Our hotel was amazing, the boy did good booking that one. He definitely has earned brownie points, but don't tell him! It had a gadget for turning on the a/c from the bed, the lights clock etc. Also has controls in the bathroom to have the TV sound on while you lazed in the massive bath. Best thing though.... a glass screen between the bedroom and the bathroom that became clear and frosted at the touch of a button (it's the little things that please me) We had many a good time just flicking the switch on and off because that's how we roll. I sent a picture to Ob with it as clear glass his immediate response "Urgh, that's gross why would any one do that" my reply "So I can check dad's washing properly"He was NOT impressed with that reply either.
I had a few too many near death experiences. Sean will tell you another story but what does he know, he was too busy answering my 55th million dollar question "How much is that in Australian money"
The first one being we may or may not have drunk too much one evening. I can't remember which as like I say I drank too much. I don't remember drinking that much but then isn't that the same for everyone? As we only now had one day in Bangkok due to the unexpected stop over in Dubai I was determined to at least see something of Bangkok. So shopping it was. For the first 5 hours I was a zombie and barely struggling to converse then I began to perk up so that was good because it meant yay shopping. Just a few things purchased (honestly) during this 5 hours I may have stumbled slightly on the escalator causing me to shriek and grab Sean's arm and promptly tell him "I nearly died again then" he looks puzzled and asks when the first time was. "Erm this morning I proudly tell him, when I was hungover" I just got the look of unknowing.
(PS while writing this, I do have a wine glass to hand..... full of sparkling water, tastes better in a wine glass, try it)
So that's 2 experiences down, on now to our beautiful relaxing paradise holiday to Ko Samui. Tropical, white sands and romantic... you all on board?
So weather was checked prior to leaving Australia and yes it was indeed still raining there and had been for the last few months, but surely a bit of rain is ok? Weather checked again on the day of departure. Yup still raining and will do the whole time we are there. P'hah who listens to that. I've seen the photos its going to be paradise. We are going to sit at our private pool every day relaxing, occasionally looking lovingly at each other and blow a kiss or 3, whilst having daily massages and the occasional stroll down to the beach. We will write our names in the sand and post a picture to make everyone jealous because we are going to paradise. Don't forget I've been looking at pictures of this for the last 6 months.
Plane boarded in stifling 500 degrees heat and we're off the short one hour to Ko Samui..... or are we? Sigh
Captain signals for the cabin crew to take their seats as we are landing, after 10 minutes I was a little puzzled that we hadn't actually landed. Look to my left as I'm by the window and just see the sea, just a small panic not enough to cause a shriek. 20 minutes later we are doing what seems to be a hand break turn in the air and yup more sea. By now I am completely loosing the plot in my head. I am not good with water and do not want to crash in the sea. I'm now feeling tearful as the kids will be orphans, also wondering if the suitcases would float so I could at least die with Marc. I sort of gave Sean this grimace face of trying not to show I was very very scared. No one else on the plane seemed bothered. 25 minutes later the captain yells something in Thai but I hear the word Phuket. Then repeats in English. Yup we're en route to Phuket. A small part of me was quite glad as the sea did not look inviting at all and I was beginning to wonder how I'd get my suitcase. The landing was bumpy and quite comforting NOT to see that there was a fire engine on standby at the side of the runway. Were we on fire? I couldn't see any flames not could I smell flames. This was not helping my hysteria one bit. We landed on 1 wheel while the whole plane was shaken and not stirred. People actually clapped when we'd landed. We then thought wahay it's not raining hope we can stay here, sadly though the captain soon put a downer on that and said we were only refuelling and then trying again. If we didn't do it this time it was back to Bangkok. Slight annoyance as we were planning on sitting on our sun loungers for 5 days and staring lovingly at each other. But if we must go Bangkok then it was ok.
This captain must have had balls of steel because believe me when we landed jeeze did we ever. I didn't think we were going to stop. Only mild whip lash I have to add. It was horrendous. Never mind we'd landed in paradise. Yay us..... WRONG.
So a brief glimpse out of the window ... yup that's rain I see and not just any old ran this was huge downpours, we were hustled off the plane, presumably quite quick so the Captain could change his pants. Bustled on to a little bus with open sides, I had to cover Marc from the rain which involved me getting soaked... but a small price to pay for my beloved Marc. (still smugly smiling every time I write that, look at Marc or indeed take Marc out in public, hehehe)
We have the joy of waiting until the very last bags have come on the carousel (one day, just one day I'd like mine to be first) wait around for our driver who was late and not in my good books.
Arrived at the villa after driving through a lot of puddles and seeing a lot of soaking wet people, also admiring people that can only be described as cooking in their front room / home made restaurant on the side of the road. Bit of an eye opener.
Got the guided tour of the villa and then left to erm.... look at the rain. Hmmm not what we ordered at all. Still not to be deterred we decided to go out. Got a taxi to the nearest town where yes, it was still raining but as it was quite muggy wasn't too bad. Found a great bar that sold buckets two4one. So we had a few of those and enjoyed the half naked girl dancing behind us. Poor thing she was so hot I felt like taking over from her but I'm not sure I had the right gyrating hips and moves that she did.
