Koh Samui, Thailand; A Daydream Turned Reality {part one}

The Graduation Trip. One of, if not the thing that students look forward to most over the course of 12 years of education. But calling this trip a grad trip doesn't quite embody it. This trip was the graduation trip of a lifetime.

Koh Samui, Thailand; the island of smiles, incredibly good-looking foreigners (for the most part), cheap drinks and a clubbing scene that's booming every night of the week. What more could a group of reckless-recently-graduated high school students ask for?

Once the jitters of excitement and the numbness of anticipation set in on the way to the airport, the reality of embarking on the journey the girls' and I have been planning for weeks finally set in. J, L and I met up at the airport, parted ways with Papa Shugs and grinned at each other like 3 idiots until we landed in Koh Samui.

Being as curious as little cats, we dumped our stuff off at the hotel and wandered around the little strip that we would call home for 10 days. 

It didn't take long for us to realize just how hungry we were (excitement really does work up an appetite), we popped into a local restaurant and indulged in our first meal.

Which of course comprised of fried rice and pad thai.

Happily stuffed to the brim, we strolled back to the hotel, recharged, changed and headed to the beach to meet up with friends. It was there that we first met the stretch of sand that would envelope us and become our home away from home away from home.

And we made a new friend along the way!

How brow-ulous.

A few mojitos and strawberry daiquiris later, we wrapped up our stuff and headed off with friends to look around and pop into 7-11 (a huge chain here in Asia; there's pretty much one on every block) to load up on hung over snacks and other general necessities.

Like this 100% legitimate breast enhancing cream!

And Coca Cola (because there really is no escaping this soft drink...).
Completely wide awake and keen to experience the night life that Kohsa has to offer, we got dolled up and headed out to celebrate our first night in town.

And there was no better way to do that than with the local street food delicacy of the Nutella banana pancake.

Cheeky cheeky....

After swooping by Ark Bar to pick up friends, we were off to dance the night away at the foam party.

Need less to say, we were more than amused with the foam...and not to mention the train wreck wet t-shirt competition that got pretty sleazy pretty quickly.

24 intense hours of excitement later, we were dead on our feet and we stumbled our way to our soft haven of hotel beds. Day one was hands down a success.

Release the Dragon from Within

Tradition came out to play today in Hong Kong with its annual dragonboat racing festival.
Tons of people, local and expat, gathered round on junk boats and bobbed around to watch the dragonboats race.

And while it doesn't seem like it at first, the weather was absolutely perfect. Not hot, not cold, little breeze and no sun. Combing them makes for excellent racing conditions where no one gets (too) burned and everyone can hang out on the decks and soak up the excitement (rather than burning sunbeams).

But of course, no celebration would be a celebration without a little nash!
A little fact that slipped was exactly why I was on a junk at the races...I was working!
But hey, I wasn't complaining. I got a free pass onto a junk with a great view of the races, great company, and great food to enjoy (once everyone was done eating of course ;) ).

 Thai sweet chili sauce spring rolls anyone? Erm, yes please.

 Not your kind of dish? Well, how'd you fancy a few mini quiches then? Oh yes, I thought you would.

Just look how scrumptious they look! And let me assure you, they were simply irresistible.

As you can see in Exhibit A below...

they were quite the hit!

Once the racers' bellies will filled to the brim, we cracked out the desserts. A lovely display of fresh fruits, cookies, brownies, and mini blueberry cheesecakes.

 Delivering pure joy to your doorstep...or boatstep! I'm thinking new company motto, hmm..

After work was done and the aprons came off, mamma Shugs and I took a stroll along Stanley beach.

 Where we enjoyed being crammed in like sardines in a humid tin!

But hey, even though the day was long, the fun never stopped and we enjoyed ourselves the entire time. Looking forward to competing in the races in a year to come!