VISIT WITH NORM AND MARIANNE February 2 We
were very excited about meeting Norm and Marianne in Koh Samui, a
popular tourist island is on the eastern side of Thailand. They were
spending a month at the tropical paradise and we joined them for 10
days. Our
journey by mini bus, regular bus, ferry, then taxi, proved to be
an adventure and long, the trip took over 12 hours in total! We
had arranged the trip through a tour operator near Yacht Haven and he
drove us to the highway at 8 am. Perched on the back of his truck on
the side of the highway we waited for the mini bus to pick us up. Our
Thai driver was fun and informative o visit with in the hour we waited
in the hot sun before it was ascertained that the bus was late.
Eventually it arrived but when it pulled over and the driver opened the
doors, a dozen squished people stared blankly at us from a bus that
held 10! So we waited for the nex t bus, for another hour. Mini Bus Finally we were loaded into a minibus, destination Suratthini,
where we would transfer onto a regular bus for the final journey to the
ferry dock. We made several stops along the way but finally we were
dropped off at a house that also served as a restaurant, although it
took much persuasion to get served. We were immediately escorted to a
desk and told that we would be arriving in Koh Samui at a private ferry
dock with no means of transport to our hotel so we would have to prepay
for a shuttle service. The price seemed very steep but we paid because
we didn't want to be stranded in Koh Samui. Local Bus After
another hour's wait, our "big" bus arrived. But it was full, so sped
off without us. So we waited another hour. Another bus, which was
really just a regular local bus, pulled up and our luggage was loaded
in the large compartment under the bus. The
bus rambled down the highway but was travelling so slow that we thought
there must be a mechanical problem. We had gotten used to traveling at
break neck speed which is the norm for driving in Thailand. What was
supposed to be an hour's journey to the ferry dock took almost 2 1/2
hours!
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Walking the Plank We
eventually arrived at a dilapidated terminal and were summoned to climb
aboard the passenger ferry from the beach via a very rickety, very
rusty walkway that swayed and pitched from side to side in the
tremendous surge. | 
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aboard, we questioned the seaworthiness of the ferry. A rusted out
bucket of bolts with plastic chairs bolted to an uneven floor so poxed
with rust bubbles that you could hardly walk on it. Once
underway, the ferry shook so bad that the glass shelving in the counter
holding the snacks rattled off and crashed to smithereens. | 
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The
sea was amazingly rough for our crossing and we could see several
people becoming a little green with the ride. It was an adventure to be
sure and once we arrived safely, one to laugh about.
No Show Shuttle We
arrived at the terminal in Kos Samui and immediately sent in search of
our shuttle that we had prearranged. There were plenty of taxis,
minibuses, etc. but no one knew anything about the driver we were
seeking. As the passengers thinned out and we were left with only a
handful of other tourists, we realized that there was NO transport for
us. I had my receipt in hand, but it had no phone number or contact, or
even the name of a company written on it! We
continued to wait with our luggage in tow, in the rain! With all the
taxis now gone we looked for an alternate mode of transport and ended
up hooking up with a German fellow that had arranged pick up from his
hotel. He kindly agreed to share costs with us to our hotel in Chewang. |
The driver had a difficult time finding Palm Island Resort,
despite numerous phone calls and directions. After taking the scenic
route down and around the city center streets, it was very dark, way
past suppertime, by the time we pulled into the parking lot at the
Hotel. We were immediately greeting by Norm and Marianne who had
patiently been waiting our arrival for hours! | Our room and had the most incredible welcoming! Marianne had laid out flowers in  the shape of a heart decorating the bed and a big sign welcomed us. It was a very moving gesture and one I will always remember! | 
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rooms were a real treat. The air conditioning was an indulgence we had
not been experiencing and that, in addition to unlimited shower water,
made the units a real bargain at 1100 baht ($37). The rooms were clean
and with the resorts amenities of a pool and restaurant, we could have
just stayed there forever. |
Heaven! The
days that followed were sheer heaven, spent with a wonderful brother
and sister in law, in a beautiful relaxed setting. Norm and Marianne
started each morning with a vigorous run down the beach. I tried to
accompany them the first day but my enthusiasm soon waned but I remain
totally impressed at their consistent dedication to exercising. | 
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Our
fav. breakfast hangout was a short distance down the beach. Every
morning we had a huge buffet breakfast, Western and Thai style food,
all you could eat, for 1500 baht ($5). Great value and great food!
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we would spend the day totally relaxing, reading, sleeping, sun
tanning, swimming and of course catching up on all our news! It was a
great holiday for us just to be off the boat for a while and on terra
firma! | 
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Chewang
is a popular beach in Kos Samui and is close to a major shopping area.
We enjoyed taking time to bargain for some good deals in clothing. We
talked Norm into getting in vogue with new Billabong board shorts! |
| Happy Hour was
always a highlight of the day. All along the shoreline there were a
variety of restaurants and bars to choose from. And always a delicious
Thai style meal. | 
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| Once
in a while we expanded our horizons and traveled to another venue for
Happy Hour and Dinner. Here we are at a charming restaurant on the
northern part of the island. |
| The Beach
in front of the resort was magnificent, miles long and powdery white,
protected by a surrounding reef. It beckoned us to take many walks in
the silky firm sand. When the tide was down you could walk clear around
the point and even wade out to the nearby island if you wanted to! | 
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| The
vendors were always a source of amusement and our favorite purchases
were lunchtime spring rolls or corn on the cob. Marianne made friends
with a cute woman trying to support her young child by selling trinkets
and jewelry. She was having problems getting a vendors license and was
always on the lookout for the Police who had caught her several times
already. | 
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Touring the Island February
5 We rented motor scooters and circumnavigated Koh Samui.
Driving around the island was not quite as life threatening as in
Phuket but following Norm was always a challenge as he would take
interesting shortcuts, dashing the wrong way down one way streets or
overshooting his turn. We stopped at several lovely viewpoint to
admire the scenery. | 
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BIKING IN THAILAND In
Thailand there are 2 modes of transportation, public (in many forms)
and motorcycles. The average bike probably has 2 riders on board but it
is not uncommon to see families of 4 riding a single two-wheeler. Traffic....
