The end of April marks three years of our travel journey, with two of those years being spent in Thailand. During this time I have also set up a remote job, working as a Virtual Assistant and Social Media Manager and learning how to blog.
There’s always more to learn and practise, so as a promise to myself (and after my trip back to Europe) I will aim to get back into weekly blogging, sharing more than just what we’ve been up to and providing guides and recommendations for European and Thailand travel. I’ve already got 50 drafts ready and waiting to be finished (most of them are just titles with zero content so lots to do but I’m excited to get back into writing and building up a more informative and fun blog). If you have anything in particular you would like to see relating to Thailand travel give me a shout.
So let’s get into it…
What we’ve been doing
It was definitely a quiet month leading up to my trip back to the UK. Enjoying lots of delicious food and hanging out with some doggy friends. We actually headed to the other side of the island to meet Nic from Pariah Dogs who is doing fantastic work with more than 50 soi dogs who arrived in terrible conditions and are now ready to be rehomed. Check them out on Instagram for some seriously cute and wholesome content.
We also had some surprise visitors. We’re always so grateful to anyone who visits Samui for their holidays and takes the time out of their busy trip to come and hang out with us.
Songkran (Thai New Year)
Songkran is a very special event in Thailand as it celebrates the start of the Thai New Year. You’ve likely seen videos online of the whole country dressed in floral shirts and using water pistols and buckets to soak each other with icy water, but it also includes blessings, visits to the temple, lots of drinking, shared buffets of delicious Thai food and occasionally being slapped in the face with a talcum powder paste. It’s brilliant fun and usually shared with friends and family. We celebrated this year at the local pub in Fisherman’s Village.
If you do choose to visit Thailand for Songkran make sure to plan well in advance as many venues will close on the day so the staff can go to temple and enjoy a day of celebration with their friends and family.
Day out in London & a trip to the theatre
The first week I was home I had a wholesome day out with my Mum in London. We headed over to the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Royal Victoria Dock for afternoon tea. It’s easily reached via the DLR or Elizabeth line, or if you want to make a day of it take the Jubilee line to North Greenwich station and hop on the IFS Cloud cable cars.
The Sunborn is definitely a unique place to sit and enjoy your afternoon tea, you can often find deals on Wowcher or Groupon that include a cocktail or glass of prosecco on arrival for around £55 for two. The sandwiches and scones were very good, a nice selection but some of the small cakes were a little too big and too stodgy to enjoy after such big portions of food but they do allow you to take these home in a little box if you can’t quite finish them all. We did pop down to the bar afterwards and ordered a couple of large G&T’s at a hefty £14 per drink, that’s London for you.
Following our visit to Sunborn we headed to Southbank to see Witness for the Prosecution. My Mum had wanted to see this for so long, she loves Agatha Christie, she also has always wanted to do jury service, but has never been called, so we decided to splurge at pay for jurors’ seats. These come in at £150 per ticket so a bit steep but you can get tickets for as little as £30. It’s absolutely brilliant and if you love a courtroom drama then this play is for you. Set in County Hall it’s such a unique performance and the acting is absolutely brilliant. Check it out here.
What we’ve been eating
For those of you who have been here before you’ll recognise almost all of these venues, sadly nowhere new to share with you this month (except for the afternoon tea, of course) but some reminders of some of the best places to eat in and around Fisherman’s Village.
- Sasatorn – an Australian-style cafe just outside of the entrance to Fisherman’s Village, the avo toasts here are next-level good, but this time we opted for some of the small and healthy dishes for a light lunch. Pictured is the Bun Cha: rice noodle salad with spring rolls, grilled garlic chicken, crunchy veggies and a Vietnamese style dressing 10/10 and only ฿200 (£4.25).
- La Brisa – we love this little restaurant in Fisherman’s Village, located on the beachside with beautiful views, they have some of the best grilled local fish and Thai dishes. Really reasonable prices for the village and the staff are some of the best. Definitely check them out.
