Overtourism concerns weren’t our only cause for hesitation in coming to Thailand. I had mentioned in my previous post that this is shoulder season. That was wrong. November is actually the rainiest month of the year on Koh Samui. However, that also makes it the quietest. And with a little bit of luck, there might be some sunny patches to be enjoyed that don’t have to be shared with lots of other visitors.
At the extensive breakfast buffet (free thanks to Nicole’s Hilton Honors Diamond status), a worker named Pom approached me to say that we should go for a walk on the beach, go to the pool, do standup paddle boarding, do kayaking, and something else. Basically she was convinced that the morning sun would be fleeting, and wanted us to be able to enjoy the weather while it lasted. Our forecasts on our phones actually showed mostly sun except for a measly 10% chance around noon. We weren’t too concerned.
Nevertheless, we did head down to the beach and went for a walk to a pier at the end of the beach. Nobody else was around. That seems to be the theme for this trip — a shocking lack of people. We then sat in some loungers for a spell as we began to feel drops from the sky. Just a sprinkle at first, but soon we found ourselves making little tents out of towels to shield ourselves from the rain.
When it let up for a bit, I took one of the standup paddle boards out on the water. The water was fairly clear initially, but then it started raining again — much harder this time. I did a sort of lap paralleling the Conrad property, catching glimpses of Nicole “tenting” back at the beach.
Eventually there was a gap in the rain, and the sun did come out for a spell. We kind of understood why Pom had such a busy itinerary for us. The rain seems to come out of nowhere. I even pulled up radar and satellite on one of my pilot apps and it wasn’t even showing clouds at a moment when we were getting soaked from above. And then the sun will emerge just as quickly, creating a rather steamy environment all around.
We retired to our room for a spell to do a little lounging next to our surprisingly large pool. It wasn’t long before the rain came back. Now I was showing a fairly large system on my weather app, but we stuck it out under the lone umbrella. Even though a roof partially covers our lanai, almost nothing was safe from the heavy rain.
It was strong heavy rain for an hour or so, and then let up almost in an instant. Using this instant, we decided to go into the pool. I had to do some physical therapy to address an old bowling injury I may have sustained in Brunei. It remained mostly sunny for the rest of the day. When the sun was fully out, it was actually a bit oppressive, so an occasional cloud was a welcome sight.
The sun sets just prior to 6pm, and we watched it set behind some clouds. I tasked Nicole with finding a place for dinner that had actual Thai food. While there is a restaurant within the Conrad property that serves Thai, it’s a bit too frou frou for my liking. Conrads are synonymous with overpriced food. We ended up spending the equivalent of like $90 or something stupid like that for last night’s pizza and fish & chips. Luckily, we have a car and can foil the Conrad’s attempts to take all of our money.
Nicole has a very particular palate one might say, and has a history of intestinal issues, so a spicy massaman curry was probably not on her radar. But since I’ve been really good today, Nicole agreed to accompany me on an adventure outside fortress Conrad. It took us about 25 minutes to reach a well-reviewed restaurant. It was certainly no frills, but did have some semblance of a structure.
Stray dog out front, boisterous crowd eating inside, and one woman preparing all the dishes. I first asked for a chicken curry fried rice which she quickly whipped together for me in a matter of minutes. Then I figured it would be criminal to not order Thailand’s national dish while I’m in country, so I also ordered a Pad Thai. I grabbed a Chang beer for myself to chase some of the spice. The total sum for this meal was 170 baht or $4. Not too shabby. We picked up some snacks and drinks at a 7-11 before returning to the Conrad on very dark jungle roads.
The Conrad is situated up on a very steep hillside and though we walked to the beach and to the breakfast buffet earlier on, the numerous electric carts driving up and down the narrow roads of the property are a necessity. If you’re curious to know what Nicole ended up eating — the answer is penne pasta from room service. She also got some mango sticky rice to have a taste of Thai. She reports back that it was awfully sticky. Tomorrow we may venture out again. All in all, I think it was a successful day in and out of rain showers. I hope Pom is happy with what we accomplished.
passports & pepto bismol 