Ko Samui (Thailand, Part 4)

12/27

After sitting down upon some rucksacks, we step off the boat for Ko Samui. Each island we have reached in Thailand has become slightly larger than the previous one. Lisa and I along with our friends Stephanie and Melissa step off the ship to find accomodation. The plan is to only stay one day. Melissa and Stephanie plan to go south to Phuket while Lisa and I plan to fly north to Hong Kong. There has been a change of plans to be explained later. Simply put, Ko Samui is simply a rest stop to our final destinations.

Within these 24 hours, we manage to see the Big Buddha housed within the Wat Phra Yai temple. After a short walk past the overpriced beach restaurants, Asian markets and souvenir shops, we reach the temple entrance. At the entrance, there is a flight of stairs leading up to the big golden Buddha himself.

To be honest, it feels good to be in a temple again. I had become accustomed to taking off my shoes, spinning prayer wheels, and looking at the Buddha statues and donation boxes. I walk up the flight of stairs to get a closer look. There sits my golden Buddha friend. He looks different here in Thailand than in Nepal or India. His face is long and has shed a few pounds. It is almost as he's gotten a face lift and a nip/tuck job on the way over here.

The only mildly appalling observation about this Buddha is that when the sun goes down, the locals turn on about 200 flashing incandescent light bulbs. I feel as the carnival just came to town.

As I go back downstairs, Lisa points out the donation area. At first, my skepticism runs high. On second look, I realize that a 20 Baht (roughly $.70) donation allows you to write a name of a loved one on a brick. This brick is then put in a pile and will later be used to build or rebuild parts of the temple. I guess if that Buddha cannot be inside of you, your name can at least inside his temple.

The four of us walk back, catch the red sunset and find a place for dinner. We learn that Thai people make great Pad Thai but bad pub food. At least the Vodka/Red Bull is on sale this evening.

We stay the night in a nice $15 per night place. The only drawback is that it is 500 ft. from the runway. Small sonic booms happen on the half hour, only to fade into the night as the last plane takes off shortly after 10 PM. Tomorrow we leave Thailand - the land of pleasure, and fake Christmas dinners. Until then, keep travelling - wherever you are.

Travelling Sherman