Ko Samui, Thailand

The weather was not too shabby today so we went back to Choeng Mon beach. Yesterday we found a little side street that leads directly from the main road to the Crystal restaurant and pub’s premises, thus we did not have to park at the Sala resort, which we came to like, actually. Parking here was just a shorter walk and we needed the time in the sun. We found our spot, booked our sun loungers by leaving our beach luggage on them, and had a wonderful brunch inside the restaurant. Me a cheese and egg burger with chips and Adri a spicy chicken noodle salad. I could tell it was spicy by the tears running down her cheeks. Got home for a quick shower and a snooze before heading out to Fisherman’s Village, and more specifically, the Emerald Irish pub and restaurant, to meet Patrick. I like the fact that the Emerald is a “pub and restaurant” and not a “restaurant and pub”. We met Patrick at the Emerald outside on the balcony overlooking Bhoput beach, great view ! Patrick filled us in on the expat island life, who’s who and what’s what, he is an amazing source of information. Patrick told us that he bought a place here some four years back and finally retired to Koh Samui two years ago. We found out that his place was about 40 metres down the road from where we were staying, what coincidence ! The expat life seems to be very active here judging by the many times his phone rang for invitations from local friends during our time together, the island life sure is fun. He was telling us how his friends back home were worried about him having nothing to do and being bored on the island, everything but ! We asked Patrick about the free barbecue that he attended at the M&M Bar the previous evening and he remarked that this was not unusual, there was a time when there was a free barbecue at different restaurants every day of the week, thus one could have perennial free suppers if one so chose. In fact, he informed us, there was a free barbecue on at Cassidy’s bar in Bang Rat tonight should we wish to go ! After spending a great early evening with Patrick, we walked along the pier for a couple of photo opportunities and then headed back home for supper.

Ko Samui, Thailand

When we booked the holiday we did not care about what the weather would be like this time of the year, we just wanted a good rest. If it rained the whole month, that would have been ok as well, would catch up on all the lost reading of the past year. Some people we spoke to seem to think that we were lucky to get so little rain, only had one day of that, and others said we were unlucky not to have received more sunny days. We did not dwell too much on the weather, there were always some cloud cover but plenty of sun during the day to brown the body with. All in all we believe we had pretty good weather, but when we woke up today, we knew that this was going to be a truly glorious day, no clouds to be seen in the sky, a perfect weather day. We headed to Choeng Mon beach which has now officially become our favorite beach on the island. Not too big, not too small, not too busy, not “not busy”, the water is really great for swimming, all in all, our perfect beach, for us at least. Headed to our favorite beach pub for a sun lounger but all were taken. What a blow. We continued on the beach another 40 or so metres and found another beach pub with sun loungers, and two were waiting for us to heave our by now weary bodies onto. The beach pub is called Crystal pub and restaurant, which we will surely visit again soon. The weather was just absolutely perfect, a day like this does not come around everyday and we made full use of it. Yes, a Chang please, and don’t forget the Sprite… Late in the afternoon we packed up our beach stuff and took a walk further along the beach where there are a number more beach pubs and found another one that looked irresistible, and we just could not pass up on it, so we ordered more beers. We reluctantly called it a day and headed home late afternoon, not easy to tear oneself away from such a day. Received an email from Patrick inviting us to the M+M Bar in Bang Rak where they have a free barbecue and live music on a Friday night, you obviously only pay for your drinks. This is heaven ! We already booked a table at Fi so made an alternate arrangement to meet for drinks in Fisherman’s Village, at the Emerald Irish pub and restaurant at 17:00. Got home, showered, took a bit of a snooze and then we were off to the the Greek restaurant, Fi, for their Friday night buffet which we booked a table for. Greeted and treated like “old” customers on our arrival, their food was still the best in town, and I have a sneaky suspicion they will not let up on the quality.

