"I Think I'm Gonna Jump in the Pool"

Now that summer school (aka October school) is over and my little munchkins have returned to their regular schools, I now have time to work on the blog. In the last two weeks Nick worked another 3 shifts, but mostly waited for me to get home from work.

He was summoned back to Bophut Resort for three more days of teaching due to a sick staff member. One man's adult chickenpox is another man's livelihood.

This is the beautiful reception staff.









In case the uniforms didn't give it away, these are the food and beverage employees.












And finally, the housekeeping and gardening staff. True to Thai style they obviously enjoyed Nick's physical humor, but hey, who doesn't?










Nick and I tried to make the most of our weekend off together before I headed back to work. We first journeyed over to Bang Rak to check out the beach. During our walk we happened upon some coconut trees. I'm no Demian Knight, but I like to think my climb was impressive.








Anyone who's seen Nick's toes can surmise that he'd be an excellent tree climber. Look at him way up by the coconuts.
















Somehow I managed to pull off a toothy grin despite this rickety two-by-four rope swing. It's a wonder I came away unscathed.














After our walk along the beach we scooted out to the peninsula where Big Buddha sits. Before climbing the stairs to admire Buddha up close, we did some shopping in the tourist center at the base. Nick scored a smashing pair of dragon clad hippie pants. Check out the video below for a closer look.












At the top of the stairs you can buy yourself some good luck! You deposit a small donation into a box, take a stick, remove your shoes and walk around the perimeter whacking each of the bells as you circle the Buddha.













Video disclaimer:
This video is two minutes of Nick walking in a circle whacking bells. The entertainment value lies only in being able to hear the bells bong as you watch Nick creatively (and disrespectfully) hit them as he passes. Some may find my obvious discomfort with Nick's bell-ringing technique entertaining, "maybe just one time per bell," however I find it embarrassing!



I decided we'd better get Nick away from those bells, so we made our way further south to Wat Plai Laem which features two huge statues, a few temples, some sculptures, roosters, and of course, swan shaped paddle boats.












To the left is the Chinese Buddha, several stories high, with his jolly grin and distended belly. If you've ever wondered why this Buddha is so...rotund, it's because to the Chinese, having a big belly is similar to what we'd say about someone having a big heart.








This is 18 armed figure is Guanyin, the Goddess of mercy and compassion. The Buddha above her head represents her vow to uphold Buddhist principles, and the vase in her lap is supposed to contain the compassion she will pour onto the people of the world.

After our exciting and informative weekend, I felt prepared to return to work for one last week of summer school.




A couple times after work, Nick and I made it here despite precarious motorbike rides through road construction. "What is this place made of lattice and concrete blocks?" you ask. Well, let me tell you.













It it 99 Gym. For 100 Bhat ($3) you can come in and pump some iron...
















or partake in some cardiovascular exercise. The equipment isn't state of the art and it's open air so there are a ton of mosquitoes, but for three dollars it's a cheap way to burn off all those extra papaya salad and roti calories. I'm not ready to embrace the Chinese belly philosophy quite yet.













Saturday, sweet Saturday. With my six day work week coming to a close and a full moon in the sky, Nick and I were in the mood to celebrate!











On our way out to dinner we realized that we weren't the only ones. "She's mine, see."











Nothing like a romantic full moon to set the mood!













After a delicious beach-side dinner of red snapper and lemongrass chicken, we met up with our friend Mark for a fire. Thank goodness for the construction site where we found wood scraps and dried palm fronds. Our fire started out small but with the bounty of burning material it grew quickly.






A couple Thai guys a few meters away from us liked our idea, and soon the unspoken competition was on. Their fire was jealous of our fire.










There's nothing more rock-n-roll than a beach fire during a full moon, am I right?
















By this point in the evening our competitors had made their retreat, clearly defeated. This was one of my favorite nights in a while. The cloudless sky, the full moon illuminating the sand and sea, and the exhilarating fire made for a spectacular time.












So, as of the 29th of October, our visa will be expired. In an attempt to postpone our visa run for another month, we found out we could apply for a 30 day extension at the Samui Immigration Office. Monday morning I was out of bed bright and early, sure the day would be a success.

I Think I'm Gonna Jump in the Pool, by Ty Andersen

Inside a small poolside house, Ty is fully made up, donning black shirt and floral skirt. She is pacing the living room. Nick is in the bathroom shaving.

Ty: (impatiently) Are you almost ready?

Nick: Almost, can you pack the backpack?

Ty moves from room to room gathering swim suits, beach towel, sunscreen, bug spray and books, putting them into the backpack as she goes. She puts the camera gently in her purse.

They walk out the front door, but Ty turns around and reenters the house. She quickly grabs her helmet from the wooden sofa and hurries out the door. As she returns Nick is strapping on his tevas. Purse and helmet in hand, Ty is startled by a monstrous black flying bug that is circling her head.

