Sangsom bucket time
(The Sangsom bucket fiasco, Pete and I becoming reckless: Koh Samet, Thailand)
The famed Sangsom bucket. An intrinsic part of any holiday with Pete includes the odd beverage, not normally to this degree, but merely as an aperitif or after dinner tipple of course. We were actually ready to sleep at 9pm, resting after dinner in the cabin bungalow. We decided that to fall asleep on a tropical island at 9pm would be a travesty, so we trailed across several beaches in search of a relaxed pocket of island offering simple beverages and a quiet spot to sit with no shenanigans and definitely no dancing. Although the island is relatively unspoiled in comparison to many others, it still boasts the usual high-octane nightlife that has unfortunately become the norm on similar resort islands. The amount of waste generated by these clubs and bars is phenomenal, they drain from the bars right down the beaches, cutting little rivulets of effluent down to the water. Thankfully they are easy to avoid and still few, but I imagine it will eventually pollute the beauty of this island if it is allowed to continue.
We were lucky to find a small part of the island that was neither wilderness nor populated with drunken revellers, it was a perfect little niche set amongst a rocky outcrop, the sea some feet below us. We ordered a Tiger beer each and had long rambling chats for a couple of hours, accompanied by the lights of the squid fishing boats out to sea and a sleepy cat which curled up in my lap. It was simplicity and it was wonderful. The second beer was the one that changed our minds and primed us for a third beverage. Our grave error was made with the arrival of the Sangsom bucket; cola, red bull and Sangsom Thai whisky, served with ice and straws in a children’s sand bucket – hence the name. I have no idea of the proportions of the liquids contained within the bucket, but the concoction is mercilessly intoxicating.
Yes, we became, momentarily, the foolish youths dancing to repetitive trashy trance on a beach somewhere warm. I am not proud, nor ashamed of our conduct, but have exposed our excesses so you may judge the local customs of Koh Samet, namely drinking from a sand bucket. A word of warning, whilst at the time, Sangsom may not seem so dangerous, the next day it feels positively poisonous. Curiously enough, once we returned to the bungalow, dogs in tow and both slightly worse for wear, I showered and then for some mystifying reason (known only to me at the time) I thoroughly washed every single item of clothing I had been wearing with detergent and hung it outside to dry.
“An intrinsic part of any holiday with Pete includes the odd beverage, not normally to this degree, but merely as an aperitif or after dinner tipple of course.”
Ahem, really? Oops, lol.
And oh, remember, you actually bought another bucket even after we got shitfaced? lol. Good times!