Craig Thomson cost me my UK sim card and 35 quid.

I have to say that after the last couple of days this was going to be a mostly negative post, but today has changed my view quite a lot.

First to explain the post title. I was out on Sunday night to watch the Old Firm game, and ended up with a couple of guys having a few drinks. After the game (and the appalling decisions by the way) we had a few more and at this point we were presumably spotted as a good target by the local working girls. To cut a long story short at some point in the evening, from the inner zipped compartment of my wallet, the UK money I had left and my Sim card went walkies. I didn't realise til the next evening when I opened the once again closed zipper. But what can you do eh?

Second rant - I'm getting a bit fed up of the sex tourism here. There's only so many times I can cope with "maaaasage - happy ending" being shouted at me from a doorway as I look for somewhere to have dinner. I blame the westerners for this, but this is one area I'd say Amsterdam has the right idea in. There should be an area for the sex tourists, so that none of the rest of us have to deal with it when we don't want to.

Third rant - I'm getting fed up being on my guard 24/7 against people trying to con me because I'm not a local. Bus fares of 6x the normal being quoted to me, before I walk off and then to get called back and told a price still 3x the one I paid the day before is getting on my nerves.....

Now on to the positive things of today :-D

My attempts to rent a motorbike were put on the back burner, when after taking Rags advice I got the guest house owner to show me the ropes on our wee alley. First thing I did was crash into the iron fence at about 20km/h. Then I managed to keep trying to break while twisting the throttle. Although I'm insured, I didn't fancy being medi - vaced home.

I decided that I would get as far out of the town as possible today. I hopped on the 3rd bus I stopped (whose fair was remarkably a pound instead of the six the first driver insisted I would have to pay) and headed for the waterfall here. It was just such a lovely serene place (after I fell down the small cliff on my way there). The area was surrounded by elephants and other animals which was really cool. Although I was chased for about half a mile by a bull calf - much to the amusement of the woman who owned the cow. I'm not lying when I say that I crossed the river twice and this cow kept on coming. It began to get a little freaky, esp when it tried to charge me a couple of times - but its all fun and games....

On the way back down a Thai guy on his motorbike stopped and offered me a lift to the main road (about 1.5k) and even though I said it was OK (I was dying by this point though - the climb was almost vertical to the top) he insisted and told me it was too far to walk and that the lift was free and I was to get on. So i did.

Managed to find a great wee Thai place tonight where I did their BBQ special - the guy cooked the stuff on the strangest combi pot/grill thing that worked really well. Also tried his dessert which wasn't as good - seemed to be gelatin cubes, ice and a weird pink liquid but despite not speaking English the entire staff there were lovely the whole time.

So for anyone coming to Samui - get away from the main streets and towns as much as you can and you might meet the proper friendly Thais.