Reaching Koh Samui from the Thai mainland meant a first ever encounter with the Pacific Ocean. If you’re a geography nerd like me, then this would excite you.
It took over an hour and a half to get to Koh Samui on the ferry, and the sea was choppy. Andy was feeling it.
Tbf as soon as I sat down, I was feeling it too – but I was absolutely fine when I stood up. Is this normal? I don’t know.
We arrived at sunset and jumped in a minibus to Bophut on the north-eastern tip of the island. We stayed at the P&T Hostel, which had an adjoining restaurant with very cheap deals on food and beer. Result.
The next morning we went on a walk to see some monuments. First up, the Big Buddha on a tiny island reachable by a man-made causeway. Whilst crossing, Andy took a moment to relax.
The little poser. On the island we saw our first statues.
These guys supposedly stand guard at the entrance of the market to intimidate you into buying something. Didn’t work on us!
Before the Big Buddha we saw a small one.
But then the big boy came into view. The Big Buddha Temple’s official name is Wat Phra Yai. Time to act like tourists.
We left the Big Buddha to his throne and wandered off the island.
Next up, we headed for another Wat – Wat Plai Laem. Like the Big Buddha, it’s another modern temple site.
There are a number of buildings and statues to marvel at here. The ponds also contain catfish that you can pay to feed. I spotted a dead fish in the water, and went over to see it at the same time as some terrapins.
In the battle of Squirtle vs Magikarp… Squirtle won. Obvs.
This is a statue of Budai, not Buddha btw.
I caved in and bought some fish food for 20 baht.
My Thai friend Nani informs me these fish are called Clarias. If you disagree, take it up with her!
The Clarias enjoyed their fish food, which was more like dog food.
After feeding the fish we had to feed ourselves. We walked back to the taco place next door to our hostel. We’d been out walking in the midday sun for over 3 hours, so after our absolutely delicious tacos (made of pancakes), I was knackered. I’m an old man remember, so I needed a nap.
Later that evening we went to the other attraction in this part of Koh Samui – the Fisherman’s Village.
It took us 50 minutes to walk here. Again, it’s like a night market and we were going to explore it and sample some local cuisine. However, we found a British pub called the Frog and Gecko that was hosting a pub quiz that evening. Obviously, we entered.
There was a 2-4-1 deal on cocktails. I tried my first margarita (pretty nice) and my first pina colada (pretty fucking awful). Seriously, I hated it. It was like what I imagine drinking a cup of semen is like.
All of a sudden, the lights went out.
This happens a lot in Thailand compared to England. This was our second blackout, so we were used to it. We thought the quiz might be cancelled, but after about 30 minutes the power returned and the lights came on to reveal a pub full of old people. We were the youngest team in there. We were gonna suck.
Luckily, a couple sat next to us, so we started asking for help. We quickly became buds. Meet Alina (from Russia) and Nick (from London).
Our team came 12th out of 17. Tbf, I’m content with this. We had fun. We spent the night drinking way too much alcohol, trading tales and singing. Twas a good night.
Nick was a legend and paid for the drinks. When we were all very drunk, Andy and I bid them farewell and made our way back towards home.
At some point, we became separated and once again I couldn’t find Andy. I walked home, hoping to see him on the way.
That morning I discovered he’d wandered into a bar, blacked out, and woke up in the Fisherman’s Village in a pile of dogs, who treated him like their alpha. He’d also had somebody at the P&T Hostel steal his sandals. It was a very sour way to end a pretty decent day and night…
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