Simon and Jackie Annals

I woke up at 5am with the bites on my back and ankles itching like buggery. We have concluded that the bites are definitely sandfly bites which seem to take 12-24 hours to burst out of our bodies with their unsightly pusy heads.

I watched my iPad to distract the itchiness until started to get ready around 9am. At 10.45am, we hauled our luggage consisting of 2 large rucksacks, 2 small rucksacks, 2 cloth beach bags, a handbag and our beach mat to reception. The receptionist called us a Songteo (taxi), which we loaded up with all our luggage and set off on the 2 mile trip to our next accommodation, Tok’s Little Hut.

As we approached, I suggested to Jackie that I get out first then she could pass all the luggage out to me. At Tok’s Little Hut, I duly jumped out and Jackie passed me a large and small rucksack, the driver assisted with the remaining luggage, so I took the opportunity to count out the 300THB for the driver. The driver departed and we checked in at reception and was delighted to be informed that our room was all ready to move into despite the check in time being not until after 2pm.

It was all going so well until I realised that my beach bag was missing. We immediately assumed that we had inadvertently left it at the previous resort, so we asked the receptionist if she could ring them. She eventually understood, but she couldn’t get through to them on the phone. I was left with no option, but to walk back to Samed Garden Resort to retrieve the missing beach bag. We dumped our remaining luggage in our new room, then Jackie returned to the reception with me to see me off. I was not impressed when in the busy reception area I found Jackie’s handbag containing our passports and all our cash sitting there wide open on a table. Brilliant!

I then set off on my 2 mile route march in the blazing sun. Halfway into the march I realised that I hadn’t been thinking straight when it dawned on me that I could have rented a scooter for an hour for less than a bottle of Chang. It was too late to turn back so I plodded on. I was just short of Samed Garden Resort, when Jackie rang me to say she had contacted them via Booking.com and they had confirmed that they didn’t have my beach bag.

I continued on anyway and met the very helpful receptionist who had ordered our Songteo. He informed me that he had spoken to the Songteo driver who said that he had checked his vehicle and didn’t have the beach bag. I searched our old room and the area where we boarded the Songteo without success. I even viewed their CCTV footage, which showed us leaving but it was inconclusive as to whether we had the missing beach bag with us or not. As I was leaving the receptionist confirmed that we had been picked up by Songteo No.4.

My next stop was the ferry port where all the Songteos congregated to try and find the driver. As I walked back, I chatted with Jackie to establish what was in the lost beach bag - my favourite swimming shorts, my sarong, my book, my binoculars and my ‘tough’ camera that I can use underwater. As I continued, I started to get dishonest thoughts that I would declare that it was my expensive new camera lost and try and claim for a new one on our travel insurance.

Eventually I arrived at the port car park and to my utter astonishment the 1st Songteo I laid eyes on had a number 4 on the side. It was unattended so I peered in the cab, then into back and to my utter astonishment again there was my beach bag sitting on the seat. I climbed in and retrieved it, then the driver appeared and said he had looked for it but didn’t see it!!

Mightily relieved, I marched back to Tok’s Little Hut where I found Jackie in the restaurant supping a cold bottle of Chang. We celebrated with a couple more beers and a cheeseburger, club sandwich and fries lunch.

We spent the entire afternoon in our usual spot on Koh Samet Beach, hopefully not getting bitten anymore, but hard to tell as our bites were still so itchy. It was quite late when we went out for dinner, not helped because we couldn’t find the purse in the room. We found it outside on the wall of our verandah!

We walked along the beach, which had been transformed from rows and rows of sun beds into rows and rows of tables and chairs. As we walked all the way into town we caught the end of a couple of fire shows that had started at 8pm

We chose a table at the, what I now know to be called, Seafood Food Court, then ordered chicken and pork dishes. Jackie ordered a spicy mango and pork salad whilst I ordered stir-fry fried chicken and cashew nuts with rice. Jackie enjoyed hers, but mine was bland. It was a bit disappointing, because it was a rough and ready place but always full, so we assumed it must be cheap or particularly good. It was neither.

We priced up coconut oil in several shops, then did a big shop in the 7-11 for Hong Thong, Coke Zero and biscuits. We had a Hong Thong nightcap to end a stressful day.

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