Chapter 9
Koh Samui – The Sweetest island
At the beginning of the planning of my trip, I had to schedule the visits of the various places that I wanted to visit. It took to me many days trying to combine both the dates, the places and the flights. In the end I decided to go first to Kampuchea and after to Thailand. When I was writing the itinerary of the trip down, came in play my ex so-called-friend Pui. In fact, the ex-pal named Pui, that I met one year ago in Thailand as she was a travel guide, told me to go to meet her in Koh Samui, and she'd be happy to show me around. Seeing that she's native of the place, I asked her to give me some suggestions on what was good or not, and she suggested to me Chaweng Beach (I’d already decided to go there, but she just confirmed to me that it was a good place), and then she suggested a resort called “Long Beach Lodge”. So, I booked a room there. The price was average compared to the other hotels and resorts. After it, I booked a place in Phuket and another in Bangkok. Now it was all planned and I was looking forward to travel across the two countries. Time passed by, and a week after my departure from Italy, I reached also the end of my trip in Kampuchea. It was time to leave Siem Reap and Kampuchea, heading west toward Thailand. I left Siem Reap in the early morning, and with a flight I went to Bangkok in Thailand. From there I had a second flight toward Koh Samui.
This flight was quite fast, but the problem was with some Russians. These guys had booked places in first class, and just after the take-off we started to hear them shouting and being rowdy. Then some of the guys kept on walking along all the airplane up and down, bottle in hand, drunk and screaming. After about an hour of flight we landed in Koh Samui. The island, as soon as you reach it, welcomes you as one of the sweetest places on Earth. The same airport looks more like a resort than an airport itself. I got my backpacks and I went toward the exit. As soon as I went out, I met Pui that had come to meet me. After the first words of welcome she started criticising my appearance saying “You are not anymore handsome” and “you became fat”. Actually I even lost several kilos of weight from the previous year. Seen that I'm a gentleman I didn't criticise her look that made her to look like a black goose which over fell a can of yellow paint (her treated hair had a weird flou-yellowish colour) and run over by a truck then when we got to the “resort” it was one of the scariest places I'd ever been. The room was disgusting. It looked as creepy as a dungeon and as dirty as an animal shed. But I’d already paid for it, and I accepted to stay there for those few days. To make it short, the next day Pui vanished into the thin air, and came back with a call some days later asking me for some thousand Euro money to cure her “very sick granny”. At this point, I answered, kindly, that she stop bugging me. Later, when I was out of reach (in Italy) I wrote all the rest that I thought about her. By the way, the “very sick relative” is a quite common way to ask for money from Thai girls to the “stupid” Farangs (foreigner in Thai). Until now I have been asked for money by almost all the Thai people, for their “very sick relatives”, that I've ever met. Beside this unpleasant thing, it also happened that I got food poisoning on the day of my arrival. This meant, that I was forced to lie down and to relax without exploring the surroundings for about 3 days. I don't want to describe my food intoxication in detail, but it was quite unpleasant.
As I had this unpleasant experience I want also to talk about the food sellers. While I was in Samui I discovered that on that island there is a strict policy about the sellers on the beaches. Both those selling things and those selling foods. You can recognise the authorised ones as they wear a red jacket with their license number on it. You can see some sellers in the third picture of this group. In particular, those pictured are selling roasted food and ice creams. One of them has a pot with charcoal and a portable fridge with some chicken and fish inside, while another seller has the ice-creams. I also ate from them many times, and I always felt good, so I can suggest them. I'm not sure that my food poisoning was connected to them, but more likely to something that I ate the first night in Samui or even when I left Kampuchea. This thing that I had to spend time in Chaweng Beach, also gave me the chance to spend some more time at the beach and to recover some strength after my week of exploration. You can see the beach in the second picture of this chapter. The soft white sand, the palm-trees and the blue sea make it look like an heavenly place. Sure that this beach is wonderful, but there is also some problem with the tides. In fact, in the morning, from sunrise up to about 11.00 a.m. or 12.00 a.m. water is quite clean, but later it turns into a sewer. And if I say “sewer” I'm not exaggerating. You can't imagine what you'll find in that water. Chaweng Beach is a quite beautiful village. But, like most of the places, has both its good and bad. The good is that it's really laid back place, and you'll hardly find crowds and loud music as in Patong Beach (Phuket island) or Pattaya, but on the other hand, Chaweng Beach could be even too quiet. The venues for a “night out” are only few, and most of the other venues close about 1.00 am or earlier. The same with the shops that close about 11.00 pm. The city is shaped like a line that follows the beach, crossed only by some side streets that go to the inland, where there is a lagoon. This place is a tourist-only city, so don't expect to see the “real Thai” life as you can see in other places. In Chaweng Beach, it's all aimed at the tourists.
