I made the decision to head to Samui and stay at the 2nd most touristy beach there. I was hesitant due to people on Tripadvisor complaining it was noisy, dirty and crowded but I didn’t find that at all! Each resort cares for the beach in front and the water is gorgeous! No sea cucumbers or urchins. However, there are lots of signs warning of box jellies and instructions of what to do if you get stung. If you point to the sign and ask a local, they will laugh and tell you it’s not true. No jellies here. Ok! One trip into the water and I’m having a great time until….seaweed touched my leg. Swimtime is over!
I checked into a cute little A-frame bungalow right on the beach. It was perfect! The restaurant on site was excellent and well priced and the shared bathrooms were exceptional! The staff…well….things are different here and as a tourist, you have to roll with it.
Lamai is more than just a beautiful beach, it also has a great little town. It has more restaurants and bars than you can shake a stick at and everyone is offering specials for the upcoming New Year. So many choices! In the middle of the town is a large open square full of Girlie Bars. Conveniently, there is also a small street food market there so you can get goodies then sit and watch. Sex-tourism is a normal thing here, and each to their own. However, it is interesting if you are a people watcher and enjoy street food 🙂
I woke up my first morning here with terrible stomach cramps. Not sure what that was all about but holy crap,it hurt! But I was hungry so I ate soup. Stil hurt. It was still too hot to do too much so I had a swim and a nap. The porch of my hut was perfect and breezy so I threw down a towel, grabbed my pillow and out I went. Some people walked by so I put my legs in the hut. Not sure why but half asleep, it made sense. Haha! Not so good for the back.
In the late afternoon of the second day, I strolled down the beach. So many resorts setting up tables in the sand, covering them with brightly coloured linens and stabbing colourful flags into the sand. This was the eve of Songkran and everyone was gearing up to celebrate. I found myself a nice table at a Mexican restaurant and ordered a Songsam on the rocks. I figured whatever was in my belly could maybe be disinfected with a shot of hard liquor. Well, the answer is ‘no’. The answer also is not spicy paneng curry nor is it mystery-meat street food but the important thing is, I tried.
On my way back to my hut, I stopped at some street markets to find some more comfortable clothing. I didn’t do well in the packing department and the only relief I have had is the blue sarong a nice Japanese girl gave me in Ao Nang as she was leaving and didn’t want to take it with her. A lot of, if not MOST merchants, won’t approach you if you are in their shop. It’s really strange! Near the end of the strip, almost at my hut, I stopped in at a shop. I was drawn in by the cute and friendly cats! I was looking at some skirts and the old lady shouted “100 baht! Songkran sale!”. $4 for a skirt? Excellent! I grabbed a bunch and headed to the change…um….area. Of course, I stubbed my FUCKING TOE!!! AGAIN!!!! The other baby toe. FFS! What is wrong with me? I checked to make sure it was in the correct position and wasnt crunchy. All good. But when I went to try on a skirt, I noticed a dead lizard on the floor surrounded by weird goo. “what IS that?” I wondered but then I noticed my baby toenail sticking straight up and every move I made caused it to spurt Kill Bill style!! Of course, thats when it started to hurt.
I hastily bought the skirt, petted a cat and hobbled off to find a pharmacy. There were some local kids at the corner already with water, soaking everyone passing by. I was hurt and had my bag with me so I hobbled up, held my bag out and they gleefully danced around me, each taking a turn pouring a bucket of water over me, leaving my bag dry. I hobbled up to the pharmacy, drenched, and the guy sold me some iodine and told me to see a doctor to get the nail properly removed. Ugh! FINE!
Back at the hut, I cleaned up my injury and applied the iodine. The problem was, my hut was on the beach, there is no way to avoid getting sand in the wound. I cut away what I could and tried to flick the sand out. It probably would have been ok but my tummy cramps had me tossing and turning so I repeatedly kicked the bamboo ceiling of my A-frame hut. SON OF A BITCH!! Oh, and the water made the dye from my sarong run so my legs were smurf blue!
Sadly, I was only able to spend 2 nights on Samui but I LOVED every minute of it! Well…except for the one where I stubbed my toe. And the one where the seaweed touched me and I thought it was a jellyfish. But other than that, so much fun! But, I’m on the move. Tomorrow, overnight train to Bangkok for the last 2 days of Songkran. Not even gut wrenching pain will keep THIS funseeker down! Whee!!!!