Chaotic? Perplexing? Organized? Being a foreigner the organization
wasn't readily apparent! The motorcycle drivers don't follow traffic
signs, stop signs, and traffic lights are only a suggestion. They have
complete right of way and are exempt from fault in any accident, no
matter what the situation! They commonly enter major roadways from side
streets, driveways, etc. without stopping to look!!! On divided
highways, Thais like to use the shoulder area to drive in the opposite
direction. In any event our experience driving in Thailand was always challenging and hair raising! |
| We spent time at a beach peppered with colorful sails where Windsurfers were enjoying ideal conditions. | 
| At the Wildlife Park many animals were on display, including sea lions, local birds, monkeys, lions and most impressive, tigers. | 
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| A side trip took us to a Park with a Waterfall and some interesting rock outcrops. Not far was the Buddhist Monastery where a huge shrine overlooked the living quarters, amidst a park like setting in the trees.
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| We
took a lunch stop at a restaurant right on the beach renown in Koh
Samui for its uniqueness with an elephant theme. The place was
decorated with dozens of elephants and carvings. | 
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ventured into the interior of the island but the roads quickly
deteriorated to the point that Marianne and I preferred to walk up the
dusty steep inclines. Eventually our sense of adventure waned and we
turned the bikes around and headed back to the sealed road. |
|  Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks
An attraction that appears on postcards throughout Kos Samui, nature built replicas of sex organs in gigantic proportions!
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| The rock surrounding the sight was very interesting, carved and cracked boulders sculpted by centuries of pounding ocean waves. | 
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| I
couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign, a familiar common
everyday paradigm of Thai spelling. (But the view WAS very nice!) | 
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| Fill er Up! Getting gas is always an adventure in Thailand where you simply pull up to a roadside stand and buy gas by the bottle! |
KOH PHANGAN For a change of scenery we packed our bags and took a ferry to Koh Phangan,
the smaller neighboring island about an hour away. The island was
charming and much quieter than Kos Samui. We immediately rented bikes
and drove around sightseeing and also looking for a place to stay. The
roads were more pothole than pavement in places and we encountered some
fairly steep inclines where, once again, Marianne and I had to lighten
the load and walk. | 
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We
investigated several potential places to stay before settling on some
cute bungalows overlooking the ocean. Rustic only in appearance, they
were clean, comfortable and cheap. And the amenities included a pool
and restaurant! | 
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| We took advantage of the resort next door and used their sandy spot with gazebo next to the beach for happy hour. Norm and Gord went to a Raggae party on the beach one night and had such a marvelous time they didn't get back til 5 am! | 
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| The
beaches we stopped at around Koh Phangan were superb and the whole
island had an appealing authentic ethnic flavor, still somewhat
unaffected by tourism. I am sure it will only be a matter of a short
time when the masses discover this paradise and the concrete structures
will replace the green jungles and secluded strips of sand. Prices were
cheaper in Koh Phangan and we enjoyed inexpensive meals and beverages.
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February 12 We
kept postponing our trip back to Phuket because we were enjoying Kos
Samui and the good company so much. We extended our stay to help
celebrate the huge 10th Anniversary of The Reggae Bar which was
near Chewang. It turned out to be a party of the century with love
bands, fireworks, food, and best of all....FREE booze! Jammed packed
with a younger set than us, everyone was dancing and the most fun was
watching the locals!
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Rub ber Dub Dub! Finally
it was time to depart and our ferry/bus trip home was easy and
uneventful. Riding only the big bus this trip we were able to doze a
little as the mundane scene of row upon row of rubber trees passes by. Huge
rubber plantations border the roads all over Thailand planted in neat
rows and recognized by their deciduous nature of being the only trees
around that seasonally shed their leaves. | 
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Spindly
and unobtrusive these trees usual sport a small black cup at the base
of their trunk from which the latex flows. Seven years after planting
they start producing latex which flows for another 25 years or so
before gradually drying up. Tapping is carried out before dawn as the
latex stops flowing once the heat of the day sets in. In
our travels we had a close up look at the latex being collected. It
looked like an extremely slow and labor intensive process.
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When
the bus to Phuket stopped again at a restaurant for a break we saw a
rubber producing shop right next door. It was interesting to see what
happens to the buckets of latex once they are collected and transferred
to the factory. The liquid is filtered, mixed with formic acid and
poured into sheets, these being left to set overnight. The final stages
involve hanging the mats for over a week to dry. It was
interesting to see and feel the final product, ready for export.
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We
arrived back at Yacht Haven, where the boat had been moored safe and
sound. While we were gone, a young Thai boy had been busy polishing the
hull for 800 baht a day. We now had to get serious about arranging for
quotes and contractors to get all the work done on the boat that was
necessary. |
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