Koh Samui, the tropical paradise in the gulf of Thailand, with crystal blue waters, pristine white sand beaches and clear skies! And there for 4 days to relax and soak up the sun.
This would have been lovely but it didn't happen.
Instead, there were thunderstorms on and off throughout everyday we were there! SE Asia is now getting the backlash of the typhoon that devastated the Philippines! Not quite paradise!
Our first two days were spent sleeping, swimming in the pool, gymming, eating and running to try and avoid the rain. We were metres from the beach but there was debris getting constantly washed up and white sand doesn't look white under a grey sky.
At least we had the full moon party to look forward to over on a different island, Koh Phangan. That morning, after deciding we were going despite the storm, we went to sort out a boat for the trip. And were promptly told they were all cancelled because of the waves. Rubbish! So we went for a walk instead and as we were walking, the rain had stopped, the clouds were clearing and if you squinted hard enough, you could even see a bit of a shadow!
Essentially, the ferries were up and running so we paid an extortionate non refundable amount to a travel agent and were given our pick up time of 7pm at our hotel and the promise of a landline and mobile number if there are any problems. Perfect.
To cut a very long story short, by 1030pm and after numerous unanswered phone calls to all the numbers we had, there was still no sign of our pick up. So we got bored of waiting and hopped on a moped and went off to the lake to see the full moon celebrations there instead. Which, were actually really good! People lighting lanterns and candles and stuff.
Worth the wait but still a little gutted about the non refundable boat ticket!
The next day, we went diving with a couple of others on the trip, Caroline and Alex. The morning was bright and (dare I say it) sunny and we set off. We were about 3 hours away from the dive site and all was good. Until, a massive storm front came in and the heavens opened. The mill pond became full of white horses and the seasickness started. First it was others throwing up over the side but soon it was everyone!
Our first dive site was a place called Sail Rock, reputedly the best dive site in the whole of Thailand. As soon as we were in the water, we knew this must be a lie. The waves were crashing down around us and smashing against the rock. We were miles from land and thought the best idea would be to descend away from the waves. We lost our guide or the other two twice because of the current and poor visibility, so after finding them again each time, we headed back to the boat as an aborted dive. We were in the water 11 minutes which was nearly the longest out of anyone!
Our next dive was on a reef just off and sandy beach so all the sand made the vis terrible there too! Not our day!
So we tried again the next day, with much better success! We did 3 dives, including sail rock again and saw much more! And, the only time it rained while we were out there was while we were underwater, bonus!
Our time in Thailand was nearly over so the night before we crossed the border, we went for a traditional Thai massage. All of this I tell you is no word of a lie.
We were both in a room lying on mattresses on the floor when our ladies came in. Mine was the smallest and laughed when she saw how tall I was but didn't speak a word of English. Gills spoke "very little". Firstly, my lady burped throughout the 2 hour massage. Normally several times per minute. Secondly the TV was on and the masseuses seemed more preoccupied with watching that. It was a comedy apparently. There was a group of friends, some possessed and some ghosts/zombies, deserted on an island, dreaming through life. There was also a weird little man who kept singing. Weird as.
Half way through the massage, Gills masseuse asked why we had no kids, and when she heard the answer, she leant over to me and laughed "she doesn't like your sperm!" And then confessed to having drunk 12 bottles of beer already that night after we said we didn't drink much.
So after our time of being pulled about and pushed, poked and prodded, we left quickly and the next morning, we said goodbye to Thailand and headed for a fleeting visit to Malaysia!!
This would have been lovely but it didn't happen.
Instead, there were thunderstorms on and off throughout everyday we were there! SE Asia is now getting the backlash of the typhoon that devastated the Philippines! Not quite paradise!
Our first two days were spent sleeping, swimming in the pool, gymming, eating and running to try and avoid the rain. We were metres from the beach but there was debris getting constantly washed up and white sand doesn't look white under a grey sky.
At least we had the full moon party to look forward to over on a different island, Koh Phangan. That morning, after deciding we were going despite the storm, we went to sort out a boat for the trip. And were promptly told they were all cancelled because of the waves. Rubbish! So we went for a walk instead and as we were walking, the rain had stopped, the clouds were clearing and if you squinted hard enough, you could even see a bit of a shadow!
Essentially, the ferries were up and running so we paid an extortionate non refundable amount to a travel agent and were given our pick up time of 7pm at our hotel and the promise of a landline and mobile number if there are any problems. Perfect.
To cut a very long story short, by 1030pm and after numerous unanswered phone calls to all the numbers we had, there was still no sign of our pick up. So we got bored of waiting and hopped on a moped and went off to the lake to see the full moon celebrations there instead. Which, were actually really good! People lighting lanterns and candles and stuff.
Worth the wait but still a little gutted about the non refundable boat ticket!
The next day, we went diving with a couple of others on the trip, Caroline and Alex. The morning was bright and (dare I say it) sunny and we set off. We were about 3 hours away from the dive site and all was good. Until, a massive storm front came in and the heavens opened. The mill pond became full of white horses and the seasickness started. First it was others throwing up over the side but soon it was everyone!
Our first dive site was a place called Sail Rock, reputedly the best dive site in the whole of Thailand. As soon as we were in the water, we knew this must be a lie. The waves were crashing down around us and smashing against the rock. We were miles from land and thought the best idea would be to descend away from the waves. We lost our guide or the other two twice because of the current and poor visibility, so after finding them again each time, we headed back to the boat as an aborted dive. We were in the water 11 minutes which was nearly the longest out of anyone!
Our next dive was on a reef just off and sandy beach so all the sand made the vis terrible there too! Not our day!
So we tried again the next day, with much better success! We did 3 dives, including sail rock again and saw much more! And, the only time it rained while we were out there was while we were underwater, bonus!
Our time in Thailand was nearly over so the night before we crossed the border, we went for a traditional Thai massage. All of this I tell you is no word of a lie.
We were both in a room lying on mattresses on the floor when our ladies came in. Mine was the smallest and laughed when she saw how tall I was but didn't speak a word of English. Gills spoke "very little". Firstly, my lady burped throughout the 2 hour massage. Normally several times per minute. Secondly the TV was on and the masseuses seemed more preoccupied with watching that. It was a comedy apparently. There was a group of friends, some possessed and some ghosts/zombies, deserted on an island, dreaming through life. There was also a weird little man who kept singing. Weird as.
Half way through the massage, Gills masseuse asked why we had no kids, and when she heard the answer, she leant over to me and laughed "she doesn't like your sperm!" And then confessed to having drunk 12 bottles of beer already that night after we said we didn't drink much.
So after our time of being pulled about and pushed, poked and prodded, we left quickly and the next morning, we said goodbye to Thailand and headed for a fleeting visit to Malaysia!!
No comments:
Post a Comment