Escape in Samui

If you like Pina Coladas

And getting caught in the rain
If you're not into yoga
If you have half a brain
If you'd like making love at midnight
In the dunes on the Cape
Then I'm the love that you've looked for
Write to me and escape

Escape (The Pina Colada Song)

Rupert Holmes

Click here for audio

Samui brought this song to mind.
I LOVED it in 1980.
Still love it after all this time.

Tranquility Short-Circuited

I can see clearly now...

...I can see all obstacles in my way...

Look around,
there's nothing but blue skies...

Impressions from Samui
March 2007

Tropical Loveland (Samui)

Come to my loveland

Wander along beautiful gardens
Full of flowers and song
Come to the sunshine, beaches and sand
...won't you come to my land

Tropical Loveland by Abba

Resort Living

We stayed at this Thai village-style resort.

Picture clockwise from top left:
rooms with private terrace overlooking lush tropical garden,
buffet breakfast at Chomtalay, breakfast eggs cooked to order,
cottage room with private garden.

... the beauties of Samui ...

It is only 10 o'clock in the morning.
It is already a wilting 32C/90F in the shade.
I am resigned to feeling icky sweaty the rest of the day *sigh*.

Samba in Samui

We are well acquainted with churrascaria Singapore-style:

We start with a buffet spread of appetisers and salads which is already a meal in itself.

Then we begin our gastronomic orgy. Waiters bring skewer after skewer of barbequed meats that are sliced over your plate. We eat till we cannot stand the sight of another morsel of food.

At Zico's, the experience is more than the food.

There is the entertainment: Resident samba dancers, a live band, and a resident DJ inject a carnival atmosphere that rounds up the night nicely with a party feel.

The hypnotic rhythm of the samba beat stays with us long after the feeding frenzy is forgotten.

Zico's Brazilian Grill & Bar
	c/o Central Samui Beach Resort 38/2, Moo 3, Tambon Bo Phut 84320 Koh Samui, Suratthani, Thailand Tel: 0 7723 1560-3 Fax: 0 7742 2385 E-mail: zicos@chr.co.th

Note to my impatient readers : There! Done! After starting this post a full 24 hours ago. Now go sleep! Oh, one of our bellydance friends called to ask when I will finish the post. haha

Happy Landings

Top L to R: the runway, Samui Airport sign, international arrival, baggage handling.

Bottom L to R: check-in counter, snack bar, departure gate, Captain and crew.

Happy body art on Bangkok Airways.

It's been many months since we went any place.

Ko Samui fitted our idea of a quick get-away: flight time is under 2 hours and a 3-night stay is enough.

Samui airport deserves special mention.

It is an open airport: your flight lands and takes off on a runway that is in the middle of tropical vegetation. All airport processing - arrival, immigration clearance, baggage claim, check-in, departure - is done in a cluster of open wooden huts. The feel of the place is definitely kampong.

It was a sweltering 36C/97F humid evening when we arrived. The air was stiflingly still. There is not a single air-conditioned place in the airport to duck into. So we wilted while we helplessly waited for our baggage in the baggage claim hut.

We are soon to realise there are simply very few air-conditioned places on this island.

Movie Night

I am not a movie buff.

I have a tendency to fall asleep in the middle of movies.

Understandably, I prefer to rent movies to watch in the comfort of home where I can start and stop the movie at any point.

I habitually watch movies in 20-minute instalment over several nights.

I got around to watching House of Sand and Fog (2003) on dvd recently when my comp was sent to comp hospital.

I was not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

How good was the movie? I finished it over two nights...

Starting over

The dance sessions have resumed after a short break over the easter weekend. I did not hear from my one-time dance partner since the last time. I had thought to call her, but I did not. I would not know what to say or what to expect.

So I took the path of least resistance. I did nothing to re-trace steps, re-hash events, re-new the relationship. Instead there is a sense of relief that the partnership is over. It is not unlike a love relationship that was ailing and limping along because neither partner wanted to address the problem. And when it finally ends by attrition, both are mutually grateful to be unshackled.

She did not show up. That is not unexpected.

I have a new partner. When we started our dance, I was acutely aware that I could hear the music again. There is joy in starting over.

Woman's Best Friend

A woman's best friend is another woman
who stays loyal to her in her darkest hour.

She is the woman who is there for you

when you need a shoulder to cry on,
when you need understanding,
when you need to hear the truth,
when you need to speak your truth.

She heals your soul and mends your spirit
with patience, empathy, sympathy, kindness and trust.

She restores in you faith and love for yourself and gives you reason to believe again.

I am fortunate that I have such a friend.

And I know I will be there for someone else
who needs me in her darkest hour.

This Last Time

I do not know what happened this last time.

She has been my dance partner for the past 3 months. For 70 percent of that time, she would arrive some 45 minutes late for the class which is an hour and half long. Her reason for her lateness? She lost track of time because she was out shopping.

In case you wonder, yes, I have asked if she was at all even interested in this activity. She said she LOVED this dance class followed by how she felt badly that I was held back because of her tardiness.

In case you wonder, no, I did not find her answer logical. But I also said and did nothing about it.

So it became our routine: I would show up on time, dance with whomever might be alone. Or I would go through the routine partnerless if no one else was stranded. Then finished the rest of the routine with her when she eventually showed.

So this last time in class, things were going according to routine. I danced with another lone soul until she finally showed.

Except this time, she pointedly told me I should have sms'ed her since I did not need her, so she need not have hurried over from her shopping. And then she walked out.

I have not heard from her. I do not know if she will show up next time.

I do not know what happened this last time.

And I have no need to know. For I shall go on dancing.