Thailand and Christmas

We returned from a short 5 day trip to Koh Samui Thailand on Dec 30th, just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve in Hong Kong which I slept through so have no pictures to show. I do have plenty of Thailand pics and Christmas in Hong Kong pics though so with no further delay....

We went to on this trip to Thailand with Laura and Richard. Koh Samui was hot and humid and so we had to keep hydrated of course.

Once bar we liked was just a VW van parked on the side of the road selling buckets (literally) of cocktails. Craig, something to do with your van to make some moola?

Koh Samui is an island in the Southern part of Thailand and it was packed with vacationing Europeans. It didn't feel too local because of all of the bars, restaurants and all the locals were catering to the tourists. But we still had a good relaxing time.



The 1st day rained in the morning so all 4 of us rented a car and drove around the island. This was one tourist attraction called Grandmother and Grandfather rocks. See if you can spot Grandfather in the pic. hee hee

Here's on of the gas stations selling gas by the liter. Honestly, that's gasoline in those liter bottles and you just pour them into your gas tank.

Lady Boyz
That night, Mark and I went to one of the Caberet shows. Such a gorgeous girl right? They are boys.















The Beach
The next day we strolled the beach and relaxed. Lots of sunbathers, jet ski rentals and stray dogs. Also, lots of locals selling food on the beach carrying around these coolers or cookers and roasting up skewers of meat, making eggs or corn on the cob. Of course, every few feet there's someone offering massage for equivalent of $10 US dollars for an hour. I got 1 every day, lying on the beach, hearing the waves crash and getting a massage. Heaven.



Monkey Baby On the last day, we visited a monkey place where they sadly have the monkeys do shows for tourists. We didn't see the show, but were curious to stop by and see how they were kept. This baby monkey took a liking to me and Laura but wouldn't get near Mark or Richard.

It was heartbreaking to leave her since she cried and screamed and was tied to a leash and clearly wanted her mommy. So sad.

Lots of people on the island make money off monkeys, elephant rides and various other wildlife with tourists. Very sad.

The main attractions on the island are Thai boxing, Waterbuffalo fights, cock fighting, drinking, eating and massage. I indulged in the last 3, but avoided the others.






Waterfall hike
We took a hike one day to see a waterfall but never found it. Mark did find this well marked view point though and I found lots of mosquitos.



Cat King
On a morning walk, I came across this cat hanging out in one of the many little shrines that are found in front of every building. Of course the Buddhist shrines are not for cats, but noone told the cat.









Oddities
Here's a dog riding a motorbike with his owner all too naturally.


Here's a highly skilled electrician who had the fun job of climbing a bamboo ladder, freestyle standing on the wires strung over the street and adding a new line. All without protective gear. What a guy.

After a night of hydration in the hot Thailand air, a person gets hungry and luckily, in Koh Samui, there are these handy pancake carts every block. Making hot crepes filled with fruit, chocolate, coconut and lots of tasty treats.

Christmas
We spent Christmas at home and didn't do any celebrating. In Hong Kong, we get the day off and we get Dec 26th off because of the British influence. We gave Bailey a present of a giant disgusting raw bone which she loved.

There were some carolers around my office and apartment handing out flyers for their churches, but all in Chinese so not sure what they said.

As usual, we didn't get a tree, but our apartment building had one so I made Mark pose in front of it. What a good sport he is.

New Years Day
Today is Jan 1 and I took the 3 kittens back to the SPCA today. I miss them already. They turned into 3 of the sweetest kittens we've fostered and I spent last night with all 3 of them curled up by my neck in a pile. (and my eyes swollen shut from allergies, but it was worth it.) They'll get adopted quickly I'm sure.

On the way back from the shelter I came across this Anti-Communist parade going through town and right past our apartment.

Several marching bands and lots of signs talking about quiting the Communist party. Interesting.