Thank you

Kop ken car - is the way a woman says thank you in Thai. That is the phonetic spelling at least. So, from me, to the wonderful people and places I experienced during my time in Thailand - kop ken car. It really was a wonderful sojourn and I value very much what I learnt and saw. It really has been a special trip. Tonight is our last night, tomorrow we fly home from Singapore. Still smiling. 7.2.2013

Chaweng - round two.

This morning we decided to take the shuttle and revisit Chaweng. The shuttle runs at 10.00am, Chaweng was still in lock down from partying hard until the wee hours and most businesses didn't seem to open up until at least 11.00am. It was good to have a look around in the day light and see another side to this destination. That said, it doesn't really improve first thing in the morning. For one, the smell is something that takes a bit of getting used to. The other thing is the hustlers trying to tout their business. The number of Indians calling "boss" to attract Franks attention so that he would get fitted for an "Armani" suit was beyond annoying. Then there are the people on motorcycles who zip up beside you looking cool then try to sell you a day trip or the like. We finally twigged that saying "thanks, but no thanks" was a better way of getting rid of them. Otherwise it was 20 Questions - where are you from? Are you from Australia? etc....it was incessant and never ending. Eventually I just told a white lie, saying "sorry, it's our last day" which it sort of was. Through it all we soaked up the atmosphere, drank lots of water, melted a little, and found one treasure to buy. All in all a good morning, then a swim and quiet afternoon at home. Post cards to write, bags to pack etc. Good bye Koh Samui as tomorrow we fly to Singapore on the homeward leg of our journey. 5.2.2013

Name that island!

The Marine Reserve islands are all named. Some gain their name from their resemblance to a specific thing. So, King Kong Island has a resemblance to a big gorilla, and Sleeping Buddha Island, as the name suggests looks a little like a sleeping Buddha. That said, not everyone has the creative vision necessary to "see" the resemblance so I will let you decide for yourself! King Kong Island, with a visual clue courtesy of my visit to Sydney Zoo.

Sleeping Buddha Island

Needless to say I then started seeing "faces" everywhere, rocky outcrops, clouds, much to Frank's amusement.

4.2.2013

Koh Samui

We decided to explore Koh Samui as a whole today, so had a car and driver at our disposal. It really is a good way to get a feel for where you are visiting as local knowledge counts for a lot. Daeng our driver, is nicknamed "Red" and he certainly knew a lot about Samui generally, and is obviously a devote Buddhist.

He explained some of the basics to us without ramming his beliefs down our throat. Under his guidance we visited a number of shrines and temples, including Wat Plei Laem,

the Big Buddha,

Wat Khunaram to see the mummified Monk,

and Wat Chaweng overlooking the lake.

We also learnt the significance of striking the bells in the temple. Using a bamboo rod, you strike a specific point that is thickened for this specific purpose. If you strike the wrong part of the bell damage can occur. In the old days, different ring sequences would advice the village to come to a meeting, or alternately to come quickly to assist with putting out a fire. Now though, the bells are mainly rung for luck. In between we visited Namuang Waterfall Number 1, lots of markets here and there (in addition to those at each temple) and Nathon. The ferry across to the mainland departs from Nathon, so while it is an important place as far as access to the harbour goes, there are less tourists in evidence.

We also saw the Fisherman's Village area. Not quite what I visualised, rather another restaurant and shopping district. We have decided to return there for dinner this evening so will have a chance to look around further. The Happy Elephant is the restaurant recommended by Red. Nice coincidence. 3.2.2013