13/6/09 - 19/6/09 Ko Samui

13/6/09 Phucket - Ko Samui
Ahhhh off to another island!!! More hassle haggling for accomodation & will it be shit or not!!
Got mini bus at 8 am, changed buses to get to KS, not in the plan!
Very bumpy ride! Got a puncture so hung around by the roadside eating our sarnie, how glad were we we had food & chatted to 4 guys from London 2 of which were travelling too! Back on the bus to Surat Thani arrived about 12:30, swapped buses again just after J got thrown out of a tourist office cause he wouldn't buy a bus ticket from her! Cheekt B**ch!
Got to the port, got the ferry to Ko Samui. Waded through the local taxi guys to get the local bus, there was no local bus or it was a 4km walk away so hopped on a Tuk Tuk anyway after all that! 400B lighter (result as less than the lady quoted in S.Thani & 200B less than the 1st taxi quote so JJ very happy) & later arrived at hotel the 'Chewang Residence' not great but okfor a night, dumped bags & went to explore.
Yuck what a dump Chewang is! McDonalds etc... hardly paradise so decided to move on tomorrow am!
Had a few jugs in the Irish bar, met some guys on hols, wandered over the road to get vodka & Rum supplies, very cheap! Stopped at a Mamma's place for dinner, J went to buy some more beers to drink with dinner then diet cokes we wandered back!

14/6/09
What a hangover, mingin!
Managed to get up, showered, packed & left the hotel, don't know how but we did!
Went for a McDonalds brekkie to cure the hangover!
Got a Tuk Tuk for the correct price of 200B to Bophut Fisherman's Village where we found 'The Lord Nelson'. Hair of the dog later I left J with all the bags & went off in search of digs!!
3 hours later I returned to the pub, J was about to come & look for me as he thought I'd been kidnapped! He made sure he had a photo of me & even stopped drinking beer he was that worried! Said he was gonna call Suzanne as she'd fly over & know what to do!
Well, the 3 options were:
1. Sandy Resort: 600B (thought I'd knocked her down from 800B til we saw the big banner outside advertising it at 600B per room with a/c!!) It had a pool & was on the beach.
2. Smile House: 1,000B a/c & lush pool with great loungers on the otherside of the road to the beach. Knocked her down by 500B to the 1000B.
3. Can't remember the name but 700B would drop to 600B if booked in for 5 nights or more. Managed to knock from 800B. Had tea/coffee making facilities, a/c, no pool & on the other side of the road to the beach.

J was happy to up the budget to go for option 2 if I really wanted it but common sense prevailed & I kept to budget & we went for option 1! This meant I could have massage's galore with the saving hee hee!!
Arrived, unpacked & hit the beach as on closer inspection the pool was a bit yuck! After a swim in the sea we also found out the sea was yuck all muddy slimy sand double yuck & BOO HOO!!! I need tropical paradise, stamp feet!!

15/6/09
Decided to stay 1 more night & got a moped.
Got a puncture 10 mins down the road, got a lady mechanic to fix it for 180B, drove back to complain, had an argument with the bloke who'd only give us 70B & we were lucky to get that, he didn't get it was his fault for a crap repair first off that had leaked! Found out Thai's don't like swearing! Oops!!
That ruined the day a bit then. Went for lunch at a very basic stall for chicken, sticky rice & papaya salad, took the bike back then hit the beach.
Ventured out for dinner after the rain & found an all U can eat BBQ Steamboat for 109B pp, well funny picking our meat & veggies & cooking it ourselves on our own funny stemboat, bbq, grill thingy! Luckily the guy helped us out loads then we laughed later at the English people who came in & didn't have a clue & by then all the locals we'd watched & copied had finished so they didn't have a hope! See the early Bird & Ginge always catch the worms!
Drove back in the rain & vowed to move to original expensive option 2 in the morning! No point in being on an island paradise if you are staying in depressing digs! So I promised JJ I'd eat noodle soup all the time to bring us back in budget!

16/6/09
Yippeee moving day!
Packed, checked out & managed to get another taxi for the price it should be to go down the road, 100B, no haggling involved & also got me out of walking to help the budget!
Checked into 'Smile House'

for 1000B/night resssssult! Well done Birdy, happy, happy now! Had to barter to get the best room for a bit but all good in the end......
Drank beer to celebrate as it was a bit overcast, went to the Lord Nelson for jugs at 119B each (noo, noo, not in budget) then onto the Billabong Surf CLub, back to room for Vodka/Rum & cokes, steaming then went for a ruby! All day session really!

17/6/09
Hangover number 2 on Ko Samui!
Me = Bacon & sausage baguette
J = Poached eggs on toast
Why can't I eat healthily after a day's drinking????
Lush day by the lush pool on the lush loungers, cheap noodle soup for lunch to help the ole budget!

18/6/09-19/6/09
Pool days!Toyed with the idea of going on a boat trip but really couldn't be arsed!
Lived on noodle soup for 50B each & drinks in the room San Song Rum/Vodka & Pepsi Max!
Planned & booked to go to Bangkok as all island'd out now.......
Found out that our room was a deluxe & should have cost us 2,528B so just over a grand and a 1/2 saved!
J had his 1st haircut since Sydney for 4.50!
On our last night we were just popping out for a bite (no drinks) then back to base camp alpha for an early night as we were being picked up at some unGodly hour in the morning. But we turned left out of the place instead of the normal right (towards the Lord Nelson) & walked past this restaurant where J thought he recognised Jay a guy he used to work with, anyway said nothing & walked back passed & J went up to him & it was him & his wife Jo on their hols! How funny, was so nice to meet someone we knew, so needless to say a few jugs & a toasted Ham & Cheese sarnie later we staggered back to base, set the alarm & crashed out!