Lewis has a holiday from a holiday? R&R in Koh Samui

Lewis the Lion was very grateful that his friend Sinead had arrived to travel with him and Helen in Thailand. She had worked like a Trojan back in the UK and was really ready for some ‘rest and relaxation’ or ‘R&R’ on her holiday. Unbeknown to Lewis the Lion, he hadn’t appreciated just how much this travelling had taken out of him too and he was very happy to slow down, relax, sleep and take it easy for a few weeks. And he couldn’t have done it in a better place as he left the hustle and bustle of Bangkok behind him and flew into the idyllic island of Koh Samui, found in the Gulf of Thailand.

The journey on the plane was a sheer delight as not only did they manage to feed him a three course meal in an hour’s flight but he also had the most wonderful views as he looked out of his window. Below him was a turquoise blue sea, peppered with lush-green islands: it truly was like looking out onto paradise. Arriving in Koh Samui airport was no exception either. It was perhaps the most pleasant airport he had ever passed through on his travels so far. Little open-aired carriages came to pick him up from his flight and take him to the airport terminal building, passing by beautiful gardens and streams with carp fish. The weather certainly added to the positive experience too: it was perfect holiday t-shirt weather and Lewis the Lion felt very lucky once more to be here.

Catching a taxi to the other side of the island, Taling Ngam, Lewis the Lion witnessed something that wasn’t so pleasant though. There had been a motorbike accident right near the hospital. He discovered that motorbike accidents were a common occurence on the Thai islands and so persuaded Helen and Sinead that they were not to go on a motorbike during their stay here!

When they arrived at their destination, the Phangka Paradise Resort, Lewis the Lion thought that it was very suitably named. It was a very quiet part of the island where there wasn’t much going on: in fact the only thing you could do was relax and take in the wonderful beach view. So, Lewis the Lion did just that for a few days and surprised himself how much he managed to sleep, along with Helen and Sinead! It was as if he were having a holiday from a holiday!

At times, by the pool, he would watch curious butterflies floating on by and behind him, the resident puppy dog, Shampuay would play with the monkey that was chained to the tree. He was intrigued to watch Sinead coach the owner on giving commands to this playful puppy. Before long, it was sitting on command even if at times, it still got excited to see you!

It felt strange to see Christmas decorations up in the restaurant of this sunny, beach resort but it was great to feel that you were truly in Thailand, with wonderful Thai fresh fruit and Thai cuisine. (Even though he was surprised to see eggs for breakfast on the menu every day! However, Lewis the Lion will tell you more about traditional Thai cuisine when he did a Thai cookery course in one of his next blogs). However, one evening, the kind owners had prepared a very special Thai dessert for their guests: Bua Loi, a type of rice balls in warmed coconut milk. Lewis the Lion thought it tasted a bit like sticky toffee pudding, even though it looked very different. The rice balls were different colours and soft, sticky and sweet: delicious!

Lewis the Lion tries the sweet and sticky Bua Loi pudding

After a few days, it was time to leave the relaxing resort on Koh Samui and head for one of the other Thai islands, Koh Phagnan but there was one treat still in store for Lewis the Lion… Check out his next blog to find out more!

Lewis the Lion was surprised at how quickly the little puppy, Shampuay, was taught how to sit down. If you had a puppy dog, what tricks would you like to teach it and how would you go about it so that it always followed your instructions?