Koh Somui

A bar I ate at in Koh Tao. I thought it was a nice picture so I included it.

The past few days I have been just hanging around on the beach in Koh Somui and just reading books and lazying about in preparation for my departure from Thailand as my Visa expires on the 27th. Hanging around on the beach is nice and can be very rewarding, because you get to laze around and let your mind wander. It allows you think about what really is important in life. And it gives you a chance to answer all of the important questions in life that elude you at home. Such as: 'Is it OK to stop bathing on a daily basis if you go into the ocean everyday?' Or 'Is it more hygienic to wear a bathing suit everyday instead of flipping that same pair of dirty underwear inside out?' Or 'Will a beard help disguise a six-foot-five white guy in Malaysia?' And the all important 'Pubic hair, how long is too long?'

But honestly I feel like the beaches around here have been spoiling me a bit and have made me lazy. I have been just hanging around the beach on my butt for the past few weeks in a majority English-speaking resort-like area while spending too much money. It is time for me to get back out there and see some new places. I think my Visa expiring may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

On that note, there has been a change in plans, I recently made friends with a Italian girl on my taxi ride from the port on the island to where I am staying. I told her my story and where I was trying to go. And she showed me this crazy thing called a map and explained to me the error of my ways. It really doesnt make sense for me to go further South at this point then go back North and then back South into Australia. So this is what I am doing. I am going to try and extend my visa in Thailand for 30 days and then do the West and Northern part of the country then go in Laos South in Cambodia and then North through Vietnam. Then I will hit Singapore and the rest on my way back South.

That being said I need an extension on my Visa. Easier said then done. I tried to go to the Immigration office and get a simple extension. Apparently, the Visa type I got will only allow me a 7 day extension. So what does that mean? It means Visa run. Conveniently across from the Immigration office is Austrian Herbert's Visa Run Shop. No Joke. He specializes in taking people from Koh Somui across the border into Malaysia for about 20 minutes and then getting them back to Koh Somui in the same day just for the visa. So tonight I will go to meet this guy in his pickup truch with 8 other people at 3:20 am and then I will somehow get to Malaysia and be back here by 5:30 pm. I really have no idea how he plans on getting us there. It could be by Submarine or a series of Catapults. All I know is it costs the same price as the visa extension, go figure, and can be done in about 15 hours. So wish me luck!