the Gulf with a fun swim up to bar.  Unfortunately we were not cautious enough and we managed to get Colin sun burnt.  We tried staying under the umbrellas but I am afraid we were too stingy with the sunscreen - ouch.  Fun night in the town where we ate Mexican (yes, I know we are in Thailand - but that is the luxury of living here - you don't have to feel like you need to eat Thai all of the time) and watched a couple of bands.  The first was a guy that sang old rock and roll songs - to Colin's delight he would play Buddy Holly.  Then we watched this fun rock and roll Thai band - this girl could really play the electric guitar - and she would headbang - all very interesting.

Pool and ocean

 

Thailand Wineries:



Colin and I stayed in Korat one weekend and ended up going to wineries on both Saturday and Sunday.  The wine is not as good as Napa Valley and Sonoma but the scenery is right up there.  Most of Thailand is too tropical to grow grapes for wine, however, there is an area between Korat and Bangkok that has mountains and is cool enough to be suitable for vineyards.  The weather was gorgeous - it felt nice to escape the stifling heat of Bangkok.

Saturday Colin and I spent the day at a winery called PB Winery.  They have a very nice restaurant on the grounds.  We arrived at noon and found out that the tram tour of the vineyards would not start until 3:00.  No problem, we are at a winery - very leisurely lunch, wine, and a walk around the grounds.  The food was delicious.  The tour was fun as it was harvest time and they allowed you to get into the vineyards and cut (and eat) some grapes.

View from restaurant

 

 

          

 Sunday we went to another winery with our friends.  This winery is called Village Farm.  Another day of amazing scenery and perfect temperature (weather).  Oddly though, this winery did not have wine tasting or tours.  We then spent the afternoon driving through beautiful views in the Kao Yai region (mountains, meadows, green - very pretty).

 

Stopped at a coffee place called A Cup of Love.  The interesting thing abut this place was the # of Thai tourists taking photos and posing in front of the signs.  Supposedly this is a a very popular spot for the Thais...I liked it too - I believe that Colin and I were the only non Thai tourists.



Homeward Bound

Hard to believe that our trip to the U.S. is just around the corner (leaving March 24th).  We are both very very excited.

I am anxious to see my friends and family.  However, it is nice to know that I have made friends here (Bangkok and Korat) and they will be here when I get back.


Meeting friends for lunch in Bangkok - which has turned out to be a favorite past time

 

Thailand fun

The Wai.  A lovely aspect of Thai culture used to show respect. However, it can  be confusing for foreigners.  There are rules about the Wai - rules regarding who wais first (younger adult wais older adult first; employee wais boss first) and how high to wai.  Never wai a child and you are not supposed to return the wai of restaurant servers (Yes, Thailand is a hierarchical society).

When I moved here I was convinced that I needed to find a routine, something to replace work & provide substance to my life. I have finally come to realize that this will not be feasible if I want to experience both Korat and Bangkok (at least not in the way I had envisioned).  What seems to work best for me is to alternate my time between Bangkok and Korat, with most of the weekends spent in Bangkok.  Taking into account events going on in both Korat and Bangkok my calendar is constantly changing & can be a tedious task.  I keep reminding myself of the art of patience and flexibility.  Basically, I am trying to de Americanize a little, trying to get away from pre-determining how things "should" work or should be.  Some days it works beautifully and some days it is a challenge.  I believe that my time in Thailand should focus on people and experiences (and with those two things will come learning a new culture), and everything else will fall into place.

Looking back on the past several weeks I realize how much fun I am having and how wonderful an experience this is (sprinkled with moments of Korat culture shock).  Additionally, I realize that I have developed some sort of schedule - it is just one that is flexible. I joined a doubles woman's tennis group in Bangkok that plays on Fridays (and they understand when I can not play).  It is a fun group. I have started attending a monthly international bookclub in Bangkok. Right now we are reading "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea".  I accepted a volunteer position with the American Woman's Club (AWC).....drum roll please.....I am the Advertising Manager for the AWC Newsletter!  Not quite what I originally had in mind for a volunteer activity but it is something I can do from my computer wherever I am at. Plus, the AWC supports charities that I approve of so it is a way I can help them raise money for these charities.  The AWC has a variety of events that I sometimes attend when I am in Bangkok. One of the benefits of living in both Korat and Bangkok is the opportunity of experiencing both the expat community (Bangkok) and the Thai community (Korat).  I find both communities very enriching.  When I am in Bangkok I have expat friends from a variety of nationalities that I meet up with for lunch, movies, tennis, and various activities.  When I am in Korat there are a couple of female Thai coworkers of Colin that I have befriended and usually get to spend some time with.  Also, there is another American woman (named Jen) who also lives in Korat part time so we meet for lunch or other excursions when we are both in Korat at the same time.  Admittedly, sometimes I have no idea where all of my time gord and find myself rushing around to catch up on laundry and chores.

