Tropical Storm Keeps Us In A Bar . . . . s

Tuesday 12 September 12, 2006

I am in big trouble because I failed to mention a “Big Hello” to everyone yesterday from Juz and Dave – particularly to Kirsty and Holly dog – Juz got your messages and I passed your comment on - and to Jono – she hasn’t forgotten it’s your birthday on Friday, but just in case I forget to mention it again – Happy Birthday for Friday, and of course, Linda. Also looking forward to seeing Jean and Ray when they arrive on Saturday.

Yesterday dawned warm but hazy and after our usual morning routine, I surfed the internet for more options for Australia. Not being too successful, we reread the itinerary for the Australian Pacific tour and decided it would probably be best for us to stick with this trip. So we emailed Roz for more info on prices, option tours within the offer, put the Thai Shite to bed and went for a swim.

Whilst Colin and I were playing ball in the pool (again!) – there were several new people sitting round the pool today, so it did not feel so exclusively “ours” – Juz and Dave arrived. Juz and I had made tentative arrangements to go for a massage, so I quickly dressed, and we went off to for a Thai massage at the same place I went to last Friday, while Colin and Dave made enquiries about property and land for sale on the island – Dave would dearly love to buy a retreat here.

The massages once again poked and prodded and pulled us in all directions, but afterwards, Juz explained that I must have had the “Granny” version, as she was made to sit up and twist her limbs in all peculiar directions whilst being prodded and pulled as the same time. I definitely didn’t have any of that – only pushing my shoulders one way on the mattress, while twisting my hips and legs in the opposite direction so that I thought my spine would end up coiled like a spring! But at 300 bahts each including tips, for an hour, it is really good value. You leave the ‘salon’ feeling lithe and sprightly – well almost, but also in need of a drink.

The ‘boys’ weren’t in Coffee Junction where we had left them reading the property pages, so we ambled through the village. Several of the bars were closed at this time (now nearly 16.00), but the Australian Bar welcomed us in for a Singha. A text to Colin found the two men at the bungalow drinking “Lagavulin”, a supposedly delicious malt whisky that smells like peat bog and a favourite of Colin’s (a present from Juz and Dave when they arrived). Colin had had success at last with the ice and they were celebrating! They met up with us a short time later, still in the Australian Bar. We were sitting watching men trawl with a huge long net along the beach, dragging it only about five feet out from the waterline and not catching a lot more than a few small sardine-looking fish. We noticed an enormous black cloud was creeping across the sky towards us (memories of our time in Perranporth, Cornwall sprang quickly to mind). It began to spatter on the plastic corrugated roof of the balcony, and then it drummed and finally it was like a huge orchestra playing, as the water sheeted over the edge of the roof in a similar way to lemmings. By this time the sky was completely covered by the giant black cloud, lights were popping on all the way along the shore, and we could no longer see the island on the opposite side of the bay through the mist – at some point we had difficulty even seeing the boats moored just a short way from the shore. There was no way we could move from the bar, we would have been soaked just stepping outside, so we just had to have a few more drinks and crisps. After two hours! the rain slowed to a mere sprinkle and we took the opportunity to visit the Happy Elephant bar and then the Beatles bar for cocktails – we had been going to try a different bar tonight, but as we passed by on the way, dodging puddles that spread across the whole street and avoiding vehicles making waves as they moved along, we found it was closed - we assume that like the Frog and Gecko, it is closed on Tuesdays. This is a very hard life, choosing which bar and which cocktail to sample each evening.