One of the better points of Samui is that it's quite cheap. Let me say that the cheapest place is Pattaya, while Phuket (Patong Beach, Phuket Town, Kata Beach, Karon, etc...) is very expensive, and Samui sticks at half way. So, in the end, Chaweng is a very nice place, but the problems that I had with Pui and my food poisoning didn't allow me to enjoy it fully. I suggest this island for the young couples. Most of the travel agencies suggest other places on the island like “Lamai Beach”, but I still suggest going to Chaweng, as in the other places the nightlife is reduced to just a bunch of venues that close really early. In my travelling through Thailand I've met many “farangs” like me that wandered around and we exchanged out pints of view. What we sorted out is the following list:
Locations in Koh Samui:
1. Chaweng Beach – Nice place where to have fun, but with terrible sea;
2. Lamai Beach – Is the second larger town of Samui after Chaweng Beach. The sea is great but there is little nightlife. I was told that beside that the place is quite relaxing, it's also one of the favourite places for the sex tourists, but I don't know what makes this place particular in comparison to Chaweng Beach or Bophut Beach.
3. Bang Kao – It's far from the airport. The main attraction is the 2 km long white sand beach. Many travel agencies talk about the “sunsets” on this beach. The problem is that Bang Kao is facing east, so the sun will set at the back of the beach. The hotels are very cheap and it says all. As it's not one of the favourite places for the tourists to stay in Samui. It's interesting that near Bang Kao there is a temple with the holy relic of a mummified monk.
4. Taling Ngam – Place too small to be mentioned. It only has a resort. It faces west, so it has late sun in the morning but also gorgeous sunsets. It should be considered for just married couples.
5. Lipa Noi – This place is like Taling Ngam, but closer to the ferry pier.
6. Nathon Town – It's the port and administrative town of the island. Here people can find many cheap shops, but the scammers are always hunting for people to make fall in traps. moreover, here can be bought drugs and drug tools too (like opium pipes), be careful as the drug-laws gotten more strict in the last years.
7. Maenam Beach – It's a village in the north of the island famous for the low-budget hotels and camp sites. Many young people head for this place so the nightlife is improving. From this village there is a very beautiful sight of the island of Koh Phangan.
8. Bophut Beach – With Chaweng Beach is one of the places that attract more people as it has many attractions. In Bophut there is also the pier for the ferries to the Angthong Marine Park, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
I wrote this report about the villages in Koh Samui following the coast clockwise. As you seen, I decided to write both the good and the bad as I wouldn't charm you with some kind of an “unexisting dream”. I've seen, in the last three year most of the places degenerating, and I want to report it. I can't suggest a place as a dream, while if you go there you could see it as a brothel-town (as I already described Pattaya) or a sewer-sea expensive town.
Coming back to my Diary, after I'd got rid of my food poisoning, I decided to visit both the island and the Angthong Marine Park. I regret that I hadn't the chance to visit also Koh Tao, as it's a beautiful island, and Koh Phangan that is famous for its rave-parties, that are also known as “The Full Moon Party”, “The Half Moon Festival” and the “Black Moon Cultural Festival” (also known as Shiva's Moon Party). The main difference between the three is that while the “Full Moon Party” is danced on the seaside and it's about any kind of music, the other two are danced into a square and only techno music is played. Lately these parties have become even extremely dangerous as much drug and alcohol is dealt inside and in some of the last parties some people were found dead (one girl was killed and the murderer was a Thai boy arrested later in Phuket). So, if you're are interested in going there, be careful.
This flight was quite fast, but the problem was with some Russians. These guys had booked places in first class, and just after the take-off we started to hear them shouting and being rowdy. Then some of the guys kept on walking along all the airplane up and down, bottle in hand, drunk and screaming. After about an hour of flight we landed in Koh Samui. The island, as soon as you reach it, welcomes you as one of the sweetest places on Earth. The same airport looks more like a resort than an airport itself. I got my backpacks and I went toward the exit. As soon as I went out, I met Pui that had come to meet me. After the first words of welcome she started criticising my appearance saying “You are not anymore handsome” and “you became fat”. Actually I even lost several kilos of weight from the previous year. Seen that I'm a gentleman I didn't criticise her look that made her to look like a black goose which over fell a can of yellow paint (her treated hair had a weird flou-yellowish colour) and run over by a truck then when we got to the “resort” it was one of the scariest places I'd ever been. The room was disgusting. It looked as creepy as a dungeon and as dirty as an animal shed. But I’d already paid for it, and I accepted to stay there for those few days. To make it short, the next day Pui vanished into the thin air, and came back with a call some days later asking me for some thousand Euro money to cure her “very sick granny”. At this point, I answered, kindly, that she stop bugging me. Later, when I was out of reach (in Italy) I wrote all the rest that I thought about her. By the way, the “very sick relative” is a quite common way to ask for money from Thai girls to the “stupid” Farangs (foreigner in Thai). Until now I have been asked for money by almost all the Thai people, for their “very sick relatives”, that I've ever met. Beside this unpleasant thing, it also happened that I got food poisoning on the day of my arrival. This meant, that I was forced to lie down and to relax without exploring the surroundings for about 3 days. I don't want to describe my food intoxication in detail, but it was quite unpleasant.
