The terminal is quite a small affair and deals mainly with transportation to and from the island. They also sell ongoing tickets to other destinations and the local reps. are very helpful in finding the best prices and routes. We arrange our accommodation in Koh Samui for 4 nights and our onward bus ticket to Krabi on the west coast. When buying a round-the-world ticket, apart from the set countries you are intending to visit it is inadvisable to plan too far in advance for rooms or transport as you might decide to head off to different places that you may have heard about from other travellers and very often this is the best advice you can get.
A small ferry arrives and they manage to pack several hundred people onto it. This ferry is the lifeline to Koh Samui. It relies on this service for supplies from the mainland. Hence we are packed in tightly with many crates and boxes destined for the hotels and restaurants on the island. Pass lots of smaller islands on the way all beautiful in their own right. Craggy rocks, jungles and enticingly white beaches make up this group of islands most of which are uninhabited and inaccessible creating a tropical mystique. I spot synchronized flying fish nearby skipping several feet above the emerald waves and some rather large jellyfish lurking just below the surface.
As we approach Donsak Port it becomes apparent how the island got its name. Nearly all we can see of Koh Samui is covered in coconut palms and this is their main industry alongside tourism. The main town consists of a row of buildings about a mile long with the usual tourist kitsch, Bureau de Change, information centres etc. and lots of little restaurants. The local transportation is by bus. There are only 2 routes, clockwise and anti clockwise around the island so it is difficult to get lost. Except, if you catch the bus headed in the wrong direction, your journey could take a lot longer that you hoped and believe me; you do not want to be on one of those things for a second more than you have to. In this context we use the word 'bus' in the loosest sense. They are basically trucks with unpadded bench seats down each side. There is a metal frame over the back on which is tied a tarpaulin to keep most of the rain out. There is apparently, no maximum limit to the number of passengers and old ladies and small children alike, cling on to the metal frame from the outside as the driver negotiates the dips and potholes at high speed.
On the way we talk to a couple of western Canadians about their country as we will be passing through in about 6 months time and pick up some tips and interesting places to visit. Our mad driver pulls up at the stop and we walk the rest of the way down a winding track through the coconut forest with our packs to Wanna Samui Resort.
Our allocated room is small, very hot and there are lots of gaps to let the abundant supply of mosquitoes in, so we upgrade for a couple of pounds extra to an air-conditioned one with more space. Our intention is to avoid air-conditioners as much as possible but for the next few days we do need to rest in a bit of luxury after rushing around Bangkok and recharge our batteries.
We have a spot of lunch in the restaurant - green Thai chicken curry with rice and a Chang beer to wash it down - very refreshing then go for a swim in the sea. The combination of basking in the shallows while the warm tropical rain massages the skin is truly exhilarating. We both fall asleep in our air-conditioned room in the middle of the afternoon for a while, still exhausted from the long haul flight, culture shock and the big city. We eventually wake up revived but it is now the early hours of the morning so we repack and sort bags to make ourselves tired again. Oh this is the life!
Wake up the next day feeling refreshed and relaxed then have some green Thai chicken curry for breakfast - what an animal! It is still raining so we write some letters and veg out under the canopy of the restaurant staring transcendentally at the slate grey sky hanging over the crackling waters of the sea.
The rain eventually stops and we take a walk down the beach to the nearby fishing village. A lone fisherman is out in the bay in a longtail boat, rod in hand in the hope of catching some lunch. A distinct aroma of dead fish wafts towards us from the discarded catch nets and equipment scattered along the beach.
This is certainly a functional village and not a tourist attraction allowing us the opportunity to get some excellent photographs of the undiluted Thailand that we have been looking for. This backwater of a shantytown has an assortment of businesses with general goods and some of the rusty tin roofed shacks have tropical fruit for sale along their front steps sheltered by porches made roughly of palm leaves.
We buy a pineapple and the lady of the house slices it up for us in the most intricate way so that it is still whole but it is easy to pick off the pieces. It is more juicy and delicious that any one I have had before.
Children are playing in the puddles in the muddy street with broken twigs and bits of paper and are having a great time - who needs Nintendo and Barbie Dolls? Mangy dogs pester stallholders for titbits and constantly have their heads shoved in bins searching for any wayward scraps. It is surprising that they ever need to empty the bins with so many hungry canine stomachs about.
Walk back to the bungalow and rest for a while, mainly because we are very hot, though for the first time, not really tired. Later as the sun is setting we take a walk in the other direction and witness one of the most colourful sunsets we have ever seen, even more dramatic than a Hollywood ending. A scruffy dog comes with us to keep us company, but is soon chased off by some others dogs that own the next bay, then watch a lizard on the wall for a while. Its just great to have time to stop and take everything in.