For dinner, as by this time we were certainly in need some food, having missed out on lunch, we decided to sample Mr Tandoori again, this time for Asian food. It didn’t quite work out like that. Because last time our main courses arrived almost before we had finished our starters, and we felt we were being a bit rushed, we only ordered starters tonight of chicken satays and spring rolls and drinks – beer for Juz and Dave and water for Colin and me!. After this Dave didn’t want anything more to eat – the pain in his back was returning and he need painkillers – but the rest of us carried on scoffing, Juz again ordering meat dhansak – very hot – with keema pilau and aloo paratha (not very Thai), Colin deciding on barracuda (a large slice of a white firm fish) with grated ginger and crushed pineapple – he hadn’t sampled this fish before and thought it was quite bland and needed the extra flavours, but then was a very tasty dish - while I opted for rock lobster (cross between small lobster and a large crayfish) in coconut curry sauce (it was supposed to be with cashew nuts - and this put Mr Tandoori in a bit of a spin, but the sous-chef came to my aid and agreed it could be done) with aloo gobi (spicy potatoes and cauliflower). We slowly waded our way through all the dishes and managed to consume most of the food. We all agree that this place serves some of the best food – you have just got to slow Mr Tandoori down – even tonight he was hovering at times to remove any empty plates.

We decided on an early night tonight – Dave needed to find some pain relief and we needed to check our emails.

Roz had replied to say she was still finding out more about the tour, but if we chose this one, we needed also to decide on the option tours for Cairns by the time we confirmed our booking, and that she would come back to us with more details, prices and rebates after her day off tomorrow. There was little more we could do on this front tonight, so feeling very sleepy – could it possibly be effect of all the drinks? – we went to bed.

Life here is just getting lazier and lazier and we need Jean and Ray to arrive to boost us back into tourist mode and start doing something. Do we feel guilty at doing nothing – not at all –it’s a perfect life.

VIEW OF KOH SAMUI

The people here are all very friendly and try their utmost to speak English – Juz tells us that at Pukhet they encourage you to speak Thai, but that is not the case here – perhaps there are more lazy ex-pats on this island. The overall impression is of green around the hotels – course leafed grass and plants that we find in the houseplant section of nurseries at home, towered over by coconut palms, swaying in the light breezes. Frogs croak, bat sized butterflies in an amazing array of colours flit, and cheeky birds – probably Thai starlings –chirrup in conversation, as a background to the silence that pervades. Mostly the waters are blue – not the bright turquoise we found in Kenya, but true blue (until the storm clouds arrive).

Away from the touristy parts, the land is parched scrub– with just coconut palms to limit the views from the road. There are lots of small shacks grouped together along the pavements, often with one or two Thai women with weather-beaten, non-ironed faces (you just have no idea of their age), offering local food, or small tacky souvenirs for just a few bahts – their whole life based on this humble existence. Their grateful smiles light up their faces if you just say “hello”, you don’t even have to buy their wares.

There is lots of building going on here – even around our little enclave of Bophut. The hills are being gorged out to make way for more luxurious dwellings with breathtaking views across to islands bobbing the bays. The coastline is almost a continuous line of homes – from the almost hovel-like homes of the poorest people here, to the unadulterated luxury of the rich – buying and renting to an every increasing number of tourists. But all that may change – we have read in a Bangkok newspaper today that visa laws are due to change on 1 October and 90 days will be the maximum any visitor can stay – they must then leave the country for a further 90 days, before being allowed to return. This will have a dramatic effect on some sections of the community, such as divers and ex-pats, many of whom are here on tourist visas. There must be other types of visa available (we know there are retirement visas for “older people”) – but these new laws are to stop visitors coming here and working without being registered or paying any taxes. So Thailand and Koh Samui will change.

There is also a report in the same newspaper that small shopkeepers from Thailand petitioned Tony Blair yesterday to stop Tesco Lotus from expanding into the towns and villages, thus threatening their trade. Tescos here is a huge hypermarket development just outside Chaweng, now with 10-pin bowling and a multiscreen cinema – both installed since we were here a year ago - and lots attendant shops like KFC and fast food outlets, dry cleaners, shoe repairs, etc., and growing all the time The shopkeepes also petitioned the King of Thailand to get his support for any moves made by the Government to limit the expansion. (Didn’t we had the same problem in England a few years ago?) I don’t suppose they will be very successful – money definitely speaks here – and so life will again be changed for the native Thai people.

We hope that the people in power recognize how life is changing and put in some restrictions in place, so that the culture and way of life of the indigenous people can survive.