To Escape A Flood, Head Toward More Water

The flooding has gotten most of us down. Yes, I miss working. I think we all do in a way. Did I mention we are now off school until Nov. 14th? Crazy. I cannot wait to hear how we are going to make up all these days we have lost, even though I don't see any flooding anywhere here in the inner parts of Bangkok. But so it goes, right? So I roll with it. Heck, if I have to work until the end of June, may as well take advantage of time off now to travel and explore the best islands and beaches that Thailand has to offer. So that is exactly what we are doing.
Josh and I left to go to Koh Samet on Halloween. There was something strange about hanging on a beach on an island on Halloween... One thing for sure was scary, though. And that was Samet Ville 'Resort' and I use that word RESORT lightly. If you think that you want to be on a secluded beach on an island somewhere, away from other tourists, do yourself a favor and really think hard about that one and what kind of place you want to stay in. The lesson I learned: Don't go cheap. You can still be frugal, but do yourself a favor and check in with yourself about how much 'budget-friendly' thinking you can handle. I chose Samet Ville because I wanted a relatively cheap getaway. Well, ants, bugs, yucko food, blah. They could not understand why we were leaving so quickly the next morning to head up toward the popular Sai Kaew beach area. Well, maybe their idea of seclusion is living with bugs, but it isn't mine, nor Josh's! I think his tent does a better job than this room did for us. Cannot... The best part was writing up the review of the 'resort' on Agoda yesterday. Yikes. Just ask Josh about his donut onion rings. That tells it all!

So while waiting for our songthaew that cost us 400THB to get up the pot-hole road/path to Sai Kaew, I relied back on Booking.com to find me a good place so all would not be lost on this mini-vacay. So I found Sai Kaew Beach Resort. Ahh...this is how it should be! I didn't have to worry about bugs here, there and everywhere. I felt  like Goldilocks in a way. But it was clean, a cute deluxe cottage and relatively cheap with great food.

"This one's just right."

Josh scoping out the main lobby/restaurant area

  

Now we could get down to some sun and vacation relaxtion! Sometimes you have to pay the little extra for some comfort, right ? One positive is being able to basically walk the 8km stretch that comprises the island. Here is one of my 'finds' along the beach, which truly shows how Mexico and Caribbean beaches differ from those in Thailand.

At nighttime, the workers at the beach restaurants transform the beach in to a dining and entertainment haven. You see them laying down these patterned mats and ankle-high tables and bean bag chairs, so you may dine right on the beach. The whole beach is set up this way and it invites a lot of people in, while being able to watch fire shows, and light your own fire bags to get whisked off in to the night skies.

While walking after dinner, we stopped at a vendor and decided to sign up for a speed boat tour of the area islands the next morning. Just like in Krabi, you are supplied with snorkeling gear, and on this tour, we had a beach lunch of chicken/veggie skewers and fried rice with all the fresh watermelon and pineapple you wanted. One of the neat sights was this cave. We later were able to swim in to the cave and snorkel there. 

Pretty breath-taking, isn't it?

Bunnies everywhere on this beach island, mingling with roosters and cats. What a combo!

Josh finishing up his first snorkel. Time to protect that head!

 It was a good island tour. We met some interesting people. I like that about these boat tours. You always seem to break the ice after a couple hours and get to know people from all around the world. We met a young girl who was slated to start teaching English here in Bkk, but due to the floods, she ventured solo to Koh Samet instead.

See that chip inside his toes? Poor bird...

Back at the beach resort, Josh tries to lure in these birds to eat a chip from the crevice of his toes.

I'm beginning to notice similarities here in Thailand at various resorts and beach towns. One is the idea of a bucket of your favorite mixer. Josh and I tried one together. Pretty good until you get to the end. This is at the Lima Bar on the beach.

Slurpie! Well, of a different kind of course.

Something else I fancy and have seen elsewhere are these Roti pancakes. YUMMERS! Choose your flavors and he whips it up for you for just over $1 each.  

Banana/honey on the left, orange jam in the middle and Nutella on the right. All equally satisfying for maybe $3 total. Dessert!

This deserves extra large size to see YUM up close and  personal. 

Chilling on the beach. My view from our cottage.

How did they know we were coming? :-)

 So a lot of lazing around and soaking up rays. I was very happy with this resort and wish I would have chosen it to begin with. And I learned that while worlds apart, you are never too far removed from adding a personal touch...or being part of something personal. 

Josh's creation.

My sentiments about the flooding and why we were on 'vacay' again. Mai ow...

Let's not forget about Green Bay and the Packers...

When they let you decorate their bar, you know it's a good place, right? 









Did I fail to mention that we are not returning to school until Nov. 14th now? The Thai Ministry of Education has either denied our request to return on the 7th, or they have been inundated with so many requests that our school was forced to remain closed instead of waiting for a last minute approval from the MOE. So, stay tuned once again. We are heading on Monday to Cha-am, which is near Hua Hin (another beach town)...
We had to come home for a couple days to make sure our place was still here (just kidding) and make sure we paid our rent and utilities before the 5th. Oh, and the maid is coming on Sunday, so I needed more clothes washed. :-)


We will be bunking for 3 nights at Beach Garden Resort in Cha-am, pending no floods blocking our way out of the capital. They tell me Rama II might be flooded, but we'll see. It is tough to really surmise what is going on, but for now, I am going to hang tight and maybe  hang loose at the same time?

We will be bunking for 3 nights at Beach Garden Resort in Cha-am, pending no floods blocking our way out of the capital. They tell me Rama II might be flooded, but we'll see.



It is tough to really surmise what is going on, but for now, I am going to hang tight and maybe hang loose at the same time? 
Cheers!