Day 31-Transport to Ko Samui

Today was another long travel day. Shaking off last night's whiskey, we threw our packs together and waited on the side of the road for the bus. After an hour, it arrived at 8, and we were off to Surat Thani to the next bus station.

Two nights prior, our guesthouse owner, Toy, told us of rival gangs of boys getting into fights recently. Unfortunately, only 30 minutes down the road, we saw something horrible. The police had about 20 kids (all around 12-16 years old), all lying face down on the pavement in the middle of the highway. As our bus went "offroad" to negotiate around the mess, it was clear to me at least 2 of these kids were not lying face down and rested in a very awkward position. Upon a further look, it was much worse--something I wish I can forget soon. No more details, but it was quite sad, as some of the Thai women on the bus were going ballistic. We passed oncoming ambulances about 15 minutes later, but much too late. Different world here, but then again, maybe not.

After 2 hours on the bus, we changed to yet another bus for another hour and half ride, finally getting to the ferry pier. 2 hours later through choppy waves, we landed on Ko Samui, a great Island off the East Coast of Southern Thailand. It's gorgeous here--coconut trees everywhere, azure-blue water, and a strong breeze. 7 hours after we first waited for the bus, we finally checked into the hotel.

Per my buddy Ramon's suggestion, the Muang Kulay Pan Resort is 5 Star compared to everywhere else we stayed. Light years ahead, redeeming hope that I may leave this country in comfort. The bathroom is literally bigger than some of our entire rooms on this trip, and the room itself is ultra-modern and very clean with both hot water and flush toilet. It's like something out of a fancy hotel magazine. Doing a 40 day trip, it's not realistic or affordable to stay in places like this every night. As a matter of fact, most of the towns we've visited don't even have a place half this nice. But on Ko Samui, about $50 a night buys you something that could easily be $300+ in the US.

As the room is only paces from a nice pool and the beach, we dined on some spicy Thai for lunch and then got a massage ($5 per hour is the rate here). Again, this lady had me clenching in pain, and it really does ride the line between moderate pain and a good massage. The massage bungalow is only feet from the waves coming in, and I'm sure to be back tomorrow...

Evening entertainment was walking down the strip and snacking on some McDonald's. It was perhaps the best McDonald's I've ever had. Terri agrees, the fries are about the same, and it's not as fattening here and quite tasty. Mmmmm, cheeseburgers.......