A tropical storm

The day started with the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightening. That part of things died down but the torrential rain continued during transfer to the tender, whose driver was not happy because the roof above him was leaking. Only slightly, but there was a tremendous amount of water around and it was not clear how he could see where he was heading to. TSH pointed out that the lightweight disposable ponchos had been left at home because Diva said ‘they were not suitable for Silversea’. Well, everyone else wore some version of them but fortunately the tour guide handed some out.  It was not clear what the people whose tour took them to the beach were going to do.

Ko Samui (still in Thailand) is a small holiday island, where the lives of the inhabitants still seem to be very basic, judging by the condition of most of the houses. But there are over fifty 7-11 convenience stores and a Tesco, so there is some modernity. The main source of external income is tourism, together with coconuts, which grow everywhere. TSH was photographed using a straw to sip the liquid from a coconut which still had the green outer shell covering the more familiar hairy brown.

The tour included temples which were much less grand than the ones seen over the last few days but still very brightly coloured and exotic by British standards. There was also a giant Buddha.

Diva was not impressed with the performing elephants, which seemed to her to be exhibiting obsessive behaviour, although they were very popular with other guests. A couple of people lay down so that the elephant could give a ‘massage’, including resting a foot on the person’s back. Slightly more authentic were the tethered pig-tailed macaque monkeys which were sent up trees to pick the coconuts.

The domestic chickens also look very exotic to British eyes and there were also water buffalo – used for fighting – in several places. The guide said that people also have fighting fish but that was more difficult to visualise.