Kevin's Bday in Thailand - Part 3

We went on a day trip into town to explore the little village shops, restaurants and the beach. A taxi van picked us up from our resort and dropped us off in the middle of all the busyness. We first walked around town popping in and out of dark, hot and stifling shops. None of the shops had their lights or ceiling fans on. I guess it was to keep the energy bills down, or the tourists out. Kevin was smart enough to stay outside with fresh air, while I bravely ventured inside.  They were so dark, that I seriously had a hard time deciphering what I was looking at. I couldn't tell if I was looking at a dress on a clothing rack, or a dress on another person's back! I didn't last long in these shops. I came out of the last one with glistening beads of sweat on my upper lip and a red face. Kevin looked at me with big eyes and wasn't sure if he should dump his water bottle on me or not. I'm not prone to sweat in buckets or waterfalls like Kevin, but when I'm hot enough to where my upper lip breaks out in a sweat dance, then I'm on the verge of either getting really cranky or passing out!

We ventured out onto the beach and walked around taking in the beautiful views. We passed by little huts lining the beach with massage cushions and ladies calling out trying to talk us into a $10 massage. Not a bad price at all! But we were too hot and sweaty which made a massage sound like an unappealing idea at the time.

Local peddlers passed us every few minutes carrying large display boards filled with handmade Thai jewelry, crafts and various nicknacks. They have a hard time accepting the words "no thank you." They seem to understand the words, but don't want to hear the words. They strongly urge you to buy something so you can bring them good luck for the day. I did find something I liked, but I'm definitely unable to bring anyone good luck. But I do hope that I'm a blessing to someone instead.

It started to rain so we took cover under a large banyan tree at a restaurant. I knew I was relaxed and on vacation when I took delight in watching an ordinary (Thai) squirrel run along the twisting branches of this ancient tree. We cooled off for awhile and waited for it to stop raining. Once the rain let up, we headed back and spent a relaxing evening back at the resort.

The following is a collection of pictures of the rest of our tropical getaway in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Beaches and Boats Photo Gallery

Kevin's Bday in Thailand - Part 2

Evenings in the Thai tropics is nothing less than breathtaking. The sun starts to set behind a backdrop of soft billowy clouds, and casts a warm glow of vanilla, soft rose, amber and flaming red hues that reflect off the rippling sea. It's the conclusion of another perfect day.

Every night we ate dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants. The resort has three restaurants to choose from with different menus. The Thai restaurant is situated on a hillside with individual dining huts on split levels with spectacular views. The second one is called The Lanterns. This Mediterranean restaurant is at poolside with three dining huts with cascading drapes for added privacy.  The third restaurant is the casual Beach restaurant with tables lined along the sandy beach. We ate at the Beach on the evening of Kevin's birthday. We sat at an umbrella table with just enough candles and lights to softly illuminate the table and sand.

View from Thai restaurant

The Lanterns

Personal touch at the Beach restaurant

One evening we ate at the Thai restaurant while watching traditional Thai dancers. I'm glad we chose the buffet, because I kept getting out of my seat and walking down toward the stage area to take pictures. I wasn't the best dinner date that night.

These two dancers did the Fan Leb dance, which means fingernail dance. They wore very long, pointed bronze nails on every finger except for the thumbs. It was a lively dance of romance using precise hand movements and fancy foot work. They danced to traditional Thai instruments.

Pad Thai wrapped in egg nest

After dinner, we walked around and visited the gift shop and lobby area. Here I noticed this incredible and most unique display of flower petals and leaves. Someone took a large flower pot and filled it completely with water, right up to the edge. They painstakingly placed one leaf and one bougainvillea petal at a time, until the whole surface of the pot was covered. They are floating on the water. Brilliant! I must try this back home some time.

Relaxing in the lobby

Kevin being swallowed up by a huge leaf

 
Believe it or not.....stay tuned for Part 3 of our Thailand getaway!

Kevin's Bday in Thailand - Part 1

I know it's been over two months since Kevin's birthday, but I'm still going to talk about our wonderful getaway.  Singapore is in such a great location for quick escapes to exotic destinations. There are many choices for traveling to places that are only 1 - 4 hours away, such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. Kevin has been working so hard at his job, that we wanted to go somewhere relaxing for his birthday, which was in May, so he could totally disconnect and unwind.

We chose to go to Koh Samui, Thailand, which is a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand, to enjoy the warm water and tropical breezes. The water was clear, but not as blue as I would have liked. It only rained once while we were there. The resort was called Napasai, which was owned by Orient Express. We would love to take a train trip on the Orient Express that goes from Singapore to Bangkok, Thailand, but it's so expensive. The resort was a more affordable option for us.

We flew on Silk Air from Changi Airport in Singapore directly to a beautiful little airport in Koh Samui. We landed and disembarked outside and got into an over sized golf cart. We cruised along the tarmac enjoying the sunshine and breathing in the wonderful aroma of jet fuel. Where's the tropical breezes I read about??  The airport buildings were made out of teak beams, and the roofs were grass covered. Passport security, baggage claim and passenger waiting area were all open air surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. We later arrived at our resort and were greeted by friendly staff and a fresh, cool coconut. Very refreshing!

We were led down a winding path through coconut palms, bamboo, orchids, torch ginger and bougainvillea to our little tropical villa.

Coconuts waiting to fall on someone's head

Entrance to our villa

Bougainvillea in coconut shell

Cozy retreat

Kevin Relaxing

Back of villas

The view from our porch faced the gulf and the private beach of Napasai. Part of the beach was rocky and covered with shells that washed to shore every morning. I found a few little shells to take home with me.

There was all kind of activity to observe from our porch. I watched a Pacific Reef Egret walk gracefully along the water's edge, a large lizard playing peekaboo around a palm tree, someone wind sailing, and a fisherman gathering his nets.

Breakfast buffet was included every morning. There was an omelet station, fresh pastries, local Thai favorites, yogurt and berries, fresh ginger tea, juices, and tropical fruit. I enjoyed trying new exotic fruit, such as guava, dragon fruit, mangosteen and longan. We had plenty of company whenever we ate outside. Myna birds serenaded us with song and also begged for our food. If someone wasn't paying close attention to their breakfast, a myna bird or two would bravely fly onto the back of a chair and then hop onto the table to help themselves to plates of leftover food!

We walked along the paths and beach area on the resort and ended up at the spa for a relaxing massage. We chose not to do the traditional Royal Thai massage where they gently pull, twist and manipulate your body in various positions. I went to an introductory Thai massage demonstration here in Singapore awhile ago, and did a sample massage. I can see how beneficial it could be for someone who isn't over cautious about their neck. I found myself tightening up my neck and back muscles when the therapist was trying to work on me. I think she thought I was a lost cause and wouldn't benefit from this traditional massage. So, this time I chose a hot herbal poultice with sweet basil and kaffir lime. It was blissfully relaxing and the aromas were heavenly. It was a great massage that will be hard to beat.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in Thailand!!