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World Trip 2005-06
Ko Samui
We arrived on Ko Samui island via boat, 1 hour from Ko Phangan. It was pouring down with rain and the seas were a bit wild, leading me to be sick all the way. Embarrasing but we made it.
We arrived at the Big Budda pier and checked in at the Shambala hostel for the night. It wasnt a very busy area, but the weather was still bad so we didnt mind just chilling in their relaxing area.
The next we set out to a more lively part of the island. Chaweng beach had a nicer vibe and a range of shops and bars etc. We explored the shops and both purchased some stuff before night fell. That night we hit the town, sporting our newly purchased footwear we explored what bars were on offer. First stop was a Jazz Bar, very cool. We then found ourselves going down a row of Go-Go bars with all the Thai ladies screaming for us to go inside. Its a funny feeling having loads of girls screaming for your attention all the time, makes you feel famous! At the end of the street was an awesome club. We stayed there most of the night and met some nice people, including the Irish dudes Brides ran into at the Full Moon party.
The next day we decided to go on an adventure! I had an urge to go and see a waterfall and with Brides also loving the idea, we sorted a bike out and a map and set off for the day. The waterfall was an hour away, but easy to find as we just had to stay on the main road. On the way we went past loads of awesome local homes and small cafe's before we stumbled upon a sign for a temple 200 metres off the main road. We turned off and went to see. As we pulled up the temple we both felt like we were in an american teen horror flick as it seemed so eeire. The temple was in the middle of a grassy area surrounded by big deserted looking wooden building and a few trees. As soon as pulled up outside the temple this guy appeared out of no were. He spoke little English and had to be the most unkept man i have seen in my life, poor teeth, a travel beard to rival mine, long hair, long fingernails and clothes clearly worn over and over for sometime. But what a nice guy! he showed us around the temple and the surrounding grounds. The temple boasted a budda that was 400 years old, he also showed us the graveyard and even tried to show us the inside of their cremitoriem, but he thankfully couldnt get it open. He also gave us special buddist bracklets, well they are just pieces of string really but we love everything budda, so we accepted the gift. We said a big thank you and then went on are way to the waterfall. As we drove away we both wondered who the hell he was, a monk gone wrong?, a drunk? or an actual tour guide?
The first waterfall we found was again a few meters off the main road and involved hiking through a forest. It was a good walk but the waterfall wasnt that big! Unsatisfied we got back on our bike and headed off to the next waterfall.
This waterfall was the real deal. the falls were 80m high! once we had seen the main attraction, a guide took us even higher up the mountain to go swimming and to experience the amazing view of the island from a special viewpoint. The walk up there was awesome, we scrammbled up an incline, pulling ourselves up by grabing trees and rocks. My flipflops kept coming off all the time but i managed. Brides on the other hand was a pro with his big birkenstocks saddles on. After checking the vibe at the top, we trecked back down and chilled at the bottom for a while. At the bottom there were elephant trecking and monkeys! This one monkey was awesome, we gave him our Lonely Planet to play wit and he started flicking through the pages. However our camera battery had ran out though so we didnt get any pictures. Soon after we set off back, but for some reason the journey was taking much longer than it should have. Not stressed we continued to drive untill somehow we managed to pass the same waterfall we had just left an hour ago. I couldnt beleive it! all that driving and we had basically just done a big massive circle!! We just had to keep on going however but this time be more careful. On the way we stopped off at a small cafe and had noodles! they were terrible but we had to finish them off with a smile as we were their only customers and 3 staff were watching over us, chatting, intruiged by our western vibe. We set off again, this time asking locals on the way to make sure we werent getting it all wrong again. However although they tried their best they werent all that helpful. One group didnt even know were they were on the map! eventually after driving for ages we arrived back about 9pm.
That night we hit the Bob Marley bar. It was awesome, a big outdoor structure, boasting a stage and several different bar areas. Tired we didnt stay long, we instead opted for a thai massage, 2 pounds for 1 hour. A perfect way to end the day and our time on the island of Ko Samui.
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