Saturday, January 21, 2012
Woke up still sick. Had planned to take a dive class on the nearby island Ko Tao, but didn’t want to do it while sick. Decided to wait here an extra day to see if I felt better the next day. Took a while getting ready. Ate a delicious lunch again at the small restaurant nearby. Chose a spicy and delicious green curry to open my sinuses. Returned my beloved scooter. Grabbed my Treasure Island book and went again to the nearby Baan Tai beach. Found a shaded patch of soft sand closer than before to the beachside resort partnered with my hostel. Read all afternoon, pausing occasionally to enjoy the incredible view of the beach and Ko Samui across the water. A dog dug a seat next to me and joined me for a while. Had a huge bottle of water with me to keep hydrated. Used the resort bathroom a few times. Turned down a scuba instructor offering a class, and he looked disappointed. The beach and most of the resorts were devoid of activity. Where is everyone? It’s high season, and I had the entire beach to myself. Maybe it’s the bad economy. I felt bad for the resort owners and scuba instructors. I returned to my hostel just before sunset and met a Malaysian guy named Chow in my dorm room. We walked to the night market for dinner. Bumped into a German I had met on a river boat in Bangkok, and we chatted about Ko Tao, where he’d just been. Returned to the hostel, watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica, then went to sleep.