- Tembo – another one of our must visits, Tembo Resort is a beautiful beach resort located on Bangrak beach, they often have DJs and musicians playing easy daytime house, during low season you can also use their sunloungers free of charge (during high season there is a minimum spend). Pictured is the seared tuna salad but I could show you a whole gallery of photos of their delicious food, trust me, you won’t regret a visit here.
- 2 Fishes – a popular Italian restaurant that serves some of the best pasta we have ever eaten in our lives, as of writing the Fisherman’s Village location is closed as they are about to open a brand new beach location, just 5 minutes away. If you only eat at one restaurant in the area when you come to Fisherman’s Village, make sure it’s this one.
- The Hut Cafe – a small, very popular, local Thai restaurant located at the East End of Fisherman’s Village, you’ll often find us there for lunch as the food is phenomenal and such good value, if you want to visit in the evening you’ll have to book, either pop in earlier in the day or give them a call to reserve your table.
- Kohinoor Indian Restaurant – our favourite Indian restaurant in Samui, we eat here at least once a month and have fallen into the trap of always ordering the same thing, tarka daal, butter roti, chana masala and chicken biriyani, the food here is just SO good and if you’re craving something other than Thai food make sure to stop by and give them a visit (Google Maps location linked).
- Ran Khang Non – the BEST Khao Soi you will EVER try. This is a cute local Thai restaurant set in the owners front garden, it’s beautiful, surrounded by tropical plants and small fountains, they serve only simple Thai food and the prices are the best you’ll find in this area. Located just outside of the village you can pick up a big bowl of Khao Soi (chicken noodle soup topped with crispy noodle nest and veggies) for just ฿120 (£2.56) and bottles of local beer for ฿80 (£1.55).
- Sunborn Yacht Hotel – located in Royal Victoria Docks in London, this was the afternoon tea I had during my trip to London with my Mum. We paid £50 for two which included a cocktail on arrival and unlimited tea or coffee through a Wowcher deal. They often have deals available so keep an eye or sign up to receive mails.
What we’ve been watching
OK, so when I say ‘we’ I actually mean me and my Mum. Prior to leaving Samui we barely had any time for TV, I was lucky if I got to catch the end of James Martin’s Saturday Morning, which we watch on a Sunday. You know how it is with the time difference.
I also managed to squeeze in a total of four films on my flight from Bangkok to Heathrow, I don’t sleep well on planes, I sleep even less when the guy in front has his seat reclined for the full 12.5-hour flight and the 6 foot plus guy behind you is so squeezed in that his knees are digging into your back… it was a fun flight.
As always, let me know if you’ve seen any of these, what you thought and any recommendations.
Based On A True Story (TV)
Such a funny series. My Mum actually encouraged me to watch this whilst I was home and it is so tongue in cheek, a real easy watch. It’s about a serial killer and how a true crime-obsessed woman figures out who the murderer is and turns this information into a popular podcast but of course, you should never trust a serial killer. Give the trailer a watch, it’s very funny and a binge-worthy series for a weekend.
Barbie Movie
Now don’t hate me, I was so excited for this film but I just didn’t enjoy it at all. America Ferrera’s speech is fabulous and easily the best part of the movie. I disliked the story, the way the Ken’s took over Barbie’s dream house and treated it with such disrespect, I hated that Barbie was sad, Kate McKinnon’s character of ‘weird Barbie’ was just that, weird. Maybe it’s a me thing, but just did not get the hype. Definitely wouldn’t watch it again and would struggle who to recommend it to. Have you seen it? What did you think?
Everything I watched on my return flights from Koh Samui to London
Late Night
I loved this. Brilliant performances from Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling. It’s all about a female late night talk show host who has had a successful show for almost 30 years, but with an all male writing room she needs a shake up before she’s pulled off air. In comes Mindy Kaling who understands what women want and saves the day with her open communication and determination. You can watch the trailer here. I would give this a solid 7.5/10.
Wish
I haven’t watched an animated movie in so long and with a ridiculously long night flight of very little sleep this was just so perfect. It follows the story of 17-year-old Asha who makes a wish upon a star, and that little star falls from the sky to help her save the day after finding out the King’s dark secret. Such a lovely Sunday afternoon movie. 8/10.
