Just A Couple of Hiccups!

Monday 11 September

Today dawned with bright sunshine and no whisper of a breeze and no hint of the anxieties to come. After my usual twenty lengths in the pool, we ventured to breakfast. There we met our “builder man”, who enquired what we were doing today. We had arranged with Juz and Dave to go to Nathon to try and sort our visa.

First Hiccup: “Builder man” explained that we would not get a 30 day extension in Koh Samui but would need to do a “Visa Run”, crossing the border and returning, in one day if necessary – even though Juz has a document which says all Official Immigration Offices can offer both 10 and 30 days visa extensions – perhaps we’re not ‘official’ here.

We were joined by “Mr Billabong” (so called because when we saw him during the first few days of our stay, he always had ‘Billabong’ written on his Tshirts – now he’s changed to ‘Chelsea’!! He agreed that we would need to do the “Visa Run”, and we had a choice of Malaysia (Mondays, Wednesday or Fridays), or Burma (Tuesdays and Thursdays) – the latter being a far more interesting run through mountainous countryside (and of course we would be doing the Malaysia ‘run’ during our next tour). He and his wife had been missing the last couple of days, and apparently they had been to Burma to extend their visa and stayed in Myanmar for a couple of days to have a look round – it is apparently very, very cheap there. We can book this ‘excursion’ through the local tour operators, who run coach loads each day, to accommodate all the ex-pats resident on Koh Samui! They pick you up about 05.00 and you get back late in the evening if it is a one-day venture. Sounds like we will be adding Burma to our itinerary before the end of the month as our current visa only lasts until 1 October and we actually leave Thailand on 22 October. Problem solved? – well we still have to make the arrangements, but we’re told it’s “easy peasy” – we shall see.

We go back to the bungalow and I am just finishing posting the blog for yesterday when Juz and Dave arrive. We decided to still go and wander around Nathon for the day, but would just check everyone’s emails before we leave.

Second Hiccup: We had an email from Roz at Trailfinders to say the second tour we were booked on in Australia, from Cairns to Sydney, had been cancelled due to lack of bookings. AAT offered us a tour from Sydney to Cairns - we would end the previous tour in Darwin and had a flight booked to Cairns and hotel accommodation in Sydney at the end of November - so this did not really fit in with our plans. We spent a short while browsing the internet (Thai Shite comes into its own again!) before emailing Roz asking for more help – more tour options, other ideas. Then we went off to find a cab to Nathon. It was still 05.00 in England.

We strolled back to the road outside the Bandara (Juz and Dave’s abode) and hailed a cab. It was a 6-seater people carrier, very comfortable, with the taxi driver’s ‘wife’ in the front. He agreed to take us to Nathon, after some bargaining on Dave’s part for 500 bahts (about 8 GBP - Nathon is across the other side of the island and this seemed a fair price).

All along the road to Nathon, there were signs of houses for rent or sale as well as large scale and single property developments taking place along the edge of the waterfront and up on the hills, where there would be wonderful views of the sea and surrounding islands.

When we arrived in Nathon, the taxi driver asked if he could drive us for the return journey later for another 500 bahts – we agreed and set a pick-up time of 16.00. His ‘wife’ went off to shop, and we left him parked at the side of the road, while we roamed the town (we had paid the driver nothing at this time).

Nothing much seemed to have changed from our previous visit in March last year. Nathon, although the administrative capital of Koh Samui, is still very much a town for the locals. There is very little western influence, and most of the shops are small Thai-style cubes selling local fare, be it clothes, food and vegetables, household items and furniture, and even some motor cycle and old television repairs being carried out on the street. There are some shops offering cheap CDs and Juz bargained for a few to play on the DVD player in their room! – I said it was posh! - and some selling souvenirs or mobile phones. But it’s a bit like a piece of land “that time forgot” – its slow, tatty and dingy, although motor cycles and taxis drive in a never-ending stream along the narrow street (which is only a bit wider than the street through Bophut). Colin likened it to Peckham High Street, but I think that’s probably being unkind to Peckham (haven’t they had some rebuilding and modernization recently?), and I think Nathon typifies the real Thailand, away from the tourists.

