... home that is. The continual stream of Brit's Abroad on the sunny side of the pool access wing that has been here since 2 January has finally run out. Carole came and went, Sue and Tim came and went and now Trevor and Gill have come and gone. They have gone back to Phuket early as they were fed up with the promises that the pool will be "fix tomorrow" and it never has been. Strangely enough some work was done on it again today but I'm not hopeful... To stop me being Norma Nomates again, I now need Tina and John to appear and move in next door for a few weeks! I don't think I constitute a quorum for a returning guest party!
And even the dragon who returned for a day seems to have gone away again. It was a week after Chinese New Year's Eve when the drums started up again at lunchtime in the village. I went round to see and found a huge procession again wending its way down the hill on the other side of the main road. I've tried to find out what it was all in aid of but had no luck. It seemed to be the domestic end of the dragon market as he only visited domestic premises this time, last week it was all the businesses here. Each house had a table in front full of the usual offerings, chickens, ducks, fruit, drink, whiskey and cigs for the gods. After the drum cart at the front of the procession was a man, dressed in ordinary clothes who has what appeared to be a very narrow sword piercing his cheeks.
He was led, understandably, very gingerly by another man who took him behind each table. Rice was thrown everywhere. People cheered. Then a red sedan chair was used as a pretend battering ram up to the offering table. Then the dragon had a dance around the table. Then the loudest and biggest firecrackers were lit (I had to make a quick escape into a bar's kitchen to avoid being caught by one of the firecrackers - no Health and Safety here). Then there were huge cheers and the procession moved off to the next house to repeat it all over again. Great spectacle again here in Samui's Chinatown.
I also read that the Thai government are encouraging more Russian returning visitors. As a result they have just agreed to allow an increase from 40 flights a week from Russia up to 70. Seemed a very odd decision all round as due to the rouble falling value, Russian tourists here are down 48%. On a positive note though, Pattaya and Phuket are their destinations of choice, not Samui. But if things continue on in the way they have been this year, it's increases in the Chinese flights that are needed. When I went into Chaweng last week even I was amazed at the sheer numbers of Chinese here, but I suppose with their new year it would be expected.
Mind you, the hotel might put up the "No Vacancies" sign when I next try to book in! I've had a few battles with them over rates and complaints about the pool that still isn't fixed and another battle royal this morning about credit card payments. They are insisting that all payments are done by dcc, dynamic currency conversion, yet another scam to extract more money from the consumer. Effectively, you pay in your own currency but are charged 3.5% for the privilege. Now if you have a duff credit card or are paying by debit card this, whilst still expensive may not be too bad, but if you have a good card then it's a huge amount extra to pay on a big hotel bill. My issue is that whilst they make you sign the slip that says you have been given a choice of how to pay and understand that the 3.5% is not a Mastercard charge but a hotel charge, they actually won't give you the choice! I first queried it with the little weasel of a General Manager who lied his head off and informed me that he had had new machines installed two days ago which means he couldn't charge in Thai Baht, and that the Government just changed the law two days ago and all foreign payments had to have this 3,5% surcharge - a complete fabrication. So I saw Sukrit this morning, the son who now runs the place and had a long discussion. We managed to meet in the middle and for the rest of the money I will pay him, I will do in Thai Baht. What I tried to get him to understand that suddenly charging all guests an additional 3.5% on their bill just as they are checking out and can do nothing about it leaves a rather bad taste. That and other niggling things together with a really unpleasant General Manager are seeing the hotel's further decline on Tripadvisor and a lot of returning guests saying they will not return. Such a shame as it really is a great place in a good location, but wouldn't recognise good customer service if it hit them in the face! I just hope all the hard work his Mum and Dad put into building up the business all these years isn't thrown away.
But last night I felt in danger of not returning at all. On my early evening walk I often see the handlers taking their rather large buffalo for a walk, held just on what looks to me to be a rather thin rope through the nose - of the buffalo that is! Last night one was a bit frisky having just got out of a pond after a wallow but the handler looked as if he was having a bit of difficulty controlling it as he tried to pull it off the road. Then I saw the problem, another rather large buffalo coming along the road in the other direction, also trying to pull away from his handler.... like they wanted to do what they are bred for and fight - as they say, I made my excuses and left, walking quicker than I ever have in the opposite direction!
And talking of returning, the most welcome return has just happened. It's now 2 pm and since about 4am this morning the power (and hence the water as the are no pumps to move it round) have been off. Big cheers all round, hooray! Looks like I didn't need to corner the market in baby wipes at the darkened 7/11 this morning. Perhaps I can "mark 'em up and sell 'em on at Walking Street...
