So, the day following the cooking school brought the same glorious, glorious...rain. So, what to do when you can't relax on a beach? Relax with a massage, of course! Well, relax might be a strong term for a Thai massage...
While Bob and Patrick went for the 'Sports Massage', Colleen and I went for a Thai massage with a little hot extra...The spa definitely had a different atmosphere to street-side Kho San Road in Bangkok...After a welcome fruity iced tea, and a quick foot bathe, we were taken to a room to change into some rather, umm, tight undies...I also had to change into a loose white shirt and some trousers that would be loose on a sumo wrestler. I couldn't work out the latter at first, wondering how on earth you made them tighter, until my Thai masseuse told me I had them on backwards...whoops!
Leaving Patrick face-down on a table, I was taken to another area and told to lie on my front. Now, I thought I'd fallen asleep during my Thai massage in Bangkok, but now I question my memory...there is no way you can sleep through that! It's less soothing than stretching, bending every part of your body in ways you'd never imagine. She kept saying 'relax!', but it was a little tricky when she was putting me in all of these yoga positions...Don't get me wrong, she knew what she was doing, even if she showed my mosquito-bitten swollen finger no mercy...my body felt all rubbery afterwards! But it wasn't over yet...it was time to dab some scorching-hot herbal sponge-balls all over my body! Although it did feel nice, I did have to grit my teeth a few times when she hit extra sensitive spits like the soles of my feet...only one time did I lose my toughness and yelp like a child. 'You alright?' she asked in a laughing voice. 'Sunburn...' I answered in a tight voice, and she resumed the frantic dabbing on my skin. Great way to spend a rainy afternoon, though...
That afternoon we probably had the biggest and best meal of the trip so far at our resort restaurant...I think it will always go down as 'The Night We Discovered The Green Mango Salad'. Though similar to the papaya salad with prawns I ordered (once again), this wasn't just any old green mango salad...it contained soft-shell crab that literally dissolved on your tongue...just stunning. Feeling particularly hungry after our yoga workout/massage, we each ordered an appetizer (the mango salad was Colleen's choice), and a main. In hindsight, this may have been a LITTLE...OK, a lot...too much. It was a bad sign when we were full after our appetizers...I hardly ate any of my main dish, red duck curry, and felt awful for it. Colleen chose another winner with her deep-fried seabass, as did Bob with his stir-fried prawns with spicy deep-fried basil. Once again, we were waddling back to our villa, sleepy and satisfied...
The next day brought a MAMMOTH four-hour long Euker tournament...the dynamite team of Colleen and Patrick are winning at the moment, but Bob and I are going to come back strong (as soon as I can halt my accidental cheating!). Snacks of sesame-covered coconut cashew nuts and chicken laab kept us going, as did a Chang or ten! One of the characteristics of Thai food that really makes it a cut above the rest is the exquisite attention to detail...even the garnish carrots are carved beautifully. You can actually learn 'fruit carving' at the resort as well! Because the food had been so amazing the night before, we returned to the resort restaurant...but ordered just a tiny bit less. We just HAD to order the mango salad again- it would be rude not to! Then a bit of Tom Yam soup, stir-fried prawns, and the blueberry "ice-cream" for dessert that was actually more of a mousse. The ice-cream was not the only deceptive food...poor Bob got caught out with a uber-spicy chilli that was posing as an innocent tomato...for about 10 minutes, all we heard from his side of the table was gasping and gulping of water!
Just as the weather was picking up the following day, with everybody flocking to the sun-loungers as though they hadn't seen sun for months, it was time for us to head to Ko Samui on a speedboat- my first ever! They gave each of us a carton of water for the journey, which was great to combat my slight sea-sickness...just a shame that every time I tried to put the bloody straw in the bloody carton, we hit a huge wave and came crashing down, making me miss completely. Watching our progress on the computer screen around the island helped me out, and before I knew it, we were docking in Ko Samui and being gently handed over (no moment of confused limbo) to our next host, a Thai girl called Tal: immaculate, highlighted-hair, gorgeous, perfectly formed. In our air-conditioned car, with flowers at the front (nice touch), we were taken to an air-conditioned 7-Eleven to get some everyday essentials: 6 large Changs, and some Lays. Well, it has been at least a week since Patrick and I have had some Original Crinkled Cut crisps...
One dubious-looking lane later, and we had arrived at the villa, welcomed with yet another cool towel, and a champagne flute of fruity iced tea. I could definitely get used to this! And then, the big unveiling- as we were shown around the villa, I think everybody had the same reaction. OH. MY. GOD. We were shown our living room and dining room- think Ikea showroom with a Thai twist- and a few bedrooms, both with en-suites that had TWO SHOWERS and TWO SINKS. All of these surrounded a lovely pool, and I thought: 'Nice size- I wonder who we're sharing it with'. But no- it was just ours. The whole five-bedroom place, of which we'd only use two bedrooms, was all ours. Incredible! And to top it off, it has a beach-front location...as I write, I can hear the waves gently lapping against the shore. Colleen certainly outdid herself in this choice! The biggest shock was the intensity of their service; every time we try to get something for ourselves out of the fridge, there's a lady waiting to take it outside for us! It's very appreciated, if a little crazy and unexpected!
