Whilst Carole has been here it's been easier to explore areas where I wouldn't always want to walk to on my own, especially away from the beach and up into the wooded hills behind. So we have been exploring a little and wandered around the little roads, through small villages, temples, past isolated houses and negotiated rather too many barking dogs for my liking. Up the gentle gradient past, fields full of coconut palms and cooler in the shade of the high trees. It's really peaceful up there away from the ring road traffic noise so we were surprised one day when venturing way off the beaten track to spot a large red miniature windmill on what appeared to be the roof of a local house......
We investigate further and enter the slightly surreal world of "Samui Sheep Farm and Salad" a rather bizarre combination of a hydroponic lettuce farm and children's playground featuring the cleanest sheep Carole or I have ever seen...
It looks like it should be in Kent. It has an extremely well organised series of open sided sheds growing lovely looking salad leaves which he apparently sells to the local restaurants. But the children's area was amazing. He has a five year old son and I think this may have been his inspiration. As well as huge models of Shaun the sheep, there are eight real live ones he shipped in from a farm near Bangkok.
There are also other creative things around, the sink for the loos is based on the muddy puddle from Peppa the Pig, there is a magic one legged chair. In the middle there is a sheep pen ready and waiting for what looks like the next episode of "one man and his dog" but having seen the state of the local dogs I'm not sure any of them would have been up to the task! The guy who owns it was interesting, perfect English, but no idea of his back story. He showed us all around. It's due to officially open in a couple of weeks but we can't quite work out who it's aimed at.
On our walks we also came across a coffee shop looking for staff. I was going to get Carole to apply, well she may as well earn a bit of pocket money on rainy days but we then realised exactly how much it paid. At 40 baht an hour (80p), like Naomi Campbell she really felt it was it quite worth getting out of bed for even if it was raining....
The time Carole's been here has, as usual gone too quickly. Though she did arrive in Royal style. The night before she came here the son of the owner suggested she should have a bouquet of flowers to greet her at the airport. Well I guess that's what happens at the Florist Hotel... I wasn't sure quite how much of a plonker she might feel but they were so sweet in suggesting it I agreed. Unfortunately we were, due to traffic, a little late going to pick her up so I didn't have the time to find the obligatory small child in a frilly frock to make the actual presentation. All the other tired arrivals just couldn't work out when she was going to cut a ribbon or launch a plane and were hurriedly checking out last week's Thailand Hello! Mag to find out who this Duchess of Geneva actually was....
But as well as hydroponic in the hills, the weather's been a bit too hydroponic with the rain still too frequent for our liking. People are making, unnecessarily I feel, jokes about it being English weather..... We were going to reply that no, it was more like Welsh weather but thought the subtlety might be lost on the other European nationals. The roads got flooded in Chewang one day when 21mm fell in a short time, but there has also been the almost all day long stuff... But it hasn't stopped us doing the usual lolling around by the pool and having the odd glass or two of why why. So much so that even Carole is greeted by "why why?" as soon as she walks in anywhere... We make the annual pilgrimage to Tropical Murphy's, check out the new shopping centre in Chewang, shop in Jim Thompson. On our walks, so far snake free, but loads of very large spiders, at times it has felt like Easter with a couple of little chicken families, one with yellow chicks and one with black chicks scrabbling about.
Carole has also pulled - well in the guy's dreams.... The French proprietor of a beach restaurant took a bit of a fancy to her and thought that telling her he was from Monaco might swing the deal - again in his dreams. We reckon he was more from Marseille than Monaco anyway. They are stupid though, all that trying to come on to people does is mean they just don't come back to your restaurant. We have also watched in horror as the local tailor delivered the latest in "Hausfrau Chic" to the German couple in the room next door to Carole. It was hard to contain our shocked gasps as he proudly presented the bright orange, man made fibre, shiny, crushed velvet fitted number with a lot of front drapery that she has ordered. We were very surprised when she seemed pleased... I just hope that when she gets it home she realises and doesn't wear it to the office party. People never learn! Carole also had the pleasure of her first returning guests party here at the Florist Resort. It was a slightly more subtle affair than usual, obviously a few less returning guests in January and sadly without the mad cocktail juggler and his flaming Malibu bottles.... But they provided free food and drink and a man with a guitar. I would also like to say he sang but even in a charitable mood I couldn't call what came out of his mouth singing.... But again, how nice and generous of the hotel to do this. But the hotel is still really empty given it's high season and Carole noticed how much quieter Chaweng was compared to last time she visited. But it really will be empty tomorrow, Carole has to go home already.....
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