Moved into the guest house on Tuesday morning. I decided that a taxi would be best from Bo Phut as I didn't think that I would be allowed to get on a "bus" with a large rucksack. Room here is basic stuff but good although the water doesn't always work in the mornings, I have failed to find out why, but by the afternoon when I really REALLY need a shower all is well. Spent 2 days on the beach (not continuously!) in the shade as it is very hot here, eating chicken and pineapples from the beach sellers. On Thursday thought I'd better get off my backside and go and find the rescue centre. It was about 10 min walk and I managed to get directly there with no diversions, more by luck than judgement! The people who run it are a bit strange (German) and I arranged that I would go back the following day by 10am to get the truck to the larger centre in the South of the Island where the volunteers work. Got the truck next day and travelled south for about 40 mins to somewhere where I can't remember the name of, with 4 Thai guys who did not speak english. I have become ashamed of myself whilst I have travelled around Thailand that I speak only English, (some say I don't do that very well) I have met many people who speak english fluently as a second language.

The day at the centre was good and an eye opener for good and bad reasons. There were 2 girls who were volunteers who couldn't have been nicer one German and one Belgium (once again spoke very good english) we went off and "did lunch" at a beach bar some 15 mins away from the centre, me, travelling on the back of a moped uncomfortably hanging on for dear life and not for the first time lately praying I would stay in one piece.

There are about 250 dogs and I don't know how many cats in the cat house (lots). The puppy house was where I spent most of the day and was partly a joy but also sad because they are not all as healthy and lively as they should be. One of a litter of 6 had died in the night and another one of the 6 didn't look as though he would make it through the next 24 hrs and was put into isolation. An older dog who had been in a bad fight and had lost an ear was close to death, the girls hoped that the vet would put him out of his misery but he wanted to try to save him - think it was a futile battle, and would have been kinder to have put him to sleep. Another older dog had had distemper and who was skin and bone just wanted to be cuddled. A mum and 2 pups (one of the pups is the hairless one with great big ears in the photos) also had distemper and they were all in isolation, but all healthy and lively.

Link to Centre rescue site www.samuidog.org  

At 5.30pm I got my lift back to Chaweng. After a lot of soul searching and despite liking the day I don't think that I will be going back on Monday, purely because of the travelling arrangements. It's very iffy and I don't feel comfortable having to rely on others to get from A - B and more importantly back again. I think that it is quite likely that I will get stranded at sometime in the back of beyond (the very back of beyond). As a single person, I don't want to move to live there as the nearest village is miles away and I would still be relying on others for transport.

So now I feel a bit of a failure and at a loss to know what to do with myself next, whether to stay in Samui, return to Bangkok or travel somewhere else.....

Decisions ......... Decisions