A few nights ago, we braved the dark, dark beach to try the restaurant next to the resort, where we were all lucky enough to try the chillis that had burned Bob's mouth off the other day! A fair few Magners' rid us of the spice nicely, as did the French cider later on. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to have our own chef for the day: Boon, a Ko Samui native. Both of our chefs, Kratae and Boon, were women, which is great to see: Thai women seem to be the most empowered that I've experienced in Asia so far.
I won't go into too much detail about the food- think that's been what I've mostly talked about so far! But the presentation was incredible, and the green curry/coconut soup/tom yam served in a coconut/OK, ALL of it was to-die-for. We've also tried a few unusual fruits: jackfruit (chewy mango-looking fruit that has a bubblegum taste), dragonfruit (white melon-esque fruit with black dots and a fuchsia pink, spiky outer layer) and a 'mango seed' (with an apple-esque tangy-ness).
Yesterday was our only lovely day so far (hence why my blog entry yesterday was so short!). Whilst Bob and Patrick went golfing on a beautiful, ocean-view course for a few hours, Colleen and I sat close to the beachfront, watching the Thai fishermen. One of my many joys in Asia is watching the different fishing techniques, all so simple yet incredibly effective. It reminds me how resourceful people can be with limited tools. Some guys had regular fishing rods to catch fish from the shallow end; others were actually fully in the sea, holding what looked like a long washing line, two men at one end, one man at the other. As my eye-line fell from them to a butterfly that fluttered by, something else occurred to me: just how colourful Asia is, and how these butterflies seem to fit so well into Asian culture: like little fluttering pieces of Asia's rainbow world. We went from seeing these fishermen in the morning, to a more bizarre sight at sunset: water-buffaloes bathing in the ocean. Colleen asked Tal what these water-buffaloes are used for: apparently it's fighting! Wonder if its like the cock fights we saw in China...
Right, think its about time I wrapped things up before I send you all to sleep...and my arm's starting to hurt. Today's looks like another cloudy weathered, chilled day: tomorrow we head to Bangkok, where the next day we bid a sad farewell to Colleen and Bob. It's been so nice to see them; I've had so much fun this week, despite the annoying weather! If you read this entry, thank you so, so much guys- it's all been a blast! Then it's the North for us- train ride to Chiang Mai early next week. See you then...
While Bob and Patrick went for the 'Sports Massage', Colleen and I went for a Thai massage with a little hot extra...The spa definitely had a different atmosphere to street-side Kho San Road in Bangkok...After a welcome fruity iced tea, and a quick foot bathe, we were taken to a room to change into some rather, umm, tight undies...I also had to change into a loose white shirt and some trousers that would be loose on a sumo wrestler. I couldn't work out the latter at first, wondering how on earth you made them tighter, until my Thai masseuse told me I had them on backwards...whoops!
Leaving Patrick face-down on a table, I was taken to another area and told to lie on my front. Now, I thought I'd fallen asleep during my Thai massage in Bangkok, but now I question my memory...there is no way you can sleep through that! It's less soothing than stretching, bending every part of your body in ways you'd never imagine. She kept saying 'relax!', but it was a little tricky when she was putting me in all of these yoga positions...Don't get me wrong, she knew what she was doing, even if she showed my mosquito-bitten swollen finger no mercy...my body felt all rubbery afterwards! But it wasn't over yet...it was time to dab some scorching-hot herbal sponge-balls all over my body! Although it did feel nice, I did have to grit my teeth a few times when she hit extra sensitive spits like the soles of my feet...only one time did I lose my toughness and yelp like a child. 'You alright?' she asked in a laughing voice. 'Sunburn...' I answered in a tight voice, and she resumed the frantic dabbing on my skin. Great way to spend a rainy afternoon, though...
That afternoon we probably had the biggest and best meal of the trip so far at our resort restaurant...I think it will always go down as 'The Night We Discovered The Green Mango Salad'. Though similar to the papaya salad with prawns I ordered (once again), this wasn't just any old green mango salad...it contained soft-shell crab that literally dissolved on your tongue...just stunning. Feeling particularly hungry after our yoga workout/massage, we each ordered an appetizer (the mango salad was Colleen's choice), and a main. In hindsight, this may have been a LITTLE...OK, a lot...too much. It was a bad sign when we were full after our appetizers...I hardly ate any of my main dish, red duck curry, and felt awful for it. Colleen chose another winner with her deep-fried seabass, as did Bob with his stir-fried prawns with spicy deep-fried basil. Once again, we were waddling back to our villa, sleepy and satisfied...
