Woke up at Amari and it’s still raining like crazy off the patio.

Drisdelle and Queenie are already up. I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom singing Alanis Morissette’s Ironic, they’re cracking up, “It’s like raaaaaay-eee-ain on your wedding day, it’s a free riiiii–eee-ide when you’ve already paaaaaid” whooooaaa whoa whoa and I’m fainting. Things are going black, I’ve gotta throw my hand up on the wall to keep from falling over. Fuck sakes, what the hell?

I see myself in the mirror. The hives are still outrageous. Buns of mithril reduced to scale hide. It’s disparaging to say the least.

We put some rain gear on and head to the main area across the street for breakfast. The spread is amazing. 3-4 rooms worth of goodies and seperated by regions. There’s a whole western sytyle section, Indian, Asian Dim Sum, and a local Thai spread. This is like a Vegas style buffet we got here. The setting is pleasant right by the pool and we have a relaxing little feast.

We mow down a great breaky and hit the streets for some anti-histamines. We find a nearby pharmacy and go in for a peak. The girl behind the counter looks like she could be working the Thai massage happy finish places, all dressed in black lace and full on make-up. She recommends something called Telfast which is packing some fexofenedrine. No idea. “You can trust me, I’m am pharmacist here.” We grab it and go. Thanks hooker pharmacist.

Back at Amari we grab some umbrellas and hit the beach. Wow it’s raining like crazy on the island. Amari is a classy spot, the pool area opening to the beach is gorgeous. I can imagine it is pretty incredible when the weather is on.

We decide to head to Koh Phangan today and take in sights here on Koh Samui tomorrow instead. Koh Phagnan is where the half and full moon parties go down, it’s supposedly a little sleepier and smaller than this island but should be beautiful and peaceful there.

We taxi over to Big Buddha pier and inquire about the ferry. Here’s a hyperlapse

There is a group of guys sitting at a table making bracelets that tell us we can grab the ferry there in 2 hours and to have a seat. We get a round of Changs and settle in. The view of the pier is nice, things are quiet, just the waves rolling in and back. Stray dogs scampering by, all peeing on the same pier pole.

I’ve got zero energy and am still so uncomfortably itchy from the hives. My head feels super heavy and I spend the whole time with my head in my hands just trying to get through it. I feel bad for Jamie and Queenie, like I’m incringing on their good time, but also I think we’re all still fairly jet lagged and lethargic. They’re giving me space to cope and I just sit and listen to the waves hoping that breathing in and out deeply trying to feel some ethereal universal rhythm will somehow reverse the affliction.

People start showing up with about 30 minutes until the boat arrives. An ambulance backs into the place too. “It’s taunting you”, quips Drisdelle. I raise my head and debate going over to it. At this point I’m rolling in and out of feeling well on some sort of fever trip.

The 6 beers are just 360 baht, the ferry is 200. We grab our gear and head on board.

We settle in on a raised platform with our gear and sit while the boat starts to take off. There’s a guy next to us that strikes up some conversation. He’s from Utah, Salt Lake City. Name’s Nick. He’s been here for maybe a week but caught a bug and has been out for a couple of days, stuck in a room with no window and the only channel in English is Fox news. He describes this as his own personal hell and I totally understand. Seems a decent dude, we offer him a beer and he’s game. Cheers to a new friend.

Out in the middle of the ocean things get a bit rocky and some euro milf stumbles into me. I was just laughing, it’s all good. Almost threw out “Mom here often?” but thought better of it.

Head back in my hands the fever wave rolls in hot. But instead of barfing and shitting my pants the rocking boat and clean ocean breeze were kind of invigorating. I can push through this, jeeebuz I have to, sooooo miserable.

Koh Phagnan looks great coming into port. Pretty island you got here, Thailand.

We de-ferry onto the pier and are heckled by cab drivers. Push throough the throng to the otherside and formuate a plan. I’d looked up a place that looks good beforehand and we decide to just make it happen. Utah Nick is on board too and we nab a cab with a couple of Brits and head to the other side of the island.

The place is called Goodtimes Backpackers. We get dropped off at a spot called Charm Beach and head down a dirt road towards the beach. We wanted a beach side bungalow and this is an epic success. We get one to ourselves and Nick goes solo in one. There’s a hammock on the deck. This is perfect. We get some drinks and chill for a bit.

Here’s a shot from the tree house. The pink curtains are a place you can get massages right on the beach.

Seems to be a great place, Goodtimes was a good find. I slip into a bit of sleep reprieve on the porch hammock for a bit and wait for another fever wave to crest.