An afternoon in Koh Samu, Thailand

This morning we arrived at the beautiful island of Koh Samu, Thailand. Samui is the real name of the island (the word "Koh" means "island" in Thai).

Koh Samu is Thailand's second largest island after Phuket. It’s basically an extremely tropical island with lots of luxury resorts and beautiful beaches.

The dock couldn't accommodate a large cruise ship, so it was necessary to tender in. We didn’t have an excursion and it was very hot, so we considered not getting off the ship at all. But it seems a shame to come this far and not see any of the island, so we decided after lunch to go over and see what there was to see. After we got off the tender and started into the town area we ran into some people we know from the ship. They had just come from having full body massages – for $9 each!

So I talked Ronnie into getting one with me and after getting walking directions we headed for the massage place. When we reached the place, we were required to take our shoes and socks off and leave them outside. We were having trouble communicating what we wanted so they gave us a sheet with probably 20 different service options. We chose the 30 minute head, neck and shoulder massage for 175 baht ($5 US). But first we were told to sit in a chair while they washed our feet. I still haven’t figured out the reason for that since we hadn’t asked for a pedicure or foot massage. But we were compliant and did as we were directed. Next we were ushered behind a curtain and up a very hot, winding staircase into a room that had thankfully a tiny bit of AC. We had walked from the port so by this time I was sweating profusely.

I was directed to lie down on a table flat on my stomach, which I absolutely cannot do because of my achy-breaky back situation. So the lady agreed to let me sit up. For some reason, I thought that perhaps a head, neck and shoulder massage would be relaxing. How wrong I was! There was nothing remotely relaxing about it and it was probably one of the longest 30 minutes of my life! Ha! The lady got up on the table behind me and bared down with her elbow on my shoulders with her full body weight and every bit of strength she could muster. It was rough! Let me just sum it up by saying that during my “head, neck and shoulder massage” she never touched my head but she did work on my feet and legs. I hate to say it but I actually cried out a couple of times when she really hurt me. I told Ronnie afterwards that I thought she had a little sadistic streak in her!

After putting my sweaty clothes back on, we walked up the street a little ways because we wanted to see the beach. However, we didn't make it to the beach because a big storm started blowing in and we had to hurry back to tender before the rain hit. I would have liked to have taken more photos near the food stalls but the vendors were battening down to get things put away before the storm him

Even though we didn't do much here, I don't think I will have any trouble remembering Koh Samu, Thailand! Tonight we sail for Bangkok. I'm posting some random photos from today.

 

ferries coming and going

need a lift?

nice view of Oceania's Insignia from our ferry ride

wiring - amusing or confusing?

a multi-lingual eatery

red and octagonal in any language means STOP

a friendly tailor at work

 

 

 

colorful fabrics - most businesses open to the street

curb service

Buddhas, Buddhas everywhere

street food

jackfruit - whole or peeled

   

the scene of the crime

 

Ronnie with masseuses

 

Ronnie said his lady (left side of photo) didn't hurt him. My lady is on the right in the photo and you can perhaps tell from the slightly devious expression on her face how much she was enjoying the whole thing. Lastly, don't you take off YOUR shoes for a head, neck and shoulder massage?

Ronnie's day on the Mekong River (Saigon, Vietnam)

Today is day 135 of our 180 trip around the world, meaning we only have about 6 weeks of our 6 month trip left. We are holding up great, although we do miss home and friends.

Yesterday we were docked in Saigon (formerly Ho Chi Minh City). I enjoyed a lazy day on the ship, which was exactly what I needed. As I previously mentioned, a friend invited Ronnie to join him on his all day excursion because his wife was laying off for the day as well.

Perhaps you're wondering how I can blog on something I didn’t even see? Well, I have the tour description, plus Ronnie took lots of pictures for me. So…I can share a little bit about what they did, even though I didn’t experience any of it myself. 

Their excursion was called “Mekong River Delta” and it was a 7.5 hour tour. It began with an hour 45 minute drive to the Mekong River, stopping to eat at a restaurant where they were served whole butterfly fish for lunch. It didn't look too appetizing to me but Ronnie said it tasted o.k. 

Thanks to Ronnie for sharing his day with us and taking so many photos for me to choose from. All but the last batch at bottom are his.

Mekong Rest Stop

people taking pictures of the fish

butterfly fish - what can I say?

From there they were taken to the Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda. The pagoda sits on approximately 5 acres of manicured gardens. I’ll include a few of the photos from there, including the 3 four-story high Buddhas that sit on the property (like I said earlier, we're just about  "buddha'd out!)

 

Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

temple entrance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ronnie reclining in front of Reclining Buddha

Standing Buddha (on lotus base)

Laughing Buddha

From the pagoda, they were driven to a boat pier for a ride down the Mekong River. They stopped at an island fishing village where they saw the honeybees and were offered a mixture of royal jelly, honey and hot tea and given a long list of ailments that this tea will cure. 

 

explaining bee keeping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

making royal jelly tea

 

They walked to another restaurant where they observed (and tasted) candy being made with each piece being separately hand wrapped. They walked more trails to yet another restaurant where they were offered local fruits (I'm proud of Ronnie was tasting jack fruit and passion fruit). Some entertainers sang to them and then it was back to the boat. 

 

coconut and peanut in candy base

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

each piece being wrapped by hand

 

At some point they boarded some sampans to ride down a small canal. I love the sampan photos! Then it was back to the regular boats that took them to the bus for the drive back to the port. 

 

 

 

 

So there was lots of bus time to look out the window and observe the Vietnamese people as they carry on their everyday life. First of all, there are 10 million people living in Saigon and there are 5 million motorcycles. So you can imagine what the streets look like with that many motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic! 

Also, it is absolutely amazing how much they can carry on a motorcycle. HUGE amounts that you can't even imagine and sometimes even animals (we saw this during our stay in Indonesia as well). And what if you have a family but only one motorcycle? The more the merrier! Even babies and young children ride with their parents. I think I mentioned that I saw a family in Africa where the mother sat behind the father with a baby strapped on her back (with the fabric sling-like wraps they use). Yikes! The photos below are quite typical. Lastly, many of the women are covered from head to toe. Long dress, long sleeves, head coverings and masks. Many wear masks here, possibly for protection from Covid, pollution or both.

from yesterday but I've seen much worse in Hanoi

family of 4

that's a load

kid standing up?

family outing

keep in mind it is HOT here!

another load

one must be 16 years old to get license for small bike, 18 for larger

1,2,3,4,5

 

 

wherever we go, he goes

 

Probably overkill, but you get the point that multiple persons sharing a motor bike is nothing out of the ordinary.

Lastly, I'll post a few that I took coming into Saigon and after docking. 

 

Elisa - a beautiful wooden ship docked in front of the Insignia

lots of green foliage constantly floating past

heading up Long Tai River from South China Sea into Saigon

view from balcony on starboard side

My last is a short video of one of the party boats that move up and down the Saoi Rap River (taken from our balcony in port).

 

We didn’t have anything planned for this morning and boarding time was 2 pm so we opted to stay onboard again today. Shortly after our departure at 3 p.m. there was a very nice Memorial Day service on board. Ronnie asked our cruise director if he could read the names of his friends killed here in Vietnam. She thought it was a good idea, so he, along with others stood and mentioned the names of friends who were killed here in Vietnam.