It was more entertaining watching the drunk man behind us trying to sit on his chair and actually walk. He in the end got escorted off. Great amusement.
Got home and there may have been a slight naked pool incident but that is between me and hopefully not the security cameras!!
Woke up with the hope and expectation of sun, erm NO. More rain, heavier, fatter and just well more. Still not defeated we went to get a taxi to town to mooch only to be told "the taxi's cant get into town, the road is flooded" "WHAAAAT" "No taxi's can get through"
Hmm well we don't actually believe you, how can it be THAT bad. Sigh. Still they know best so we didn't risk it. Instead we stayed in and admired our beautiful pool from inside the villa.
Next day... surely there has to be sunshine? We came here to be romantic and look like a vogue magazine. Still raining... by now a little cabin fever had set in, so we decided to brave the town regardless. We got the villa driver to take us as far as we could then decided to walk the rest. How bad can it be???
Well let me tell you..... It was bad, oh so very bad. The roads were indeed flooded and to make matters worse we had to wade through them to get to the town. At first I though yeh only a bit of water, what's the worse it can do, its only just covering my toes...... Oh my goodness how wrong can I be.
Every corner we turned, every road we went down got worse and worse, deeper and deeper. The locals were wading through it as it was every day (well to them it was, it'd been raining since November) Sean being the ever optimist was very calm and holding my hand like a 3 year old as we waded through the rain by now it was ankle deep. My concerns about what was in the water were simmering but still comfortable. I was more concerned with loosing my flip flops as they were my very favourite black pair. Sigh
It all suddenly came to a sticky point when the last road we had to walk down was in fact now knee height. No way I adamantly said. We stood there for around 20 minutes debating just how we were going to get down this last road and after watching several other people wading through and indeed coming out alive I told Sean to "Just lets do it"
Step down and freaked and then panicked and said I couldn't do it, Sean still clenching my hand pulled me and reassuringly said "It'll be fine Mad' more shrieks from me, then decided I would be brave. Walking like my dear old gran used to by sliding one foot tentatively along before moving the next one we got knee height. Only because my legs are soo short I was more thigh height by now.
It started to get deeper and I started to get more frightened so begged Sean to get over to the nearest shop front that had steps that were still just about visible. Made it there and I had hmm lets say a little melt down. Sean has exaggerated and told people I was having a major melt down.
I was crying, I was so scared. I told him that I couldn't go any further and I was just going to stay there until the rain had disappeared. he laughed at this and then got really angry after several bouts of hysteria and tears told me "Make a decision Mad, this way or that way" "NO WAY" I screamed. "I just want to stay here"
In the end I settled on going on, oh and the reasons being for the urgency was that we both wanted new tattoos. I was happy to forgo mine and not wade neck deep in water but Sean really wanted his. Double sigh.
Clutching my bag... no not Marc he wasn't taken out in the rain, oh no no. Gripping Sean's hand tighter than a Boer constrictor he led me in this case not to higher ground but to a road where there was more water and deeper. By now I was pretty much over every thing and acting like a 3 year old. But never fear ... we found a road leading to the beach. Surely that would be safe......
Oh yeh safe... the waves were about 10 feet high and the devastation of the place looked like something out of a movie set, still there was enough beach to walk along. I near enough walked within an inch of the neighbouring hotels while Sean thought it was hilarious that he walk between the boundary and the sea, I had to instruct him to walk next to me as "I will NOT be rescuing you, NOR will I leave Australia" (here on his Visa you see) (But don't worry I do have a plan B!!!)
We do then some how make it to the town, my heart is still going a bazillion beats per minute and I felt terrified as now I'm wondering how we will get back to the villa.
The end result was that the rain got heavier, we did NOT lie once on our sun loungers, we did NOT stare lovingly at each other, we did NOT get another night out in Ko Samui, we did NOT get a massage, we did however get our tattoos done and I managed to get sick on the last day after insisting "I want a Thai curry at least before we go" (having only eating some sort of noodle pot that we waded to the 7 elven to get, I felt compelled to at least say I'd eaten an authentic curry while in Thailand) WRONG.. I spent the whole aeroplane journey home near death, a near slight sick incident occurred but luckily the stewardess moved herself when I tapped her on the bottom as she was beside me giving out food, boy did she run down that isle, actually so did I. NOT good. Poor me.
2 weeks back at home and we're now 5 km's from a bush fire. My darling husband laughed and disagreed that "Marc and my Tiffany jewellery MUST be saved" he responded by saying "Drones and watches are more important"
Hmmm I beg to differ.
Still very frightening seeing the smoke and smelling it and realising that actually we live some where that has bush fires. Eeeek.
Can I say the wading and hysterics were worth it to get these beauts? Hmm not sure.
Cute though hey!!
