Goodbye to Koh Samui

15/08/08

Well folks Koh Samui was a bit of a blur. If you can remember your time in Koh Samui then you weren't really there; or something like that.
I will just try to list things as I remember them before I forget them. Obviously the outstanding memory is the welcome I received from Graham and Raph in the Frog and Gecko pub. Steven and Mary drank in the same pub when they were there last year on honeymoon. I was lucky enough to be there when Graham was celebrating his birthday and also the tenth anniversary of the Frog and Gecko. They laid on a buffet and music was provided by a guy named Joe who is a native of Cork. I met many interesting characters while drinking there. Jack is from New Zealand and managed to antagonise most people who drank there. I got talking to a few ex-pats that were running their own business in Samui, mainly bars or restaurants. I remember talking to a guy called Mark who was classically trained on the guitar and he played with Joe on the night of the party. It turns out Mark is just as big a nut about the Beatles as I am. We talked about the fab four into the early hours of the morning.
I spoke to a guy called Malcolm, he owns the Italian restaurant up the road from the Frog and Gecko. He gave me a few pointers about submitting articles to magazines in Thailand. Other people I got on first name terms with were Nigel, Adrian and Teem. Teem is a Thai women who was originally married to an Irish man from Dun Laohaire. She would stand at the bar with me and recall fondly her memories of walking the pier. She was also impressed with the sea food around Sandycove.
At one stage I got coerced into going to look at a new hotel that was being built on the island. I figured I had nothing to lose so went along with it. I was picked up by taxi and taken to one of the highest points on the island. This new hotel was beautiful, the lift that took me to the third floor was made of glass and was on the outside of the building. The view from the balcony was breathtaking. I was kicking myself that I had't brought my camera with me. Basically the whole scheme was a time share thing and after they interviewed me and I told them I had no job they realised they would be wasting their time with me. No harm done. They gave me a voucher for a free meal and dropped me back to my lodgings. I had a big fat juicy steak that night folks.

On my penultimate night I got the chance to be a team member on the Frog and Gecko team for the weekly pub quiz. We won by quite a good margin. I managed to leave the pub at roughly 9 o'clock the next morning and decided to go for a swim. I spent the morning on the beach, finishing off with a massage. Of course later on I noticed that my chest, stomach and back were totally sunburnt. What a drunken idiot! It is sore for me at the moment even when turning around in the bed.

If possible, I would like to go back to Koh Samui before I go home. I also told Maam, one of the girls working in the F & G that I would be coming back to marry her, she said that was no problem but I had to produce 1 million baht first. I am working on that.

As I write I am in Bangkok in a cyber cafe and there is torrential rain falling with accompanying thunder and lightening. A sharp contrast to the beach on which I got toasted. I am going to have an early night with a good book and hope the sun burn clears up soon.

My thoughts are with every one at home, particularly Steven and Mary, who have just entered parenthood. It is always great to recieve emails from everyone so keep them coming please. Cheers.