A bit late to post this month, but here is our monthly roundup for September, this is our time to reflect on the month and what we’ve been up to, what we’ve been eating and even what we’ve been watching.
One of the things we love most about long-term travel is the community and how everyone supports each other. We’d love for you to share what you’ve been up to in September and answers to any of our ‘what’s’ below.
Let’s get going…
What we’ve been doing
We had a quieter month in September as we started our new social media business and so we really only had weekends to mess around and have adventures. That doesn’t mean to say it was a boring month, anything but. We spent a beautiful sunny Saturday at Crystal Bay, one of our most favourite places on the island, the water is just so beautiful and the beach is so relaxed here, very good vibes indeed. We also did a lot of sunset beers this month as we’re moving into the rainy season now and we won’t get to experience a lot of those for a while. Just call us the sunset chasers.
I also did a lot of photography, for some of our clients but also for a local event at Central Samui – an art festival which brought together some incredibly talented individuals, selling everything from art and handmade jewellery to souvenirs, clothes and much more. You can keep up to date with their latest events here.
Then we had a lot of fun celebrating birthdays this month, including my own. One of the most memorable days out has to be on the Nautibeat boat for a nautical-themed birthday bash, it was so much fun and would highly recommend checking out their website for upcoming events.
We also enjoyed a lot of live music this month, with live bands at Blind Tiger in Bang Rak and also the nightly entertainment in Happy Elephant Square in Fisherman’s Village. It’s been a busy but wonderful month of celebrations and fun.
What we’ve been eating
From top to bottom:
- Overpriced avocado toast at Summer by Coco Tams – I love the decor & the fire show but please tell me why you are charging ฿340 (£7.65) for the smallest avo toast in the world. This is Thailand, not Singapore!
- Seafood selection at the Salt Society Vitamin Sea Sunday brunch… that’s a mouthful! There were so many amazing dishes to choose from including crab, prawns & oysters…
- Plus this delicious table-side sea bass ceviche, which was so fresh & light, was absolutely 10/10.
- After we worked our way through the ‘cold’ rooms, including seafood, salad, cheese and charcuterie we were absolutely stuffed and only managed a couple of grilled prawns and veggies from the grill stations.
- Next up, this amazing Thai food from a small local kitchen called Hello Friend, the garlic crispy prawns were so good paired with the veggie fried rice and it’s so reasonable to eat here. It’s tucked away but has a beachfront location, very close to the Replay complex.
- It’s no secret that I love a Frozee from Happy Elephant Square with a side of live music, but one September evening we decided to try out the quesadillas and burgers from the small kitchen here and they were exactly what we were after, a little bit greasy, a little bit salty, a lot cheesy and very naughty.
- A seafood feast from our regular spot, La Brisa, they really do have the best offer in the Village for seafood set – grilled fish, prawns, crab and two sides for just ฿990 (£22.25), bargain.
- Rambutan – these funny-looking, fuzzy fruits, are a little similar in taste and texture to lychees, we absolutely love these sweet little fruits but in error, I ordered about 3kg worth… you can just eat fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner, right?
- My absolute favourite veggie burgers from The Deck. The food here is always incredible, we eat here maybe 2 or 3 times a month and it never disappoints.
What we’ve been watching
Noah
A man builds an ark, and it’s quite good. We missed this when it was released, almost 10 years ago now, but with some big names; Anthony Hopkins, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Ray Winston we felt like we should check it out. We had some wet and wild weather in Samui at the time so felt very 4D.
It was okay, maybe a 6/10, I wouldn’t rush to recommend it and I don’t think it’s something I’d rewatch, but it was a nice take on a classic biblical story.
Marcella S2
What a rollercoaster of a show. Started slow, as did S1, but there were so many twists and turns in this series it was hard to keep up at times. Didn’t expect the ending AT ALL, there’s no way you could have called it and it is pretty disturbing, definitely had some nightmares since. Was it as good as series one, I don’t know, it’s one of these shows where I can’t tell if I actually enjoy it or not. Either way, we’re taking a break from Marcella for a moment and may revisit it in the future.
Awakenings
This beautiful story starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro is based on the true story of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a British neurologist who worked to help patients at a hospital in New York who were victims of the 1920s encephalitis epidemic, many have been catatonic for over 30 years. The film was based on the book Dr. Sacks wrote documenting the treatment of his patients and was nominated for three Oscars. It’s a really heartwarming story and if you’ve not seen it before I would urge you to give it. awatch.
