Jen's TEFL course was scheduled to start on Monday so we had the first evening and Sunday to take a look around, getting some idea of the locality . It is not a prime tourism location although there are several rather swanky hotel resorts along the main road that have land that goes down to the seashore.

The main public beach area close to Save House is currently being messed up by a vast hotel complex that is being built. However, we made our way by a very complicated route through the building site (no H&S worries here of course) and onto the beach and had a drink looking out into the bay. There do not appear to be that many tourists using the beach here although you can see more further round the bay in Mae Nam. We've spent a couple of evenings in a really nice bar there, which is right on the beach beside a Chinese temple. The bar is a very rustic but quite beautiful high-ceilinged structure supported on huge tree trunks, decorated with bamboo canes, plants and lighting made from found beach objects and natural materials. While we eat and drink, people on the beach often send off a series of lighted Chinese lanterns that drift up and across the bay into the starry sky . You don’t get that in Leeds too often!

In the other direction is Bo Phut and specifically an area called Fisherman's Village. The centre of this is a group of old Chinese shophouses which have now been converted into rather attractive eating and drinking places that would not look out of place in an urban setting in the West. This area has some slightly more rowdy bars; you won’t be surprised to find that one of these is called Billabong and particularly attracts visitors of an antipodean disposition (it has been a rather glum place so far during the ashes series). However, most places err towards quiet relaxing modes with an emphasis on good food. Prices are very reasonable in Western terms, although they are significantly higher than other eating places around. But this seems to be the tend on Samui.

All around the island there are new trendy boutique hotels and restaurants catering for a new crowd who are coming for relatively shorter holidays, are demanding higher standards in everything and are willing to pay for this (unlike the backpackers of the past) . There are still some niches and more remote beaches which can only cater for the less affluent traveller willing to put up with some discomfort to achieve that remote and very cheap feel. However, even these often have signs up showing parcels of land for sale and everywhere there are numbers of big new swanky houses (we were told yesterday that the Beckhams have bought one of these).

We have hired a scooter for the month (at the extravagant price of £50 for the month!) and this makes getting about slightly easier although the shared taxis are plentiful between most places on the main road that runs round the island. The problem with these is that it is easy to get picked up but not so easy to get off unless you already know where you are going. All show their final destination so if that is where you’re going it's OK. But if you’re going somewhere on the way you need to be able to tell them when to stop. The roadsides here are extremely cluttered with signs and the place you're heading for won't always have a sign at all (or be hidden down a side street that they forgot to tell you about) . At least with the scooter you can get to the general area and look around!

The police have started to enforce the new crash helmet regulations more rigorously so the local people have taken to placing them in the carriers on the front of their bikes. This seems to satisfy the law but may not be fully effective in the event of an accident. However, the helmets that are available are all 'one size fits no one' and are made from thin plastic with no safety markings to be seen. We have opted to do without and I‘ve taken to wearing a straw hat which I understand has exactly the same impact resistance as the helmets. In reality, things are quite safe, the roads are so lumpy that you daren't go much faster than brisk walking pace and traffic is so haphazard that everyone drives very cautiously. It's true that the only impatient or aggressive driving comes from the few foreigners driving in big 4x4s. Anyway, if all else fails, there are still lots of roadside shrines where you can leave an offering to keep you safe (or sound your horn loudly at it as you pass, contributing to the quiet idyllic atmosphere of the island) .

One weekend we took ourselves on the scooter for a tour of the island, seeking out the high spots of Samui cultural life. We decided to avoid the monkey shows and opted out of the buffalo and cock fighting, on top of that the kart track is temporarily closed. So what does that leave? Of course, the mummified monks! Some of you will know that Jen was quite excited about the mummified monk that we saw in Burma some years ago. Samui outdoes this by providing the opportunity to see two (count them - 1, TWO!) mummified monks on the same island (but not in the same place). Neither of these has been covered in gold leaf like the one we saw in Burma, but the fact that the mummified monk at Wat Kunaram is sitting up and wearing a pair of Ray Bans, must surely get him first prize in anyone’s most stylish mummified monk ratings!

Having visited both mummified monks, we really should have had more good fortune than most. However, a few miles further on we got a flat tyre (skilfully brought under control by TP of course) . It was a bit rural, but people were very helpful and friendly, shouting things like ‘not far!’ and waving us on as we pushed our bike down the road! Eventually we found the tyre-mending man, surrounded by half-coconuts being dried out (a bit of a side line I think). Half an hour later we had a new inner tube, re-inflated tyres, and we were on our way!

We have also taken a ride through the interior of the island which is really rather attractive with dense greenery in steep valleys. We went for a bit of a hike to visit some waterfalls and sit for a while refreshed by the sound of running water (we hadn't worn our swimmies so we had to miss out on the opportunity to plunge into the waterfall pool). We found a place with an ariel runway zigzagging up and down through the trees and Jen tried to persuade me that I wanted to go on it but I pointed out that I was wearing the wrong shoes, I certainly would have been up for it if properly shod (I don't think; the prospect of climbing up sheer ladders to a rickety platform in a swaying coconut tree or dangling from a somewhat suspect piece of string with no sign of a safety barrier brings me out in a cold sweat, there's a limit to the range of new experiences I'm willing to take on during this trip!)