I have realized today that I need to update you on nearly a week so am going to have to be brief for once! Hummm, not sure if that is going to happen but I shall do my best!

So I left you at Thursday 13th March, on Friday 14th March I had another lazy day – there seems to be a theme emerging here! I had breakfast and found myself a travel agent and booked myself on a few bits and pieces. The first was an Island Tour for the next day (Saturday) which takes to you all different places which are significant around the island! Hence the name I suppose! Man I’m good at stating the obvious! The second was a day Kayaking and Snorkeling at the National Marin Park Angthong (to give it is proper name) for Tuesday and finally a Visa run to Burma to get me extended (my visa that is not me I am quite tall enough!) as it runs out next Saturday. Then I got back to the apartment and booked two days cooking – I picked up a menu which told me what they were planning to cook on each day so I chose the two days which I liked the sound of the best and booked the morning sessions starting at 11am, so you basically cook your own lunch. After that I popped to the beach to do a little bit of frying and then came on the internet to try and upload some photos which I now believe is the biggest time waster ever if you don’t get a good computer and internet place. In some places the PC’s are so old you can’t upload to the internet and write in word at the same time so I ended up starting into space a lot which is actually quite boring!

So anyway while waiting for the photos to load I got a text from Danny and Carla who I met on a tour in Bangkok and they were staying in Lamai and invited me up for dinner. So I got a taxi to their hotel and we walked up the main Lamai strip which I can quite safely say is as tacky as Chaweng but does have a lot more nicer parts! We went into one of the first restaurants we saw as we were all starving and had a lovely meal of Western foods! Garlic Bread and Potato wedges, followed by a Greek salad and a tuna salad to share!! Brilliant! We then went for a bit of a wander but decided that we fancied an early night so I got a cab back and went to bed, ready for my adventure around the Island the next day.

So I got picked up at 11.00am from my hotel reception and got into the mini bus – which thankfully had good air-conditioning and luckily the few people in the car said hello in English! So first we went around the various hotels and picked everyone up and then went to our first stop which was a view point over the Chaweng beach next to a restaurant called Beverly Hills which was a very beautiful spot. It was at this point that everyone started talking to each other and we had two Australians, four Americans and me, not exactly the crowed I was hoping for but very nice all the same. The American’s were all on a two week fasting holiday, which basically involved starving yourself and eating only broth, water and these supplements they give you at their retreat! How awful did I feel when five mins before this I had been stuffing my face with a donut I brought from 7/11!! But they seemed ok with it, even suggested that I should try it! Very bloody funny! Go for a week with barely enough food to keep a snail alive??!! Likely, really likely!

But anyway they offered to take a few photos of me so it was ok! After the viewpoint we went to see the Grandmother and Grandfather rocks which are 2 famous Granite Stones which are shaped respectively like the female and male genitalia! Oh how I wish I could get a bloody photo onto this blog! This is said to be the origin of the Mui people – not sure if they are trying to say they are made of rock or what but that’s what is said!!

After that we go to what is very strangely named as a “monkey show” so basically I’m expecting jumping through hoops, maybe some tail dancing?? Nope – it’s a monkey that goes up a tree knocks down a coconut and then twirls in around and that’s it! Not really sure that warrants the title of “show” but hey its not the poor monkeys fault, he must be bored shitless! Lets face it if all you have to do all day is go up a tree and knock something down you’d be pretty bored! Mind you I suppose there are worse things to do! After this we got to drink some coconut milk from the coconuts he had knocked down! Word of advice – coconut milk from a coconut which has been sat in the sun for a very long time – almost so long it is probably boiling is not nice! In fact it kinda tastes like vomit! I am VERY glad I had water with me – yuck yuck yuck!

