The day after Thanksgiving, instead of hitting all the Black Friday sales as I would back in the states, Shelby and I boarded an early morning flight to Koh Samui, Thailand via Bangkok Airways. Wes and Kasey had already made plans to go on the Young Life retreat in Telunas (Indonesia), so we felt like a beach vacation would suit us just fine! Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand, with beautiful white sand beaches that reminded us of Destin, Florida.
Koh Samui lies in the Gulf of Thailand and is a mere eight degrees north of the equator. We lucked out with the weather and had intense sunshine with not a drop of rain from Friday to Monday. We really had no plans at all except to lie on the beach and read, which is exactly what we did!
There was a beautiful orchid display at the Bangkok International Airport
Sunset in Koh Samui
Swimming pool and beachfront at the Renaissance Hotel
The water was very calm with little or no waves
One day they were trimming the palm trees on the property and this guy shimmied up the palm tree outside of our room and proceeded to cut down some leaves, then shimmied right back down as if it were no big deal! We were kind of fascinated watching him at work!
Went out for some seafood at the hotel restaurant. We shared a grilled red snapper, which they brought to the table, bones and all! Thank goodness Shelby had asked them to go ahead and cut off the head first.
I took this picture in one of the local markets. Coke and Sprite cans in Thailand!
This broom salesman was peddling his wares down the street. Check out the washers and dryers on the sidewalk-that is where people come to do their laundry! Right on the sidewalk!
Just had to include this x-rated photo. Shelby and I visited Hin Ta-Hin Yai, also known as Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks. This is one of the most visited places of interest, believe it or not! There are two natural rock formations which represent the male and female genital organs. We'll let you guess which one this is! Double click on the photo if you have to....
Okay and needless to say, this would be Grandma! Don't you think they could come up with better names for these????? haha
Always on the lookout for a mexican restaurant, we found a Thai version of Mexican food which wasn't too bad.......if you like prawn fajitas and enchiladas!
We went to the market at Chaweng Beach to do some shopping and loaded up on pirated DVD's. Sometimes the quality is good, sometimes not, but worth a couple of dollars anyway to get some new release movies! Also in Chaweng are lots of seafood restaurants lining the sidewalks. They display their fresh seafood in tubs of ice, and you make your selection then it is weighed on the scales and you are charged per gram.
These were some of the biggest prawns (shrimp) we have ever seen! Shelby put his chapstick tube in the ice next to the prawn so you can get an idea of just how big they are(as big as your hand!)
Thai Boxing is big in Koh Samui, but we passed on that activity!
This sign was posted at one of the jewelry shops I went in. We are always amused at the grammar and spelling; THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES;
haha!
Shelby with Ronald McDonald, Thai-style!
Sugar is relaxed and ready for Christmas!
My friend Moni (the girl in the center) is moving to the Middle East after Christmas so we had a little going away party for her!
Dinner in the street at LaPauSat with Alan and his kids Alex and Sophie who were visiting from Oregon for Christmas
Sugarcane juice is pretty good! He feeds the long stalks of sugarcane into a juicer and pours it over ice. Our favorite is still the fresh lime juice; Wes drinks it by the gallon!
