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Published: December 28th 2007
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Ferry Ride
On our way to Ko Samet Island we are now recovering from the fanatical lifestyle of bangkok in a more relaxing, idyllic part of central thailand, koh samet. the island feels a bit more like beach camping rather than luxurious resort living, but that is exactly what nicole and i expected and wanted. koh samet is a retreat for bangkokers rather than tourists so we were two of the very few international faces. instead, we were surrounded by tanned, shirtless and barefoot islanders, fisherman, market vendors, henna artsits, and of course, lots of doggies. the dogs here are so polite, no jumping up, no begging, just chill, like the people.
our beach bungalow is very cozy (and air conditioned!) on the inside, covered with geckos on the outside and we already have a porch dog that has adopted us! at night we hear the geckos barking and the toads croaking and in the morning, the roosters crowing. this is an unreal way to spend christmas. our norwegian neighbors informed us of a full-moon christmas eve party on a larger beach further south and around sunset we followed the flaming lanterns (which I orginally thought were flaming ufo invaders), set off by the locals to attract partiers to
Samed Cliff
Our little beach bungalow getaway! the beach. we took an island taxi, a fluorescent green pick-up truck with benches in the back, to the more populated party scene, deboarded, and for the first time, had some BOMB thai food. nicole and i shared thai mamaluman curry in coconut sauce, grilled pineapple skewers, papaya salad, and grilled garlic bread.
the full moon party drew people from all over the island, including most of the few tourists. the beach and surrounding bars (or discos as they're called here) were dotted with brigthly lit multi-colored lanterns and christmas lights were strewn over every surface. flame throwers danced on the beach and western music blared as people danced or sat around small beach tables sipping thai whiskey out of buckets. nicole and i met a really cool group of teachers from london and new york who are currently teaching in taiwan, where according to them, "laws are just suggestions." at midnight an elevated "merry christmas" sign was set ablaze with fireworks popping in the background and the whole island erupted into excited applause while once again, we danced to mariah carey's "all i want for christmas." merry christmas!
the next couple of days on the island were
Christmas Eve Moon
Photo taken from our front porch on Christmas Eve less boisterous and spent mostly on the beach drinking pina coladas, watching the aqua water, speedos, thai massages, and taking photos of EVERYTHING!
our last evening in the the bungalow was spent trying to locate a baby gecko that slipped into our bungalow bathroom and caused quite a stir. one broom and three resort managers later, the unpaid customer was removed. i still slept in my cocoon sack with my mosquito face net on. the last thing i need is a gecko nesting in my ear canal. tomorrow we head back to bangkok for one more night before we meet up with michelle in INDIA!!!!!
i hope you all had a very merry christmas! make sure to check out my three previous blogs! luv from thailand.
alys
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Momma
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More, More!
It's so nice to see the places you're going and the things you're doing! Keep 'em coming!