Kicking back in Ko Samui

Just a little travel update from Ko Samui on July 28...

We've settled into a gorgeous room at the Chaweng Beach Villa in Ko Samui. We plan on spending a few days here. Our room is the nicest we've stayed at so far. There's even a real shower! ; )

The beach is right at our doorstep - fine white sand, turquoise water, and rows upon rows of beach bars and eateries. There are copious numbers of jet ski, kayak, long boat rentals. And the beach is packed with sun worshippers, frisbee players, and party-goers.

At the other end of the hotel is the main drag Chaweng Beach road. This road is teeming with shops and boutiques. You can buy everything here - from Diesel, Billabong, Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Versace - clothes, linens, knick-knacks, hats, bags, sarongs, souvenirs, etc. The street is lined with bars and clubs, and thousands of restaurants and eateries. Everything from the very expensive, to street vendors selling roasted corn on the cob or fresh fruit. There's even a Starbucks and a Burger King, for those craving some good old fashioned North American cuisine. Lots to see and do.

Last night, after a Thai massage on the beach and a long swim in the ocean, we walked along the road for about 30 minutes, crossed a little waterway, and headed for the Bob Marley Reggae Pub. Ya mon!

The pub was located at the end of one of the side streets, just past the local red light district. The roads were packed with scooters, motorbikes, and tuk tuks as people made their way to see the main event of the evening - a Thai boxing match at the Chaweng Stadium. As we walked along past the bars that were adorned with their red lights and provocative names such as The Sugar Bar, Honey, Lucky, and other forms of subtle advertising, the girls draped on bar stools and sashaying to the beat grinned and giggled at seeing Jack. "Hello!" they yelled. We even heard someone say "Don't worry, I don't take your man."

The bar was huge and right against the water. We sat and sipped some rum and listened to the music. It must have been local talent night, because in between good reggae grooves, we'd hear someone belt out Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" and Hoobastank's "The Reason is You." It was pretty hot out, and there wasn't much of a breeze. It didn't take much for the rum to go to my head, so after an hour or so, we made our way back to our bungalow.

We plan on soaking up some sun over the next few days - although it's raining pretty hard as I sit in this Internet cafe. Some of the things we'd like to enjoy are kayaking, snorkeling, taking in a tour of the Marine park nearby, submitted to more Thai massages on the beach, eating well, laughing a lot, and basically soaking in some rest and relaxation.

Hope all is well with you.
xo