Then on to Samui! Whereas Bangkok is hectic, frantic, and aggressively commercial, Samui (while still commercial) is much more laid back. We rented a couple of scoots and rode all day, all over the island. Each was a 125 Honda, looks like the model they sell as a Metropolitan in the US. Great running little bikes. Would have like a little more juice, but the 125 was enough to get up the hills and move out of the way of traffic. It's been a few years since I've been on a motorbike. I sold mine when the economy began to hit the skids. Wow, I really missed riding a motorbike, any motorbike, even a scooter.
The area in front of the hotel is sandy beach and the snorkeling is pretty poor. We kept moving out and finally got far enough out to really begin to see fabulous coral and some fish. We were far enough out that we were picking up some current and decided to head in. Took a full hour to get back in. Stupid Americans, we had put sunscreen on and kept our shirts on while snorkeling but FORGOT to sunscreen the backs of our legs. Aye carumba! Won't forget that ever again!
We to a trip out to the Ang Throng Marine Park which consists of 42 islands and the immediately surrounding waters. Takes about an hour in a fast boat each way. First stop was a stunning reef. Fish of every kind, spiny sea urchins that were probably nearly two feet across with brilliant blue markings, parrot fish, and sea cucumbers (or maybe slugs) as big as a man's arm. Headed over to beach for sea-kayaking, then to another island with an inland salt-water lake. If you've seen the Leonardo di Caprio move "Beaches" - this is the lake the group went to. An absolutely fabulous day. This is a "do not miss" if you're ever in this part of the world. Couple of shots, including "Monkey Island" named because it looks like the profile of a monkey.
Oh, and we got to ride an elephant! Elephants are AWESOME!!!
angela
