When we had arrived in Hanoi we were surprised to find temperatures that required jeans, long sleeved shirts and possibly even a jacket had one been so inclined as to “dress for the weather.”

With a backpack that contained only bathing suits, 2 Eberle and 2 Lil Wanye tee shirts we couldn’t have been happier to get to a hotter climate where we would be in appropriate attire. With that we found ourselves flying into Samui – an island off the coast of Thailand and renowned for its beaches and nightlife.

 

We can’t say that we have much to compare living on a Thai island for the better part of the week. We arrived full of questions.

“Where will we eat? Will there be anything to do? WHAT OF THE TOILET PAPER SCENARIOS FOR HEAVENS SAKES?”

But all of the concern was for nothing as it turns out it is actually quite cool. Koh Samui is a collection of hotels and hostels in tight quarters on a little island with little streets and little beaches everywhere within walking distance of one another.

In between these little hotels are a bunch of little restaurants and bars that are wedged side by side by side on a pair of streets that run the length of the one coast of the island. Shoehorned in between these businesses are a myriad of vendors selling everything from bootlegged tee shirts to bootlegged hats to bootlegged DVDs to bootlegged Bootlegger Jeans* and everything in between.

And wedged in between the vendors wedged in between the restaurants in between the hotels are tourists from all over hells half acre. There is a massive contingency from Australia, a ton of Russians and Swedes and a smattering of Korean and Chinese tourists mixed in for good measure.

And finally there is also a pair of Canadian chaps in town to sample the buckets and ogle the ladies.

 

We had heard that the Muy Thai fighting was quite the spectacle and so one muggy evening we set off to find Chaweng Stadium. The Muy Thai fighting promoters were all over Samui, floating in boats off the beaches and driving the main street in town with loudspeakers advertising “Muy Thai fighting! The number one fighting in the world! Come early! Get tickets!” at all hours of the day and night.

Arriving just prior to the first bout of eight we settled in with about 200 other tourists eager to drink beers and bet on the fights. The locals were offering to facilitate bets waving handfuls of bills in the air and shouting “you make bets!” at the top of their lungs to the tourists in the stands.

Watching this spectacle we considered betting on things but second guessed ourselves opting to bet @thesquireyeg instead. “Better to keep it between us then to involve the local toughs” we wisely decided.

It’s too bad because it turns out your ol’ pal Wanye is basically the Jordan Eberle of Muy Thai fight betting. Not knowing who anyone was, we resorted to a sophisticated system of deciding if one of the fighters looked like anyone from TV or film. If they did, we decided if the famous person they resembled would be capable of winning a fight.

Does that sound unscientific and like it wouldn’t work? The 6-2 record that we pulled out would dictate that it is a sound system indeed. The fight of the night – both in betting and in excitement – was when Jin from the hot TV show Lost kicked his opponent into 2019 in the third round, bringing the packed house to its feet.

All in all these Muy Thai fighters – those that resembled celebrities and those that do not – put on one hell of a show and are tough as nails.

Next up on our travels is Koh Phi Phi – another island that is about an hour ferry ride from Koh Samui. What wonders will be in store?!