Thai style or the loss of your hearing!

Bangkok says good bye to us with a heavy thunderstorm and while driving to the airport and preparing for Koh Samui I once again think, that this city is certainly worth a visit. Will I come back though? Probably not - and if, then only for one more fix of the history of Buddha and some original Thai food. Most of the other stuff I can have in Los Angeles.

Bangkok Airlines takes us in 40 minutes to the little island of Koh Samui. The small counterpart of Phuket, an island very well known by German / European tourists. The small airport operates golf cart type of transportation from the aircraft to the baggage claim. It took less than 10 minutes from the moment we touched down until we met our Hotel driver. Definitely record time for me. The island feels 'un-Asian' to me. Green, lush vegetation, many palm trees, motor bikes, cars, decent streets and everything really clean. This could also be somewhere in Hawaii or the Caribbean. The hotel consits of only 40 suites and 10 bungalows. A dream including ocean front. Huge, very well appointed rooms with the contemporary touch we like so much. I am happy that all 3 hotel choices were good and we can start into the last few days of the vacation.

After a good massage (of course, Eva!!!), we made our way to the little town center to learn that this town isn't so small. Top notch restaurants sharing the sidewalk with street food, lounges and bars. It is packed and especially with younger crows. We learn that many 'Bangkoknese' go here for the weekend to party and / or relax. Basically the Ibiza of Thailand.

We follow out tour book and find a decent looking Thai restaurant, but there are no people eating. So we decide to sit down next to the recommended restaurant in a small family run street restaurant. After ordering the Tom Yum Soup - a must have for me - and some other savory dishes, we become best friends with the wait staff. Especially for us prepared 'Thai style' tom yum soup. I should have listened to the driver in Bangkok who told us that the food in Bangkok is spicy, bu the food in Koh Samui is almost not eatable, as it is traditional. I love spicy food - but this one was a bit over the top. The second time in my life I lost my hearing ability on one ear....
What else can you do than gulping down a few cold Singha to ease the pain. 2 hours and many beers later, we pay the $38 on our tab and promise everybody to be back tomorrow. This is our new favorite restaurant!

To conclude the night we follow the waitress recommendation and walk over to the party zone, with bar competing for clients with blasting sounds from this months top 50 and cheap buckets full of whiskey and cola. This is 'ballermann' pure and we decided to have one or 2 drinks. 5:30 am we are greeted friendly by the security of our hotel when we get home.