it's free! you so lucky! it's free!!!

after a night in a thai train (in which they refused to turn off the lights and was great until they started to go fast - deafening noise), a short flight, and a ferry ride, yesterday we got to koh (island) samui. it is a beautiful, hot, hot island. we hired a taxi from the dock to our hotel (though that took a few minutes since our hotel has recently become a Renaissance and no one knew the name). our driver was kind of chatty, but not seeming particularly nice nor was he exactly easy to understand...until we were almost to the hotel and he asked us how much it was a night. we told him that it was free so we didn't know how much it was and he did something peculiarly close to exploding...seriously freaked out yelling "it's free! it's free! you so lucky! it's free!" he was so very amazed and excited for us and our free hotel. The renaissance is pretty fantastic, as is the beach and the pool and the free buffet breakfast...

today we rode bikes to a couple beautiful waterfalls--think hawaii but more crazy vendors. unfotunately i neglected to put sunscreen on my arms and am now sporting a serious watch tan. dinner tonight cost 120 baht. watermelon shake, chicken curry with peanut sauce (though i couldn't identify the peanut sauce), and water all for 2.50us. not bad. off to phuket and more beach manana.