aaroninatl

Tried the canned coffee this morning. Liked it. Coffee milk was a thing I remember living near Rhode Island for a few years. Haven’t had it in years. And yeah the towels are vital. This is the one I get. Was surprised my buddy who lives in Bangkok had never noticed them. Probably more of a tourist thing.

Thanks for the intel! If it's not private, I'd love to stalk, I mean follow him on Insta. 😉

I’ll still definitely pop in. Even though he was the only one who had my attention, Jupiter was the only bar I visited where when I had to leave I felt like I might miss something.

Little worried. Just looked. He’s not been on their catwalk videos this past week on their Facebook. Hopefully a short hiatus. Gotta get some quality time in with him when I get back.

Someone asked last week if the fire shows are nightly. Didn’t know as I’d only been here a couple days at that point. I think they are nightly on Chaweng. Here in Lamai they seem to be 4 or 5 nights a week. It’s definitely more chill than Chaweng. Which isn’t so bad. The beach walk is awesome at night. No fire shows tonight.

If there was good news’s to report on that front I’d be all over it. 😉. Dude it’s a bust in every sense on Samui. Grindr . Bars. Spas. All 👎 Even 7 Eleven staff is usually C-. I think it’s just tough to follow Bangkok. Still enjoying KS though for what it is - a chill out It’s felt like my Asian trip is on a pause. It feels like I’m in Daytona Beach. Lots of cute white frat dudes. But just like in the US, they’re off limits. So yeah food, elephants and temples are dominating my posts. 😆 Back to Asia hopefully when I get to Chiang Mai later this week. 👍 Have not gone lesbian yet. No indigo girls on my playlist. Worry not. 😜 Recharging!

just had an amazing lemon and garlic grilled chicken entrée delivered from Grab. But all I could think through the meal was that I get to have the rest of this milk bun that I’m enjoying right now. Enjoying far too much.

Assignment completed. I have to say I liked my rice crackers a bit better… but these were good too. That milk bun is ridiculously good. I took one bite so I don’t spoil my dinner and get another lecture. 😆 apparently fruits and vegetables are good for me. This is startling new information I learned today.

OK, the register might pass 300 baht now. Got a few new things to try. 👍 been sitting on the patio enjoying a passing shower. But it’s let up. Time for my 2nd 7 Eleven visit of the day. Update: yep. Instantly addicting. Considered sushi flavored Lays, but opted for the rice crackers instead. Zero regrets. Didn't spot any Mansome... but hey I gotta let the other guys on the island have a chance right?

🥱

oh yeah speaking of,the Kit Kat knockoffs too!

I go to 7-Eleven in the US maybe twice a year. Here it’s at least twice a day. What’s your gotta grab? Mine: #1 - the cooling towels they keep inside the chilled drinks cooler. I don’t know what chemical they put in those towels but holy crap it works miracles #2 - the blueberry cookies. For those with commitment issues like me, if you don’t want to buy a full bag, look for these individual size ones. #3 - toasties. I didn’t think I would become addicted to these but here I am. The croissant ham and cheese is my favorite. #4 - coffee milk - sold in little plastic bottles for about 10 or 15 baht. #5 - deet spray - most people buy the one in pink I like the one in orange. I think it actually does help. Keep flies away, but more importantly, you stink less. 😆 #6 - the G’Nite gummies. Honestly, I don’t know if these actually do anything. But they taste great. If I wake up too early at four or 5 AM, I pop one of these My only pet peeve about 7 Eleven is the minimum credit card amount. I think it's 300 baht. I can never get to 200.

If she goes randomly missing, you know nothing.

Did one of the cheesy tours today. The highlight was that guy in the blue pants. Airbnb didn’t even advertise that part of the tour. Otherwise saw some temples and fed some elephants.

Rains for about an hour a day. No flooding or craziness. Just generally cloudy. The rain in the morning yesterday was relaxing as I sat on the front patio here. copy_CA771E7E-41C8-449C-8901-4661EE5A3F8C.mov

In the bag, they are packaged in pairs. Probably for the best. If they were all just in the bag together I'd probably kill a bag before I realize it. I'm diabetic for a reason. 😆

I'm pretty proud of this finicky farang. I'm trying to stay away from western food as much as I can. Tried 2 dishes on Grab today since they were only three bucks each. I have no idea which toppings go with which so I improvised. Beef boat noodles and chicken fried rice. I did stick with the not-so-Asian Coca Cola though. (They didn't have Zero.) Womp womp. But my big addiction are these blueberry cookies they sell at some 7 Elevens. Only 1 in my neighborhood in Bangkok had 'em. Fortunately the one next to my Airbnb on Samui's got 'em too.

yeah same same... I'm too paranoid of losing it out and about. Already lost my Bangkok hotel key card on this trip. I figure if they really need my passport, I'm never very far away from my Airbnb... worst case scenario I can ask my Airbnb host to bring it. I do keep a pic of it on my phone. The Kodak copying idea someone shared is a good one. I don't remember them stamping my passport but that's not a bad suggestion. I figured there must be some reason that place is still in business!

