I had a splendid last meal in Bangkok -- hummus and naan bread, mandi rice, and chicken tikka masala at Sultan's on Sukhumvit soi 3/1. I'll miss that place. Especially since ethnic cuisine (beyond Tex-Mex, which really doesn't count) is non-existent in Greenville.
My morning was stressful. My luggage was a little overweight. My carry-on was way overweight. I combed through my bags several times to see what I could throw away. I can't even remember what I threw out, so it must not have been anything essential.
Bright offered to drive me to the airport, and it's a good thing, too. Trying to manage two 50-pound suitcases, a 20-pound carry-on, and a shopping bag by myself would have been frustrating and exhausting.
I curled up on a sofa at my gate in the Seattle airport when I arrived and cried a little. I already miss the smells of Bangkok. Only the pleasant ones, of course -- the jasmine garlands being strung together by flower sellers on the street... burning incense wafting onto the sidewalk from a nearby shrine... chai yen brewing at a street stand. I don't miss the bursts of black smog from buses or the occasional whiff of sewage.
Oh, Bangkok.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
people
Most of my actual travel time getting to/from/around the south of Thailand was done solo. In my last post, I talked about the boy who gave me his watch necklace. He sent me an e-mail telling me he had worried about me riding the train alone. He also attached photos of some of his artwork. I think I have a new pen pal.
I met my second random stranger on an overnight boat from Koh Samui back to the mainland. He introduced himself as Nik -- short for Nikolai. He said he was from Russia and handed me a CD called "Guitar Sounds by Onyx: Shadow of Your Love." He plays on the streets of Moscow for money. He tried it out on Khao San Road in Bangkok, but people weren't so generous.
Nik told me he was cutting his vacation short because he wrecked a motorbike into a car on Samui and had to pay for the damages. He also shared that it was his father's lifelong dream to play music on a Mississippi riverboat. I guess I looked like the right kind of person in which to confide such factoids.
Several days later, I was waiting by the pier on Koh Phi Phi to start my trip back to Bangkok. I had a couple hours to kill before my boat arrived. A Thai man working for a tourist agency sidled up and struck up a conversation.
He was 37 years old and unmarried. I asked why, and learned that he'd spent 14 years living in a forest in the northeast as a monk. He meditated for 10 hours a day for the first seven years. Sometimes he fasted for a month at a time, surviving only on sugar water. For the next seven years, he lived in a room with a bed surrounded by a thousand books. He read them all, and people thought he was a little crazy.
He studied international relations and philosophy in college, including some Western philosophy. His favorite, though, is Indian philosophy. His dream is to move there to study. His other dream is to go to the U.S.
I'm back in the U.S. now, sitting in the Seattle airport. I suppose some sort of reflective post is in order soon. My first observations:
1. It's weird seeing fat policemen.
2. It's weird hearing English spoken without a foreign accent.
More to come.
I met my second random stranger on an overnight boat from Koh Samui back to the mainland. He introduced himself as Nik -- short for Nikolai. He said he was from Russia and handed me a CD called "Guitar Sounds by Onyx: Shadow of Your Love." He plays on the streets of Moscow for money. He tried it out on Khao San Road in Bangkok, but people weren't so generous.
Nik told me he was cutting his vacation short because he wrecked a motorbike into a car on Samui and had to pay for the damages. He also shared that it was his father's lifelong dream to play music on a Mississippi riverboat. I guess I looked like the right kind of person in which to confide such factoids.
Several days later, I was waiting by the pier on Koh Phi Phi to start my trip back to Bangkok. I had a couple hours to kill before my boat arrived. A Thai man working for a tourist agency sidled up and struck up a conversation.
He was 37 years old and unmarried. I asked why, and learned that he'd spent 14 years living in a forest in the northeast as a monk. He meditated for 10 hours a day for the first seven years. Sometimes he fasted for a month at a time, surviving only on sugar water. For the next seven years, he lived in a room with a bed surrounded by a thousand books. He read them all, and people thought he was a little crazy.
He studied international relations and philosophy in college, including some Western philosophy. His favorite, though, is Indian philosophy. His dream is to move there to study. His other dream is to go to the U.S.