Ty: Honey, hurry up, it's one of those big black bees!

Ty brushes past Nick and scurries shoeless down the porch stairs.

Nick: Ty, relax. Get your shoes.

Ty: Seriously, it's still following me. Damn it! I didn't even put on my shoes!

Ty steps up to the walkway by the pool. Nick uses the parallel walkway through the garden.

Ty: (calmly) It will not leave me alone, I think I'm gonna jump in the pool.

Nick: Don't jump in the pool.

Ty: Where is it?

Nick: Op...it's in your hair!

Ty veers toward the pool's edge and steps off still holding her belongings. Just before her ears submerge-

Nick: Really?

Ty's head reemerges from the water.

Nick: REALLY?!?

Ty: Yes, it would not leave me alone!

Ty is still holding her purse and paddles quickly to get it out of the water.

Ty: Crap! The camera is probably broken.

As Nick is crossing the garden, Ty runs her fingers through her hair. She takes a breath and goes back under the water. Nick fumbles with the camera.

Ty: (still running her fingers through her hair) I think it's STILL in my hair! Can you get it out?

Nick: (moving closer) I don't see anything.

Their attention turns to the bug floating in the water and the look of panic fades from Ty's face.

Ty: It's one of those beetles.

Nick: Like the one you almost broke your ass rescuing?

Ty retrieves her submerged helmet and sunglasses, exits the pool laughing, and walks past the now drowned beetle (probably the same one she saved just weeks earlier).

Back on the porch.

Nick: (trying desperately not to laugh) Do you want me to go pick up the laundry so you have something to wear?

Ty: No I'll just wring out this outfit. It'll be fine.

Ten minutes later they exit the house, Ty dressed in a sopping black shirt and floral skirt. She puts on her dripping helmet and they leave the garden...

Scene.

We finally made it to the immigration office to find out that it was CLOSED due to a public holiday!

Determined to salvage this day, we ventured further south to the butterfly garden where we paid an admission price of $6 each. "Six dollars? Well, we're already here."

I don't know if it was worth $6 but, there were beautiful orchids...

















and waterfalls. You'll notice Nick's dressed up for the immigration office. Dress pants are uncomfortable in this heat.












Again with the orchids.














I think this was my favorite.














You'd think wearing drenched clothes would cool me off, but it was HOT! As we sat taking in the sights of the garden, we wondered why didn't see more butterflies.










Aw, snap! Butterflies are smart!














There were still a few butterflies that hadn't found the hole yet.

























Nick eventually changed into his cooler swim trunks. We couldn't decide which ensemble was funnier.















Talking to the attendant at the exhibition center inside the garden, we were informed that the butterflies "don't like to fly when it's too hot or humid." This would have been delightful information before parting with our $12, which is precisely 2/5 of our daily food and entertainment budget! Incidentally, whilst paying for our dinner at the end of the night, Nick noticed that the butterfly attendant had forgotten our change - turns out it actually costs 30 dollars to get into the butterfly garden- our full daily budget.

They are beautiful though.


A short hike through a "tropical rock garden" (what do tropical rocks look like?) and we reached the bee exhibit. YUCK! For someone who loves honey, I don't think I could detest bees more!








There's a much larger species of bee here on Samui (Bridget Shee, you were right). It's big and black, and precisely what I thought had flown into my hair. Check these nasty suckers out, and tell me what you would have done. I'm guessing I'm not the only person who would have taken a fully-clothed dip.

This is not our video but it shows you the size of these hideous creatures! The people in the video say they don't bite or sting. I'm not convinced.



We took a photo op at what we thought was the advertised viewpoint.












We tried to get into this cage until we saw the sign. Silly us.
Thai staff get to go everywhere! LUCKY!















We found out the viewpoint was only "50 steeps" up the hill. 50 steeps must be equivalent to 53 steps. I counted.
















On our way down the hill from the butterfly garden we saw a idyllic empty beach and thought it would be a perfect place for us to carry out our latest Fiverr assignment. Thanks Chad!










Now that is a sexy photograph.


























I couldn't resist having a little fun at Nick's expense.


Having finished our arduous task, we took a walk down the beach where we came across this deserted resort.
















The once inviting pool looked a little dirty for my liking. Check out the before picture by clicking here!












I decided to take a rest among the ruins. It's a shame this place is closed down. The relics have so much charm.










I'm not sure what this was. Boat launch?














Dilapidated bungalow.












Click here to see what the inside used to look like!


















Finally, the reception area. We should have known from the bee[tle] incident that Monday would end in ruins. :)










We deemed Monday an overwhelming success despite a few minor setbacks and Tuesday was downright productive. Today we managed to get our visa extension, schedule our visa run, and above all, stay dry. Neither of us work until Saturday when I have my three hour shift. You'll have to keep reading the blog to see what I fall off of or jump into next. Lots of time to get into trouble this week.

Hugs, kisses, and misses,

Ty and Nick