Koh Samui, Thailand (Part II)

Cafes & Bistros Galore
One of my favourite activities at Koh Samui, was checking out and parking myself into one of the cafes/bistros either in Chaweng Beach or Lamai Beach with my story book, if I can't be in the resort enjoying the facilities.

This is one of my favourite coffee hang out at Lamai Beach, just outside our resort. It's called Perk & Peck.

The reason why I posted 2 of the same pix above is because I love looking into details. When you click on the pix for a clearer & enlarged view, you'll be able to see different things from different angle inside the cafe. That is what I love, and I like doing that once a while, coz it reminds me of how the inside look like. I didn't take pix inside because I wasn't really able to capture what I wanted to show in the camera.


Inside looking out..

See, they have tons of books which we can just pick out and read there (pix below). It's next to the board.

The other reason why I love this place is also because of this....

They have about 9 cats & kittens running around the whole place, sleeping everywhere tho you don't see them all at one time. They are stray cats that gets treated like "royalty". But don't worry, the place is squeaky CLEAN. 2 of the kittens are three legged, due to illness at young age. The owner is such a nice person.......! He paid for the amputations. Oh, the owner is an extremely shy guy.. :-D

See what I mean...  and did I mention they are stray cats.....?!?!

Flip flop craze
There was nothing much to see at Lamai Beach, but in Chaweng, I found this flip flop brand that I never knew of – Sanuk. The flip flops are made of yoga mat, can you believe it, and when you walk on it, OMG….!!! Feels like you are floating on air, so comfortable…………..!!!! It’s so good for the feet! And it’s not that expensive… about RM 80.

I didn't managed to snap a pix of the one I saw, but I googled it back home and found some very nice ones. Click on pix for a clearer view. NICE.....!!!

I saw a simple light blue color "Rip Curl" flip flop which I really like – RM 178. Would have bought it if I don’t already own one, which I was already wearing there. The one that I was wearing was purchased at Bali many years back at around RM 129, I think.

Yeah, I know, ST thought I was crazy to spend so much on a slipper. But it’s really good quality flip flop (note that I refuse to call it slipper). Flip flop or sandals sound better for this sort of high quality items. Here’s the one I currently own, from Gravis. Love it, don’t think you can find it anymore.

Since I don’t believe in buying something just becoz I like it and have them rot in the house, I decided not to get it. One person can’t be using so many, you can only wear 1 pair at any one time, and it’s not like we stay at the beach all year round.

Favourite hang out in the resort

If ST doesn’t ask to go out and walk the street (which is his favourite activity), I can be found either at the beach with my book or in the library/internet room with my book. See how big is the screen of the pc, so syiok....!!! And look at the "canggih" mouse...!

Even the screen saver is a picture of something green with running water, wt heck! So serene. And I love the smell of the room, it has something that smells natural and refreshing!


There is a whole shelf of story books which we can pick and choose from too.


If ST wish to stay in the room, he’ll be in the room watching his CNN with the air-cond turned on, while I’ll be at the balcony, lazying on the day bed with my book.. :-D  This is the daybed.

Speaking of books again, there are a few little shops outside the resort that sells and rent story books. Heaven...!!!

Making friends with the locals

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Chillin…

On those occasions where we pry the street (we walk out very often for lunch, dinner and when ST feels like he need his retail therapy), we made friends with the locals. Chillin belongs to a shoe shop owner (shop called Chilli Chocolate). Extremely small, FAT, cute and friendly. Love this playful lil fella..

Unfortunately when ST tried to take a pix with him, he looked the other way, just refused to pose. He's probably thinking, "Eh hello, you're male and I'm male, and I'm not gay, so buzz off."

The next day, when we went back, see how active he was again...  Oh, and that's his teddy bear... +___+

Actually his name is Chilli, he has another sister called Choco. Both were named after the shoe shop. Choco is not that friendly, hence, she stays home. But the lady kept pronouncing his name as "Chillin" or rather, it sounds like that when the Thais pronounce it, so "Chillin" it is...

We also met some "old friends" along the way to the temple nearby our resort. 

Meet my scary looking guardian... :-D


No, they don't move. If they do, you won't find me standing next to the thing. You'll see me running off and screaming at the top of my lungs.....