Colin continues to be very busy with work. As always, I love the weekends with Colin. We usually do some sort of exploring...which I normally get to plan. We always start our exploration as early as possible in the morning to avoid the heat as we are not having highs around 95 degrees and if you are in the sun in the middle of the day it can be bruttle.

Here are some of the adventures I partook in since I have last posted:

The Melbourne Cup Party:  Australian women know how to throw a party.  This event was planned for early November but had to be postponed due to flooding in Thailand.  Of course the flooding did not postpone the Melbourne Cup itself (being in Melbourne and all). So instead of showing the actual Melbourne Cup they had a simulated horse race (so people could still bet).  I admit that I was a bit unsure of this event because I had to wear a fascinator (hat).  I admit that the event was a blast and it was fun to see everyone dressed up.  And like I said - the Australian women know how to through a party - free flow wine and champagne, ice sculptures, live band, fashion contests, food, and dancing (plus any money that was raised was donated to flood victims).  It was like a wedding reception, horse race, fashion show, all colliding together.  The invitation actually said that the hotel does not allow dancing on hotel property or the removal of property (result of past events)......daytime drinking can lead to some crazy women.  My favorite part of the evening was when they had the men (there were only about 10 of them) come and stage and do a fashion show...and they were great sports about it. 

Our table opted for simple...hat (big feathery thing) matches outfit (yes..I do match - my necklace & ring have red stones)

My table

Contest for the best hat

Jen..other woman that is stuck (I mean lives) in Korat

Pattaya PTT Woman's Tennis Open.  Time for a road trip.  Jennifer, Robin, and I went to Pattaya City to watch the Woman's Tennis Open.  It is only a two hour drive from Bangkok but since it is right on the Gulf of Thailand we made the excuse to spend the night.  Pattaya is an interesting city with an infamous reputation....if you come to visit Thailand this is a beach city you probably want to skip...definitely not the prettiest beach Thailand has and can be raunchy.  Great place for a tennis tournament though....nothing like watching tennis with a beautiful view of the Gulf of Thailand.

We were able to watch 2 courts at once

Please...no hair comments - it was 95 degrees

Gulf of Thailand view!

Red Pattaya sign reflecting in water (note:  that is the area you either want to avoid or visit - depending on what you enjoy for entertainment...we avoided it)

 

Phi Mai.  One of the nice things about living in Korat is that you are closer to off the beaten track sightseeing locations.  Areas that have few tourists and the majority of the tourists are Thais.  Phi Mai was one of those trips.  Colin and I visited the Phi Mai historical park (Khmer ruins), Phi Mai Museum, and the Banyon Tree.  It was a wonderful day.  Phi Mai Historical Park contains Khmer ruins built in the 11th and 12th century.  The ruins are very similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia (but much much smaller).  In their heyday these ruins were connected to the Angkor Wat empire in Cambodia by the Ancient Khmer Highway (which no longer exists except for some ruins of temples).  The town of Phi Mai was very quiant and quiet, walking around the ruins was very pleasant.

 

 

350 yr. old Banyon Tree



Phi Mai Museum

A day exploring Chinatown.  The Chinatown in Thailand is so big it really is best to try not to explore it all in one day.  Colin and I went back for round two.  This side of Chinatown was different from our first visit when we visited streets that were lined with street vendor and markets.  This side of town had some temples and Chinese antiques (really cool stuff).

China Gate

More Thai in style but in Chinatown

Exploring Bangkok.  Still one of my favorite past times is exploring Bangkok with Colin.

Giant Swing - yes, it used to be used as a swing in festivals

Khoa San Rd - backpackers area

Khao San - everyone sits in cafes to people watch.  Great place to see dreadlocks.

Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

Phra Athit Road - Riverwalk (Chao Phraya River)

Phra Sumen Fort (near Chao Phraya River)

Orphanage I volunteered at. I was hoping to continue volunteering but they really want someone that could committ to two days a week.

Korat

Korat Zoo -  giraffes have very long tongues

Our friend (& Colin's coworker) Kuhn Pooh (nickname)...so together this is Winnie Pooh

A word about safety in Thailand.  It does not seem to be a huge priority.  You see things here that would not be allowed in the U.S. (when we were in Phi Mai we saw a woman jump on her scooter and drive off while holding her baby in her arms).  However, safety does seem to be a little more of a priority than what we witnessed when we were in Cambodia.  The Cambodians like to see how many people they can fit on one scooter - if you think that a family of four can not fit on a scooter - you are wrong (Cambodians tend to be very small).

Go kitty kitty (bottom left)...balancing on the mess of electrical wires

You need power - just add your plug!

How many kids can we fit in the back of a pickup?