As I had this unpleasant experience I want also to talk about the food sellers. While I was in Samui I discovered that on that island there is a strict policy about the sellers on the beaches. Both those selling things and those selling foods. You can recognise the authorised ones as they wear a red jacket with their license number on it. You can see some sellers in the third picture of this group. In particular, those pictured are selling roasted food and ice creams. One of them has a pot with charcoal and a portable fridge with some chicken and fish inside, while another seller has the ice-creams. I also ate from them many times, and I always felt good, so I can suggest them. I'm not sure that my food poisoning was connected to them, but more likely to something that I ate the first night in Samui or even when I left Kampuchea. This thing that I had to spend time in Chaweng Beach, also gave me the chance to spend some more time at the beach and to recover some strength after my week of exploration. You can see the beach in the second picture of this chapter. The soft white sand, the palm-trees and the blue sea make it look like an heavenly place. Sure that this beach is wonderful, but there is also some problem with the tides. In fact, in the morning, from sunrise up to about 11.00 a.m. or 12.00 a.m. water is quite clean, but later it turns into a sewer. And if I say “sewer” I'm not exaggerating. You can't imagine what you'll find in that water. Chaweng Beach is a quite beautiful village. But, like most of the places, has both its good and bad. The good is that it's really laid back place, and you'll hardly find crowds and loud music as in Patong Beach (Phuket island) or Pattaya, but on the other hand, Chaweng Beach could be even too quiet. The venues for a “night out” are only few, and most of the other venues close about 1.00 am or earlier. The same with the shops that close about 11.00 pm. The city is shaped like a line that follows the beach, crossed only by some side streets that go to the inland, where there is a lagoon. This place is a tourist-only city, so don't expect to see the “real Thai” life as you can see in other places. In Chaweng Beach, it's all aimed at the tourists.
One of the better points of Samui is that it's quite cheap. Let me say that the cheapest place is Pattaya, while Phuket (Patong Beach, Phuket Town, Kata Beach, Karon, etc...) is very expensive, and Samui sticks at half way. So, in the end, Chaweng is a very nice place, but the problems that I had with Pui and my food poisoning didn't allow me to enjoy it fully. I suggest this island for the young couples. Most of the travel agencies suggest other places on the island like “Lamai Beach”, but I still suggest going to Chaweng, as in the other places the nightlife is reduced to just a bunch of venues that close really early. In my travelling through Thailand I've met many “farangs” like me that wandered around and we exchanged out pints of view. What we sorted out is the following list:
Locations in Koh Samui:
1. Chaweng Beach – Nice place where to have fun, but with terrible sea;
2. Lamai Beach – Is the second larger town of Samui after Chaweng Beach. The sea is great but there is little nightlife. I was told that beside that the place is quite relaxing, it's also one of the favourite places for the sex tourists, but I don't know what makes this place particular in comparison to Chaweng Beach or Bophut Beach.
3. Bang Kao – It's far from the airport. The main attraction is the 2 km long white sand beach. Many travel agencies talk about the “sunsets” on this beach. The problem is that Bang Kao is facing east, so the sun will set at the back of the beach. The hotels are very cheap and it says all. As it's not one of the favourite places for the tourists to stay in Samui. It's interesting that near Bang Kao there is a temple with the holy relic of a mummified monk.
4. Taling Ngam – Place too small to be mentioned. It only has a resort. It faces west, so it has late sun in the morning but also gorgeous sunsets. It should be considered for just married couples.
5. Lipa Noi – This place is like Taling Ngam, but closer to the ferry pier.
6. Nathon Town – It's the port and administrative town of the island. Here people can find many cheap shops, but the scammers are always hunting for people to make fall in traps. moreover, here can be bought drugs and drug tools too (like opium pipes), be careful as the drug-laws gotten more strict in the last years.
