Koh Samui
Hmm, what can I say about Koh Samui? I came here to see one of Thailand's beach destinations, go kayaking, and just get caught up on housekeeping matters. And I accomplished just that. 1 day out kayaking, and 2 days lying in bed with the computer, or in a hammock with the computer, at a beachfront guesthouse.
I don't think I've ever done a "beach vacation" before. Which is probably why I still had a to-do list of expenses, writing emails, uploading pictures, etc. But it was nice to spend some of that time on the beach (the wifi signal from the hotel went there!).
I heard other parts of Koh Samui, like Chaweng, are quite commercial and busy. But I was in the "Fisherman's Village" of Bo Phut, which was basically a few blocks worth of shops and restaurants. In fact, coming from Turkey, I began to miss the ... enthusiastic ... entreaties of shopkeepers. In Bo Phut, they just sat around.
At first I was discouraged that all of the restaurants were French, Italian, or Irish Pub. But then I found some stalls where locals were eating or getting take out. So the first day I had noodle soup with chicken at one stand. The second day I had pad thai at the adjacent stand. And then the third day I had fried mussels at the same stand. And each day, I then went next door to 7-11 for beverages and snacks afterwards.
So basically the only time I spent outside of the guesthouse was at this little intersection, for an hour each day. Not bad, but 3 days was definitely enough for me.
