On arrival at Koh Samui, we had no more energy to haggle and splurged on a taxi to our hotel rather than a shared van that wouldn't leave until it was full and would make 5 or 6 stops. Our boat had been delayed an hour or so leaving Koh Tao, so by the time we got to our hotel on Koh Samui it was pushing eight o'clock. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and left exploring our hotel and surrounding beach for the next day.
Koh Samui was mostly just recovery from scuba diving for us. I'd gotten a bit of sore throat, as well as bitten a million times over by sea lice (ew, I know - they aren't dangerous but it feels like mini electric shocks when they bite and then leave itchy bumps all over), and so I just wanted to stay on dry land for a day or two.
We took a taxi to the far side of the island to go hiking one day, at Na Muang Waterfall. The taxi prices on Koh Samui are pretty ridiculous, compared to Bangkok. The starting rate for the meter in BKK is 35 baht, and then increases 2 baht at a time. Trips of 20 minutes won't be more than 60 baht - a trip out to the airport is usually only 250 baht tops! But here on the island the LOWEST price we could get for a 30 minute drive to the other side was 500 baht. Granted, that's still only about $15 and cheap compared to Washington, DC taxi prices...but still.
At the parking lot for the waterfall trail head, there was a bit of a madhouse. There were elephants carrying tourists around. There were tour groups and snack shacks and pickups that had been outfitted for driving off-road and people on zip lines whizzing overhead on cables strung up between tree platforms. We just wanted a simple hike!
Trucks and Trunks:
Once we got on the trail itself, things calmed down and this amazing green valley opened up ahead.
Bamboo poles were rigged together for bridging across the river at the base of the waterfall, and giant steps marked the way up. I'm so glad we wore our sneakers - so many people were slipping and sliding down the trail in flip flops.
The hike up and falls:
For New Year's Eve, our hotel was putting on a "gala dinner," which was mandatory when you booked the hotel. They spent part of the 30th and all of the 31st setting up for this dinner and the accompanying stage on the beach. Then four o'clock rolled around and the thunderstorm hit and it started raining. Dinner was supposed to start at 7 and it was still pouring. Buckets! But, the front desk said dinner was still on if we could make it to the beach - and I suppose this is good prep for rainy season - so we headed down. When we had checked in to the hotel, they'd asked us to pick our table for the dinner. We'd picked one closer to the beach, to see the show and be under moonlight. Well, our table had blown away in the storm and the staff were hustling around trying to fit all the outdoor tables under the covered area while simultaneously trying to seat and please everyone.
I pause here for a note on Thai culture. Of course I am just learning and do not pretend to know much about Thai culture, nor claim all Thai people behave a certain way, but one thing that is important is saving face. If there is a disagreement, one would never raise their voice or become upset, but rather try and find a workaround or a way to let the other person down gently. It's respectful and kind and just the way things are. Okay, now back to the situation at hand -
So a crowd is building near the entrance to the restaurant as more and more people are braving the rain and coming to the restaurant. Since the staff do not know which people may not show at all (given the rain), they are reluctant to reassign the covered seating to those of us who were in the uncovered portion, and prefer to just keep adding more tables to the limited seating space. Eh, no problem. Husband and I get a glass of wine and tell the woman helping us there's no rush. After awhile working in other sections, two small square tables are brought to the front, linens are spread smooth on top, and silverware is set. Voila! Ready to go. The waiter who was zooming around prepping this table proudly offers it up to a group of four who had very impatiently been demanding when their table would be ready. In an act that is clearly still upsetting me, the lead woman of this group looks at the table in disgust, and then loudly admonishes the waiter: "This table?? Are you serious? We will never sit here. Look at us. We will not sit here in the front where just anyone can see us, all the people coming and going! Never!" The poor waiter can't even raise his head. So many people are staring and I cannot believe how rude this woman was.
A group of three guys nearby watching this scene quickly pipe up "Hey! Can we sit there? It looks great!" Husband and I look at each other thinking the same thing and ask the group of three if we can join them too. I think all five of us knew how bad the waiter was feeling and probably went over the top thanking him and telling him what a great table it was. I hope that woman realizes there are far more important things in life than table placement...
Our dinner companions for the evening are all originally from Pakistan, but now live in Dubai working on IT. We had such a great time chatting with them about Thailand, traveling, the food, Pakistani politics, love marriage vs. arranged marriages, and so on. We didn't even realize the rain had stopped until an hour or so later.
Thailand is crazy about fireworks (sometimes we hear them on random Tuesday nights for what seems like no reason), so of course New Year's Eve was no exception. Another gem in Thailand is the lighting and release of beautiful paper lanterns (check back to the Loi Krathong post for photos - I left my camera inside on NYE because of all the rain). It was such a gorgeous night. There was a band playing Thai folk music and guests dancing on the beach under the moon. It's kind of hard to put more into words other than I'm so thankful for such a beautiful way to ring in the new year.
Happy New Year!
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