21 April - Koh Samui - Thailand

After another couple of relaxing sea days we arrived this morning at the island of Koh Samui a small island off the coast of Thailand. Once again the ship lay at anchor while we were ferried across to the island by the ship’s tenders. The town where we anchored was called Nathon and it became quickly obvious that were at the wrong end of the island for shopping and sightseeing. We avoided the crush of drivers offering us transport to the other side of the island where the resorts and the shopping are located and instead negotiated a ride with a driver in town. UA$100 gets you an air-conditioned taxi and a drive who will take you wherever you want to go, stay with you all day and then get you back to the dock in time to board the ship. We spent some time browsing through the markets and departments stores, absolutely amazed at the range of goods available and the much reduced prices. The normal protocol for bargaining at the markets is to offer one third of what they are asking and then gradually work towards one half. It is a national sport enjoyed by the locals and the tourists alike. The local currency is the Baht and and Australia dollar will get you 28 Baht.