After another fantastic 5 hour bus/boat ride combo, we made it safe to Koh Samui, checked into our hotel and headed to our beach bar to meet up with Bill and Meghan. A beautiful beach lined with thatched roof bars, neon lights everywhere, fireworks exploding all around you and Thai lucky lanterns filling the sky, left me in awe. Your own perception of a place compared to the real thing is always interesting to me, and Koh Samui lived up to what I thought it would be; amazing beaches surrounded by swanky hotels and restaurants, dirty streets, and tourist traps waiting to snatch you at any minute. Because Samui is so built up these days, you never fail to find a McDonlad's or Starbucks waiting for you around any corner. However, get a little off the beaten path, and you'll find some pretty cool bars and clubs that will satisfy your need to feel like you're somewhere you've never been. The four of us ended up walking around town for a while, finding some cool spots (one of which being an old VW van with the top chopped off and converted to a bar), had some beverages and had a great time.
The next morning I went to our next hotel to meet up with our buddy Matt who had just arrived in Samui that morning. After months of talking about meeting up in Thailand and it finally coming to fruition, it was unreal to see a good friend in such a far corner of the world. Grinning from ear to ear, we came together for a bro hug worthy of any worldly meeting, both with a look of utter happiness and shear disbelief. It was great to see him.
That night we all decided to drop a couple extra bucks to go see a Muay Thai fight, and see what Thai kick boxing was all about. It was a small, indoor stadium, but with the live Thai music in the background and the immense cheering, it had an energy about it that was through the roof. The first fight we saw, the two kids couldn't have been more than 14, but holy crap did beat the sh*t out of each other. Maybe 5'1", not an ounce of fat and ripped beyond belief, these kids packed a punch and a kick that would absolutely crush you. We ended up watching 5 fights that night, most of which ended in some pretty killer KO's consisting of a barrage of elbows and knees to the dome. It turned out to be an awesome experience.
Wanting to see some more of the island, the next day we decided to rent a car and go do some island cruising. We ended up finding a guy who let us rent his black 5 speed Suzuki Sidekick for 700 Baht for the whole day....a helluva deal. We packed 5 people in to this little machine with Matt and the ladies in the back, Bill riding shotgun and me behind the wheel. The most interesting part of this adventure however, was that I was gonna get my first lesson in driving on the left side of the road. And don't forget that the driver is on the right which makes you feel instantly awkward, it was interesting to say the least.
So we set out in Uku (what we named our car, meaning "flea" in Hawaiian), to find some waterfalls and amazing beaches. Uku was a beat up 4 cylinder road warrior, got us to where we wanted to go, but had a little trouble getting us there sometimes. Picture 5 Americans stuffed into a tiny SUV, trying to make it up hills in second gear, motorcycles, scooters and cars are buzzing past you, and your only hope is that you can make it to the top without having to downshift to first. Stressful. Driving in Thailand is seriously like driving through an obstacle course. Scooters coming out of nowhere, cars passing you and making a third lane out of a two way highway (it doesn't matter that a car is coming, they'll pass your ass anyways) and street signs that only leave you confused. On top of it all, you're shifting with your left, the blinkers are on your right, and you breathe a sigh of relief every time you successfully make a right hand turn without crushing somebody. In the end though, we made it accident free, did a great jungle hike and found a glorious beach. Driving on the left..... you just got owned.
That night, we met up with our friends Ben and Sarah who had just arrived that day. We continued to have great dinners, get a little wild at times, and enjoyed Samui for all it was worth. We are now on Koh Phanang with Matt, Ben, and Sarah, at the most amazing beach resort we've stayed at thus far. All for $30 a night...... love you Thailand. Tonight we attend a Half Moon party, one of the many famous parties on the island. It's about to get real, real...colorful.
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