Ko Samui, Thailand

Today we had what can probably be described as a typical expat type day, I guess. We slept in, read, gymmed, watched some news on tv, had breakfast, and then went shopping for a few things to make Musman curry tonight. On the way to the Big C supermarket, we stopped off at an apartment development down the road called Pacatas to check out its viability. Off-plan prices are sort of reasonable, but having been bitten once with an offshore off-plan development, I will be hard pressed to try it again. The developer seems well organized though. Even though development will only start second quarter 2014, they have built fully furnished one and two bedroom units adjacent to the sales office, which is situated right across the road from the development site. Before exposing ourselves to the rigours of shopping, we tanked up on some excellent coffee at Simply Delicious once again. By the way, their food does look simply delicious as well, we just haven’t had an opportunity to test-drive it. Once shopping was completed, isn’t it funny how one always end up with more in the trolley for what one went shopping for in the first place, we stopped off at Tesco for a few things we could not find at Big C. For a snack we found these wonderful peanuts with a covering flavored with coconut. You also get them flavored with chicken and seafood, nice. The main reason though we went to Tesco was to book a table at our favorite restaurant, Fi, which is situated right next to Tesco, for their Greek buffet on Friday night. We also stopped off at an English bookshop called Bookazine where I bought “The Nation Property Guide” newspaper. Strange, but neither Big C nor Tesco had any coconut milk, which come in one litre cartons as one would buy normal cows milk. No sweat, we stopped off at the Bophut fresh produce market and bought a litre of freshly pressed coconut milk. This trick Adri learned from her Thai cooking class with Natty, in fact Thai’s seem to cook only with freshly pressed coconut milk and seem to despise the carton, and heaven forbid, the tinned milk variety. Got home and Adri started preparing the Musman curry. She demanded gin and tonic and I settled for a big Heineken which soon morphed into a big Chang. I sat outside on the balcony, reading and listening to Glass Tiger, Supertramp, The Beat, Steve Forbert etc. I made email contact with the brother of a friend of mine (Tony) who now lives in the Philippines. His brother (Patrick) bought a place in Koh Samui a few years back and is now retired and living on the island, also in the Bophut area where we are staying. We will probably meet up and go for drinks on Saturday early evening. The Musman curry was a gastronomic delight. The doorbell rang and in walks Natty for a visit. She also brought tamarind sauce for us to take home, as we do not get that back home and need it for a couple of Thai dishes. Had a nice chat and we decided that we would go to the local barbecue buffet on Sunday evening, which is just down the way on the ring road. Looking forward to that. After Natty left we did a bit more reading but soon the sleep overtook us and we turned in. And so ends a typical expat type day, I guess.

Ko Samui, Thailand

2013 was a rough year. I will refrain from boring you with the details, but believe me, this was one of the toughest to date, if not the toughest. So 2014 is here, new beginnings, it simply has to be. We are still firming up on the “new beginnings”, which must not to be confused with new year’s resolutions, which I have had many of in the past that all withered away by the end of January. So, this is different. I can feel a sabbatical coming on… This morning we took a break from gym, had a full monty breakfast, and set off to the beach. The weather was pretty overcast but we headed to Choeng Mon again, to check whether the weather was in better shape there. We found it as cloudy and the wind was also up. We decided to stay put in any case and the weather cleared up nicely and the day turned out to be just great. One thing that we have learned here in Koh Samui is that no matter the weather, one can can head out to the beach, it is bound to change during the course of the day. Guess who we saw on the beach today, none other that Ben Color, yes, he of the “London suit” karaoke fame, building castles in the air, sorry, sandcastles, with his young son. We decided last night that it would be a great day excursion to go to the island of Koh Phangan, which is about a 30 minute ferry ride away, and can be seen from most of the north coast of Koh Samui. Koh Phangan, if you don’t know already, is where the famous, or rather infamous, full moon parties take place. So on the way back from the beach we stopped off at the pier in Bang Rak to get all the relevant information. You will not believe me, but as we were walking down the road towards the pier, the waitress from Choeng Mon Restaurant passed us on a moped with a big smile and a big wave. We saw her at the restaurant 30 minutes ago, what coincidence ! Anyway, we found out that the ferry leaves Koh Samui twice a day, at 08:00 and 13:30 and departs Koh Phangan for Koh Samui at 11:00 and 16:30. This ferry also goes ro Koh Tao after its stop at Koh Phangan. I do believe Koh Tao is very beautiful, maybe another day trip sometime ? The return fare to Koh Phangan is 500 Baht (2013) per person. If one purchases a ticket from one of the little travel agencies which are all over the place, it will cost you 800 Baht. Went back home to freshen up after which we went to Fisherman’s village for a quick walk around and a beer at the Emerald Irish pub and restaurant. We were contemplating having supper here but Adri suggested she make us a green curry, now that she has skilled up on her Thai cooking. An hour later we were munching away on this traditional Thai dish, better than in any restaurant we’ve tried !

Ko Samui, Thailand

So, the end of 2013 is upon us. We gymmed, had a healthy breakfast and generally took it easy in anticipation of new year’s eve. Later in the day we ambled off to Fisherman’s village for a look around. We had Mojitos at a street pub, had a pancake thereafter and rounded the early evening off with a Mai Tai. Fisherman’s had no electricity at this stage, only a few establishments had the good sense to acquire generators. Fortunately our cocktails did not require electricity in its manufacturing process. It would have been disastrous for all the restaurants/bars should the power have stayed off on new year’s eve, but when we passed by later the evening the power was back on and the reveling in high gear. We decided to spend new year’s eve at The Secret Garden, where we whiled away a bit of time on Sunday after Adri’s Thai cooking lesson. We got there just after 10 and the place was bopping. I was expecting live music but we had the same line-up as Sunday, we learned that the man in the “London suit”, also from Sunday doing the karaokewas called Ben Color. Tonight he had a similar cut suit on as Sunday, but with a different canvas. I use the term “suit” very loosely. Anyway, everybody was having a good time requesting songs, dancing, drinking, eating etc. At midnight everybody moved onto the beach where the fireworks were set off. The fireworks display went on for a good 10 minutes and was truly impressive. Afterwards we took a stroll along the beach to see what some of the other pubs were up to. We finally got home at around 02:30.

