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Published: February 2nd 2017
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Torrential rain! This is why plan B is necessary Well how to start? We woke up this morning to torrential rain, and the long term, or at least the next week's, forecast is for the same in all the places we planned to go. So outdoor activities we including actually leaving the hotel AT ALL became ridiculous or impossible. Howling winds too, so the speedboat to the Gilis would be very bad for the constitution if it wasn't cancelled. We would both throw up, for sure. So what to do? We have a month and didn't want to get to the end with terrible weather all the time. Need to be back in KL on the 27th for Sam's flight home. Luckily we were in total agreement, cancel flights and change plan for Thailand where the sunshine looks guaranteed. Of course it IS rainy season, but I've been here twice before at exactly the same time and it was no problem. Unseasonable, all the locals say, so we are just unlucky! While we were thinking about it Sam said she'd make us a cup of tea as we had a kettle and cups In the room. I was a bit worried about the water, no problem, she'd boil it twice.
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View from the room, where we've spent a lot of time so far. One sip and bleeeeeurgh! Forgot the water in the shower we'd also brushed our teeth with tasted of salt!
We are feeling quite insane at the moment, but the options in the rain are so limited and we both love the sun!
We went to breakfast (EXCELLENT here) and got on our phones and tablets. What we don't know is if we get any kind of refund from AirAsia for cancelling, expect not, Sam is googling as I type. We decided not to let that sway our decision. The next flight from here is on the 18th, so we have time to sort at out by asking at the desk at the airport. We booked flights to Singapore and on to Krabi. Took ages as the Internet was slow and our cards didn't work for a few attempts. Luckily all our hotel bookings had free cancellation. We decided to start in Ao Nang, then get transport to Koh Samui. Booked hotels in both places. We've both been to Thailand so kinda know how it works.after that we will see, but probably aim to end up on Phuket, easy to get a flight back to KL.
We are
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Don'tr to our room on the 3rd floor. Everything in the hotel is beautiful. disappointed after doing so much research and having such amazing activities planned, but no matter.
Tried to sit by e pool, cloudy, managed about 30 mins and it threw it down again. Back to the room. Sam fancied a post breakfast nap, which lasted quite a while. Decided to go out for lunch. Threw it down bigtime, so we huddled under my umbrella and made it as far as the hotel restaurant. No point getting wet. Ordered food. Sun came out!
After lunch and checking in online for our new, unexpected flights we found the nail salon we went to last time, Suzy Q's, and negotiated for pedicures and polish. It's down Poppies1 and Sam remembered the alleyway. They do their best to make it neat and smart but it is very rundown. we sat down and behind a curtain a man was having a massage, right in front of us. Praying for no Happy Ending. There was total silence from behind the curtain, which we took as a good sign! Suzy did her best to upsell, ear candling, massage, manicure, some old necklaces hanging on a hook on the wall. After it was not raining so we
went exploring, didn't quite remember all the tiny streets but ended up at the beach. See pics! What a sight! The most uninviting grey surf, MOUNDS of rubbish piled up. So someone rakes it all up but nobody had taken it away. Some surfers, but they were clearly not confident, just looking at the waves and hardly anyone standing. One had his board back to front, bless! There were crowds further along so we went to investigate in case there was an Activity, but it close up it looked like lots of groups of school kids, wearing matching shirts or headscarves, not doing anything in particular.
Cocktails were on the agenda, sadly happy hour in most places had finished, including one at 3pm! Whaaaaat? Not happy at all, in our view. Some still on the go had a v limited choice so we went into the Tubes bar, lured by the prospect of Sam posing on a surfboard attached to the wall. Disappointingly, she insisted on taking her wedges off to do it. It was still an iconic moment, and the nearest we are likely to get to the real thing. Very weak drinks so we asked for an
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School? groups extra shot to bring them up to scratch. Not cheap but a nice location off the drag of Poppies 2, free pool, a shop with teeny tiny bikinis and surf videos playing on a big screen. A good place to hang out. We had a couple and then went back to a cheap and busy place to eat called Gong Corner. There was the crazy French lady we met in the hotel restaurant with her Rattlesnake friend and daughter, skinny as you like, eating only salad and drinking the bottle of wine she was carrying around with her last night. The prices were good for Indonesian food, 20,0000 for nasi goreng. We ordered spring rolls to share and the pastry was not cooked inside - chewy and raw. I hardly ever send anything back but they were terrible. Sam managed to eat half of hers, the second lot came and they were WORSE! Back they went, we smiled and said no more, thank you, just the main course, which was fine.
Tomorrow? No idea, but having commented that it hadn't rained for about 4 hours it bucketed 2 minutes after we got back, so we will see.......
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