7. Maenam Beach – It's a village in the north of the island famous for the low-budget hotels and camp sites. Many young people head for this place so the nightlife is improving. From this village there is a very beautiful sight of the island of Koh Phangan.
8. Bophut Beach – With Chaweng Beach is one of the places that attract more people as it has many attractions. In Bophut there is also the pier for the ferries to the Angthong Marine Park, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
I wrote this report about the villages in Koh Samui following the coast clockwise. As you seen, I decided to write both the good and the bad as I wouldn't charm you with some kind of an “unexisting dream”. I've seen, in the last three year most of the places degenerating, and I want to report it. I can't suggest a place as a dream, while if you go there you could see it as a brothel-town (as I already described Pattaya) or a sewer-sea expensive town.
Coming back to my Diary, after I'd got rid of my food poisoning, I decided to visit both the island and the Angthong Marine Park. I regret that I hadn't the chance to visit also Koh Tao, as it's a beautiful island, and Koh Phangan that is famous for its rave-parties, that are also known as “The Full Moon Party”, “The Half Moon Festival” and the “Black Moon Cultural Festival” (also known as Shiva's Moon Party). The main difference between the three is that while the “Full Moon Party” is danced on the seaside and it's about any kind of music, the other two are danced into a square and only techno music is played. Lately these parties have become even extremely dangerous as much drug and alcohol is dealt inside and in some of the last parties some people were found dead (one girl was killed and the murderer was a Thai boy arrested later in Phuket). So, if you're are interested in going there, be careful.
Koh Samui – The Tour of the island
The island of Koh Samui is very attractive, and a good way to have an idea about it, is to take a tour of it. Many agencies offer cheap tours of the island. So, I entered one of the agencies, which I discovered that was run by two crazy Thai sisters, and I asked them for a tour. They suggested to me the one that had more attractions, even if many were just plain tourist traps, I thought that it'd be a good way to spend a relaxing day, so I took it. The next day I woke up early in my filthy room. I went to have a nice breakfast in a porch on the sandy beach. It was very nice to eat my toasted bread with jam on it and some coffee. The sea was absolutely flat and the beach was really quiet. I knew that it was just matter of half an hour, and then, many jet-skies would come on the beach, where they were rented, bringing noise, waves and a lot of people. I went back to my room to have a quick shave in the dirty restroom. I packed my small backpack and said “see you later” to those huge spiders that were watching me from the roof. I slammed the door and locked it twice. I went straight to the meeting point thinking that, in the end, my room wasn't much different to those Khmer temples lost in the forest. Or maybe, the temples were cleaner and more beautiful.
Just few minutes after my arrival at the meeting point, an open-roof Jeep arrived. It was my tour. I went over, and inside I found, Mr. Ugly-fat-guy with Miss. Inconsistent, then there were Mr. Chatterbox with Miss. Less-Chatterbox. We left the Long Beach Resort and we headed to the next stop, where, before a gorgeous hotel we picked four German men up. After so long time spent between Khmers, Thais and some Russians, these Germans looked like my neighbours!!! We became friends in five minutes, and for the next days they stuck to me. We first made a few kilometres, and then we reached the first checkpoint. It was a camp, where we were asked to change our Jeep. Some people were already there, and all together we filled three Jeeps. I was asked to go with the Germans into the smaller and more rusty one. In the beginning I wondered if they gave me the more crappy Jeep after that somebody told them about my room. Later I knew that, despite the look, it was the best of the three. At least for some time. Anyway, we started again. Forget any kind of safety. We were sitting on wooden benches on the back of the roofless Jeep. Any small rock on the street made us jump. It was scary as any time we were thinking about falling on the cars that were following us. I think that also the drivers of those cars were having the same thoughts as after any small stone or hole in the street, those cars were rushing to pass us by. Actually, the problem wasn't the “jump” from the bench, as I felt safe enough after having locked the straps of my backpack to a steel pole, and also holding the same pole firm with my hands. The real problem was the landing on that hard wooden bench. Let me say, that if I didn't make my butt flat, I got quite close to it.
