The Imperial Boat House Hotel Surat Thani

... converge to learn and practice Buddhist meditation :) The retreat started with about 70 people but only about 40 lasted. I guess some people realize that 10 days of silent meditation is too much for them to handle. Quitting early was never an option for me. It took Anna a few days to get adjusted but by the end she was doing very well. She really got a lot out of the retreat which makes me very happy. I leave you with a chant:

Namo Tassa Bhagavato
Arahato
Samma Sambuddhasa

... mis à conduire à contre-sens, zigzaguer entre les voitures et même griller quelques feux-rouges - Bienvenue à Bangkok! Nous faisons découvrir les joies de Khao San Road à nos invités et Rémi commence déjà à faire le tour des magasins à la recherche d'un I-Pod Touch. Hélas plus de stocks disponibles mais nous repasserons dans les environs dans deux semaines donc tout n'est pas encore perdu! Nos invités ont trouvé Bangkok plutôt "dépaysant", des chats ...

... bell tower and calling 'Esmerelda'. We each had been given a berth, which we naturally assumed was a place in a room, but Boy! Were we mistaken? The layout of the room can only be described as someone having gone around and stolen all the cushions from 100 sunloungers and laid them out side-by-side. We got assigned a number, like prison. I had #56, which I ended up sleeping in, Hattie had #57, 58 & 59 to herself, but ended up sleeping in ...

... for my return to the hectics of American life... Although I came to Samui thinking I might go out dancing or somehow celebrate the full moon, I am a little tired from traveling and feel sumptuous in my decision to vege. Funny that I end up doing it two weekend nights in a row. I guess the sun (burn) and oil massage and my travels have caught up with me and it is time to just relax and be. My hopes of a good movie on TV are answered in the ...

... about 3 hours later they get screwdrivers to open the window....Now its louder then hell and no way we can really sleep, but we attempt it. I think I was kind of sleeping until we came to a hard stop and loud breaking, around 3 am. I pay no attention and fall back asleep. I wake again around 330 because we are still stopped....No one speaks english so were just ignored all together! FInally the lady across from me wakes up converses with the other thai people and ...

... we would arrive, I have to say I was getting slightly irrate. When we got into the centre of Surat Thani, Ryan asked if he would drop us at the hotel seeing as he's dropped everyone else where they had asked. He grunted a reply, stopped further down the road, pointed at us to get out,and gave us our bags. A guy came to meet us as the driver drove off and showed us into a little office. The amount of time we'd been travelling neither of us were in the mood to be messed about so ...

... totally indifferent to any questions or queries that we may have and just take what they can from us through our tourism. i know loads of you will disagree with me on this cos lots of you have been to thailand and loved it. but im not so sure. i love it as a place, the beaches and diving have been extraordinary. but i definately am convinced now that i wont miss the people. missing you all like mad but feeling way better so it onwards and upwards to koh tao tomorrow. xx

... you dont appreciate air con and hot water till you havent got it! Plus Im sick of looking like a cross between Tina Turner and Noddy Holder when I go out as straighteners dont work when you are trying to get ready in a sweltering room without air con. So the Full Moon Party was an adventure to say the least and we've spent all day sleeping round the pool and chilling out at the resort tonight. Were staying here again tomorrow and then onto Koh Tao on Friday morning ...

... The water, of course, was always cold and refreshing and the task of bathing was made even more difficult by the fact that we women had to covered when doing so. At first, it was awkward and a bit cumbersome to wash and rinse the body while wearing a sarong, but after some practice I think I became quite good at it. Knowing how to hold the sarong discretely away from your body and how exaclty to pour the water over yourself to reach the desired places. There were also six ...

... for the oddest flavor there) and an incredible dish with sliced ripe mango atop a bed of sticky rice, slathered in coconut milk. This last one was by far my favorite and clocked in at 20 baht, or about 75 cents...niiice. I also enjoyed some sweet corn roasted right on the beach and coated (I mean drenched) in butter and chilli powder. I usually love roasted corn off the streets but this one was a bit beyond my health standards! Another dish that's prominent on the island and ...