Bangkok / Ko Samui

Well, I'm here in Ko Samui. It's 31°C with 70% humidity, so as you can imagine this is a far cry from the weather back home!

My flight from Tokyo to Bangkok was nothing too special; the United Airlines 747-400 wasn't nearly as nice as the Air Canada 777-300 that I took from Vancouver to Tokyo, but I ended up sleeping most of the time anyway. Landed in Bangkok at about 11:30, and made it to my hotel by about 1:00 or 1:30. The heat and humidity when I stepped out of the airport was unreal! The metroway from the airport to Bangkok wasn't too different than one of our own highways, but when we pulled into the city streets, especially Chinatown (where the hotel was located) it really hit me that I was halfway across the world in a country very different from my own! Even though I haven't seen much of it so far, Bangkok is definitely an interesting/crazy city.

The next morning, I packed up my stuff and headed down to the lobby to meet up with Betty. We went for a stroll around the surrounding area, and she showed me some of the local markets, shops, etc. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel to catch a cab back to the airport for our flight out to the island where we'd be spending the next three nights, Ko Samui. Our flight was at 2:40 pm from Bangkok, and we got to the airport a little early, so we had plenty of time to catch up. I started off strong in the morning, but by this point the heat and the travel had really taken it out of me and I was feeling pretty tired and out of it. The flight departed just a little behind schedule, but it was only a 45 minute trip. Surprisingly, they fed us (sandwiches) and provided drinks, even for such a short flight! Unfortunately, upon landing at Samui, the same problem with my ears that happened in Vancouver happened again. I think I avoided it on the previous two flights by taking decongestants, OR it might have been helped by the fact that the pilots of the bigger planes made slower descents, allowing time for the pressure in my ears to equalize, but anyway, it was back to the same plugged up feeling again!

Samui, though, is really nice. Totally a "tropical island resort": palm trees, beaches, beach chairs... the water wasn't perfectly calm and blue, but what can you do. It's been a little cloudy and windy, which I honestly don't mind... it's still hot enough as it is! Yesterday after we arrived, we caught a taxi to our accommodation (Sandy Hotel and Resort), a collection of bungalows just up from Bo Phut beach. The room is small but it serves its purpose. We took a stroll up the beach and back, then I relaxed (read: napped) on a beach chair for a bit while Betty got a pedicure and foot scrub at the resort. You can get a massage for 200 baht or so (about $6), and I might partake in that tomorrow. We'll see.

Anyway, afterwards, we chilled out for a bit, then had dinner at another one of the many establishments located along the beach. I was really starting to fade by the end, so afterwards I just headed back to the bungalow and went straight to sleep, even though it was only about 10 pm.

Had a pretty good sleep and enjoyed breakfast on a sheltered patio overlooking the beach and ocean. This morning I was feeling pretty good, but the heat wears me out pretty quickly! Not that I'm feeling ill or anything, it just makes me tired quicker than I'd like! Oh well, I'll get used to it. My right ear is clear now, which is good, I just need this left one to get back to normal, and I'll be fine.

Today we're going to head over to Chaweng (the main and "best" beach on the island and take in the sights, as well as browse the shops and markets) After that, who knows!