Motorbikes and Waterfalls

After having fallen in love with the feeling of the wind on my face and freedom at my fingertips cruising around an island on a motorbike, I knew it was something that had to be done with Aunt Margie! Of course she didn't think twice about it, and we spent our last two days on Koh Samui exploring the islands on two red bikes, each adorned with a "haloed pig" sticker on the front. Holy pigs are known for bringing safety to tourists on wheels in the streets of Thailand right??

First Stop...Temple of the Big Buddha, where we of course took a picture with...a Big Buddha!

introduced Aunt Margie to the heavenly Peanut Butter & Nutella Crepe...

and posed with these creatures...(I think we were told that they are characters in Thai Folklore???)

We jumped back on the bikes and then made an impromptu stop at a temple that we noticed as we were passing by called Wat Plai Laem...

The very rare "Fat Jolly" Buddha

A mere glimpse of what was to come in Bangkok!

after successfully avoiding a couple of collisions, navigating our way around the island, and still being in one piece, we decided we deserved a relaxing massage on the beach! That night we went to a famous Samui restaurant called Poppies, right off the beach overlooking the water. We decided to try the Northern Thailand Traditional Khantoke dinner, which consists of 5 different courses brought out on a pedestal tray and meant for a family to share...we ate the entire thing by ourselves...

(*warning* the red peppers are meant to spice the dish..NOT for eating...pay attention to each bite or you may end up taking one containing a rogue red pepper. Upon consumption, you will immediately feel like you could breath fire, without the bonus of actually being a dragon. You will then have to consume milk, yogurt, watermelon and a jar of honey in an attempt to extinguish the fire...I speak from experience!)

and washed it down with my long lost favorite dinner drink...a Manhattan!!

Perfect end to a perfect day!!

Island Safari

Our first full day in Koh Samui was spent on an "Island Safari" in Anthong National Marine Park. We were picked up bright and early in our own Safari truck and taken out to the pier where we would be joined by our guide and other tourists and loaded onto a speed boat!

Angthong Marine Park is 102 sq kilometers, made up of 42 limestone islands of all shapes and sizes and located in between Koh Samui and mainland Thailand. We spent the morning cruising through the park in awe of its beauty!

Monkey Rock

We made a few stops for snorkeling, where we saw some of the most beautiful fish I had ever seen! It was then time to go to an island in the middle of the park for some kayaking and lunch! We got chased in from the kayaks a little early by a surprise storm. Monsoon season had just arrived and we were lucky to have the dry weather as long as we did. So we ate our buffett lunch all huddled under the one small shack on the island and waited out the storm. Once it subsided, we were back on the boat and headed to Mae Koh Island. We climbed the dangerously steep and slippery stairs all the way to the top of the island to get an incredible view overlooking the park...

With our sweet tour guide



and a look down over the beautiful turquoise saltwater lake encompassed by limestone rock covered in limegreen foilage. It is said that this lake was the inspiration for "The Blue Lagoon" in the book The Beach, which was later turned into a movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.(more on that in blogs to come)

then it was time to head back to the island...

and head to the "Jungle" for an Elephant ride.

The elephant behind us handing us my sunglasses I had dropped!

Still dodging the rain and feeding our elephant some bananas!

our elephant "ride" wasn't exactly what we expected, and we both decided to go to a proper elephant reservation the next time we are in Thailand!

That concluded our Island Safari, and we were taken back to our hotel in our Safari mobile! That night we cleaned up and went out for a delicious dinner and wine and a great restaurant called Red Snapper.

Sooo happy to finally have some good wine!!

 

Too bad we didn't like it very much

and then went to meet up with Tom and Mitul for their last night in Koh Samui for some drinks and dancing!

Tom, Me, and Mitul at the Green Mango

Trying to teach Mitul how to "Flail"

Attempting the "Papa" one last time...

Welcome to Thailand Aunt Margie!

I am extremely blessed to have an Aunt that not only shares my passion for travel but that really can be credited with sparking my love of seeing the world! She took my cousin, Mathew, and I to Italy on our first trip abroad in 2004, and I was immediately hooked. Since then, she has come to meet me in all of the different places I have lived around the world including: a Spring Break trip from Italy through Germany and Amsterdam to London, Greece, Korea and Japan, and now she was coming to meet me for the last 10 days of my world adventure in Thailand!!

Aunt Margie, Monica, and I on Abbey Road, London-March 2008

Kendall, Me, and Aunt Margie in Mykonos, Greece-June, 2008



Transformed into Geishas in Kyoto, Japan-December 2010



I think everyone in South East Asia knew that Aunt Margie was on her way...a few even thought about rearranging their trips to be in Thailand to meet her! I had done a lot of research and planned a whirlwind 10 days on three Thai Islands and ending in Bangkok! Her first stop would be the island of Koh Samui, where I was ready and waiting for her! We caught up over breakfast on the patio of our hotel overlooking the water and then immediately changed into bathing suits, grabbed a few Changs and headed to the beach! We had a few hours of rest, sun, and lots of chatting before it was time to get washed up and head to the Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts for our Thai cooking class!

Our Teacher

We spent the next few hours preparing, cooking, and eating three delicious Thai delicacies: Red Curry with duck, Chicken and vegetables in an oyster sauce, and Pad Thai. We had so much fun learning all the different ingredients and methods and getting to cook it ourselves! Although both of us agreed we should probably not be trusted attempting it at home!



Making the Red Pepper Paste



Marinating the chicken



Practically Professional Chefs!



 

Pad Thai and a Chang...it doesnt' get more Thai than that!

After we left the school with full bellies and overflowing Doggy-Bags, we made our way down to the Chaweng Beach area to meet up with Tom and Mitul, my friends I had met on the way to Koh Samui. They had heard a lot about Aunt Margie on the long journey and were dieing to meet her! So, we headed out to meet them for a few beers before calling it a night and finally giving Aunt Margie a chance to rest!

Tom, Margie, Me and Mitul

Attempting to do the "Papa Dance"...Failed with a beer!

So he tried a water bottle...Fail

And then with a bottle of club soda stolen from a lady boy...another Fail!