The street went out straight of Chaweng Beach and followed the coast toward south. From the flat landscape of Chaweng Beach, it soon turned into a street of turns that followed one after the other and it was also going up and down along the cliffs of the coastline. Somehow, it reminded me a more tropical version of the coastline near to my city. Soon we reached the small city of Lamai Beach. In this place there is the first of the many “tourist attractions” that were scheduled in our day-trip. In fact, in this place there are the so called “Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks”. What attracted me the most, was the absolutely relaxed life there, the cheap prices and the smiley people (in Chaweng Beach I didn't see many smiles). The sea was absolutely astonishing. The light grey coloured stones surrounded many small sandy beaches, just on the side of the huge main beach, and they were caressed by the blue sea. In that strong light, it was easy to be mistaken, and think, for a short moment, that it was a silver waterfall into a Lapis Lazuli sea. All this charm was broken by Mr. Tour Guide, a really funny man, but with the unbelievable power to ruin any beautiful thing with his presence. He said “Here... Madam! You can see what you came for... Ehmmm... The Grandfather Rock!”. But he missed one thing. Why this rock is called “The Grandfather Rock”. I don't know if the legend is a real old one or it was made just up for the tourists, but what I'm about to tell is what is written on a board before reaching that beautiful landscape of rock and sea.
The legend says that long time ago, there was an elderly couple that were living in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the ancient city that once was known as “Ligor”. They were invited to reach the daughter of the Old Ta Mong Lai, in the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan, as the girl would have been their son's bride. So, they set sail and went to Prachuap Khiri Khan by sea. When they passed by Cape Lamai, a terrible storm caught them and capsized their boat. They died and their bodies were brought by the storm to the beach, where they turned into rock. In our day, you can see one shaped like a male sexual organ called “Hin Ta” (you can see it in the first picture of this group) and one shaped like a female sexual organ called “Hin Yai”. Many tourists started to play jokes and behave silly. I still took some pictures, but then I was again attracted by the very beautiful sea and sandy beaches. I think that if I went back to Koh Samui, Lamai Beach could be my choice for this sea. Soon we were called again by our tour guide, and we went back to our Jeep.
We made a short way and we arrived at a coconut-palm plantation. In this place we were shown how the Thais are using trained monkeys to get the coconuts from the top of the palms. While we were there we were told alot about these monkeys. For example, they are using only the kind of monkeys that you can see in the second picture of this group, I think that they are Macaques. The guys from the plantation also told us that they only use the males of this species as they are stronger and also easier to train than the females. The visit to the plantation was quite short. They first offered us some coconut, but, in spite all my “trip friends” were eating it eagerly, I refused. In fact, coconut is a powerful laxative, and after my sickness, I didn't want to have such a problem again. After it we were shown, thanks to Mr. Monkey Superstar, how the monkeys get the coconuts from the palm-trees. Let me say that Mr. Monkey Superstar was trained to show it to the tourists, so, he did it very slowly and stopping to let people to take pictures. I felt sorry for that animal, that was forced to do that. Then, after that Mr. Monkey Superstar took 5-6 coconuts, the show was over, and we went back to our Jeeps and went to the next place.
After one more short ride on a soil track, we reached an animal show-park. I love animals, and I suffer to see them in cages, so as you can imagine, I didn't enjoy this visit much. Anyway, my “trip friends” were crazy about the place and loved it so much. We were first brought to see the “elephant show”, where a young elephant was chained and trained to dance at the sound of some disco music, to do tricks with the people (like looking for a wallet or taking bananas from people) and then he was shown as a “football champion”. I was sorry for it. In the end, the park guys came along asking for tips “for the elephant”. Later we went, in the other part of the park, called the “Crocodile den”. Along the way, there were many cages with animals inside. Over the cages there were cards with the price for taking a picture with that poor animal. The “Crocodile den” was a bit interesting too, this time it was the ability of the two Thais (a boy and a girl) to play with the animals without being eaten alive. In fact, I believe that Crocodiles can't be trained, and this time I was sorry for those two guys, that, I'm sure, would be anywhere else than sticking their hands in the wide-open mouth of a crocodile. The show was exciting and I was happy when it was over. I wasn't in the mood to witness a bloodshed. After the show, the host walked among us asking for some tips for the two guys between the crocodiles. Later we went all the way back among the cages and we stopped near the exit, where we were shown again how monkeys can take coconuts from the trees. After the short show, the host of the park asked for some “tips for the monkey”! We went outside of the park, and I noticed that on the other side of the parking lot there was also another attraction called “Sky Fox”. In this attraction, you can climb on top of some structures and then, through some steel ropes, you can slide down through the tree-tops. Many people were going there, but we were called again to our Jeeps. This time, new personnel joined us. Among them, there was the most pretty Thai girl that I've ever seen. She had a very pretty smile, golden skin and green eyes. She's hard to be forgotten.
