Leaving Koh Samui
Today we leave Koh Samui. For now. We'll spend 28 days on Koh Phangan, and then come back here for another two weeks before heading home. It's strange to think we've been here for two weeks already. It's been so very different from what we're used to. Gone are the days where we would get up and spend the whole day sitting on the beach, swimming in the sea, and enjoying cold beer as we watched the sun go down. Instead, they're mostly about being with Melvin, and taking care of the little guy. But that's OK. That's what this trip is all about.
There's no rush with anything - that much hasn't changed. Our mornings might be earlier, but so are our evenings, and our days, while spent with Melvin, are fairly lazy. Of course that'll change when he figures out what his legs are for, so we're making the most of his immobile state.
Our accommodation standards have certainly changed. The first time we went to Thailand together as a couple was in 2009. Below is our room.
I remember we thought it was fantastic. It was a little bungalow, with a very small sitting area outside the door, and a shared bathroom down the path. No A/C (clearly), a bed as hard as stone, no towels, no sheets, no nothing - just walls and a roof.
Now look at us.
We've been incredibly happy with our stay at Briza. With off-peak prices, we booked a villa made up of a large bedroom, outdoor bathroom (with bathtub sunk into the ground), two sinks, an outdoor living room with separate toilet, and - best of all - a private plunge pool. The food is good, the staff extremely friendly and polite, and it's just a few minutes walk down a path to the beach and sea. The sea itself is very shallow for about 50 metres out, and only then does it gradually begin to deepen.
As a result, the water near the beach gets really quite hot by the afternoon, hot enough for us to think twice about putting Melvin in it, but seeing as he's not the biggest fan of the sea, that's not been a problem (although we did take him out in the morning). He has loved the plunge pool, however. He's discovered that he can make a splash, so he kicks away with great abandon as I hold him up. Great fun.
The nappies we've been using over here (MamyPoko - sold in every 7/11 and Family Mart in Bangkok and Koh Samui), have been fine. Melvin's not had any reaction to them at all, but they don't seem to last a full night so we've saved the ones we brought from home to use during the night. I'm not sure if it was the nappies not being tight enough around his legs, or the force of Melvin's poo, but we did have a slight emergency one morning at breakfast when he decided to empty his bowels at the table, only for it to squirt out and on to Thilde. It was messy, and a shower job to get him clean, but what can you do. Fun times.
We took a good long stroll along the beach and to central Chaweng, which in low-season and daylight looked clean enough, but it was fairly easy to imagine what it could be like. Seedy bars and dubious massage parlours abound, and huge speakers were pumping chilled out lounge to vast empty dance floors even early in the afternoon. We struggled a bit with the stroller - just a lot of up and downs over high pavement edges - ate, and then took a taxi back to the hotel for a cup of tea in bed.
So here we are, about to leave for the ferry. Our next stop will be very different from this, and we're looking forward. Onwards!
