Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

Trip Start Oct 12, 2005
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Trip End Mar 31, 2006


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Where I stayed
Coconut Villas
(Chiang Mai hotels)

Flag of Thailand  ,
Saturday, December 24, 2005

We've hung our stockings on the towel bar with care in hopes that St. Nicolas soon will be here. It's Christmas Eve day here in Koh Tao, Thailand and we feel like we've finally picked up some of the Christmas spirit. The staff at resort where we're staying (Sensi Paradise) is currently decking out a tree and putting up funny looking Christmas decorations everywhere. Matt and I are going shopping this afternoon for our stocking stuffers. Outside of the fabulous 2 1/2 hour thai massage we had a few days ago in Koh Samui which left us relaxed but a bit bruised (literally!), we will be foregoing presents this year. Kristy normally wouldn't hear of a no present Christmas but given that she'd have to carry whatever she received in her pack, she decided it was a good idea after all.

Truly, Koh Tao is really Christmas-present enough for us. The resort is great and we will be enjoying a big Christmas dinner tomorrow night with a buffet of special thai dishes and deserts. It will be nice to have a way to mark the holiday since we're so far from all of you! We arrived here in Koh Tao by ferry yesterday. The weather has been spotty in this area lately with periods of rain and high seas. Not great beach / snorkeling weather but it's showing signs of improvement as we type this entry. Since the sea was high, the 2 hour ferry ride from Koh Samui to Koh Tao was hell on earth. Kristy joined the many seasick passengers to the rear of the boat. The only problem was that there were so many sick people there was no place to hold on and the boat was being tossed around like a toy boat! We both got soaked with waves as they washed over the sides of the boat. 01 Stockings
01 Stockings
 Although Kristy will never eat Pringles again and would prefer to be airlifted off the island at the end of our stay, we will have to take the ferry back. Hopefully the seas will be calmer by then.


Our stay in Koh Samui prior to the hideous ferry ride was dampened by the bad weather but we managed to read a lot and get ourselves that decadent 2 1/2 hour thai massage at Tamarind Springs. If you're in Samui you just can't miss Tamarind Springs! Despite the bad weather and our so-so hotel (Coconut Villas), Samui was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. We managed to fit a lot into our last four days in Bangkok -- visits to the Royal Palace, Wat Arun and the Vinanmeck Teak Mansion. We also went to see King Kong (in English with Thai subtitles). A highlight was meeting the bravest traveler we've come across so far -- Susan from Santa Fe. We met her on the ferry dock and we began to talk about which water taxi we should take. She told us that she was recently widowed and traveling alone for three weeks through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. She said she'd just arrived in SE Asia a few days prior and feeling a little jet lagged and out of sorts. Since she and her husband usually travelled together, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. We decided to join forces and tour the city as a threesome. We had a great time and hope she has a great trip!

We have certainly enjoyed our time here in Thailand which will come to an end when our visa expires on January 5. The next stop is anyone's guess. We'll probably take a writing break until after the New Year so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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