KOH SAMET <3

It was paradise.

If I ever meet the King of Thailand, I must remember to thank him for being born and affording me this three-day weekend, during which Linnea, Stacy, and I took the four hour trip south to the beautiful, relaxing, heavenly island, Koh Samet.

Jetted out of Central BKK after work on Friday and four hours later, situated ourselves in the port town of Baan Phe, ready to tackle the ferry to Samet the next day. By Saturday 11am, we were on the island, but with no accommodation plans, took to finding a place to stay (kind of an important task). We secured TuTu for Saturday night and Jep's Bungalow's for Sunday night. Prices were higher than normal because it was a holiday weekend, but I'd rather not discuss that.

What I would like to discuss is the “agenda” we followed for the next three days.

8:30am – Wake up. Early, it seems, for being on vacation, but hello? Why sleep in a mosquito-ridden bungalow when you could sleep on the BEACH instead.

9am – Jep's Bungalow's buffet breakfast on the beach. Croissants, wheat toast, Thai noodles and rice and curry, Chinese porridge – all while the waves lap mere inches away from your front-row table and as your toes wiggle in the sand. I felt a bit hot because I chose a seat facing the sun, so I took a bite out of my toast and jumped into the water for a minute, then sat back down to finish my meal. Um, amazing.

10am – Walk one minute away, order $1 beach chair/umbrella/table, and start basking away.

11am – Oh, look. The fresh fruit vendor is walking right past me. I'll get a $1 plate of fresh, fresh, fresh, delicious, AMAZING papaya and snack on it as I read.

12pm – Nod off to The Beach Boys's “Kokomo” on your ipod as the sound of waves gently crashing in the background lull you to sleep. Wake up, swim in the perfectly blue water. Float and let the sun wrap its rays around you. No matter what they say, you are a sea otter.

1pm – Massage on the beach. One hour for 200 baaht (a little over $6). Ignore the publicness of the massage and you'll be fine zoning out as you're pounded into blissful submission.

2pm – The vendor with the fresh som tum (papaya salad) just walked by. Get some (50 baaht = $1.50).

3 pm – The vendor with the MANGOES walked by. Best mangoes I've ever had. Sooooo juicy and sweet and tender. Ahhhhhh.

3:30pm – Chat with the Swedes who just settled in the cabana next door. They tell you they're getting tattoos on the island tomorrow. Kinda crazy. Lounge and swim some more. Ponder as you look out into the horizon (sigh!).

4pm – Afternoon snack @ Jep's Bungalow's Restaurant. Peter Pan, the waiter there, might take a liking to your group as he did to ours, and he'll chat you up. Good french fries there, by the way, and garlic bread and coconut shake. Oh, the chicken pita sandwich is great as well.

6pm – Walk to Ao Phae, the west side of the island that's known for its sunset. Cool pictures.

7pm – Dinner at Pray Talay or Ploy, where you sit on cushions on the beach and eat delicious seafood. Fireworks will light up the sky, as will the fire dancers who perform right on the water's edge. Unfortunately, not many stars to be seen.

8pm – Roti with nutella & bananas, or a crepe. Perhaps ice cream. Stroll along the water's edge and watch as couples give in to the tourist trap and purchase a lantern to light up and let float away for good luck. Live band in the background. Romanticallllll.

10pm – Perhaps a beer, perhaps some dancing at the lively restaurants/bars that were so chill during the day.

11pm – If not catching up with friends at Jep's one last time, sleep. Drift off to sleep and believe that if you died then, you'd die happy. Tan and happy. :)

(Repeat X3)

//

Samet is like going home when you're in college. It's your time to get away from the hectic and crazy nature of Bangkok. No more stuffiness or pollution. Just clear thoughts and things you know and love, like the gentle, motherly sun; healthy food and fresh fruit; plenty of relaxation and sleep. Reading for pleasure – something you rarely do at school or in the midst of your busy work life. You get antsy with nothing to do for the first day or so, but then as you settle back into this “routine” of doing nothing, you dread going back to your work life and try to soak in as much of this new home as possible. Indulging in the food, the sand, the sun, the water. Knowing you're in paradise.

This weekend helped me get over my “homesick hump”, a period of time I believe everyone experiences to truly appreciate their new life in a foreign place. It's made me so excited to go back (I'm already having withdrawals) and explore more of the beautiful places Thailand has to offer.

Samet has so far been my favorite.

Life's a beach.