Lansers on the Loose ...

I slept in again! Sadly, the old boy did not have as restful a night! It might be that his sinus medication is disturbing his rest??? We are not sure, but hopefully he can catch a few more zzz's on a chaise lounger later!

And ... for the first time since we arrived ... it's a green flag on the water! It's glassy clear and perfectly calm! Quite a difference from when we first arrived! We are so grateful for the arrival of this gorgeous weather!

I'm not sure how I got so far behind in posting these blogs ... I thought it was going to be easy given how flexible our days have been, but apparently the old adage is true: I have been extremely "busy doing nothing". 😉

It's really nice, though, to FEEL like you are in total vacation mode. No where to be and no eyes on the time. We are not really used to this pace. In most of our travels, we are on the run a fair bit ... doing and seeing and exploring our surroundings. Maybe we feel a little less inclined to do that here because we have been to Thailand before and have already done so many of the 'touristy' things?

One of the things that we have really enjoyed is our tour guide Nina. We also have a rep with us from Wheel & Anchor at all times. Linda is responsible to ensure all our needs are met and she is our 'go to' if anyone in the group has any issues or requests for activities etc.

Nina, however, is a local tour guide from Thailand. She is a wealth of knowledge and information. We have learned so many 'little things' from her about local customs of this culture. I wish I had remembered to share all the details we have learned ...but ... I keep forgetting. I will offer up a few things now, while I am thinking about it.

For instance, when raising glasses to say 'cheers', you do not look at people's eyes. You should look at the glasses. It is deemed disrespectful to look into people's eyes. And, another interesting tidbit is that if you are younger than the person whose glass you are clinking ... you must position your glass LOWER than the person with whom you are cheering! This is a way of showing deference and respect. Respect for elders is very important here in Thailand.

We also noticed that, despite much traffic, no one toots their vehicle horns here. It was the same in Italy. Here, they believe tooting of horns is a reflection of irritation and anger. And, they believe anger is a precursor to causing accidents. So, it is recommended that you must calm yourself down if you feel inclined to toot your horn. And, it is so nice, because you can eat at a roadside restaurant and not hear beeping and honking!

Oh ... and there is lots of traffic. If a pedestrian wants to cross the road, it is suggested that you raise your hand. Motorists will slow down and let you cross.

Oh ... when we were at the cooking class, Nina was telling us that people in Thailand do not like leftovers. They prefer everything to be cooked fresh daily. To that end ... because of all the chopping and prep work ... many Thai women start working in the kitchen at 4:00am.

Oh ... we also learned that the hottest peppers grow upwards on the vine. If they hang down on off the branches, they are not likely to be as hot. However, 'not as hot' is clearly relative. Their idea of hot and our idea of hot are two different things. 😉

And, although we were not told ... we have learned a key rule in Thailand: "No gawking while walking!" The foot paths are so uneven ... even on the sidewalks ... that it is much too precarious to try and sight see while moving. One is always best to stop and then take a look around.

The old boy was craving more of the culinary delights at Mit Samui, so we decided to have lunch there on our way to the mall. He ordered a Singha but was told they couldn't sell him one. It was voting day. The Thai government determined that it was likely best if their voters were sober, so it is illegal to sell alcohol on election day while the polls are open.

We also learned that it is also illegal to sell alcohol between 2:00pm and 5:00pm EVERY day. This protocol is inspired by the intention of ensuring people are not abusing alcohol. It's different at our hotel. We are not locals, so they will sell alcohol to us at any time of day.

Oh ... I have a confession to make. When we arrived at the hotel ... I unwrapped the bar of soap by the sink in the bathroom and placed it in the dish. At some point, I noticed a dispenser and thought ... oh ... that will be easier than picking up the soap bar. It wasn't until today that I realized I have been washing my hands with "body lotion". Oh my ... another vacation faux pas to add to the books! 😆😂🤣

Since we had nothing on our schedule, I suggested to the old boy that we should go get massages. I would take the "Thai with balm" option because I did the oil massage already. Nina mentioned that you might want to start with with oil and leave a day in-between massages because otherwise your muscles will get too tender.

The old boy has had a couple of massages before over the years but has never really enjoyed them. He finally conceded and we went back to the 'blue massage hut' because everyone was raving about their staff. Unfortunately, they had a one hour waiting list. So, we opted to go with the massage therapists dressed in purple.

The old boy got a male masseuse. I wasn't sure how he'd feel about it, but ... guess what ... he LOVED it. He told the massage therapist "You are really good!" THREE times before we left. And ... he kept saying to me it was "the best he has ever had!" Usually he reserves that phrase for food, but I was tickled that he enjoyed his massage so much. I am guessing it won't be hard to convince him to have another one.

After that, we showered up and walked down to the night market. It was crowded ... and ... filled with different kinds of foods! We didn't want to eat there though because we heard that there was going to be live music at our restaurant.

We admired the seafood options available at Mit Samui on our walk back to the resort. And then, before we headed down to the restaurant, we enjoyed happy hours on our deck with our neighbors (they are also in tour group).

We really enjoyed the musician and had a lovely meal as well! With another beautiful day behind us ... we toddled off to bed. I had been thinking earlier that today might be the day I finally stay awake until 9:00pm today, but no. Not yet. Perhaps one of these lazy days ahead will extend beyond 8:00pm .........😉

With much love to you all,
❤️ k&j ❤️Read more