Hello again!
I'm writing from Koh Samui, a beautiful island in Southern Thailand. Jim and I have been living it up for the last week. We have stayed on two islands, Phuket and Koh Sumai. Thanks to Jim's amazing ability to find last minute deals, we have seen the luxurious side of Thailand, staying at 5-star resorts.
Phuket was beautiful. We loved feeling the very warm ocean for the first time, and enjoying time in the pool. It was a new experience to see the many prostitutes and ladyboys (as our new friends from New Zealand called them). True to the rainy season, it rained everyday that we were in Phuket, so we decided to continue onto the other side of the gulf, to Koh Sumai.
I love Koh Sumai. We are staying in a very nice resort that prides itself in its Thai decor and service. The room is so beautiful, as is the pool and beach. We are staying on the most popular part of Koh Sumai, Chaweng Beach . There is always a ton going on here. The streets are lined with hundreds of vendors, many of which sell knock-off products from Tiffany's, Dolce and Gabana, Ray Ban...you name it. There are also little stands where you can get your nails done, or my favorite, where you can buy pancackes, a sweet that is very similar to a crepe...mmmm! There are many bars and nightclubs and it seems that the nightlife never ends. However, I like the beach side more than the street. During the day, many vendors walk by trying to sell you anything and everything. Every few steps there is a beach masseuse, as well as food vendor that sells amazing grilled corn, fresh fruit, udon soup, satay,... :) And at night, all of the beach hotels, convert the beach to a beautiful restaurant right on sand. They serve fresh seafood as well as traditional Thai foods. Vendors continue to walk by. The other night, an Australian couple that dined next to us, paid a vendor to light fireworks in our honor :) Then, we bought a fire balloon from a vendor. A lantern is lit and the hot air causes it to rise, similar to a hot air balloon. The tradition is to light a balloon and watch it until the light dims to darkness. Right when the light disappears, you can make a wish. Jim and I had a very important wish that we wanted to make for Andres. There are also vendors that walk by with animals that they try to put on a visitor's shoulder, take a picture and then sell the picture. I thought the monkeys were pretty cute, but was not so fond of the iguanas, and am terrified of the giant snakes they bring by :( After dinner, there are beach parties, filled with hundreds of people hanging out drinking out of buckets, smoking hookah, talking, and dancing. Many of the beach parties have fire shows which are so cool. Also, at the beach parties, little kids (like 6 - 10 years old) walk around and pretty aggressively try to play Connect Four with people for money. I have yet to see a little kid lose, but I wonder where the 100 bahts they win each game goes. Jim convined a girl to play me one game for free, and of course I lost. Koh Samui has been very fun and different from LA. I'm very glad we've gotten to experience it.
Another great thing we did in Koh Sumai was visit the nearby Angthong national marine park. Jim and I joined a tour where we visited several of the islands and got to snorkel, kayak, and relax on the beach. It was so beautiful and made me a little sad to see how different this part of the world looks once it is all developed for the purpose of tourism. I'm very glad that some of the islands are protected so that their natural beauty remains. We also had a good time visiting some of the sights on the island. Big Buddha is a beuatiful, though touristy temple. Jim and I were very happy donate bricks for the building of the temple and to receive good luck bracelets from one of the monks there. :) We also had fun playing futbol golf...Jim kicked my butt! Well, today is our last day in Koh Samui and while we're sad to leave the beach, we are very excited for our Thai cooking class tomorrow in Bangkok!
I send you all of my love and many good wishes!
-Jessica