I used to like you! 😆 I'm a Zero addict. I like it almost as much as regular Coke. Blows my mind Diet Coke still exists. Friend of mine who works for the company says older folks set in their ways still buy it. Here in Thailand, I don't know if I've seen Diet Coke. Zero is on store shelves and in restaurants on almost every table. Was surprising.

Got to Chaweng today. Had a great grilled chicken and pasta lunch at Nonna. Relaxed a bit by the pool at Ark. I popped by Pride but it was early so it was still quiet. Chaweng was nice to visit, but no regrets on my location where I’m staying. Chaweng is definitely tourist central. It'd be nice for a night or two. Thought about staying tonight but nah. And btw... the Grindr options were no better lol. So toss that theory. :) Didn't go to the Muay Thai matches after all. Wasn't feeling it. They seem to have events every other night here so might do one of those. Almost went with a songthaew ride, but they were charging 200 baht and Grab was only 380. I figured 200 was the price because of my pasty complexion. But then one songthaew after another quoted the same price. I'm a fan of quick rides and air conditioning so 180 baht more was more than worth it. A Grab moto costs about 150 baht. If it was guaranteed the driver would be hot, maybe. :-P Random thoughts for today... - It's weird that even good looking people wear Crocs here. If you wear them in public in the US, you've clearly given up. - I love that Coke Zero is available everywhere. Diet Coke sucks. - There was a Kodak Express store open today. Convenient for those on short trips and need film developed before you fly home to 1989.

Sure, Bangkok might have the go-go bars and massage parlors. But they don’t have this. This truck is without a doubt, my favorite thing in Koh Samui. Every time it goes by my day gets 10x better. IMG_9838.mov

Yeah if I could get Chris' content with Sam's delivery... perfect YouTube channel.

Oh and someone asked (snark-ily) who the YouTuber who moved to Samui was. He came up in my feed this morning... Chris from "Retired Working For You." He's been doing travel vlogs for years, mostly in Bangkok. His content is specifically geared to guys my age (50ish) who are looking to retire now vs waiting until their 70s... how to budget, acquire the right visa, choose medical coverage, etc. He does do travel stuff too like good restaurants and so forth. But the content about semi-retiring and making the move now is what kept me hooked back in March when I booked all this. He lived in Bangkok for years and eventually moved to Koh Samui with his family. The other YouTuber I watch frequently is Sam Tyler. Lots of Bangkok specific content... spas, food, shopping. But tbh 90% of time I watch his stuff because he's a cuter, younger Jesse McCartney... with a British accent.

Going to head up to Chaweng this afternoon and might stay the night instead of coming back to Lamai. I do like the area I picked... it's definitely nicer from what I've read. But after a couple days of Lamai peace and beach life, I'm ready to liven things up again a bit. Not in need of bedroom fun, but if I find it, splendid. :) I think I'm still a little worn out in that department from the Bangkok leg of the trip. This has turned into a nice reset. It was dull to me at first, but I think that night on the beach with the fire show while the waves crashed against the shore chilled me out. In Chiang Mai, I found an Airbnb with great reviews near "The Grumpy Old Men : My Beer Friend Taproom." Sounds like my kinda place. I originally booked a place in the northwest part of CM that's known as the digital nomad neighborhood. Looks like the gay life is on the north central side. But yeah like I've said in previous posts, being near the gay stuff isn't all that crucial to me. If I want to have some fun up there, Grab has worked great. When I get to Chiang Mai, the mission is more to see what daily life is like. I'll probably do a few touristy things... the elephant sanctuaries and a temple or two... but primarily, I'm going to wander around the various neighborhoods and take a few apartment tours.

LOL yeah well aware. Yes this is my first Thailand visit. But I've been to over 20 countries. :) I think the US is the only country that calls our version of football... football. When I'm in Colombia, I always go to at least one game. There's nothing anywhere in the world like a soccer game's energy in countries like that. In the US, a fan chant might pick up for 30 seconds. In games there, they'll start singing before the game begins and it doesn't stop until after the final whistle. It's wild. I imagine most here aren't into sports but even still, you should go to a game if you ever travel to a spot where soccer/football is big. You can't match that energy in any sport in the US college or pro. Plus the guys in attendance are hot... I figure that'll probably be a bigger selling point on this board. :-)