We found “Samui Shoes” where Dave, eighteen months ago, had bought a couple of pairs of shoes, and ordered another pair to be shipped home – this pair never arrived, despite having been paid for. We walked in and when Dave started to tell the shoemaker the sad tale, there was great smiles and “Yes, Yes, Yes,” and the shopkeeper took a pair of black lace up shoes off the shelf. He remembered Dave and these were the shoes he had made for him. When the rebuilding work to his shop was carried out, soon after our visit, the order book had been lost in the chaos (we can believe that), and so the shoes had sat on the shelf waiting for Dave to collect them, as the shoemaker had no idea how to contact Dave again!! It was a bit like a “Welcome Home” party, with lots of smiles and hand shaking – we were waiting for the shouts of “Bravo” or “Hip Hip Hooray” to complete the atmosphere. The shoemaker explained that the shoes would probably be tight now as leather, if not used, will shrink a bit, and sure enough, they did pinch Dave’s toes a bit. So the shoes are going to be stretched over the next few days and then Dave has himself the new pair of shoes he ordered last year!

After all this excitement, we needed a drink and hit upon a bar facing the sea where we could watch the ferries going to Surat Thani (which we would be traveling on in a few weeks on our way to Burma!). We were only going to order drinks, but while perusing the food menu, the dishes sounded tempting, so we added fish and shrimp cakes and French fries, spicy seafood salad and chicken with chillis and cashews and rice to the order – not bad seeing as we only ate breakfast a few hours before. But the food was absolutely delicious and loads of it – all for 650 bahts (less than 10 GBP), including six Singha beers as well! – great value.

We needed a stroll to work off some calories, so we went back along the main street, and noticed the taxi was still in the same place where it had dropped us off, the driver snoozing in his seat by this time. As it wasn’t yet 16.00, we continued with our wanderings, exploring “Watsons” as well-known cut-price chemist in Koh Samui and stocked up on a few items.

Just before 16.00 we returned to the taxi – the wife had also returned by this stage – and we speeded back to the Bandara in record time. The driver tried to solicit us for a tour of the island tomorrow, but we explained that our friends would be here later in the week, and we would do any excursions like that once they arrived – he seemed a bit miffed. Once at the hotel, on offering the fare, 500 bahts each way as arranged, the taxi driver wanted an extra 400 bahts for waiting! – Whoa! that’s not what we had agreed – so after some more almost heated “negotiations between Dave, Colin and the driver – the wife wanted us out of the cab as quickly as possible – we left, paying him only the 1000 bahts we had arranged – and unfortunately, a further 100 bahts that Colin already had out for a tip. Cheeky monkey!

We had a drink with Juz and Dave at their hotel bar, before wandering back to Bophut village, to check emails.

Roz had come up with an alternative tour with Australian Pacific Touring, another company that Trailfinders worked with. This tour seemed very similar to the one cancelled by AAT and was guaranteed to take place. But on looking at their website it seems to be double the price! – I know the cancelled tour was the only ‘budget’ tour we had arranged, but this one seems perhaps a tad expensive. So we emailed for more information and are awaiting a reply – it was after the end of the working day for Roz by now, so it will be sometime tomorrow before we hear. If not, we will get to Cairns and sort ourselves out from there – there must be someone who can show us the sites from Cairns to Sidney in November. We shall see. We are becoming quiteadept at this traveling lark now.

We also had emails from Sandy and Alex, together with piccys of them on their bikes and in school uniform. Sandy had apparently fallen off his (because it is too small for him now?) and we had a piccy of a ‘very poorly arm too!

Juz and Dave had an invite to the hotel cocktail party tonight, so we arranged to meet in the Beatles Bar at 20.00. We were there a little early, but they were already well esconced with drinks. We decided we all wanted Thai food again tonight, so we ambled to Starfish and Coffee for another delicious meal of lots of piccy food. Colin was the only one who could manage a dessert, and chose mango with sticky rice and coconut milk – Juz said it was scrumptious!

The weather had been very hot and humid again today, and I am beginning to peel all over!

Tomorrow might be a good day for another massage and a visit to Chaweng to find another favourite restaurant “Captain Kirk’s” – yes you are surrounded with Star Trek memorabilia here.