Renewing my relationship with photography

This is what I did in between my other favourite activities. Taking pix… of my flip flop.... :-D

Crazy, yeah, I know… told ya I'm flip flop crazee...

This pair of flip flop, I bought in Bangkok.

Bought a ring

I bought a ring from Joe, an American who now resides in Koh Samui, owns the light and costume jewelery shop, as well as the Subway by the main road of Lamai Beach. Nice and friendly guy. This is the shop, on the left. See all the round lanterns? That's the one.

And this is the ring. It’s a silver ring with a moonstone. I love this ring..!! Really I do! And for those of you who knows me, I'm sure you know why I chose "moonstone".

I was not able to take the above pix with my normal digicam, coz it's too small. Had to use ST's Olympus SP-500 UZ, I love that camera, I tell you. It has 10x optical zoom.


Glorious food!

Due to all the walking, we were hungry most of the time, so we didn't actually take a lot of pix of our food, coz we chomped it down before we realized we were supposed to take pix. But here are some which I managed to..


Our first day at Koh Samui, after checking in, we were famished, so we just walked out of our resort, to a nearby little cafe for our first "tom yam goong." The rest, no need to see, pix didn't turn out that nice.

At Chaweng Beach, I ordered this lovely rice with many different types of my favourite mushrooms, yuumm....!!! Restaurant is called Will Wait, yeah, odd name. See the shape of the rice.. :-D

Pasta in our resort's Italian Restaurant. No, we didn't have 6 eggs, it's raviolli something something...  Too hungry to remember what it is called. Yuuummy...!

Three types of pastas..

My breakfast, followed by fruits. They have 4-5 different types of bread which is so "sedap"! I couldn't help but pile it on.

Oh, sorry, one more vegie before the fruit, he..he..

Shark on sale

All along the beach, there will be plenty of resorts/hotels/motels and seafood restaurants. In most of the restaurants, whether they at the beach or in the commercial area, sharks (especially baby sharks) are sold for dinner. Sad, but true..

Reading light

I remember, twice when we were at Gem Isle, I had problem reading a book at night, because the lightings at the resort at night is rather dim, whether it’s at the hang out area or in the room. It’s worse of course, when ST says he need to sleep on certain night coz he was bored to death in the room, with nothing much to watch on TV. The “emperor” can’t sleep with any lights on (even though they only hv dim lights in the room). So this time round, I went to an island fully prepared.

Bought this reading light from Ace Hardware @ RM 47. It’s extremely useful…!!  You can just clip it onto your collar and point the little reading light at the page (the neck is extremely flexible for pointing at whatever direction). It’s bright enough for reading (well, very much better than those room lights) and won’t even disturb a sleeping person next to me.. :-D

Uses just 1 normal AAA battery, which comes with the light, and it has a magnetic base. Perfect!

I found out when I was there, that they have a gym. Unfortunately I didn't bring my sports shoe, but they also provide yoga mats in the gym. That was a saver! Hence I managed to squeeze in a full yoga work out on my 2nd day, coz it was pouring in the evening when we wanted to hit the pool. I also managed to do a bit of cycling in the gym on other days. 

Island Airport Again
Oh, this you gotta see. I thought I've seen it all when we first arrived but this is something new.
After we have checked ourselves in and our luggage, we had to walk quite a distance to get to the departure hall/gate. This is the walkway to the departure gate..

Boutiques and cute little shops line up on both left and right of the walkway..

Feeling the heat? Drop in to Swenson for some cooling ice cream.

ST and his window shopping again..

This is the departure gate/hall where we wait..

And in this departure hall, they provide free pastries, coffee and tea and free internet too. Really "tak boleh tahan" leh, so nice one...!

And their toilet, what the heck, so nice one also...

Ok la, that's it..! 


I was reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert throughout the trip. Will put up a separate post on that, on my own opinion of the book and it's content.


For your info, most of the above pix was taken with my Nokia E72, becoz my digicam gave up on me. Not bad, eh?


I have more pix posted in my FB album. These pix were posted here in my blog for the benefits of "some people" who doesn't have FB account and refuses to get one. Nice of me, eh? You know who you are, faster say thank you now..


--moon


Blog name - carrot head and applemint


Hey, check this out! - Coffee Talk