Koh Samui - Banana Pancakes, Curries, and Bugs

We left Bangkok via overnight (double decker) bus to Koh Samui. We arrived at 4:45AM in Surat Thani, waited until 7:30AM, were then ushered onto a smaller bus, and finally the ferry terminal shortly after! By this time I had the biggest cankles you have ever seen! (After some slight worry, I just learned this was genetic - thanks Mum!)

After boating through an exciting storm (heavy rain, lightning, thunder), we arrived to Koh Samui around 11AM that afternoon, shared a taxi with a group of Italians, and made it to our destination: Chewang Beach. Our hostel? None other than PENZY's Guesthouse!! (My grandparents dog was named Penzy, and my Mum ran a Bed and Breakfast once upon a time called "Penzy's Cove!) Penzy turned out to be an extremely friendly Thai lady, who ran the place with her American husband, who was very eager to navigate us throughout the island.

The beaches are the biggest draw here, for a very valid reason: Chewang Beach alone stretches for 6 KM, with white sand, and crystal clear water. It is quite a touristy spot, however. Walking from end to end you pass restaurants and accommodations, one after the other. Seadoos line the water's endge, as do vendors selling jewellery, clothing, the hushed whisper of marijuana, and lots and lots of food! Men and women bring small stoves right onto the beach, serving fresh cocnuts, roasted corn, all sorts of meats, soups, and of course coolers filled with ice cream.

Meandering the streets is a different story. You are most often approached by two types: tailors and restaurants. The former try to reel you in from the beginning . Along side a tights grasp of Matt's hand, "Hi Brother, where you from?", "Canada? Where, Vancouver, Toronto?" or "I like your shoes, custom tailor? Very cheap!" At first this provided an opportunity for conversation with the locals. After the 50th time (no exaggeration), the conversations aren't quite as long as they used to be. The former, the staff at the restaurants, aren't so bad - they just want to show you all their menu has to offer. We end up telling about 12 restaurants a night that we will be eating there tomorrow! (It puts the biggest smile on their face to hear this!)

The food here is the best yet. From all the curries (Red Curry, Penang Curry, Tamarind Curry, Green Curry) to the soups (Tom Yam, Tom Yum, Coconut Milk), to fried rice, nothing yet has been bad. The flavours are so intense (coconut milk, hot peppers, lemon grass), choosing just one for a meal is impossible! The pad thai sold on the streets is better than many of the restaurants. The best snack: Banana Pancakes! Vendors start with a small piece of dough, stretch it out until it is paper thin, fold in bananas, fry it up, then spread chocolate and condensed milk over top. You have never tasted anything so warm and delicious in your life! And they are super cheap to boot.

All day, everyday, a truck crusies the streets (and boats sail the waters) blasting information about Thai Boxing "The World's Most Devastating Martial Arts". The megaphones communicate the message "The Best of the Best, the Champtions of the World... Get your seats earlier, earlier. Tonight, Tonight. At Chewang Staduim..." Between the two stadiums on the island, they hold shows everyday (and of course they have been the best of the best every night for the last two and a half years!) We couldn't resist and thus went to a show on Saturday night. The stadium was tiny, meaning we got the cheapest tickets, and were still only 10-15 feet away from the ring! The fight was intense. 6 matches, 5 rounds each, 3 minutes a round, with 2 minute breaks in between. Two of the fights ended as knock outs. Each fight is red versus blue. Watching these boys gather their cool in between rounds was probably the most intense part.

We spent our last day on Koh Samui motorbiking around the island (ok, so it was probably more similar to a scooter...) We drove off in search of waterfalls. The first exit brought us to a dead end: We hiked down a trail to a river, and were told by 3 Checzs that they had found nothing on their hike! So we turned around, jumped back on the bike, and searched for the next waterfall. This one we found, near Na Thon, housing a big market, and the ferry pier. We hiked in for about 2-3 kilometers, and spent time looking at this waterfall, with scenery so similar to Canada.

That evening, we stumbled across a festival: Loi Kra Thong, Festival of Lights. The idea around the festival is that you make/buy little circle boats made out of banana leaves, and fill them with flowers, candles, incense. You then push these boats out into rivers, lakes, the ocean, and it releases all of your bad spirits. It is the most beatiful thing to see the boats all floating on the water, and the Thais lighting, and pushing them out so peacefully. Accompanying these lanters are concerts, dancing, markets, food stalls. It is here that Matt and I ate our first BUG! We couldn't resist after seeing the smorgasboard of grasshoppers, beatles, etc. The craziest thing? They weren't that bad! We ended up eating more than just one! We have some pictures for proof :)

Next stop, Koh Tao (Turtle Island) for snorkling!

Pippa and Matt