I'm back in the U.S. now, sitting in the Seattle airport. I suppose some sort of reflective post is in order soon. My first observations:
1. It's weird seeing fat policemen.
2. It's weird hearing English spoken without a foreign accent.
More to come.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Fine Dining on Sukhumvit
Just a brief overview of some of my favorite restaurants on Sukhumvit.
Sultan's
Sukhumvit soi 3/1
Middle Eastern
Recommendations: Hummus (creamiest I've ever had), Naan bread, Chicken Tikka Masala, any of their curries, Mandi rice. Go with a group and order a couple of dishes to share.
Kuppa
Sukhumvit soi 16
International
Recommendations: The entrees my friends and I tried were just OK. Go there for dessert. Try the cheesecake with blueberry compote. It's the best I've ever tasted.
Govinda
Sukhumvit soi 22
Vegetarian Italian
Recommendations: Don't let the fact that it's vegetarian scare you away. Everything on the menu is delicious. Highly recommend the lasagna.
Tacos and Salsa
between Sukhumvit sois 22 and 24
Mexican (So legit, the owner is from Mexico City)
Recommendations: Anything on the menu. The margaritas are especially delicious here.
Sunrise Tacos
Sukhumvit soi 12; Second location in Siam Paragon
Mexican
Recommendations: Black bean tacos, guacamole. Good desserts. A little cheaper than Tacos and Salsa, but also has less atmosphere.
Sultan's
Sukhumvit soi 3/1
Middle Eastern
Recommendations: Hummus (creamiest I've ever had), Naan bread, Chicken Tikka Masala, any of their curries, Mandi rice. Go with a group and order a couple of dishes to share.
Kuppa
Sukhumvit soi 16
International
Recommendations: The entrees my friends and I tried were just OK. Go there for dessert. Try the cheesecake with blueberry compote. It's the best I've ever tasted.
Govinda
Sukhumvit soi 22
Vegetarian Italian
Recommendations: Don't let the fact that it's vegetarian scare you away. Everything on the menu is delicious. Highly recommend the lasagna.
Tacos and Salsa
between Sukhumvit sois 22 and 24
Mexican (So legit, the owner is from Mexico City)
Recommendations: Anything on the menu. The margaritas are especially delicious here.
Sunrise Tacos
Sukhumvit soi 12; Second location in Siam Paragon
Mexican
Recommendations: Black bean tacos, guacamole. Good desserts. A little cheaper than Tacos and Salsa, but also has less atmosphere.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
a gift
On Saturday night I made my way to Hualamphong train station alone to begin my trip down south. My three friends had already flown to Surat Thani that afternoon. I decided to go the less comfortable -- but more affordable -- route, taking the overnight train followed by a midmorning boat to Ko Samui.
I was in the train station food court getting some pad thai, since the train didn't have real food. I was hot and tired from walking from the bus stop to the station with a heavy backpack.
I ordered my food and flopped down into a chair, observing my fellow diners while I waited. A guy was standing in line wearing a blue polo shirt, a navy coat with big, gold buttons, and a tiny pocketwatch hanging on a chain around his neck. He asked if he could sit with me.
I said OK and asked him if he worked at the train station -- the pocketwatch made me think he was a ticket taker or conductor or something. He said no. I complimented his necklace and we had a nice chat. I learned that he was an art student from Chiang Mai attending university in Bangkok. He was going home for the break between semesters.
As I ate my pad thai, I separated the nefarious bits of tofu from the rest of my food. He eyed it and asked if I didn't like tofu. I asked if he wanted it. He nodded, so I pushed the tofu pile onto his plate.
We finished our meals and as we walked toward the platform, he took off his watch necklace. "Here, I want you to have this," he said, as he dropped it in my hand. I tried to object, but he insisted. I put it on, and he told me it looked good.
His train was at the platform. He asked for my email address and we said goodbye. I sat down to wait for my train. He came over to me a few minutes later, handed me a bag of Bugles corn snacks, and boarded his train.
That's Thai hospitality for you. You know a person for less than an hour and they give you a memento and a snack.
I was in the train station food court getting some pad thai, since the train didn't have real food. I was hot and tired from walking from the bus stop to the station with a heavy backpack.
I ordered my food and flopped down into a chair, observing my fellow diners while I waited. A guy was standing in line wearing a blue polo shirt, a navy coat with big, gold buttons, and a tiny pocketwatch hanging on a chain around his neck. He asked if he could sit with me.