The next day brought a MAMMOTH four-hour long Euker tournament...the dynamite team of Colleen and Patrick are winning at the moment, but Bob and I are going to come back strong (as soon as I can halt my accidental cheating!). Snacks of sesame-covered coconut cashew nuts and chicken laab kept us going, as did a Chang or ten! One of the characteristics of Thai food that really makes it a cut above the rest is the exquisite attention to detail...even the garnish carrots are carved beautifully. You can actually learn 'fruit carving' at the resort as well! Because the food had been so amazing the night before, we returned to the resort restaurant...but ordered just a tiny bit less. We just HAD to order the mango salad again- it would be rude not to! Then a bit of Tom Yam soup, stir-fried prawns, and the blueberry "ice-cream" for dessert that was actually more of a mousse. The ice-cream was not the only deceptive food...poor Bob got caught out with a uber-spicy chilli that was posing as an innocent tomato...for about 10 minutes, all we heard from his side of the table was gasping and gulping of water!
Just as the weather was picking up the following day, with everybody flocking to the sun-loungers as though they hadn't seen sun for months, it was time for us to head to Ko Samui on a speedboat- my first ever! They gave each of us a carton of water for the journey, which was great to combat my slight sea-sickness...just a shame that every time I tried to put the bloody straw in the bloody carton, we hit a huge wave and came crashing down, making me miss completely. Watching our progress on the computer screen around the island helped me out, and before I knew it, we were docking in Ko Samui and being gently handed over (no moment of confused limbo) to our next host, a Thai girl called Tal: immaculate, highlighted-hair, gorgeous, perfectly formed. In our air-conditioned car, with flowers at the front (nice touch), we were taken to an air-conditioned 7-Eleven to get some everyday essentials: 6 large Changs, and some Lays. Well, it has been at least a week since Patrick and I have had some Original Crinkled Cut crisps...
One dubious-looking lane later, and we had arrived at the villa, welcomed with yet another cool towel, and a champagne flute of fruity iced tea. I could definitely get used to this! And then, the big unveiling- as we were shown around the villa, I think everybody had the same reaction. OH. MY. GOD. We were shown our living room and dining room- think Ikea showroom with a Thai twist- and a few bedrooms, both with en-suites that had TWO SHOWERS and TWO SINKS. All of these surrounded a lovely pool, and I thought: 'Nice size- I wonder who we're sharing it with'. But no- it was just ours. The whole five-bedroom place, of which we'd only use two bedrooms, was all ours. Incredible! And to top it off, it has a beach-front location...as I write, I can hear the waves gently lapping against the shore. Colleen certainly outdid herself in this choice! The biggest shock was the intensity of their service; every time we try to get something for ourselves out of the fridge, there's a lady waiting to take it outside for us! It's very appreciated, if a little crazy and unexpected!
A few nights ago, we braved the dark, dark beach to try the restaurant next to the resort, where we were all lucky enough to try the chillis that had burned Bob's mouth off the other day! A fair few Magners' rid us of the spice nicely, as did the French cider later on. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to have our own chef for the day: Boon, a Ko Samui native. Both of our chefs, Kratae and Boon, were women, which is great to see: Thai women seem to be the most empowered that I've experienced in Asia so far.
I won't go into too much detail about the food- think that's been what I've mostly talked about so far! But the presentation was incredible, and the green curry/coconut soup/tom yam served in a coconut/OK, ALL of it was to-die-for. We've also tried a few unusual fruits: jackfruit (chewy mango-looking fruit that has a bubblegum taste), dragonfruit (white melon-esque fruit with black dots and a fuchsia pink, spiky outer layer) and a 'mango seed' (with an apple-esque tangy-ness).
Yesterday was our only lovely day so far (hence why my blog entry yesterday was so short!). Whilst Bob and Patrick went golfing on a beautiful, ocean-view course for a few hours, Colleen and I sat close to the beachfront, watching the Thai fishermen. One of my many joys in Asia is watching the different fishing techniques, all so simple yet incredibly effective. It reminds me how resourceful people can be with limited tools. Some guys had regular fishing rods to catch fish from the shallow end; others were actually fully in the sea, holding what looked like a long washing line, two men at one end, one man at the other. As my eye-line fell from them to a butterfly that fluttered by, something else occurred to me: just how colourful Asia is, and how these butterflies seem to fit so well into Asian culture: like little fluttering pieces of Asia's rainbow world. We went from seeing these fishermen in the morning, to a more bizarre sight at sunset: water-buffaloes bathing in the ocean. Colleen asked Tal what these water-buffaloes are used for: apparently it's fighting! Wonder if its like the cock fights we saw in China...
Right, think its about time I wrapped things up before I send you all to sleep...and my arm's starting to hurt. Today's looks like another cloudy weathered, chilled day: tomorrow we head to Bangkok, where the next day we bid a sad farewell to Colleen and Bob. It's been so nice to see them; I've had so much fun this week, despite the annoying weather! If you read this entry, thank you so, so much guys- it's all been a blast! Then it's the North for us- train ride to Chiang Mai early next week. See you then...
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