From arrival to Christmas Eve

At last the time arrived to go and collect Joe and Ellie. I had hardly been able to contain my excitement throughout the day whereas Rob had remained fairly controlled and impassive. On the way to the airport however it became very clear that his emotions were running high. As we met unexpected traffic and took a wrong turn he became extremely irate not admitting, until we’d arrived safely, in plenty of time, how worried he was about not being there for them. His pretend indifference fools nobody and as he waited and paced alternately checking the arrivals board and his phone I found I was surprisingly the more relaxed.

Both of us were equally delighted when they came into sight. It was great to be reunited after our longest break ever and in no time at all it felt like we’d never been apart.As usual their first need was food and they soon found their way around the villa’s kitchen. It was so lovely to have them tucked up in their beds that night even Ellie’s collapsing bed didn’t mar our joy and Rob and I slept soundly for the first time for a little while.

Sunday 23rd

We decided to go to Lamai Beach which Rob and I had explored a little the previous day. The weather which had been bright sunshine early in the morning became slightly overcast so when we saw a sign for a waterfall we were easily and fortuitously distracted from our destination.

After a treacherous drive along an unsuitable road (Rob is used to it now) we decided to abandon our slightly battered vehicle and set off on a trek. At first, along the car track, this was simple and even when we left this and reached the walking path this was no worse than previous treks. The only downfall was that we had dressed for a day at the beach and our flip flops weren’t really suitable footwear for the uneven terrain. Despite the sun having disappeared behind clouds it was also extremely hot and we were very much looking forward to the cool of the water.

On arrival to this totally unspoilt or commercialised natural wonder we were delighted to find ourselves totally alone. Joe and Ellie, after a quick explore, wasted little time before sampling the waters. I didn’t take too much persuasion whereas Rob became the responsible adult and after his own explorations decided to guard our possessions from the hundreds of other tourists? It was lovely to have two new playmates but did feel a little like Rob was handing over responsibility.🤣

Once we’d exhausted all risk potentials and ourselves we set off on the trek back to a bar we had passed on our descent. Although the walk back up was probably easier from a slippy, slidey, in flip flops, perspective it was definitely harder on our temperatures and by the time we reached the top the coolness of the waterfall was a distant memory. The walk up had also done nothing to dry off our swimwear the only difference was we were now unsure if the drips were water or perspiration. 🤨

The bar we reached was set amidst the jungle like landscape almost totally at one with its surroundings. We enjoyed a beautifully cold drink and a play on the swing before returning to the car and our original planned route.

We had a lovely lunch and afternoon at Lamai before a walk around Maenam – our nearest town and beach before an early night.

Christmas Eve

After a morning of Christmas shopping in the Fisherman’s village and the local supermarket we made lunch together

before spending a lazy afternoon by the pool and meeting some more of our neighbours from the other villasExcitement was rising as we headed to The Treehouse for Christmas Eve celebrations. Rob and I had discovered this lovely little place on our first full day. We had considered it for our Christmas Day celebrations but when the German hosts had explained that their traditional celebration is Christmas Eve we decided to join them for this instead. It was an excellent decision and if you are ever in Koh Samui, at any time of year, I highly recommend The Treehouse.

When we arrived to twinkly lights and Christmas music we realised there were three main events. Firstly a Christmas quiz, secondly the opportunity to singand thirdly a visit from Santa.

We ordered food, Rob filled in the majority of the Christmas quiz before handing it over to the rest of us to complete and we played a round of nomination whist to see who should be the first to take to the stage to earn a free Mojito.

The very tasty food arrived and we put our game on hold whilst we tucked in to our, not so festive fare before resuming play. Obviously I am not one to boast but I can usually hold my own in cards and although I don’t always win I can never actually remember coming last – that position is usually reserved for Rob. Tonight however was my night. Maybe Rob’s aversion to public attention helped him in his game or maybe my free Cocktail on arrival followed by a happy hour Mojito had dulled my usual card shark skills. For whatever reason I lost the game and had to accept my agreed forfeit. My public shame was delayed by the arrival of Santa. After he’d visited the many children and delivered presents to all he was happy to pose for a quick photo on his busiest of nights.There was a further delay while the quiz results were relayed. We couldn’t believe we’d won and didn’t let the fact that most of the contestants were performing in their second language dull our feeling of achievement. Riding high on our success I immediately took to the stage and Ellie, to protect me from myself, decided to join me in an attempt to rescue the total murder of, ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’. I’d love to show you a clip of our dazzling performance here but Rob and Joe find it hard to video when they have their heads in their hands whilst simultaneously covering their ears. I thought we were great, what I lack in singing ability I make up for with enthusiasm and Ellie can hold a great tune so when I allowed her to sing the occasional line the assault on the audiences ear drums was relieved momentarily.

The applause was rapturous, helped by the flowing alcohol and the general Christmas spirit and we started a fleeting trend as two more acts followed us to the stage for their moments of glory. The celebration continued with a Russian version of the Congo which I readily joined in ahead of my German host. Despite his shouted encouragement that we would continue our meandering line until everyone joined in, many, including the rest of my family, though clapping and chanting enthusiastically, stayed firmly routed to their chairs. On our fourth or fifth circle of the bar and beach tables, when we were starting to get a little tired and dizzy, he finally admitted defeat and we were released from our chain to return from whence we came. After a stroll and relax on the beach we decided to call it a night.

It was a really lovely family evening enhanced by the diversity of age and nationality. We returned to our villa in full Christmas spirit which was further magnified by a video call from Amelie and Iris. Our beautiful great nieces could not contain their excitement as they were following Santa’s progress on some clever app on an iPad. They desperately urged Joe and Ellie to bed as Santa was, according to the app, in Thailand. To be honest, it was late our time, Joe and Ellie didn’t take much urging and Rob and I, after performing our duties were quick to follow.Although the rest of us were quick to settle Rob had discovered Amelie and Iris’ app and followed Santa’s progress long into the night.🤣