Our driver started the engine and we went to the next place. It was a waterfall. We had a crazy ride in the forest with that Jeep. It was crazy as our jumps in the back of the Jeep were higher than ever. We were left near to the waterfall, and we still had to walk some hundreds of metres to reach it. It was really great to be there. I loved that forest. The air was warm and smelling good, of wet wood and flowers. Thailand, when is far from the cities, always smells of flowers. If I should picture “Thailand far from the big cities”, I think that I could draw her like a beautiful smiling girl with an Hibiscus flower in her hair. Soon we reached the waterfall. It was quite narrow but high. I mean, it didn't make a single high fall, but it had many smaller ones. We had to follow the river downstream to find a smaller waterfall that fell into a small lake. At this point we were told that we had the chance to bathe for some short time there. So, I decided that I couldn't miss this opportunity. As I had my swim-suit under my clothes, I undressed, and then jumped in. The water was warm, and after that short walk in the forest, it was a real pleasure to be there. I loved it. My new German friends were like crazy kiddies and also took some pictures of me like the fourth picture of this group. Our guide with the green-eyed girl came to call us. So, I just had time to dress again, and we went back to our Jeeps. On the way back, most of the people looked absolutely out of place, they were walking grabbing on the trees or slipping on the stones. The German guys told me “Ah, fis his fery diffikoohlt!” (as it sounded their sentence “Ah, this is very difficult!”) meaning that the way through the forest was rough. Of course, I thought about my trip to Kbal Spean in Kampuchea and I answered “Don't worry, it's not so bad!”. At least, in Koh Samui I wasn't afraid about being scammed or ambushed. Soon we reached our Jeeps where we were offered some soft drinks. Again I had to refuse, as “simple carbohydrates” weren't good after my sickness. So, I could only drink my bottle of water. My “trip-friends” assaulted those soda bottles like they had been stranded in a desert for days without a drop of water. It was also funny to see them. After this snack we left this place and we got back to the normal street.
We headed south, and soon we reached Bang Kao. In this place there is a temple complex, where there is a very important relic. In fact, near the two main temples there is a smaller one, where you can visit a mummified monk. This monk, that in life was called Loung Pordaeng, was a rich man that in the late life, gave up the rich life and became a monk. He became a symbol and a spiritual guide for all the younger monks. When he died, in 1973, he asked to be buried in the sitting position. Many years later, when he was exhumed, he was found mummified, and now it's exposed, again, as an example for both people and younger monks. Unfortunately, now he has also been turned into a tourist attraction. I paid respect to him and then I left. I went to visit the other beautiful temple, that you can see in the fifth picture. We had a long wait before the gathering of all the tourists, and then we left that place and we went up the mountain again.
This time we took the most dirty and rough way up. We were driving, or better, leaping over stones and diving into mud pools. Our crazy drivers were chasing for pools, and then all of a sudden, one of the Jeeps went straight into a mud pool and got stuck inside. The other Jeep tried to pull it from behind and it also got stuck inside. Our crappy Jeep was the one that went first and we’d already managed to get through it. So, we had to go back and to pull them using a rope (using our Jeep). The one came out only with our help, while the second, pushing the engine to full power got out again by itself, but the people on it were covered in mud. It was funny to see their mud splattered faces. We kept on driving into the forest and soon we reached the next stop, the “Magical Gardens”. This place is a garden built on the side of the mountain, and it was made to look like a place from a fairy tale, with flowers and statues from Thai mythology. Now the son of the guy that built it, has turned the garden into a tourist attraction for profit. I don't blame him, as it's a very pretty place. It was nice to visit that place in the shadow of the trees. While I was there Mr. Chatterbox came to me and asked me “Excuse me, could you take a picture of us (he and Miss Less-Chatterbox) with this Buddha?” I watched the scene and I answered “Sure, I'll take you a picture with Vishu, the Hindu God”. He looked at me like I said some incomprehensible word and I explained “That guy there (pointing the four armed statue that Mr. Chatterbox called Buddha) isn't Buddha, but Vishnu an Indian God”. He just answered “Yes” with empty-eyes. I think that he still didn't get what I meant. In fact, in the ancient past, the Thailand of our day was a land called Dvaravati under Indian influence, and later was part of the Khmer empire, still with Hindu religion, so many ancient Hindu customs are still alive in Thailand. You can see two scenes from the Magical Garden in the sixth and seventh pictures of this group. Later we went back to our Jeeps and we went almost to the top of the mountain where there is a restaurant. It was quite “ordinary-looking” (the way I like restaurants), but it's in a very gorgeous spot. We ate really good Thai food. Our tables were on a balcony from where you could see both the north and east coasts of Koh Samui. I loved the place. Again I had a table with my German friends and we had a a lot of fun together. After lunch, we went without Jeeps to a rubber-tree plantation to see how the rubber-tapping is made. I already knew a lot about it, but it was still interesting to see it for real.