Gone Girl
I’ve seen this before but couldn’t remember how it ended, now I know why… the first hour of the movie is great, it’s fast-paced, has mystery and all the good makings of a decent thriller, but the end is just so bad. Although Rosamund Pike is a very talented actress I just really dislike watching her, I feel like she always plays these sneaky and unlikeable characters and she sort of gives me the ick. 6/10 from me on this one. If you’ve seen this movie, let me know what you thought.
The Whale
Brendan Fraser, well what can I say, such a wonderfully talented actor. He was always a childhood favourite of mine, I feel like he was in everything during the 90s and then sort of disappeared from our screens for so long. His performance in The Whale was utterly brilliant. There are so many issues addressed in this movie, of course, being morbidly obese is one of the topics to discuss and how that impacts on relationships, work, confidence, and ability. The story covers many of his relationships, from his teenage daughter, to his friend who is also his carer and nurse, his previous homosexual relationship and his partners death. It’s absolutely brilliant, just be prepared to sob as it’s really very emotional to watch. 8.5/10 (I cannot believe that this has a lower score than Gone Girl on IMDb).
What we’ve been reading
I really haven’t been reading much of anything lately. I have fallen into a bad habit of scrolling at night instead of reading. I must change this for next month as I’d like to try and get through some of my Amazon £1 Kindle buys before the end of the year.
All Good Things – Amanda Prowse
I’m only about 25% of the way through this one but so far, so good. The premise of the story is about how the grass isn’t always greener. Two neighbouring families who on the outside appear very different, with young Daisy wishing her life was more like her neighbours with their seemingly perfect family, but during an anniversary party the cracks start to appear and Daisy has a realisation that things are not always as perfect as they seem. I’ll keep you posted (hopefully will get this one finished next month).
What we’ve been struggling with
Being apart
Being apart would be easy, but it’s the time difference with the UK, we’re currently six hours behind Thailand so communication is always more difficult. We’re doing our best to send photos and little snippets of our day but with my current high workload (due to an upcoming work trip) and the six-hour time difference it can be tricky. Luckily we’re keeping ourselves busy so not to miss each other too much.
The realisation that we might want to move back to Europe
Although I’ve only been back a week I’m realising how much I miss home. I miss being close to my friends and family. Even just having a group of girlfriends to hang out and chat with. Samui has a wonderful community and we have made some brilliant friendships there but I think we’re struggling with balance. Trying to run two businesses, making enough money, deal with clients, visa issues, keep up with socials, blogging, making sure to contact friends and family regularly and let them know how we’re getting on. It leaves very little time for actual meet ups with new friends, especially as everyone is equally as busy. It won’t be for a while yet and I’m not sure how I’ll feel once I’m back in Thailand, but there might be an opportunity for us to do some more travelling which I’m actually very excited about.
What we’ve been celebrating
Being home
The first week back in the UK has been an amazing opportunity to hang out with my Mum and dog and have some quality time together, watching TV, cooking, shopping and just having some general chit-chat. I always find it so difficult to do when I’m in Thailand due to the time difference, especially as we’re often out meeting friends on the weekends. So although it’s nothing super exciting, it’s really nice to be home and just spending some time in each other’s company. Plus I’m really enjoying the doggy cuddles.
What we’re looking forward to for May
A trip to France
During my trip home to Europe I’ll be spending five days in Juan-les-Pins in the south of France. It’s a work trip, so I’ll mostly be stuck inside a conference centre but I’m hoping to have some free time to explore, visit the beach and enjoy some delicious French food.
Being reunited after one month apart
After my trip to France I’ll be home for less than 24 hours before heading back out to Koh Samui to be reunited with Carl after a month apart. We’re looking forward to spending some quality time together during the first week I’m back as I’ve hit pause on a few clients recently, giving us more time to spend with each other.
How was your April and what are you most looking forward to for the month ahead?
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Until next time…
travel eat sleep repeat 