Day 20 - Last Day in Koh Samui

I changed hotels this morning, back to the beach area, where I'll be able to partake in a little nightlife and easily get to the pier to catch my ferry tomorrow. My condo for the last 5 days was cheap, but I felt the urge to get back to true backpacker status; thus, back to an even cheaper $11 bungalow. :)

Of course, nothing good comes cheap, so I am dealing with a bit of an ant problem. The beach is incredible though, and makes up for the fact that I'll have to douse myself in bug repellant before bed. My all-natural, homemade stuff is working like a charm though! I'll post the recipe for anyone interested. Thanks for the help momma! I have also been using a natural spray around rooms with creepy crawlers. It's been a life-saver, and quite possibly that could be literal, as I opted to not take malaria pills on this trip. I'm not big on taking medication, and the possible side effects, cost of the pills, and the fact that you have to continue taking them for a month after you return home, made me say no thank you...

The beach is great in this stretch of Chewang. The water is pretty clear, and the sandbar stretches far out into the gulf, so it's great for just wading or floating around.

 

Most of the afternoon was spent cruising the beach, wading out to the furthest reaches of the sandbar, and chilling in the bar/restaurant.

In late afternoon, I made my way back onto the main street, did some shopping for my full moon party attire, and just meandered as I slowly made my way towards the Muay Thai stadium.

I was surprised at how seriously the Thai people take their boxing. Outside, there is a monk standing in front of a statue, lighting candles and saying silent blessings. Inside, before each match, the fighters come into the ring and perform a series of rituals, which includes both dance and prayer/bowing. They are adorned with flower leis around their necks, and wear symbolic head and arm bands as well. The ceremony goes on for quite some time while traditional music is played by a band in the corner of the stadium. I have some great video, but my connection is too poor to upload it right now...

The match was great - 10 fights in total, so it was looooong, but really exciting to watch. The pair-ups were random, so the first few fights were a little one sided, as it happened to be that one fighter was tall and one short in each of the first few. The tall guys would connect on every hit and kick, and it was a swing-and-a-miss continuously for the shorter guys. As the fights went on, they progressively got better and better. The stadium was energized, so it was really a lot of fun. :)

Off to Koh Phangan in the morning!!!