Summary
I spent the last ten days of their three-month Southeast Asian trip on Ko Samet, Thailand. I enjoyed beach relaxation, massages, and local cuisine. I also praised the Thai government’s efficient response to a devastating earthquake in Myanmar.
I returned to Ko Samet Island, Thailand, after my 3-month adventure in Southeast Asia.
I treated myself to a one-hour facial that cost ฿700, including tip--$19. About 3/4 of the customers were guys.
I visited “The Rage Room,” where I could break things like beer bottles and computers for prices ranging from $5.50 to $53.
I donned my orange jumpsuit, helmet, gloves, and safety glasses before choosing the cheapest Rage Room feature. I enjoyed destroying several beer bottles. The “Ultimate Rage” featured destroying a TV, electronics, bottles, and coffee mugs, costing $53. My “Smash Intro” cost $5.50.
I took the new big bus from Ekkami Bus Terminal, Bangkok, to Ban Phe for ฿184 ($5). The bus attendant handed out burgers and water, my first McDonald’s burger during my 3-month trip. I’ve had other types of food on buses and trains in Thailand.
A three-hour ferry ride to Ko Samet for ฿70 ($2) ended the journey.
I canceled my September 2024 trip to Thailand and Vietnam due to a 5-day ICU stay with a respiratory infection. The Runa Runa Guesthouse credited me for the cancellation, so I only had to pay slightly more for the extended stay and high-season increase—about $25 per night.
The Runa Runa Guesthouse is in a small village near Hat Sai Kaew (White Sand) Beach, a 5-minute walk away.
Instead of doing my laundry, I gave the guesthouse all my clothes to clean, except for a Hawaiian shirt and swimsuit, for just ฿100 ($3).
Most mornings, I’d start with coffee and coconut water in my room, then head to Chili’s for an American breakfast of coffee, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, and cabbage salad.
After that, I enjoyed my daily oil massage from Da at Sirion Massage for ฿400—$11—including tip during my stay.
After my hour massage, I’d visit this fruit stand owned by Da’s brother, Wut, and his wife, Toot. They sell delicious and artistic fruit smoothies, like mango, passion fruit, watermelon, guava, pineapple, coconut, and combinations like mango-passion fruit, for just ฿80 ($2.25).
Click here for my Instagram Reel that features several of the smoothies I enjoyed:
Delicious Smoothies on Ko Samet
After enjoying my rented resort sun lounge chair (฿100) and reading novels, I swam in the 85-90 degree Gulf of Thailand waters after an hour walk along white sand beaches.
I bought pomelo, mango, watermelon slices, whole coconuts, and mango smoothies from vendors along the beaches. The costs were about ฿60 or under $1.75 USD each.
On my way back, I stopped at one of the three 7-11 stores to buy coconut water, sunflower seeds, yogurt, and bananas.
I enjoyed delicious steak dinners at the Reef Restaurant, where my old Pudsa Bungalows used to be. It cost ฿560–$17– and included roasted potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
I enjoyed dinners at the other restaurants.
The Ploy Talay Fire Show along the beach was another highlight I enjoyed with many other tourists.
I returned to Suvarnabhumi Airport for my Qatar flight to Seattle via Doha, just before the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on June 27th. The earthquake caused a building collapse in Bangkok due to substandard steel.
On the day of the earthquake, March 27th, Bangkok’s public transportation and some highways, including the SkyTrain and railroads, were suspended for safety inspections. Due to heavy taxi use, the government arranged bus fleets to transport people to the airport. The Thai government’s response to this tragic event was excellent.
High-rise pools in Bangkok are designed to reduce earthquake effects, as seen in videos of pool waters sloshing over skyscraper sides.
Arriving in Seattle, I was shocked by the contrast between the rainy weather and the 80 to 95 degrees in Thailand. I’ll summarize the cost of this 3-month trip to Thailand and Vietnam in my next blog entry.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel
I have recently uploaded all of my travel videos to YouTube now that they allow longer uploads. I have also added other shorter travel videos.
That link is https://www.youtube.com/c/huntforgold
If you do go there, please subscribe to my video channel since it will help me eventually get some income there and help with my future travels.
No comments:
Post a Comment