Location: Koh Samui, Thailand
Sea|mester is all about getting off the beaten track and enjoying a semester or summer abroad in a unique kind of way. Day 21 started with early dinghy runs ashore in order to meet up with our taxi driver, Sutti, who would be shuttling us between the different onshore points of interest. From 9:30 to 14:00, the crew of Argo explored the island’s famous tourist and not-so-touristy spots. We saw temples with Buddhas three stories high, outlooks where Argo could be seen anchored off in the distance, huge boulders and rock formations peacefully sitting at the edge of the sea, and stunning waterfalls making a perfect midday freshwater dip. As stunning and interesting as the places are, they always seem to be on local tour guides’ lists, highlighting another spot in our minds. With absolutely no other tourists around, we arrived at a local temple well off the beaten track. The previous time a crew of Argo visited this temple, hundreds of kids were running around enjoying the wide-open courtyard at the center of the complex. This time, though, all was quiet except for the lone dog and monk who hid amongst the shade of the buildings. We wandered around, looking at the architecture of the buildings. Before climbing back into the taxi, we made a small donation, and the monk thanked us with delicious fruit and good luck bracelets. After the taxi dropped us off for a final time at Chaweng Beach, our tour was not yet over. Some further explored the local beach, while a few others got to see a different side of life aboard Argo and another cultural side of Thailand. With the help of Gary and Chelsey, we provisioned the boat for the next nine days. Wandering up and down the isles of the local grocery stores, we bought the stores out of bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and much more. Four overly stuffed grocery carts later, we made our way back to the dinghy with the help of a very nice local taxi driver and a truck. From the beached dinghy up to Argo’s deck down through the gopher hatch and, finally, into the fridge and fruit hammocks, Argo is once again ready to make her way south, this time as we head into Malaysia.