Koh Samui, Thailand

Back on our favorite beach, Maenam, for ten days now.  The front row bungalow we reserved two years ago when we left after our last trip.  Familiar and comfortable.  Many of the same people come every year so we are greeted with much fanfare and hugs..."the Californians".  Living just 30 feet or so from the water, experiencing nature at its best.   Our habit is to rise just before the sun and walk out to the water and swim in the tranquil, smooth 83* ocean as the sun rises above the low hills to the south.  No wind yet so the water is like glass.  Very quiet and peaceful.  Later as the wind picks up, so does the small ripples and current, so at 6:30 it is easy to swim along the shoreline.  We both had some challenges our first week, Ronnie catching the cold, fever and sore throat that it seems most everyone here had.  And me cutting the sole of my foot on a sharp palm root sticking up out of the sand.  Not so great when you are walking each day in course sand.   I bought many waterproof bandaids and antibiotic and walked less than usual.  Finally Ron did a heroic snip of the dangling chad of skin with his nail clippers and remarkably the wound healed much faster.  Our dear friends Ricardo and Plaa made sure we had our comfortable beach chaise they keep for us, the hammock and some bamboo mats.  Ricardo picked us up at the airport and brought us to Maenam Resort just at sunset and we shared a beer on the porch and settled in for two weeks.  The weather has been perfect!  Hot, but not as hot as Cambodia...at least ten degrees cooler at a steady 88* but with nice breezes as we are on the windward side of the island.  We have trained the young Thai waiter to bring us "hot" milk with our tepid morning coffee, and fruit salad with mango, no pineapple.   Slowly he understands and high fives me when he finally remembers to bring two hot milks.  How can we complain as we sit looking out over the coconut palms to the sea, billowy white clouds dancing across the deep blue sky.  We walk up the beach for dinner after a sunset cocktail on our porch, sitting at bamboo tables in the sand with tiki torches and candles and decent jazz from our favorite beach restaurant.  Food is decent, the view is superb.  A friend we met here four years ago, Sabine, is back and I have enjoyed many hours chatting with her.  She teaches the history of fashion at the university level, and it is fascinating to listen to her share insights in how designs are created,  see photos of inside the house of Chanel, and realize the fine art involved in designing couturier shows.  Of course we are all sitting around in little more than our bathing suits, no cosmetics, hair tied in a bun.  I go to town in search of light cotton, wide legged pants and she goes to town searching for designer clothes which she knows hide in amongst the cheap copies.  And she put on a fashion show of her seven or eight finds!  A Chanel dress and shoes, two Pucci dresses and a sexy white lacy dress that was shown in a photo of a starlet in a magazine she showed me.  Very cheap here, she saves thousands of Euros.  Such a fun girl day.  Yesterday we took a ride in the back of a truck taxi called a "songtao" to the port town of Nathon.  We met up with Ricardo who drove up from his house and did a bit of shopping, hit the French bakery and drove to the southern end of the island.  We had a most delicious lunch at his favorite cafe called Sweet Sisters.  Incredible Burmese tea leaf salad, fish cakes, and wraps.  All organic with edible flowers and herbs.  Then we went to his house for a few hours, watched the sunset, and went to pick up Plaa for an evening back in Maenam for the walking street.  Eating little unique foods like sticky rice cakes grilled to a crunchy texture, grilled chicken on a stick, tiny warmed green balls of rice flower rolled in fresh coconut that when you bite into them they release a warm burst of palm sugar.  Cold cold beer, and the wonderful half coconut filled with homemade coconut ice cream that I love so much.  A most perfect day with friends.