I said OK and asked him if he worked at the train station -- the pocketwatch made me think he was a ticket taker or conductor or something. He said no. I complimented his necklace and we had a nice chat. I learned that he was an art student from Chiang Mai attending university in Bangkok. He was going home for the break between semesters.
As I ate my pad thai, I separated the nefarious bits of tofu from the rest of my food. He eyed it and asked if I didn't like tofu. I asked if he wanted it. He nodded, so I pushed the tofu pile onto his plate.
We finished our meals and as we walked toward the platform, he took off his watch necklace. "Here, I want you to have this," he said, as he dropped it in my hand. I tried to object, but he insisted. I put it on, and he told me it looked good.
His train was at the platform. He asked for my email address and we said goodbye. I sat down to wait for my train. He came over to me a few minutes later, handed me a bag of Bugles corn snacks, and boarded his train.
That's Thai hospitality for you. You know a person for less than an hour and they give you a memento and a snack.
Friday, March 19, 2010
another half-baked idea
I've gotten used to sharing my living quarters with diverse flora and fauna over the last ten months -- ants, geckos, mold, cockroaches... I usually ignore them as best I can, but the thought of a roach scurrying around while I sleep gives me the creeps.
Killing them presents a problem for me; stepping on them is the most efficient method, but the crunching noise it makes is too horrible to bear. I decided last night I couldn't do it anymore. I needed a less hands-on means of destruction.
When I got home from Saxophone and turned on my bedroom light, I spotted one of the little fiends near my closet. One swift throw of my sneaker and the roach was on its back, frantically kicking its filthy little legs.
I grabbed a bottle of Off! from my vanity and crouched down to poison the sucker. Twenty-five sprays seemed sufficient. Eventually, he lay still in a shallow pool of mosquito repellent. I scooped him up with a piece of paper and flushed him.
I cleaned up the bug spray with Wet Wipes, turned off my lights, and got into bed, only to get right back up again when I realized I'd lose 50% of my brain cells overnight if I slept in those fumes.
I turned my fan on. It wasn't enough. I changed positions so my head would be as far from the spray as possible, but I could still smell it. I got up and found my surgical mask (a leftover from the swine flu scare). I put it on and laid back down, imagining how ridiculous I looked sleeping in a face mask. Finally, I opened the sliding door to my balcony and left the screen door shut.
So far today, brain activity seems normal.
Killing them presents a problem for me; stepping on them is the most efficient method, but the crunching noise it makes is too horrible to bear. I decided last night I couldn't do it anymore. I needed a less hands-on means of destruction.
When I got home from Saxophone and turned on my bedroom light, I spotted one of the little fiends near my closet. One swift throw of my sneaker and the roach was on its back, frantically kicking its filthy little legs.
I grabbed a bottle of Off! from my vanity and crouched down to poison the sucker. Twenty-five sprays seemed sufficient. Eventually, he lay still in a shallow pool of mosquito repellent. I scooped him up with a piece of paper and flushed him.
I cleaned up the bug spray with Wet Wipes, turned off my lights, and got into bed, only to get right back up again when I realized I'd lose 50% of my brain cells overnight if I slept in those fumes.
I turned my fan on. It wasn't enough. I changed positions so my head would be as far from the spray as possible, but I could still smell it. I got up and found my surgical mask (a leftover from the swine flu scare). I put it on and laid back down, imagining how ridiculous I looked sleeping in a face mask. Finally, I opened the sliding door to my balcony and left the screen door shut.
So far today, brain activity seems normal.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
red shirts, blood, and graduation
Our school was closed on Monday and Tuesday, thanks to the protests. It was really nice to have a few days to sleep, sit by the pool, eat, and relax.
Since last Friday, protesters have been streaming into the city via bus, truck, and motorbike. I got to watch some of it from the smoothie shop windows as the neverending parade headed toward Victory Monument. It was kind of like watching a high school pep rally. People were decked out in red clothes and accessories. They stood in truck beds and clapped, waved, shouted, sang, danced, and held their red flags high.
Yesterday, protest leaders organized a blood drive. In a bizarre attempt to make some kind of point, they poured the blood out at the four gates of Parliament. There are several videos about it on CNN's Web site.
