I suppose I could bore you with descriptions about how beautiful, magical, peaceful, exciting, ridiculous, decadent, funny, debaucherous and romantic Thailand truly is... the simple joy of sipping a cold Singha under a coconut tree as the sun sets over a turqouise sea... the sweat that forms on your brow as you try to eat some spicy tom yam soup... the wind blowing through your hair as you go down the road on a motorbike... the girls on the sidewalk who sing out 'helllllo-massaaaage!' in greeting. But really, I would rather let all the pictures speak for themselves. So here are some general shots of day to day life on Samui.
Roll camera!
Singha beer -- the best way to start your day!
Lunch time at a beach bar.
This tourist is all blissed out!
I must say, I really think my old man made a very, very good choice in moving to Koh Samui. It is small, sweet, peaceful, and life is very easy there. Everything is cheap, everything is pretty, everything is delicious, and there is something to do every night. It's the kind of place that is so sickening idyllic you could vomit!
The main road at Lamai Beach, around the corner from Bob's place.
An authentic Thai massage on the beach.
Sunset on the south coast.
At the end of Lamai Beach are the rock formations Hin Ta and Hin Ya - Grandfather and Grandmother Rock. These famous stone structures have a local folklore attached to it. According to the story, a grandmother and grandfather wanted to help thier grandson find a wife for their son, so they set off from Samui for the mainland of Thailand to do so. But their boat capsized and they were never seen again. According to the legend, their souls were turned into stone - one phallic, and one vaginal.
Grandfather Rock (the totee in the middle)
Oh yah, and if you look closely at the picture above, there are two people making passionate undersea love. I'm quite jealous.
Me, up close and personal with grandpapa.
And close by, directly facing Grandfather Rock, is Grandmother Rock.
Lamai is a pretty active area, but to venture to other areas we rented a motorbike for a day and went about. I even drove the bike once - it was fun! You can also explore the many Buddhist temples, which are bright, colorful and elaborate. The temples in Thailand are very, very different compared to the somber, dignified ones in Tokyo.
Buddhist monks worry about your soul... and about sunburn!
People stick gold foil onto the various statues of Buddha.
We also went into the local markets (which were quite stinky if you ask me, compared to Japan where things are ultra-clean) and saw some interesting food items.
Yum yum! Stir-fried crickets with green onion!
Mmmmm. A big pot of prawns. All for me, none for you!
I also had the unique pleasure of meeting a handsome and charming young pilot from Tokyo who flew all the way to Samui just for four days. This International Man of Mystery accompanied me on a boat trip to the Anthong National Marine Park, a set of islands off the coast of Samui that are protected. We spent the day kayaking, snorkelling, climbing, and getting sunburnt.
The Anthong Emerald Lake
Walking through the rocks.
Goofing around back at Lamai Beach.
Ole years night on Samui was real sweet and relaxing and lovely. We spent the day on the beach, eating and drinking and swimming. That night we all went out roaming around Lamai - we had no plan, no direction, no real idea of what we were going to do. And we ended up finding loads of things to do!
First we went to dinner at a wonderfully cheap restaurant and gorged on duck with cashew, masaman curry, morning glory, spicy Thai salad, and of course, multiple bottles of ice cold Singha. All for about $15 US total! Incredible.
After dinner, we walked to the Samui Shamrock to see a rock band called Ovada.
These head bangers are Bob's neighbors! The first night that I arrived they were all liming next door on their porch and they invited us over for bar-b-que and whiskey. They were very sweet and friendly and laid back, playing with their little 4 year old girl. Little did I know that the next night I would see them in action - and in their wild costumes - on stage tearing into those electric guitars! It was quite a shock compared to the night before.
After that we took a walk to the 'girly-bar' area, where girls dance on the bars and chat with the customers and so on. I know it sounds kind of gross but somehow it isn't vulgar at all (if you can believe that). We found that there was Muay Thai boxing that night so there was a huge crowd excited for the match. Muay Thai boxing uses both arms and legs - half of the fight is kicking and kneeing your opponent.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Then it was the countdown, which was kind of subdued, and after the boxing we walked to the beach to take in the fireworks. And Thais sure love their fireworks! Also, on special occasions, the Thais light up these big lanterns that float up into the sky. It is really beautiful to see hundreds and hundreds of these things in the sky, along with the stars and the fireworks.
Around 3 am we found ourselves at another girly-bar, but we met a lady-boy. Now some of the lady-boys are REALLY sexy and hot and look better than the average woman! But unfortunately some of the lady boys are... well... not.
Thai people are also amazingly kind and gentle to animals. They treat all animals with respect, even stray cats and dogs. The animals are not afraid of people at all, because I suppose they are not used to cruelty. It is quite normal to see dogs and cats walking around or sleeping in the restaurants and bars, and nobody beats them or anything! People are always petting them and feeding them. Maybe it is some kind of Buddhist thing. Or maybe just a Samui thing. Someone was even kind enough to give this doggie an orchid necklace on ole years night.
My last few days on Samui consisted of a lot of fun and games. Bob and I played a lot of pool, went to the shooting range where I discovered I have good aim with a .35,
and played a few games at a bowling alley (where Bob kicked my ass).
It was about that time when I decided that I really did NOT need to go to Bangkok for ANY reason at all because I could not bear the thought of leaving paradise. So I cancelled my trip and stayed to relax and spend more time with dad.
More sickening scenery
At a small fishing village, these kids were more than happy to put on a playful fight game for us, with their Ultraman masks.
And now, after a loooooong trip back, I am home again in Tokyo, and missing Thailand! I could live on Samui EASY. You know, I didn't quite know what to expect before I went to Thailand. When I asked my dad what life is like there, he gave me a strange answer that pretty much sums it up quite well. Watch the video to see for yourself.
2 comments:
Yam!!! WOWZERS!!!! Samui looks beee-ooo-tiful! I can't help but think though, when you made that comment about how kind they are to their dogs and animals in general, that maybe they should show the same compassion to their kids. It may be a stereotype, never been so I can't confirm, but I think of Thailand and right up there with the beautiful images that come to mind, come images of a vibrant child sex trade.
Anyway, seriousness aside... where the fuck did Bob's beard go?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Almost didn't recognise him! Its awesome that he's so happy there! Has he found a hash yet? Sweet! Marshmallows are the perfect discription for a place as beautiful as Thailand!
Well maybe it is like that in Bangkok but I don't think there was any child prostitution on Samui! But who knows, maybe it is just underground.
I did, however, see a handful of kids whose parents have them walking around selling flowers at 2 in the morning by the girly bars. I felt really sad to see a 5 year old girl wandering around barefoot on Ole Years Night with these damn flowers. But they have a lot more of that in Trinidad really.
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