Then, when we got back to our crappy Jeep, it broke down. It looks like the ride on those muddy streets was too much for that crappy car, and on the end it gave up. We were carried by another Jeep that was following and we continued towards the end of our journey. From where our Jeep broke down, it took little time to get back to the normal street, and shortly we reached again the northern coastline. It was nice to see what Bophut Beach looks like. This place goes in spots, where there is nothing besides some hotels, while other spots are packed with tourists-oriented venues. On the eastern side of Bophut Beach there is a cape called “Big Buddha Cape”. One of the things that I like about Thailand is the toponymy of the places. In fact, beside that the most important places have names dedicated to some great person or thing, many other places have the name of something that you can find there. For example, where there is a huge Buddha statue, it's easy to find a “Big Buddha Cape”, “Big Buddha Pier” and a “Big Buddha Panorama (if on the top of a mountain)”. But my favourite are the streets. In fact, in Thailand, usually, the bigger streets are called “thannon”, for example, “thannon King Rama VIII”, while the side streets are called “soi”. The “sois” can be both big and small, and with the “sois” the Thais give their best. In fact, the sois are usually named after venues, shops or offices. For example, it's easy to find “soi Post Office”, “soi Police Station”, “soi Gas Station”, ”soi Mc. Donald's”, but the best was “soi near Mc. Donald's”. If there is no-venue to name the “soi”, they just give it a number. So, when I was in Bophut Beach, we were brought to see the “Big Buddha Cape”, that, as the name says, it's a cape where had been built a really big Buddha statue. You can see it in the ninth picture of this group. The area surrounding the Big Buddha is full of tourist venues. Here you can find many pubs and souvenir shops, many of them with cheaper prices than in Chaweng Beach and having interesting deals. As soon as I got down from my Jeep, I was told that we had 20 minutes to go and see the Big Buddha statue. My German friends told me that they were going for some beer, but I still preferred to widen my culture, and improve my Karma going to see the Statue and greet Lord Buddha. The problem was this. Although I though that the statue was just around the corner, it was on the top a small hill. To reach it I had to climb a stairway. This wasn't the real problem. In fact, the real problem was that the shrine area was much before the stairway. We, the “farang” tourists approached the shrine and already some younger monk got near to the entrance. In fact, many “farangs” don't know that, to enter a shrine, you've to take your shoes off. I took my sandals off without letting the young monk shout at me. In spite of me, the young monk went and tried to talk with Mr. Chatterbox who was trying to enter with his shoes. Now was the harder part. In fact, the climb was on stone steps that were all day under the tropical sun. I started to climb. It really felt like every step was a red-hot frying pan. Any step, it felt like the temperature of the frying-pans steps was rising up too. And I kept on thinking “I'm not even Buddhist, why did I decide to do this ‘expiatory’ way?”. Anyway, it was also fun to see my “farang” fellows suffering while walking on those hot steps. Probably I was the one that tolerated it better as I took it almost running up so as to spend the least time possible and to pursue some shadow on the top. In fact, if there is a Big Buddha statue, it means that somewhere there near it is also a Big Buddha Statue shadow. When I got there, I also noticed that the top of the hill was very beautiful. The Big Buddha statue, in concrete painted in gold, is very beautiful too. All around it, there are many bells. If you sound them, probably you'll send a prayer to Buddha. I didn't play them, but, before of me, I saw a Farang that was listening to a Thai girl explaining how to play the bells correctly. Just imagine “DOOONG” (the sound of the bell) and the girl screaming “Noooo! Not like this! You've to do like this!” she takes the wooden stick and “DOOONG”, the same sound and she, happy “This is how it is good!” and again, the farang hits the bell and “DOOONG” and she started again with “Noooo!”. I don't know if she was joking or for real, but it was funny to listen to her. Later came some little “farang” kids that started to play some kind of “hip-hop” with the bells, and before that Buddha could get upset with all the “farangs” near that bell, I got far from them.
From the top of the hill, there was a gorgeous sight of Bophut Beach. It was lovely to spend some time there, watching the Lapis Lazuli sea caressing the golden beach, before the emerald mountains (I skipped the thin whiteish-grey part of the hotels). The time to go back to the Jeeps came too soon. I had just time to go back to the “frying-pan stairway”. I went before the statue of Buddha, and as the tradition requires, I went before him and bowed. After I went back down my stairway. My group were waiting for me and a few others. As soon as we all arrived, we left Bophut and we went back to Chaweng. My trip around the island was over, but my exploration of the surroundings of Koh Samui had just started. The next day I had another big trip, and I was looking forward to it.