They're supposed to be doing it again in front of other government buildings today. We were really hoping graduation would be canceled. I mean, would you come to work if a crowd down the road was dousing buildings in blood? But there hasn't been any violence, so I guess the show must go on. We're at school today for graduation rehearsals.
Thursday is Prathom's graduation and Friday is Mattayom's. Tomorrow, if he ends up attending, we'll curtsy before the Crown Prince of Thailand. Fancy-shmancy.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
politicking
I never thought I'd be so excited about political unrest. We have this Friday off for another round of Red Shirt protests.
As glad as I am to have a free day, I know it'll be hard to go anywhere, because traffic will be extra-horrible. I wanted to go to the Red Cross Queen Sirikit Snake Farm. You get to watch them milk the snakes' venom!
Speaking of politics, I finally got an idea of the kinds of little power struggles that go on in our department.
Ake came to me yesterday afternoon with nothing to do, wanting to improve his English. Specifically, he asked, "What are some words that Thai people say wrong?"
Sure, yeah, just hold on a sec while I pull out my handy list of every mispronunciation I've heard in the last 10 months.
I went to the bookshelf and pulled out a bedtime stories book from the '60s. He read aloud and I corrected him. After working a bit on pacing and intonation, he told me that some teachers were asking why he was teaching English here. He studied art, not English, in university, and has been teaching computer classes at the school.
"But Sukjai asked you to come teach English, right?"
"No, Ajarn Mina [the head of Prathom]."
"Right, so then, you're supposed to be teaching English. I don't understand."
Then he asked who the best English-speakers were in the department. We named off three teachers, all of whom are only part-time. He wanted to know who was the best of the full-time teachers. Alyssa, Mariela, and I thought for a minute, and then ventured that Sukjai was probably the most fluent.
He kept dancing around what he really wanted to say and went on to tell us he wasn't sure he should be teaching English. I assured him that yes, he definitely should be. Alyssa told him straight up, "Your English is better than Sukjai's, hands down."
He was vague about which teachers were gossiping about him -- we don't know if it's an English teacher or someone in another subject. He's only 27, so my theory is that one of the older teachers feels threatened by his English abilities and is trying to cut him down.
Maybe it's not a bad thing we don't know Thai. There's no telling how many times a week these petty battles are fought.
As glad as I am to have a free day, I know it'll be hard to go anywhere, because traffic will be extra-horrible. I wanted to go to the Red Cross Queen Sirikit Snake Farm. You get to watch them milk the snakes' venom!
Speaking of politics, I finally got an idea of the kinds of little power struggles that go on in our department.
Ake came to me yesterday afternoon with nothing to do, wanting to improve his English. Specifically, he asked, "What are some words that Thai people say wrong?"
Sure, yeah, just hold on a sec while I pull out my handy list of every mispronunciation I've heard in the last 10 months.
I went to the bookshelf and pulled out a bedtime stories book from the '60s. He read aloud and I corrected him. After working a bit on pacing and intonation, he told me that some teachers were asking why he was teaching English here. He studied art, not English, in university, and has been teaching computer classes at the school.
"But Sukjai asked you to come teach English, right?"
"No, Ajarn Mina [the head of Prathom]."
"Right, so then, you're supposed to be teaching English. I don't understand."
Then he asked who the best English-speakers were in the department. We named off three teachers, all of whom are only part-time. He wanted to know who was the best of the full-time teachers. Alyssa, Mariela, and I thought for a minute, and then ventured that Sukjai was probably the most fluent.
He kept dancing around what he really wanted to say and went on to tell us he wasn't sure he should be teaching English. I assured him that yes, he definitely should be. Alyssa told him straight up, "Your English is better than Sukjai's, hands down."
He was vague about which teachers were gossiping about him -- we don't know if it's an English teacher or someone in another subject. He's only 27, so my theory is that one of the older teachers feels threatened by his English abilities and is trying to cut him down.
Maybe it's not a bad thing we don't know Thai. There's no telling how many times a week these petty battles are fought.
Monday, March 8, 2010
pre-spousal carousal
We had a bachelorette party, Bangkok-style, for Mariela on Saturday. Our attempts at dressing like Thai teenage girls looked more like "Tacky Day" during a high school spirit week, with our mismatched accessories, graphic tees, ridiculous hair, and piled-on jewelry. And one mustn't forget the icing on the cake: miniature hats bought for us by Simone!
