2002-03-26 - 5:52 p.m.
Sunday (Bangkok):
We woke up early and took a cab ride to the luxurious riverside Oriental Hotel, a five-star deal which prides itself on having hosted (and inspired?) a bevy of writers over the years. From the uniformed doormen to the opulent chandeliers and sprawing grounds, we were clearly not on Khao San road anymore. After checking in for our river tour, we departed the hotel on an air-conditioned bus, which took us out of Bangkok, first past housing developments and office buildings, and later rice fields, water buffalo, and wooden houses on stilts. After about an hour and a half, we reached Aruthaya, where we toured ruins of the former Siamese capital, destroyed by war in 1767. At a certain point, I wasn't feeling so hot, (or actually, I was feeling TOO hot), so I stayed on the bus for the final stop before boarding the boat.
Fortunately, I was feeling almost all better by the time we boarded the Oriental Queen for our 4-hour cruise through the Thonburi canals. There was a huge and very fancy buffet set out, and Lela and I were seated with a young couple from Berlin who spent the entire day smooching. (They informed us that they were not on their honeymoon, "Vee are just a modern urban kaaahple in laaahve." ) The boat ride took us past traditional wooden houses and gilded temples, steering into the Oriental Hotel's pier at about 5 PM. Thanks to our Thai guide, we both felt that we learned a lot on this trip, so thanks to Lela for spotting it in Lonley Planet.
Monday (Ko Samui):
On Monday morning we got a cab from Khao San road to the airport to depart for the beach. Our cab driver informed us, "Now dancing music!" before cranking up his favorite tape of Thai music. After the short flight we arrived in Samui and took a van ride to a small beach on the northern coast of the island. We decided to bypass the "main strip" on the eastern coast -- after two days on Khao San road we felt no need to be surrounded by Mc Donald's, Pizza Hut, and lots of grungey 20-somethings.
We found a bungalow with a fan and a private bath for about 15 dollars, and spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, eating roasted corn, and taking pictures of dogs. Samui has a lot of stray dogs who hang out on the beaches, and they are a laid-back bunch. I was a little worried when I read about Samui's dogs prior to coming, because I imagined an island over-run with scary, rabid canines. But actually they are all quite passive and relaxed, probably due to the extreme heat. They're scruffy but cute.
Samui is a lot less developed than the most popular resort destination in Thailand, Phuket. When the first tourists arrived only thirty years ago, there was a Peace Corps volunteer stationed here. Coconuts are the main source of livelyhood here, with 2 million being harvested and sent to Bangkok every month. Of course tourism is changing much of what life here must have been like only a generation ago. It's a decidedly mixed bag. Behind the bungalows the shade of the coconut trees is a big pit for dumping and burning trash. Nearby are the accomodations of some of the local workers, which are not up to Western tourists' standards, to say the least. Time will tell whether Samui turns into the Rivera-like getaway that Phuket has, and what will happen to the locals and environment as it does. In the meantime, it gives me a lot to think about in terms of my role as a tourist.
Tuesday (Ko Samui):
This morning we checked into a different bungalow a several hundred meters up the beach. It has a great restaurant and is very well designed overall, but it's only about 20 dollars a night because they are still constructing the pool. It's a paradise beach resort as one might imagine -- umbrellas in the sand, a terracotta-tiled terrace with iron furniture, exotic flowers everywhere, lots of fruit shakes, and only a few meters from the door of our bungalow to the beach. We seem to be the only Americans there -- everyone else is speaking French or German.
Today we made the very bad decision to go to the Samui Monkey Center. The Lonley Planet described it as a demonstration of how monkeys are used to help harvest coconuts. The reality was a much sadder scene. We sat two French families in plastic chairs as monkeys on leashes were made to do stupid tricks like jumping through hoops. They did get the coconuts down from the palms, but by that point neither Lela nor I were excited by this display. We left the place when they announced "Next! Dog show!"
We're in a small village now and will soon get a ride back to our beach. We will decline the motorcycle "taxis," thank you, and instead get there via the other form of taxi on the island -- a pick-up truck with a roof over the back and benches installed to seat how ever many they can cram in.