Ko Samui, Thailand

On the way to Choeng Mon we stopped off at the Big Buddha, again, but the piece that Adri wanted to buy was unfortunately sold. Maybe it was meant to be, I was told. Anyway, I used the time to again marvel at the steel “junk” artworks that I saw previously, simply amazing in its simplicity. When you look closely one can identify, pistons, gears, spark plugs, screws, nails, bicycle chains, nuts, bolts etc.etc I think I need one of these, even just a small one… Arriving at Choeng Mon beach we parked in the same place with the courteous security guards on duty. As we walked through the Sala Resort, with what seems to be high-end bungalows, everyone including the cleaning ladies smiles and says hello, a very friendly placek. As we reached the beach we made a quick right turn and 50 metres further we sat ourselves down on the sun loungers of Choeng Mon Restaurant and Bar. Man, this place is great. When one lies in the sun, lost in thought with the surf breaking gently on the slight sloping beach, just loud enough to simmer in the mists of one’s mind, then one can truly relax body and mind. The previous time we were here there was not much sun so, so we did not go for a swim. Today was different and after turning the body a couple of times in the sun, like a good kebab, we went for a dip. As one goes into the surf there is a quick-ish drop to about knee deep, and then it drops back ever so gently, so one has to go in about 25 metres before the water is chest high, perfect ! Choeng Mon beach is fast moving up the list to becoming my favorite beach. This is a life i could easily get get used to this, far too easily. I think i need a sabbatical. We read about the Haad Bang Po Restaurant on the internet which apparently is the best fish restaurant on the island, and apparently one of the best in the world. We just had to go there and decided that today is the day. Well, let me just say, I was totally underwhelmed. We chose the “barbecue whole fish” on the menu, we got the “steamed whole fish” with a small amount of some garlic/chili sauce. We asked for rice which was fine, how wrong can one go with rice. I asked for french fries but was told I can only get that with the dishes on the menu that come standard with it, like the burgers. Anyway, the fish was fresh, that much I can say, but the fish was tasteless, very disappointing, the worst meal I have had on this holiday, and then some. Bottom line, don’t waste your time, there are so many food restaurants on the island. By the way, Adri was not feeling too well after the meal. I googled some more on the internet and found a guy that went there twice, and both times got food poisoning.

Ko Samui, Thailand

Ouch, now you may not believe me, but I am being forced to go drinking beer again today. You see, Adri has now decided what she wanted to buy so we headed back the Nathon for drinking, I mean shopping. I grabbed the same seat as yesterday at Max Murphy’s Irish pub and settled down with my Ipad, sport, music, beers… I’m happy. After a couple of beers I ordered an Ashanti, you know, that Japanese beer I had yesterday. The waiter smiled slightly and replied, “I will bring you an Asahi, sir”….

Ko Samui, Thailand

Lazed around the house, slept in, read, had breakfast, in fact, we were so “lazed” we did not even get to the gym which was on the agenda. Another shopping day was developing as the morning moved into early afternoon, as the plans for the day were being firmed up. We soon found ourselves in Nathon on the east of the island, having a cappuccino at a restaurant in the centre of town. Adri was going to be doing her “shopping” thing again with me doing my “beer drinking while Adri’s out shopping” thing. After the caffeine fix I settled in across the road from where we had our cappuccino, at an Irish pub called Max Murphy’s where the wifi was first rate, the chairs comfortable, TV screens with sport all around, the music good and the beers ice cold. Above the door on the way out there is a sign that reads “If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, you’re lucky enough”, just loved that ! While ordering my first beer I remembered an Irish colleague called Eamonn who used to say, after every beer we’d have, “Oi’m toisty (I’m thirsty)”, and would promptly order more beers. You gotta love the Irish ! I started with a draft Hoegaarden, then a Japanese Asahi, then another draft Hoegaarden, then a Leo, then… oh hell, I don’t remember… Adri completed her shopping recce and joined me for a Hoegaarden. It was now already dark and time for supper, so we decided to stay at Max Murphy’s for that deed. I had the traditional fish and chips and Adri had the Thai yellow curry, both delicious. I handed the keys to Adri to drive us home, I was tired ;-).

