mummified monk |
a monk, not a Buddha - still HUGE |
Who really knows about the
weather…hot and sticky…again
This is first
port where we tender to get to shore. Tendering, while once charming and
different, is now tedious and a pain in the butt. Up until this point getting
on and off of the boat for excursions has been a breeze and better than
anything we’ve experienced in the past. Today things ground to a halt. It
wasn’t the end of the world, but a 4 hour tour turned into a 5.5/6 hour tour once the tender ride to shore was factored in. Also, today the tour was 4 hours over
lunch time, so by the time we got back to the boat at 3:30 we were ravenous.
Needless to say it didn’t take too long to rustle up some food – I’m convinced
I won’t starve anytime soon.
draining the coconut water |
Once we make
it to the bus we see a bit of the island before stopping at a small shrine to a mummified
monk – that’s right a mummified monk. He died in 1973 and hasn’t decomposed
much at all. It is one of the most bizarre places we’ve ever visited or seen.
The sunglasses were almost the weirdest – apparently they are there because his
eyes have decomposed and to see holes where his eyes belong would not be
pleasant.
Big Buddha |
Our next stop
is the “Big
Buddha Temple” – I think most temples should be called this as they all have
giant Buddahs – this one is a 36 foot golden statue. It is another temple where
we climb to the top, only 88 steps this time.
We continue on to visit another temple
which to me is more of a temple complex. I’m sure we could have spent half an
hour or an hour here, but we basically make a sprint for the main attraction,
hear about it and are still back late to the boat. No real big deal. I overheard someone say recently that they are 'sick of temples'. I'd never say that I'm sick of anything while on vacation, but I have seen a lot of temples. I should see if I could count how many.
We made a ‘comfort’ stop at a small road-side
restaurant perched above some huge rocks in the ocean - a wonderfully clean and well-appointed washroom. I regret not taking a
photo – this place was gorgeous, I could have spent the whole 4 hour tour there
sipping a cocktail and listening to the waves crash on the rocks below!! Funny
how I’m not so hot with a cold drink and a gentle breeze.
Ko Samui seems like a place that would
be nice to hunker down at for a week or 2. There seems to be enough tourist
infrastructure for it to be comfortable – nice hotels, restaurants, a million
7-11s, but not as touristy and party central as Phuket seemed.
2 comments:
Operation Ko Samui ......made me think of Meet the Parents
Very interesting adventures!
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