Getting to Koh Samui proved pretty easy. Bangkok Air has a huge operation at the airport. They even have their own free airport lounge (which I sort of resented because I couldn't use my Priority Pass and had to sit with everyone else - yes, I've become spoiled). I arrived in plenty of time since I had to leave my hotel room at noon. The flight to the island was about an hour and ten minutes. I knew the plane would be a prop plane, and I was correct. I actually don't mind prop planes. Martin used to tell me that they're much safer then jets because even if the engines failed, you could still have some control over the plane. I'm not sure if this were true or not, but I chose to believe him.

They managed to serve a meal on this flight and I must say it was better than what they served on Jin Air from Seoul to Bangkok. Of course that isn't saying much because that meal on Jin Air is pretty disgusting. That's what you get for flying a budget airline. Upon arrival, the terminal was just a series of huts connected by walkways. My luggage came pretty quickly. I had called ahead for a taxi but when I got to the meeting place there was no taxi. I called and they said they'd call me back. Twenty minutes later the taxi drives up. The driver asked how long I had been waiting and I said twenty minutes and he said, "Great!" I think that was the wrong response.

What killed me is they have a set taxi fee of 440 baht, which is about $13 dollars. I can go from Bangkok Airport to any downtown hotel (which is a 30 minute ride on the highway) for about 300 baht. I was OK with the 440 because I had read that was the average cost, but the driver drove about 5 minutes and I was at the hotel. I said to him - 440 baht for that trip? He said, "Great!" I realized I wasn't going to win this battle.

I was definitely on island time. Check-in took forever. First off, they had me leave my bag at the bottom of the steps with about 20 other bags. I told the guy I didn't want to leave my bag there because it was going to go with the other bags. He said, "no problem. It will be fine." At the registration desk, they sit you down and give you a cool drink, which was nice since I was still fuming about the taxi. Ten minutes later someone comes over to explain how the room key works, as if I've never used a slot key before. 15 minutes later someone comes by to show me my room. When we go down the stairs she asks which bag is mine, I told her none of them. As I suspected, my bag went with the other bags. She says, "no worries, we will find it!" She didn't even know what it looked like, nor did she ask. This did not add to my good mood.

My room was located at the top of a mountain. You had to take a golf cart up this 45 degree hill. Sitting on the back of the cart, I had to hold on for dear life for fear of slipping off the back. The room itself wasn't as nice as it looked on the website, but the view was spectacular. And actually, after I cooled off, the room looked better. The bathroom was actually very cool - all colored concrete and tile. The vanity, though, was up-lighted with yellow lights - not very flattering. It made one look like Jack Nicholson from The Shining.

After unpacking I went to explore. The hotel has two pools - one on the hillside and one by the beach. The one on the hillside is quite pretty. It has two levels, a built-in bar, and a beautiful view of the sea. The one by the ocean is quite nice as well, but smaller and not nearly as many places to lay down. The beach is isolated, but a bit rough. I went swimming in the ocean yesterday and the bottom was covered with sharp rocks and coral. I now understood why no one was swimming there.

Since I didn't arrive to the hotel until 5 PM, I didn't do much other than eat dinner and relax. The next morning I took the shuttle into Chweng, the big beach area. Prior to going to Chweng I was a little annoyed that my hotel was so far away. After arriving to Chweng, I was grateful that my hotel was so far away. Though Chweng beach is pretty, it's jammed packed with beach resorts. The town itself is one long road filled with touristy shops. The bus actually dropped me off in town and I had no idea where the beach was. You cannot see the beach from the main strip. I had to ask a shop owner where the beach was located. In order to access the beach, you had to walk through one of the many resorts since they took up all the prime real estate. This walking enabled me to see places I had scoped out online and realized I made the right choice. My pools were much nicer than what I was seeing. And unlike my resort where no one uses the pools, here they were packed. I strolled along the beach and took some photos.

I then headed back to the main drag to tour the shops and find some lunch. Off the beach, the main strip was baking hot. The merchants all try to lure you into their shops, and they are even more persistent than in Bangkok, especially the suit makers. I sometimes have to physically pull away from the them. On my walk, I came across a photo gallery with beautiful shots of temples in Cambodia. One picture had this amazing temple with one lone monk walking. The temple was all grey and twisted looking and the monk's robe was a bright orange. I knew I was going to buy it. For a print the size of my sofa at the apartment, and for a limited edition that was signed, it was quite reasonably priced. And since it came rolled up in a tube, it would be easy to transport.

After my purchase I had a great Thai lunch. As I noted on Facebook, all the Thai restaurants I passed were empty, and this was lunch time, but the one lone British pub was packed with white tourists. I looked at the menu, and saw fish and chips, shepherd's pie, etc and was amazed people would come to Thailand and eat that over the fresh fish, delicious fruit, and great flavors of Thailand. One of my sole reasons for travel is to try the food in other countries. Why people would limit themselves to what they know best I have no idea.

After lunch I took a taxi back and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the pool and sitting at the pool bar. I love being able to sit in the water and order my drinks. As mentioned earlier, I did try the ocean. The water was warmer than the water in my shower, and I would've stayed in longer, but the bottom was filled with coral I was afraid it would cut my feet. I remember my brother Joe once got an infection in his foot from coral and I didn't want that to happen.

Right now, it's Wednesday morning and I'm sitting on my deck typing my blog. It's a bit more humid today than yesterday, so I think my day will consist of the pool, the pool, and yes, probably the pool. As I told my friends at work, this vacation is very unusual for me. I usually like to go to places and tour around. I rarely just sit in one spot and do nothing. But on an island what else is there to do? I might head into town later for dinner. Who knows?