Ko Samui, Thailand

Adri’s birthday has arrived and today she calls all the shots. Spent a good hour in the gym and then had a healthy breakfast of fruit salad containing watermelon, pineapple, litchis and banana. This was followed by strawberry yoghurt with whole strawberries, followed by a croissant with cheese. Now we were ready for the day. Adri wanted to go back to the little shops at the Big Buddha to further streamline her eventual purchasing frenzy which will undoubtedly follow at some stage. As we parked I saw a shop that sells steel statues made of scrap steel and old auto parts, which come in sizes that range from a few centimeters to like two and a half meters. I may not want one in my home, but they are incredibly unique artistic masterpieces in their own right, I just could not stop admiring the perfect detail on these pieces. Check out the photos, zoom in and check the detail ! Anyway, I was told by Adri that she wanted to shop unhindered of being hurried on, so I must go and drink beer… OK, I can live with that. I found a lovely little shop that sells clothes, jewelry etc., but also doubles up as a restaurant come bar, with a lovely view over the water. Wifi is also available. This shop, it seems, as many on Koh Samui, is used by the family as a shop, restaurant/pub, and is also their home. As you walk in there is the shop, then you walk through their kitchen/ living area on to the restaurant/pub. Adri spent a good couple of hours shopping while I put my time to much better use. Tired from the “shopping” we retraced out steps back towards Bophut. We stopped off for a few things at the Tesco Lotus Express, as opposed to the superstores, on the way back. There are only a few of these on the island, unlike the ubiquitous Seven Eleven and Family Mart mini supermarkets. It is not uncommon to find three of these within a hundred metre stretch of road, all around the island, very convenient. Not sure how they make money with so much competition, but they all seem to be doing fine. We needed some waking up and went across the road for a coffee of some sorts. The restaurant had a lovely setting, overlooking the beach with plenty little fishing boats on the beach, with plenty of yachts, both sail and power, anchored off in the bay. We sat down, looked through the menu and both ordered a cappuccino. The waitress informed us that she does not serve cappuccino. Huh ? We did not wait to find out whether she, or the restaurant, does not serve cappuccino. Adri decided that, for her birthday supper, she wanted to go back to the Greek restaurant, called Fi, we went to last Saturday evening, which was really a great experience. It was Friday evening and they just happen to serve a Greek buffet. Now I am not one for buffets at the best of times as the food normally is sub-standard. Well, was I pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent ! The place was packed to the rafters and we found out that we actually have to book, this way they get a good idea of how much food to prepare, the owner informed us. Anyway, he remembered us from the previous Saturday and organized a table for us. There were chicken souvlaki, pork souvlaki, beef souvlaki, Greek salad, Moussaka, Greek meat balls, pita bread with tzatziki, grilled potatoes, little filo pastry pies with grilled feta cheese and chillies… The list goes on. And they kept on filling the dishes as they emptied out, fast. Man, this was amazing, guess where I will be next Friday. With supper we had some beer and wine, and we ended supper with a Metaxa, a wonderful Greek brandy. The owner, a Greek from the north west of the Greek mainland, who has been on Koh Samui for some eight years, came over to chat to us again. We also asked for the bill which he forgot to bring to us for a while. Once the bill arrived it was accompanied by a complimentary ouzo, ostensibly because we had to wait for the bill longer than what was required ! Great place ! Got home at about 10:30, tried to read for a while but the eyes refused to stay open so we turned off the lights for a good night’s sleep, or so we thought. In the early hours of the morning a car alarm went off in street in front of the complex with the most irritating beep, beep, beep… 34 of those, then it stopped… Then it starts again for another 34 beeps, and so it carried on for hours. In reality it was probably only about 45 minutes though. Looking out from our balcony, at some stage during this fracas we saw people mulling around the car and heard them muttering 这该死的&#36710 ;子和阿拉&#2298 2;, or something like that. Shortly after this it stopped…. and then it started again… until it finally stopped

Ko Samui, Thailand

We needed to get some vitamin D so Boxing Day found us on Lamai beach at our favourite restaurant with sun loungers and wifi. We had brunch here, Adri had a banana pancake and I just had to have the bacon and cheese burger with chips which I ogled the previous time we were here. The pancake was great, the burger was ok. We spent a very pleasant time in the sun, went for a couple of swims and after being sunned out, we packed up and was homeward bound. On the way back we decided to check out Crystal Bay, which lies just south of Coral Cove on the east side of the island. Crystal Bay seems to double up as Silver Beach as we saw resorts of both names along this stretch of beach, although. I may be wrong about this. Anyway, there seems to be plenty of seaweed on the beach, and in the water near the beach, not sure wether it is always like this. The beach is pleasant enough but we will probably not visit this beach again anytime soon.