It doesn't rain, it bores

On Boxing Day I got up late and hung in my hammock for a bit, then I went for a short swim in the very warm sea. In the evening I went to an English pub called the Frog and Gecko to watch one of the Premier League football matches that they were broadcasting from home, Spurs v Fulham to be precise. It's a good job I had nothing better to do, because the game was rubbish and ended 0-0. I don't think I've ever seen Tottenham score a goal.

The next day I got up late again, hung about in a hammock, swam in the sea, etc. It just wouldn't do, and I wasn't even enjoying lazing about in the sun that much, if anything I found it quite tedious. Australia, for want of someone to blame, had made me a very sloppy traveller. Backpacking in that country is just so easy, I simply wasn't making an effort any more. I was probably waiting for a bus driver to arrange everything for me. So fun was Australia too, and so whirlwind had my days been before Ko Samui, that suddenly being on my own with nothing to do was like landing with a nasty bump, and frankly I just wasn't happy. I decided to put things in to perspective. Afterall, I was no more alone than I was during my time in New York, or San Francisco, or Auckland. And scanning my mind back four months, I recall that I expected to be alone on this trip far more often than I actuallly have been. So things weren't so bad, really. I then decided to do something about being so bored.

I found a tour agency, of which there are lots in Samui, and simply said "I'm bored, what can you do?" I was given a couple of leaflets on quad biking trips, and some more on boat tours of Angthong National Park, not far from Ko Samui. I signed up for both, as I'd enjoyed quad biking in Oz, and Angthong seemed like a must-do. The very act of booking these trips cheered me up immensely. I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner. I'd timed it thus: the rest of that day I would spend planning the rest of my time in Thailand, the next day I would go quad biking, the day after that I would check out Chaweng, where all the other backpackers are, and the day after that I would do Angthong. And, I was pretty sure I hadn't been ripped off. Agents for specific areas, I found, tend to have pretty similar prices to each other, for there is competition, and they know you're gonna shop around. Not like Bangkok, where Thailand newbies seem to be very much taken advantage of.

I arrived at the quad bike centre and met the other people who were going to do the trip. As it turned out, there were only two others taking part, an Australian couple on a three week holiday. They were very nice people indeed, and a good laugh to bomb around with. The ride was really a tour of the mountain areas of Ko Samui, and the track rarely departed from nice tarmac'd roads. Not that it wasn't fun. We reached the hightest point on the island and took in some fantastic views. Lunch was included, and this was at a very attractive restaurant high up among the trees. The food there I think was some of the best I've had in Thailand. After finishing with the quad bikes, I headed back to my beach. Not much going on there again. I got an early night.

Around midday the next day I caught a lift to Chaweng. Not in a taxi, but in a songthaew, a sort of pick-up truck bus thing that will just take you from the side of the road and bundle you in the back with other skint passengers. It's exciting. Chaweng is clearly where all the action is, and again I wondered why I hadn't come to these parts sooner. It's bustling with activity, shops, markets, bars, restaurants and heavy traffic. I felt more comfortable here, and it wasn't long before I stepped in to a bar. It was called Tropical Murphy's, which I thought was a great name for an Irish pub in Thailand. In here I got talking to some more Australians, and they invited me to come with them to the next place, which turned out to be Samui's most popular beach bar. Loud music, bright lights, crazy people. This was more like how I expected Thailand to be. By the end of the night though, I was grateful to go back to my little quiet spot in Bo Phut.

Waking with my worst hangover in weeks, I got ready for my tour of the Angthong national park and waited outside for the company's bus to collect me. I did this for about an hour before I decided it was a bit late, and after some phone calls was instructed to wait further down the road. The bus never turned up in the end. Instead, the boat came and picked me up from the beach directly. This should've felt like a privilege I suppose, but actually it was quite embarrassing, considering everyone else had made it without any troubles. After about an hour we rocked up to the first island in Angthong and did some snorkelling. Some very beautiful coral and marine life was to be seen, and the water was crystal clear. Too soon it seemed, we were whisked away to a beach spot, then out to sea for kayaking. Being on my own, I went out with the guide, which turned out to be the best ride, as we had to go and save people who had capsized and such, which gave us more purpose than just bopping about in a boat for a bit. Returning to the beach for lunch, I met some very cool people from England, Australia and America. The scenery, a collection of limestone islands jutting out of the sea, was breathtaking, it has to be said. Soon we were off to see the stunning Emerald Lake, a 'sinkhole lake' within a mountain. Then time to go home - they dropped me off at the beach by my accommodation again, which makes sense I guess, but I never had a chance to swap details with the friends I met, so actually I was a bit upset. Only a little bit though. Nonetheless, it was a thoroughly good day out.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, when I head to Ko Pha Ngan for what I've heard is an utterly insane party. Not only that, but I'm in the sort-of unique position of seeing in not only the year 2010, but also 2553, as that is the year in Thailand. I hope you all have a wonderful New Years, too.