Throughout the night, Mariela had to complete various silly tasks, including, but not limited to:
- Taking a picture with a ladyboy
- Running around the taxi twice while stuck in traffic
- Buying a stick of fishballs and presenting them to a stranger, saying, "Would you like to try my balls?"
- Taking a picture driving a tuk-tuk
- Singing and dancing to "All the Single Ladies" in the middle of a busy street
We had dinner at Kuppa, a nice restaurant on Sukhumvit soi 16. Our food was OK, but the dessert was great. Simone's choice -- cheesecake with blueberry compote -- was the most delicious cheesecake I've ever tried, hands-down. Better than The Cheesecake Factory, and just a step above my friend Ryan's cheesecakes.
We headed to a salsa club and then on to Khao San Road (backpacker/dingy bar central) for dancing. Good times were had by all, even if we had sore throats the next day from all the smoke in the air.
We may have been lucky to survive that last cab ride. Erin likes to think the driver was just a happy soul, but the rest of us had a sneaking suspicion he was on something when he started giggling like mad at Mariela doing her Chinese fire drill.
Oh, well.
Throughout the night, Mariela had to complete various silly tasks, including, but not limited to:
- Taking a picture with a ladyboy
- Running around the taxi twice while stuck in traffic
- Buying a stick of fishballs and presenting them to a stranger, saying, "Would you like to try my balls?"
- Taking a picture driving a tuk-tuk
- Singing and dancing to "All the Single Ladies" in the middle of a busy street
We had dinner at Kuppa, a nice restaurant on Sukhumvit soi 16. Our food was OK, but the dessert was great. Simone's choice -- cheesecake with blueberry compote -- was the most delicious cheesecake I've ever tried, hands-down. Better than The Cheesecake Factory, and just a step above my friend Ryan's cheesecakes.
We headed to a salsa club and then on to Khao San Road (backpacker/dingy bar central) for dancing. Good times were had by all, even if we had sore throats the next day from all the smoke in the air.
We may have been lucky to survive that last cab ride. Erin likes to think the driver was just a happy soul, but the rest of us had a sneaking suspicion he was on something when he started giggling like mad at Mariela doing her Chinese fire drill.
Oh, well.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
I love WedMD
If I have symptoms -- any symptoms at all -- I like to use WebMD's Symptom Checker to figure out what horrible ill[nesse]s may have befalled me.
For one thing, clicking on the body parts and scrolling through every possible thing that could be wrong with each one is just fun. As a self-described hypochondriac, I naturally begin to imagine that, yes, yes, I do think that could possibly be a bald spot on my head.
But doctors hate self-diagnosers, right? I can imagine the sighs and rolled eyes when they see lists of diseases procured from the WebMD Syptom Checker.
Today's symptoms are dizziness and a slightly nauseated feeling. That's all. No headache. No fever. No vomiting. I don't want to go to the clinic on our grounds, or even a hospital, because doctors here do only two things: 1) neglect to listen to what you're telling them and 2) prescribe an antibiotic, along with three or four other medications.
WebMD suggests 20 possible conditions, including Meniere's disease, acute kidney failure, Botox injection, and esophagitis.
What should I do now?
For one thing, clicking on the body parts and scrolling through every possible thing that could be wrong with each one is just fun. As a self-described hypochondriac, I naturally begin to imagine that, yes, yes, I do think that could possibly be a bald spot on my head.
But doctors hate self-diagnosers, right? I can imagine the sighs and rolled eyes when they see lists of diseases procured from the WebMD Syptom Checker.
Today's symptoms are dizziness and a slightly nauseated feeling. That's all. No headache. No fever. No vomiting. I don't want to go to the clinic on our grounds, or even a hospital, because doctors here do only two things: 1) neglect to listen to what you're telling them and 2) prescribe an antibiotic, along with three or four other medications.
WebMD suggests 20 possible conditions, including Meniere's disease, acute kidney failure, Botox injection, and esophagitis.
What should I do now?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
in trouble
We were met with quiet, almost-tangible hostility when we walked into the office yesterday. Sukjai didn't acknowledge our existence, but sulked into his breakfast of chicken and rice.
We sat down and exchanged nervous glances. When he left the room, we discussed a plan of action.
"Should we let him approach us?"
