Burn Baby, Burn

Ouch!
If it seemed like I was blogging a lot for a little span of time in Thailand, it was probably either because the Blogger website finally worked again (and I went nuts) or because of the horrible sun burn I got the first day on the island (and had to stay out of the sun because of). Kelly has requested that I post here that she was right and I was wrong about the fact that I never burn (ha,ha), but in all honesty, I should have realized the sun is a LOT stronger 10 degrees off the equator than it is on sunny Minnesota summers. While 15spf will cut it at home (sort of), it is not enough when you are swimming in the ocean and sleeping under such strong rays. I basically got charred after just several hours on the beach the first day. The burn was fine for the first day (which was NYE - thank goodness), but then my face, stomach and legs started to blister (YES, big white blisters) and turn into a rash. Not so cute, but the pharmacist hooked me up so it didn’t last very long. I ended up a nice brown color from that first day (still peeling, though), but I have more than learned my lesson (and plan to stick with the 50spf lotion I invested in!). I just hope it's not a bad omen to wake up the first day of the new year with white blisters all over your face. Hmfph.
Paradise, in retrospect
Despite the temporary physical discomfort, the rest of the time on Koh Samui was divine! When I had my little little bike accident (mentioned earlier), I was actually driving with Ian (one of our new British friends). The bike fell on his leg and injured him a bit, but I luckily had an extra leg brace with me (I need them for running - old soccer injury) and the damages turned out to cost only about $4. I was nervous to get back on a bike again, but Kelly and I decided to rent them when we realized we didn't have time to make it to Koh Tao (the diving island near by - incldng whale shark sitings!) and needed something to do.
The first place we drove to was Bo Phut, a port island with a huge golden Buddha. The Buddha was remarkably similar to the large, sitting Buddha on Lantou Island in Hong Kong (the world's largest outdoor, bronze Buddha), but the style was distinctly Thai. It is embarassing to admit, but I will say it again: I don't truly grasp Buddhism in Thailand. It is like a cross between hiduism and Buddhism. So ornate and flashy in some ways, but this could also be a tainted viewpoint caused by the impact of SO MUCH tourism in this country. The Buddah was placed on this huge pavilian lines with tourist shops and a georgous view. We took our time enjoying it.
When we continued the ride, the scenery was breathtaking. Palms to the left, the ocean on the right, taking on a brilliant turuoise color, the type where you can tell where the coral or rocks start and the sand stops by the various textures and directions of the subtle waves and shades of greens and blues. We eagerly peeked between palm trees at the views as we whizzed around the island.
We stopped again about 20k further (the island is only 52k around) for some fresh juice and homemade pretzels on the side of the road. My hands were almost cramped from squeezing the gas for so long, but they were completely relieved when we stopped again shortly thereafter at the next village for probably the best foot massage I will ever have. We wandered around back alleys near another port town, away from the main tourist drag, and found the most professional little massage parlour, where we spoiled with one-hour refelexology massages. We missed the sunset on this part of the island (we are on the south & miss the most striking sunsets), but it was totally worth it.
Goodbye but not forgotten!
We spent the last night hanging out on the beach with our new friends, the Brits, Sam and Ian. Strangely enough, most of the newcomers to the huts (pairs of Americans, Brits, and Aussies) were also wandering around in the wee hours of the night, so our group was pretty big at one point, but it was a peaceful way to end the evening and our time on the island. It will be missed.