A Blog about the Daily Life on the Tropical Island of Koh Samui
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A few Words about Me
 My name is: Olle
I am living in: Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, Suratthani, Thailand
I am originally from: Stockholm, the capital of Sweden
I am doing for Kohsamui.org: Writing a blog about my life on a tropical island
How about my life here: Please read my blog below, my friends |
The Non Electric Friday
Text by Olle - Living on Lamai Beach - Friday, August 14, 2009
It is always nice with Friday. It is psychological since the days here are pretty much all the same for me. I get a little bit of relief just knowing it is Friday, funny. At the internet store where Nui have the café the owner were sitting outside just looking at the guys working on the electric by the road across the street. No costumers since the power were out. He told us that some big electric equipment they installed yesterday exploded and caught fire so the electric had been out for a long time. Luckily we did have electric at home but I noticed the television were out in the morning. I stayed a while to look what they were doing and it took a long time and it did not seem they were doing anything. Nui looked at the power lines and laughed. She sometimes can be really harsh to things and questioning why they are the way they are. And we think very alike and that is a important part in a relationship for me.
She looked at me and said –If they known what they were doing I do not think they would have done it like this, I do not understand.
According to me this power line did not look that bad.
 
When they had put the new electric part, whatever that thing is called, in place nothing happened so I decided to go back home. I said that the new thing would probably end up the same way as the first one, I smiled and went home to work. About an hour later the telephone rang. It was Nui, she told me the new electric “thing” had just exploded with a big bang, but no fire this time. They had electric on for just very short time and then they were back to square one again. Now in the evening the television is on so that might be a sign that they succeeded with the 3: rd installation.
Tomorrow we plan on open the shop a little bit more late and take a trip to the temples in Choeng Mon which we like to do once in a while. The Big Buddha is nice and also the one that is situated if you keep going a few hundred meters more in the direction of Choeng Mon beach, I think that temple is called Wat Laem, a very nice area with less people then by Big Buddha. I am not a religious person, rather a person who does not like religion but if there is a religion that I do like I must admit that it is Buddhism. I do not follow all the common rituals that does not feel right to me but I love some of it and instead of the normal pray I focus on my positive energy and think about what I want, to do this in a special place just makes it all stronger. I also like the “seang sim see” the part where you shake a round box with about 30 sticks inside which each have a number. You keep shaking the box until one stick falls out, if more than one falls out you do it again. Then you can read about your future on a paper slip. In many temples these are only available in Thai but at Big Buddha for example they are also written in English. The funny thing is that they are not written all the same but sometime stating a very precise course of events that the times we have done it have been so precise its silly.
Thai people do not think it is bad if tourists practice this ritual so if you happen to go to Big Buddha, which you of course have to do when on koh Samui, I really recommend you to try this.
Tomorrow it is Saturday and I will be back on Monday. Have a nice weekend, I will.
New Tesco store soon open and a wonderful afternoon swim
Text by Olle - Living on Lamai Beach - Thursday, August 13, 2009
I started the morning as most of the other days, with a bowl of porridge on the porch, then we went to open Nui's cafe and the usual round to buy ice. Then I went home and took care of the laundry and hung it out in the sun. It really dries in a snap.
I sat down with the computer for a few hours and did some work.
Feels like we have a really hot period right now and it has not been a drop of rain in several days.
Now it is probably not so long time left until the opening of new Tesco store here in Lamai. I think there are plenty of big stores already and no problem even if you have to go to Chaweng where we have both Tesco, Big C, and Macro. On the Westside, in Nathon, there is a smaller Tesco store and soon a Tesco in Lamai as well. I do not know if there is a big or small one, but I think the parking lot looks big but on the other hand it does in Bang Tao on Phuket as well and that store is the smaller kind.
Today they were working on the electricity outside the parking, by the road, practically all day and climbed around on the power poles and the crane car. Externally the store looks like it is finished so it is possible that it is only at the inside the final finish remains. Then you should probably not forget that the store must be filled with all the goods and since it will be quite a lot I probably will not miss when the trucks arrives to load everything.
Nui went away and asked people about where to build a sidecar for the motorbike, the idea is not entirely new for us it is something that we talked about. Better to be able to drive around than having the small shop she has for the moment. Since the café is by the big road there are not many people walking by which would benefit the cafe. The girl she talked to, a girl from Isaan selling fruits from her bike, had been doing that the three years she has been here. She also said that the business were really great and that she sold out every day and had an income a lot better than many people working in stores. Nui's plan is to sell some food as well and not only coffee and tea it will be very exciting to see the result.