Love is Blind S3
This is my guilty pleasure, Carl actually hasn’t got a clue what its about. I managed to binge about 4 hours worth during our roadtrip to Malaysia for our visas so I’ve still got along way to go to find out if any of them say “I do”, so no spoillers please! Are you a Love is Blind fan?
What we’ve been reading
Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty
Yep, I finally finished it! I’ve been working on this one for 5 weeks and I absolutely loved every page, but I have just been so crazy busy that my usual nighttime reading has been replaced with faceplanting into my pillow and just going straight to sleep.
It was brilliant, Liane Moriarty never disappoints. The characters were amazing, the story was fast-moving and interesting, and the chapters were short and snappy – perfect for a tired reader. I loved it.
Basically, it’s about a group of people who, for their own reasons, head off to a health retreat headed up by the strong but elegant Masha (played by Nicole Kidman in the series – which I’ve not seen but gives you an idea of the type of woman she is). They are promised a renewed self after the 10-day retreat, no booze, no treats, no phones, no talking (for a few days at least), lots of smoothies and yoga and meditation… which all sounds very boring, but let’s just say Masha isn’t so traditional when it comes to health retreats and things take a bit of an interesting turn.
Definitely worth a read.
What we’ve been struggling with
Visas & Visa Runs
Moving to Thailand and getting an appropriate visa is tricky, unless you have money to invest in business or have a nice retirement fund. We knew when we arrived back in Thailand in May that we wanted to stay for around six months but we’re now looking to set up a business here and stay for the next one or two years, while we figure out the best way to do this we are having to deal with extending our tourist visas every 30 days, which means alternating between a visit to the immigration office and a 15-hour trip to Malaysia. This last visa run/border bounce is the last land border crossing we can do this year as they are limited to two per calendar year.
If you are visiting Thailand for a shorter period of time you can check out our previous blog on how to extend your visa by 30 days by visiting your local immigration office here.
Stay tuned as we try and sort out our business visas, giving us the opportunity to stay in Thailand more permanently.
What we’ve been celebrating
My 37th Birthday – 5th September
Salt Society for their Vitamin Sea Sunday Brunch – we actually won this as a raffle prize and had been saving it for a special occasion as it’s not the cheapest place to visit and is definitely for a special occasion. The hotel here is absolutely beautiful and the beachfront restaurant is no exception.
The food selection was pretty impressive (you’ve seen the photos), a seafood station with prawns, crab, mussels and oysters, the special was the seabass ceviche, prepared tableside, they had a huge room filled with different salads (my fave), breads, cheeses, charcuterie and desserts, plus the grill station which included steak, seafood and even a Sunday classic – beef Wellington with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
We also tried some of the speciality cocktails and wines, all 10/10 but the Phraya Perfection with Phyraya Gold, Cointreau and Limoncello was easily our favourite.
If you’re planning to visit Salt Society for their Vitamin Sea Sunday Brunch here’s a run down of the pricing:
- Vitamin A ฿1,890 (£42.60) per person includes soft drinks only
- Vitamin B ฿3,200 (£72.15) per person includes speciality cocktails, beers & wines
- Vitamin C ฿3,999 (£90.15) per person includes all of the above & bubbles
+ tax & service charge, which for us worked out to be about another ฿1,200 (@27)
It’s definitely not the cheapest option for Sundays in Samui but for a 5-star hotel, right on the beach, with amazing service and fantastic entertainment – shoutout to our island faves, Mango Bongo and the buffet has everything you could want and more.
Every Sunday 12.30 – 15.30 (booking is highly recommended).
What we’re looking forward to for October 2023
My bestie coming to Thailand – 4th October
Being on the other side of the world can be tough sometimes and we often miss our friends and family so when they do come and visit we get super excited. We’re planning a boat trip or two, a waterfall adventure and of course, a lot of great meals and nights out.
A weekend away at Explorar – 19th October
I was contacted by the team at Explorar Resort who have kindly gifted us a weekend at their beautiful adults-only hotel in Mae Nam, Koh Samui which we’ll be visiting in mid-October. We’re looking forward to sharing our experience here and on our socials, so stay tuned.
How was your September and what are you most looking forward to for October?
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Until next time…
travel eat sleep repeat 