We had a change in plans today when we heard that our original excursion (to ride elephants at the Koh Samui Elephant Preserve) was going to involve a lot of off-road travel in the back of a pickup truck. We opted to save our spines and instead go for a dip at Chaweng Beach. The Orion anchored offshore and we tendered in aboard local boats. After a 45-minute van ride, we arrived at the beach town of Chaweng.
After a bit of confusion with how to rent beach chairs (our excursions manager reminded us beforehand that “English is widely understood but not necessarily widely spoken”), we had a relaxing float in the warm and calm South China Sea with our cruise friends Gary and Chris Terbeek, whom we’ve been with since Athens.
We could see the good stupa of the Wat Khao Hua Jook Buddhist temple on a hill in the distance. Smaller Buddhist shrines are almost everywhere you look in Koh Samui — in parking lots for business, next to houses, on street corners.
A pair of shrines were in the hotel grounds just off the beach. They contained identical offerings of a soft drink and water, in addition to incense.
We needed to grab a quick bite before heading back to the ship, so we thought we’d check out the eateries in the vicinity of the meeting point. McDonalds seemed like an interesting place to check out (our driver said that’s where he ate when he was in this town). Of course we couldn’t go for the standard offerings! What was there on the menu that looked appealing and exotic?
There was some sort of thing that appeared to be chicken – with flames on the title – but it was only written in Thai, and I wasn’t feeling quite that adventurous. (Also note the two varieties of pie: Pineapple and Corn.)
Instead, I opted for the “Spicy Namtok Kurobota Burger.” I think it was some kind of minced pork patty. It sure was spicy! I thought it tasted pretty good – and in fact, I later saw that TripZilla listed it as one of the “10 McDonalds Special Menu Items Worth Traveling the World For.” And although this one didn’t have the black bun, it was pretty darned tasty — and much hotter than you’d ever encounter at an American fast food restaurant.
As our minivan took us back to the port, I gazed at the towns. I snapped this one photo when we were stopped at a red light. Motorbikes for rent, dresses, and what turned out to be a Thai massage parlor on the right.
I enlarged and enhanced the photo of the signboards out front. In addition to the one board with “traditional” massages, there was another signboard offering the “Secrets Packages,” with such enticing names as Gentlemen Dream, Flower Spa, Ever Lover, Addict Coconut, and Good Night. I will just have to let my imagination fill in the blanks.
Back to the port and a quick ride out to the ship.
This was our next to last day on board the Orion! Disappointing! Tomorrow we are in Bangkok, then we head to Siem Reap, Cambodia for our Angkor Wat extension.