 
After we closed the shop at 18 o´clock we went down to Lamai beach. Still a lot of people who sat chatting, some people were jogging by the water and those who worked were setting up the evening's food and drinks sales. The water was as always warm and it was really crystal clear, so clear we really noticed it. We stayed until it had darken and went up and went back home again. I asked if Nui understand how wonderful it is to have the opportunity to go down and swim like this and a minute later be home. She has lived in Bangkok all her life and not had the beaches very close by, but the times she went to the beach they always get the nice water. For me, who grew up pretty close to the water but water that I do not think is so inviting, this warm and clear ocean is one of those things I think I will never take for granted as I sometimes find myself doing with other things such as the sun and the warm weather.
Sunny Wednesday
Text by Olle - Living on Lamai Beach - Wednesday, August 12, 2009
At 15 o´clock I came up to the cafe from the beach. I went down there for a refreshing swim. Today I drove down to the middle part of the beach, which becomes deep a lot faster which is great sometimes. No waves today either, just very quiet and nice, the way the majority likes it. Just as hot today as it was yesterday, but today it is a little hazy in some places. I am not a technology freak, but it is quite appropriate to write by using the cell phone that has a little keyboard and not have to sit by the computer all the time, like for now.
In the evenings we usually watch some TV, both Thai and other channels. There are some details that differ from the TV many Westerners are used to. Here they blur things in their nationwide TV channels such as cigarettes when someone smokes, but only the few seconds that the cigarette is in the mouth. Firearms are also censored unless it is a police officer who uses it. Sometimes it is even ok to show the gun when the bad guy is holding it if he is not aiming at anyone. In a movie I saw it was a hostage-taking and the gun blurred all the time but in seconds the police shot the guy down it was ok to show it. It is an amusing detail that I wonder if there are any scientific facts behind to suggest that it would actually have a positive impact of any kind. Personally, I have a hard time believing that, but perhaps it has been teenagers standing with a cigarette in ones hand and wondering what they are supposed to do with it, that blurred part that they never managed to see on TV. * ironic
 
To continue with the Thai TV I saw a program the other day that showed elephants. Most people certainly know that elephants are social animals and very talented, but in this show the elephants did tricks that I have never seen before. Among other things, they were dancing with stiffed rear legs, hard to explain but it looked very funny. They also performed various exercises that appeared to be taken from an aerobics program, but it was a little bit different to see an elephant performing them. They finished by giving an elephant a painting brush with paint and put a white paper in front of it. First, the elephant draw one line and then another and another and suddenly I saw that he or she painted an elephant with legs, head and trunk and also painted trees around. I thought that was very impressive. These nationwide channels we have and which I assume are owned by the government, but that is just a guess, are called Channel 3, 5 and 7 are using sound effects in virtually all of its programs, whether it is a talk show, nature program, or a TV series. Biong sounds and whistling are used on the most bizarre places. In the beginning I thought I always saw the same program but soon realized that it was the same effects in all programs.
In the late afternoon, I went by myself to Macro, one of the larger stores located in the northern outskirts of Chaweng. A store which I think is mainly for companies that buy a bit larger quantities than normal but it seems a lot of other people also go there like I do. We were running out or some things at home and as well in Nui's café. Right now Nui are making the Thai snack “sank”and crushing the leaves called "baiteur" to extract the green juice, which gives a nice scent and taste. Maybe you should offer some help.
Another Day in Paradise
Text by Olle - Living on Lamai Beach - Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The title may sound cliche, but it is actually true. I mean, a paradise does not have to be a place where you are dancing around on roses without worries. I reminded myself today, as so many other days, how nice it is around here. It becomes easy to forget the strong impression things gave me the first time I experienced and saw them.
Today is one of those days you have to search the blue sky to possibly find some small clouds. 34 wonderful degrees. The neighbor buffalo, which I named Mr. Pink, looked a little grumpy when he got to be my model for a few seconds during his rest. Otherwise he works nearly all the time to cut the grass.
Nui have started the café here in Lamai. It is the type of old fashioned one and only have take away. It was a little difficult to find a place to set it up, so she starts out simple, better than nothing. I have spent some of the day there and while I sat there I noted how much traffic there was so I quickly calculated that it is passing over 2'500 vehicles per hour. Another observation I made was that there were quite a big number of tourist families who went by without wearing a helmet, not even the children. In most cases, there will not be any accident, but I guess that many children do have to use helmets when riding their bicycles at home, I was a little surprised. It is actually quite amusing studying people for a while.
I have had to spend a few minutes to combat ants. Today I found a broad transport point straight through the house and they were a little too many so I had to bring out the heavy artillery with insect spray. I am normally very sparse when it comes to exterminate insects, but when you notice yourself thinking about how many more days it would take until only the backbone of the house was left, I felt that was enough. That being done I decided to take a trip to Lamai beach. I have been there far too little. I drove down to the southern part and there were some people relaxing and playing in the sun but looking north there were more people but still in moderate scale. I did not go swimming because I was wearing my long and thick shorts.
