Last Day on Ko Samui

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Yes. So. I can’t kiteboard. But have wonderfully smooth skin now, from all the skidding along on my stomach down the length of Chaweng beach. Kiteboarding is surfing whilst holding a parachute/kite setup, hence the practicing on the beach first. Despite the best efforts of the instructor, I just couldn’t get the hang of it, and I spent more time laying on the beach, body aching from laughing and sand abuse, than I did being even remotely in control of the big, billowing sheet thing. I think the exploits of the past few days had totally tired me out. We gave it up as a bad job, and played around on a jetski for the rest of the afternoon, before I got my flight back to Bangkok.

Domestic flights are pretty affordable in Thailand, and easy and quick, more like shuttles than proper flights. And far more pleasant than the alternatives. To get to Samui otherwise is a 12 and a half hour bus or train trip, with a two hour wait and then a two and a half hour boat ride. I have been a victim of both, in my more studenty days, in 2002. My travelling partner and I took the bus down to Koh Tao from Bangkok and the train back up. The train was actually not bad, a little bunk bed all to yourself, a private loo for each two person cabin, you could stretch your legs, get food…the ultimate in comfort and extravagance after the torturous bus trip. My companion, who shall remain nameless, got some sort of stomach bug. Which, obviously, he can’t be blamed for. However, his then insistence to sit by the window, and thus wake me every 6 minutes as he clambered to go to the bathroom, would have made even the strongest friendship falter somewhat. No food, no sleep, unpleasant bathroom, then arriving at the coast at 5 am to be told the boat to the island wasn’t until 8 am - as you can imagine, I was in flying form, full of the joys of life. He somewhat redeemed himself by getting the tickets organized for the return train, so I eventually thawed and relented to speak to him again.

Now I fly.

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