Anyway back into the mini-bus and on to the waterfalls, basically 3 waterfalls going up a mountain on Ko Samui. So you have the option of going on an elephant ride up to the waterfall or you can walk – its only a 10 min walk apparently so I decide to walk, after all I have been on elephants twice already and I’m feeling quite bad for the poor little things having to carry me about everywhere. Well what they should have told is that it will be very hot, there is only one sign and its not really a path more of a guideline (if you can find it!) So off I head in the infinite English wisdom that it will be well signposted and there will be a clear path! So I get to one point and there are Thai kids bathing the pool below and they motion to me to go up up – so I go up and keep climbing and the point which is past waterfall number 1 is actually jungle – I began to think I was pretty under equipped with my flip flop’s on and only a small amount of water left! But I keep going – I have people to meet at the waterfall after all. So after about what feels like 30 mins I get to the Waterfall number 2, and no one is there (I have to state at this point I didn’t know it was waterfall 2) so I think oh they must be up some more – I’ll keep going! So after another 30 mins or so I get to the top of this wonderful waterfall but seeing as I can barely breathe and I have blisters the size of a small army I don’t really fully appreciate it. Then I realize I have no idea how the hell I get back down so I start to call for help – and luckily a Thai guy popped out of nowhere and offered me assistance. But not before saying I should go in for a swim – now obviously I had been about to do this but now with a thai man and me, alone in the Jungle with me having no bloody idea where I was I decided I wasn’t all that hot and sweaty really and let him go ahead! I could just see the newspaper headline now – “English girl gets lost looking for Waterfall and tempts Thai Man by stripping off to go for a dip!” Ok so I wouldn’t make much of a journalist, but you know what I mean! Don’t get me wrong I would have had my bikini on but still, seeing as the Thai women are usually dressed head to toe I thought it best not to risk it!

So I make it down and find everyone waiting for me! Luckily their ride took longer than they thought and they were a bit late – I had a bit of a go at the Guide who said it was ok to go on my own. Saying it was dangerous and then I reminded myself of Stephanie so I shut up! After this we stopped for some lunch – well some of us did! Three to be exact! Me and the two Auzzie’s from Melbourne, Paul and Serina. They had just got engaged so I enjoyed hearing all about that and then they kinda adopted me for the rest of the day which was nice. We got dropped of on this road in Nathon Town, it was supposed to be a market but I’ve seen better markets in my back garden! So we had a wander anyway and then we were on our way to Khunaram Temple which is where the Mummified Monk is – basically there is a legend that said he was going to be perfectly preserved when he died and then it was a self fulfilling prophecy and he is still in a sitting position exactly as he died apparently! It’s a bit strange! I did get blessed by a monk which was nice – sprinkled with holy water and all that, feel all cleansed and protected. There were a few puppies hanging around and so I took some photos of them and played with them – ok so I was having more fun with the puppies than the monk but that is beside the point!!

Off again in the mini bus and onto the Big Buddha Temple which is a 12 meter golden image which sits at a northeast point on the Island. It was impressive! The onto Plai Laem Temple which is where we have the Lady monk with millions of arms – ok I think it 8 but lots anyway! Her proper name is Jao Mae Kuan Im – getting all this from memory you know! Ha ha! Ok from the little guide thing I got! That was our last stop and we were off back home – I had a very nutritious dinner of good old McDonalds! And then I went to bed! I’m loving all this sleeping!

The nest day I checked out of my little bungalow on the beach ( it had to end at somepoint!) and into Chaweng Centre Budget Hotel! They found me a room out the back which was even cheaper than the main hotel, it was ok, air conditioning, hot water and a TV which showed movies so I was happy!I went back to Will Wait for lunch which is a really nice restaurant Guy and Sarah introduced me to and i had a lovely lunch - watched our young man win the Grand Prix and then saw Guy and Sarah!! So arranged to meet them for some sunbathing back at the beach and then for dinner that night!

We went back ti Will Wait for dinner and had soem lovely Thai food and then decided to go to the new Ice Bar which had opened!

Got to dash now as Mum just phoned me, but will update again soon and promise will get up to date! Glad i kept to my deal of not describing things too much!!

S-J xx