Bangkok in the ER

Street Food

"This is quite possibly the best idea we've ever had" ...per Matt Cardoni. We arrived in Koh Samui today and we barely left the incredibly small, quaint, open-air airport of Koh Samui when we were struck by its beauty. We were promptly brought to our hotel/resort where we were greeted and seated, adorned with orchid leis, and treated to fresh coconut milk still in the coconut, and given cold wet towels scented with lemon and mint. This is when Matt stated, "This is quite possibly the best idea we've ever had." Word. They checked us in to the resort right there on the sofas in the open-air "lobby". The room... the room is off the hook. A massive suite where we can wander in a circle and my roommate Kate and I never bump into each other. Our patio doors open to a teak walkway over a coy pond to a private patio. The shower is open to the jacuzzi that was already prepared with oils and orchids, and the rest of the bathroom... well you can always tell an amazing room by its loo, I believe. This does not suck. The rest of the resort winds through more private villas down to the infinity pool which looks upon the soft white sands of the Gulf of Thailand. The sun is warm, the breeze is soft, and I'm in paradise. It's currently 11:45pm and I'm sitting in an internet cafe on the main road in Chaweng Beach. I hear pulsating club music behind me, the horns of so many scooters dodging between traffic. This place makes Spring Break Panama City look like childs play. Fireworks are going off above our heads from the all-night beach parties just a few meters away. This is exactly as I had pictured Koh Samui: idylic by day, debauchery by night. I'm hard-pressed to find Americans, as we're surrounded by every color of the globe represented. It's more international here than Manhattan. Amidst the chaos, Jeff pipes in with, "So there are quite a few ways to die here, I see." Word #2.

I had forgotten to add in the first entry. At 8am the PA speakers in train stations play the national anthem. Ever see those guerilla dance parties on YouTube break out in Grand Central Station where everyone dances at once, or freezes at once? That happened when the national anthem played. Everyone in the entire station froze. When it finished, went about their business.

Reclining Buddha

I pick up yesterday when most of the group took off for the floating markets up north. Jeff and I stayed behind in Bangkok and decided to check a few items off the list from the "1,000 Place to See" book. We stopped at the Oriental Hotel for pictures, then walked to the pier to hop on a river taxi. Was it the right pier to take us to Wat Pho? Would the right boat show up? Which direction would it go? How much did it cost? We didn't know, but got on the first boat that showed up. Travel Tip #1: Know where you are and where you're going. We got out at Wat Pho temple and the shutterbugging commenced. Spent 3 hours in there snapping hundreds of pictures, including the Reclining Buddha.

Monks at Wat Pho Temple

That evening Kate and I decided to hit the Soan Lum night market - I needed a new bag (my Mexican bag broke from the stress). On the way back we got kidnapped by a taxi driver that had NO CLUE where he was, where he was going, or where our hotel was. We were in a figure 8 for a half hour, until he stopped to ask directions. Long story short, we were delivered as planned after furious hand gestures and only paying half the fare.

At 3am I woke practically blind. Long story very short, eye infection, and I paid a visit to the most gorgeous hospital (private, international, expat) I've ever seen. Antibacterial eye drops, ER visit, and Rx: $40. No wait. When I get back I'll get on my soapbox about the state of American healthcare.

I'm off to the hotel now to rest up for a 7:15am call for kayaking. Sawat dii ka!