"No, in Thai culture, younger people always come to the elders. You can't make them seek you out."
"Okay, okay. So we have to approach him somehow."
"Not when La Bruja [a.k.a. P.Cham -- the third grade English teacher/office-politics puppet master] is in the room. We can't have him drawing strength from her."
"No, no. That wouldn't be good."
We caught him 15 minutes later as he was walking past our cluster of desks. Kristy -- a brave soul -- said, "Um, Sukjai? Do you have a second?"
We were immediately shot down. He waved his hand as if to say, "I don't even want to look at you right now" and told us he'd talk with us later.
I, for one, was relieved. At least the ball was in his court.
He waited until 3:40 to finally call us out of the office to have a chat. We sat down in a classroom and he said, "Well, what happened?"
Erin told him the same exact thing that I'd told him on the phone. He told us he felt so surprised on Tuesday when he came to work and none of us were there.
"Believe me, we were just as surprised when you called!" Erin said.
We assured him that we meant no disrespect and never would have missed work had we not truly, sincerely believed we had time off. We told him we'd stay an hour late next week to make it up, and he was placated.
Like everything else that goes on in our department, it was a needlessly dramatic buildup to an inconsequential outcome.
We sat down and exchanged nervous glances. When he left the room, we discussed a plan of action.
"Should we let him approach us?"
"No, in Thai culture, younger people always come to the elders. You can't make them seek you out."
"Okay, okay. So we have to approach him somehow."
"Not when La Bruja [a.k.a. P.Cham -- the third grade English teacher/office-politics puppet master] is in the room. We can't have him drawing strength from her."
"No, no. That wouldn't be good."
We caught him 15 minutes later as he was walking past our cluster of desks. Kristy -- a brave soul -- said, "Um, Sukjai? Do you have a second?"
We were immediately shot down. He waved his hand as if to say, "I don't even want to look at you right now" and told us he'd talk with us later.
I, for one, was relieved. At least the ball was in his court.
He waited until 3:40 to finally call us out of the office to have a chat. We sat down in a classroom and he said, "Well, what happened?"
Erin told him the same exact thing that I'd told him on the phone. He told us he felt so surprised on Tuesday when he came to work and none of us were there.
"Believe me, we were just as surprised when you called!" Erin said.
We assured him that we meant no disrespect and never would have missed work had we not truly, sincerely believed we had time off. We told him we'd stay an hour late next week to make it up, and he was placated.
Like everything else that goes on in our department, it was a needlessly dramatic buildup to an inconsequential outcome.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
koh chang
When we left Bangkok early Friday morning for Koh Chang, Erin and I thought we had six luxurious days to kill there. This morning over breakfast, my cell phone rang. It was Sukjai, wanting to know where I was.
The conversation went something like this:
Erin and I are on Koh Chang.
"Where? You're supposed to be in Bangkok."
I thought Lita asked for two extra days off last Thursday.
"She and Alyssa and Amy and Simone asked off, but you and Erin and Kristy didn't."
There must have been some kind of miscommunication [imagine that!], because we all thought when Mariela asked off, she was asking for all the foreign teachers.
The compromise Mariela had come to was that we'd get Tuesday and Wednesday off in exchange for staying two hours late every day next week. She kept all of us informed on the status of these negotiations.
We assumed Sukjai understood that we all wanted time off. Hello? Why would the rest of us be happy little worker bees when four of our number were off gallivanting around?
I guess I'd forgotten what happens when you assume. He sounded ticked. Said he needed to talk to the three of us when we got back. It pretty much ruined my morning... until I went on a four-hour snorkeling trip! I saw a baby octopus. It was fantastic.
The rest of the long weekend was great, too. I had a coconut-oil massage, ate nachos, and stayed in a bamboo hut. Seriously. Wood floors, bamboo walls, corrugated metal roof, mosquito nets hanging over the beds. We had the works.
Incidentally, I loved sleeping under the mosquito net. Spaces in the bamboo walls made it so our nets were dappled in silver-blue patches of light. It looked and felt like we were sleeping under Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.
I really liked Koh Chang. There weren't touts bugging you every five minutes like there are at Koh Samet. And the food was cheaper, and better. There were fewer people there, making it a very quiet, chill weekend. Overall, I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.
I feel rejuvenated enough to face the coming wrath. Wish me luck.
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