kirktastic

Wow. What a difference. A much more laid back place than Phuket. You land at a small airport with a outdoor terminal. You are ferried from the plane [mine was a prop job] in little Disneyland-styled trams. The airport is only a few km from Chewang beach. It is more expensive than Phuket, but beach resort towns tend to be that way.

Of course I’m talking about the town, not the hotel I stayed at in Phuket which despite its massive size was quite tranquil.

Here in Samui, I’m staying at the Amari Palm Reef. My room is way in the back and does not have a view of the sea which sucks. But is otherwise an awesome place. It is a short walk to the shops of Chaweng — a decidedly upscale set of shops, restaurants and bars compared to Phuket. Of course some of that cachet comes with all of the knockoff brands you see. Like Phuket the streets are crawling with farang, mostly European except my hotel has a larger than typical American guestlist. Last night I went to Soi Green Mango and watched the mating rituals of the European tourists bust a move in the discos. There are a few gogos and beer bars with hostesses begging this “handsome man” into their establisment for a drink. But it definitely isn’t Phuket or Bangkok. After the old people went to sleep, it was mostly European couples and singles out carousing and drinking overpriced cocktails. And yes Johnny there are a few ladyboys here.

The sea is more tranquil since it is on the gulf of Thailand side of the country but it also means the sand is whiter and the water is a lighter hue. The beach front area is not huge, only a few meters separate the hotels from the water, but it winds down for miles. And old European women who you’d wish would cover up walk down the beach topless. The women you’d like to see topless are covered up. It is a social taboo in Thailand for nudity and the old European ladies here don’t seem to give a shit. I’m more of a live by the local rules kind of guy. Just because I drive on the right at home doesn’t mean I should drive on the right here. Maybe I’d be less disgusted by the topless ladies if they were about 40 years younger and 40x hotter.

Right now it is raining. I was walking the beach after getting a manicure and pedicure and massage this morning when the sky started to darken. The locals with their wares and boats and what not started putting their stuff away. Eventually the tourists got of their lounges and started to go inland. I was happy since it meant it was much cooler. But since my hotel put all of this chairs away, there was nowhere to sit except at the bar. I decided to come back to the room for a short siesta and use these last few minutes of interweb.

This is definitely worth my returning to. Laid back paradise. I wish I didn’t have to leave.