26. Koh Samui

Sunday's port of call was Koh Samui, in Thailand. We arrived early in the morning but upon opening th curtains, the scene did not look good. Rain, mist and murk. So, we had breakfast and hoped things might clear up, but the rain seemed incessant. We waited and waited and eventually at around 11.30 it finally seemed dry enough to catch one of the tenders to get ashore, but as the ship was scheduled for an early departure, we did not have much time left to explore.

So, rather than negotiating a price for a taxi ride, we just had a wander around the town. As in Phuket, there were many signs of public mourning for the late King (including one or two traders who were selling memorial tee-shirts). Tasteful-not. Elsewhere the main street contained many shops for tourists, the inevitable massage salons, bars, coffee shops, and a local market, as well as fruit stalls and street food vendors. There is also a very colourful Buddhist Temple.

After a few hours we headed back towards the tender jetty but stopping to watch the local fishing fleet unloading its latest catch. It must have been a very successful nights work as the many varieties and sizes of fish were being packed in ice and sold on the harbour side before being transported away to markets near and far.

Thankfully our timings for the day were just about right as once we were back on board and the last tender was being hoisted back on board, the mist and murk and rain returned. Still, at least it was warm rain!