Sunday 1 February 2015 
Day at Sea
Sailing to Singapore

Today is the final "at Sea" day for LFL, but I will continue with blog entries--as long as wifi is available--as I visit Singapore and go bck to Cambodia for theee nights in Seam Reap, the city closest to the temples of Angkor Wat.  I have had quite my fill of temples (and local markets) over the course of the cruise, but most have been relatively recent constructrions.  At Angkor, I will be visiting temple complexes that have been buried in the jungle for hundreds of years.  I am almost up to date with my entries, as I describe my day on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

Saturday 31 January 2015
Koh Samui, Thailand

The island of Koh Samui lies close to the long strip of Thailand that stretches down the side of Malaysia.  It is the second largest of the many resort islands that have developed during the past thirty years, owing chiefly to the beauty of their landscapes, the power of their surf, and the supposed availability of the sex trade; certainly not owing to the high humidity.

My early morning tour group is taken ashore from the Volendam, which is set at anchor, by local boats sailing over the blue-green waters of Nathon Harbor, where we are divided into groups of eight and sent to a fleet of waiting minivans.  In order to explore "The Buddhist Temples of Koh Samui," we drive the ring road around the island, with brief tempting visions of beaches blocked by new hotel construction, stopping ar four or five (I've lost count by now) temples, each one more gaudy and immense. 

Unfortunately the road pavement is unsettling, the driver's speed is ultra-high-velocity and the van's shocks and springs have long disappeared. 

Photos willl probably tell a better tale of the temples than my narrative would, so I will leave you with a selection.