November 2005 – Koh Samui
So after leaving Wanna’s Place in Ao Nang, Krabi we went back to The Andaman Inn. The swelling in Andre’s feet had subsided for the time being and we made our way back to the little bungalow that was beginning to grow on us. We had some supper, checked out the feet situation again and decided that as long as Andre stayed off his feet for the next little while, we should be ok. So we signed up for some kayaking in the mangrove forest and a little bit of elephant riding for the next day.
At 8:30am we got up to have breakfast and waited for our longtail boat to come and get us to take us over to Ao Nang…….the mangrove forests were cool, but by far the coolest part was visiting the monkey beach. As we pulled in with our kayaks, we could hear them first and then saw a couple of monkeys – a couple that turned into like 30! It was a little crazy and you begin to wonder how aggressive these little dudes are. Another girl on the trip had brought along some bananas for them, and then the fun began. They were jumping in the vines, running up to take your handout and then coming back for more. We had lunch on the end of a make-shift pier which had only been put in place during a visit from the Queen a year or so ago – she stayed for 30 minutes….I’m thinking it had something to do with the little guys! Meanwhile, the crew taking us on the kayak were at the end of the pier making sure that the monkeys didn’t interfere with our lunch. The kayaking tool a good 4 hours from about 10am – 2pm…..then it was time for the elephant trek…….
We had an elephant named Kio and after about 10 minutes we had had enough….the elephant seemed cool enough when we were signing up for it, but then it just made us feel like we were being cruel. I guess since elephants used to be used in the forest industry before they modernized, most of these elephants would be out of work and may not have had a purpose if it wasn’t for these type of toursit attractions – at least that’s what we’ve heard. I’m not saying that it makes it any better, but it’s the only thing that consoled us during the remainder of the trek. The animals were so amazing and magestic, if you can say that about an elephant……slow, and steady and so calm………it was a little sad but we were happy to get so close to them. Feeding them was like out of a sci-fi moving – all these strange trunks, curling and coiming toward you all the while blowing some raunchy warm air at you…….it was pretty surreal.
That evening happened to be the celebration of the end of the rainy season and one of te largest full moon parties. We took part in the festivities by lighting a flower/candle/inscense arrangement made from the trunk of a banana tree that the local lady had made for us. At around 11pm we it our offering and sent it out into the sea. If they come back to shre, it’s not a good sign….and ours stayed out. There were also homemade paper lanterns made into a hot air balloon that were released into the night sky. Hundreds could be seen off shore that had been lit from the nearby towns. It was so beautiful and we felt very lucky to be here at this time…….this little ramshackle place with the wrapping paper wallpaper had really grown on us…..and believe it or not it would be hard to leave.
The next day we were heading for Koh Samui……leaving at 10am, transfering and waiting 1 hour for another bus that’s supposed to be air conditioned, stopping in like 2 places along the way, then the driver took a turn on the highway that had us heading up the off ramp! He was travelling with a young teenager and we began to think that he was waiting for a friend to pick him up and his dad, the bus driver, wanted to wait until his son’s ride had arrived! Meanwhile we wait on this not so air conditioned bus……and we’re facing the wrong way on the on-ramp….to make the situation better, the guy decides to pull another u-turn so that now we were facing the right way – the u-turn of course was made on a blind crest AND the bus had to take 2 chances at making the full turn since it was so long!!!! Eventually, he got out with his son to talk…..the brake was not strong enough to hold the bus and it started to roll. Thank god there was a toursit in the front of the bus that had sense enough to put his foot on the brake…..then the bus driver decided it was time to leave – the tourists were a little pissed………will we survive this adventure??!!….I guess time will tell.
Koh Samui ended up being a dream. Since we were getting in a bit late, we stayed very close to the pier. Not the best place as there is no beach, but there was a huge storm this evening and we wouldn’t have wanted the beach anyhow. Nathon Residence is a guest house and for $15 CAD/night, yes $15, we got a place that is like a beautiful Vancouver city hotel!!! Gorgeous! We are staying here for 2 nights until the weather passed and then onward to the beach!!!
Our next stop took us to Samui New Star……a beautiful bungalow right on the beach….if the weatehr wasn’t so stormy, we would have enjoyed it a lot more. For the next 7 days, we had like 6 days of rain……..and so we stayed inside and read so many books. We had a good time at the bar and learned a lot of Thai from the locals that worked there! During our stay here, we were able to get away and scope out some of the other beaches in search for that perfect place to get married. At Big John’s resort, we met up with Gan who told us he could be as flexible as we wanted and understood that we wanted a very intimate and private wedding.
A couple days later we came to stay at Big Johns and decided that we would let him decide when the “special day” would be. Since the weather was being unpredictable, we thought that this would be the best idea – let the local find us that perfect day. So the second morning we got up to have breakfast and saw that the palm fran archway was being put up on the beach. We figured, “well, I guess this is the day then..” After breakfast we spoke with Gan who told us that he contacted the photographer and he would arrive at 4pm. We made our way into town to complete the paperwork and I was also able to stop in the market and score some orchids for my hair…..For 40 cents I got two large bunches of them!!…We got back to our place and had about 30 minutes to get ready…..Andre was already outfitted in his finest beach shorts and tank top and I had my sarong adn tank. Andre helped me put the flowers in my hair and we made our way to the beach….it was the most romatic part of relationship so far………
………We hope you all don’t mind so much that we kept this between us. during our trip planning we just thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to get married on a beach Thailand?”…and that’s how the whole thing started. It was about March/April when we contacted a titanium jewler and told him about the design. They made a couple of prototypes and only through the internet were we able to view their work. They are based out of the states and so we couldn’t even see a sample of the work before deciding that these guys would do a good job..a little risky I guess. We decided early on that if we didnt like the rings when they arrived we would just chuck them and get something else. The design took about 3 months and we only recieved the completed product 2 weeks before we left vancouver. We were getting a little frightened that they would arrive before we left for Scotia……We told my parents when we arrived in Scotia what our plans were and they thoght it was hilarious. Of course they wanted to tell everyone and we insisted that they, and my sisters were the only ones to know. We didnt want people feeling like they had to have a pary for us, or buy us things and all that……They were very good and not saying anything to anyone. I don’t even think my sister told her husband and my dad didn’t even tell my mom! Andre ahd a private cinversation with him about our plans when we first arrived…..A couple of days later, I thought it was strange that my mom hadn’t said anything……..so I asked her if she knew……There was a big loud noise that came out of her exclaming that dad had not mentioned a thing……dad said that we had told him we were eloping and that it was a secret – but we didn’t mean from mom!!! Too funny!
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