This morning I saw on the news that there have been earthquakes in Japan and at least 43 people injured and that yesterday there also been some earthquakes out in the sea on the west side of Thailand. They were measured at 6.6 and 7.7 on the Richter scale, but no tsunami warnings had been issued. The sea on the east side of Thailand, where Koh Samui is located does not have the same tectonic activities so there is no need to worry about tsunamis over here. Also the nearest splice is very sheltered and far away on the far side of Philippines.
In one-hour it is time to help Nui to close the café and then go buy some food.
Online at Koh Samui
Text by Olle - Living on Lamai Beach - Monday, August 10, 2009
After some delays, I finally got my internet and I got my door to the outside world opened again.
Last week I made my first so-called "border-run" from Samui. The choice was between going to Ranong and cross the border to Burma as I have done before many times from Phuket, or to go down to Malaysia.
Since the tour called "Andaman club" did not appear to be available from Samui I chose Malaysia. That I initially had Burma as the first choice was simply because I have been there before and know the procedure well and that is always comfortable. The last step to get into Burma you have to go by boat and that you would not if you go to Malaysia, instead there is an extra hour's drive so in the end its about the same time. Departing from Samui you have already bounced around on the water for a while so it may be comfortable to skip that and replace it with a little extra time on the road instead. It all went fine and now I have done that trip.
With one-year visa you have to do the kind of strange process to stamp out of Thailand and just a minute later stamp in again and get three months' residence permit in order to make the trip again in three months.
If you want to avoid this procedure, you have to open a company and have at least four Thai employees per foreigner, then you get a small bonus in the form of not having to make to border-runs but instead appear to an immigration office inside the country, which of course is a little easier. "You help us, we help you" would be a simplified way to express it.
The weather the last weeks has been great. Most sun all days with the exception of some afternoon showers. It has already gone over three weeks since we moved from Phuket, Kamala, back to Samui, which I first moved to for two years ago.
Time flies and for my part, it has been positive to have lived in a couple of different places. Life artery in so many ways just by living in different places and it gives experience and also might make you see things in a wider perspective. Moving back to Samui was a choice coming right out of the blue. We had well more or less decided to leave Kamala, if we only found an option that seemed attractive. Koh Lanta, I had already been on and we took a vacation there as recently as less-than-a-half years ago. As a holiday destination, I think Lanta is great and it give the relaxation many people wants on a vacation. But as year-round residence, it feels as if it probably would be too relaxed. I like to go to Tesco, Big C or Carrefour and have the opportunity to have some people around me.
We also visited Krabi very recently, and Ao Nang, which had some good job opportunities with a lot of people year round. However we felt that 100% was focused on tourism and that there were no villages or similar around. Ao Nang consisted of Ao Nang beach and its street, which is rather long, and then Nopparat Thara beach with its street, that was it. But, a large but, I would like to add here Krabi gave us an amazing experience even though we did not take the time to visit the beautiful islands that are close by, such as Chicken Island to name just one. We saw lots of animals and visited caves, hot waterfalls and the surrounding empty beaches and other things that are within reach. But for a residence it was not quite right.
We barely got back to Phuket and Kamala until we decided to check Samui again. It did not pass many hours of stay at coconut island until we knew what we wanted so we rented a car already a few days later and drove back to Kamala to pick up our belongings and move to Samui. Fast decisions that surprised our friends.
That is the way things have evolved. There are several advantages of Samui. A clear advantage is that, for example, you can enjoy a calm see on a much bigger part of the year than on for example Phuket. Beaches with powdery white sand and fine soft shaped rock formations around the island's many beaches make them very beautiful. Samui also offers some nightlife for those who want that but you do not need to go far away to get into a calm environment. Personally, I am not that keen on the tourist streets though I fully understand that many people enjoy that during a vacation.
Today its Monday and a new week has begun and it is another brilliant day. Some afternoons we have had fast weather changes with shorter showers. Last week for example, the sunny weather turned into rain when we were just about to take off the mall so we had to go back home instead. It was storm winds and we drove extremely slow just to make it possible to open my eyes in the rain that whipped in my face. Once we come home we saw on TV that a plane slipped off the runway on landing here on Samui and the pilot died. The plane had slide into an unmanned communication tower and it was that misfortune that killed the pilot. One must be grateful that it is so rarely something happens in the airline traffic. There are significantly more accidents on the roads, although it is common that people feel a certain worry before a flight.
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