Just few minutes after my arrival at the meeting point, an open-roof Jeep arrived. It was my tour. I went over, and inside I found, Mr. Ugly-fat-guy with Miss. Inconsistent, then there were Mr. Chatterbox with Miss. Less-Chatterbox. We left the Long Beach Resort and we headed to the next stop, where, before a gorgeous hotel we picked four German men up. After so long time spent between Khmers, Thais and some Russians, these Germans looked like my neighbours!!! We became friends in five minutes, and for the next days they stuck to me. We first made a few kilometres, and then we reached the first checkpoint. It was a camp, where we were asked to change our Jeep. Some people were already there, and all together we filled three Jeeps. I was asked to go with the Germans into the smaller and more rusty one. In the beginning I wondered if they gave me the more crappy Jeep after that somebody told them about my room. Later I knew that, despite the look, it was the best of the three. At least for some time. Anyway, we started again. Forget any kind of safety. We were sitting on wooden benches on the back of the roofless Jeep. Any small rock on the street made us jump. It was scary as any time we were thinking about falling on the cars that were following us. I think that also the drivers of those cars were having the same thoughts as after any small stone or hole in the street, those cars were rushing to pass us by. Actually, the problem wasn't the “jump” from the bench, as I felt safe enough after having locked the straps of my backpack to a steel pole, and also holding the same pole firm with my hands. The real problem was the landing on that hard wooden bench. Let me say, that if I didn't make my butt flat, I got quite close to it.
The street went out straight of Chaweng Beach and followed the coast toward south. From the flat landscape of Chaweng Beach, it soon turned into a street of turns that followed one after the other and it was also going up and down along the cliffs of the coastline. Somehow, it reminded me a more tropical version of the coastline near to my city. Soon we reached the small city of Lamai Beach. In this place there is the first of the many “tourist attractions” that were scheduled in our day-trip. In fact, in this place there are the so called “Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks”. What attracted me the most, was the absolutely relaxed life there, the cheap prices and the smiley people (in Chaweng Beach I didn't see many smiles). The sea was absolutely astonishing. The light grey coloured stones surrounded many small sandy beaches, just on the side of the huge main beach, and they were caressed by the blue sea. In that strong light, it was easy to be mistaken, and think, for a short moment, that it was a silver waterfall into a Lapis Lazuli sea. All this charm was broken by Mr. Tour Guide, a really funny man, but with the unbelievable power to ruin any beautiful thing with his presence. He said “Here... Madam! You can see what you came for... Ehmmm... The Grandfather Rock!”. But he missed one thing. Why this rock is called “The Grandfather Rock”. I don't know if the legend is a real old one or it was made just up for the tourists, but what I'm about to tell is what is written on a board before reaching that beautiful landscape of rock and sea.
The legend says that long time ago, there was an elderly couple that were living in Nakhon Si Thammarat, the ancient city that once was known as “Ligor”. They were invited to reach the daughter of the Old Ta Mong Lai, in the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan, as the girl would have been their son's bride. So, they set sail and went to Prachuap Khiri Khan by sea. When they passed by Cape Lamai, a terrible storm caught them and capsized their boat. They died and their bodies were brought by the storm to the beach, where they turned into rock. In our day, you can see one shaped like a male sexual organ called “Hin Ta” (you can see it in the first picture of this group) and one shaped like a female sexual organ called “Hin Yai”. Many tourists started to play jokes and behave silly. I still took some pictures, but then I was again attracted by the very beautiful sea and sandy beaches. I think that if I went back to Koh Samui, Lamai Beach could be my choice for this sea. Soon we were called again by our tour guide, and we went back to our Jeep.
We made a short way and we arrived at a coconut-palm plantation. In this place we were shown how the Thais are using trained monkeys to get the coconuts from the top of the palms. While we were there we were told alot about these monkeys. For example, they are using only the kind of monkeys that you can see in the second picture of this group, I think that they are Macaques. The guys from the plantation also told us that they only use the males of this species as they are stronger and also easier to train than the females. The visit to the plantation was quite short. They first offered us some coconut, but, in spite all my “trip friends” were eating it eagerly, I refused. In fact, coconut is a powerful laxative, and after my sickness, I didn't want to have such a problem again. After it we were shown, thanks to Mr. Monkey Superstar, how the monkeys get the coconuts from the palm-trees. Let me say that Mr. Monkey Superstar was trained to show it to the tourists, so, he did it very slowly and stopping to let people to take pictures. I felt sorry for that animal, that was forced to do that. Then, after that Mr. Monkey Superstar took 5-6 coconuts, the show was over, and we went back to our Jeeps and went to the next place.
After one more short ride on a soil track, we reached an animal show-park. I love animals, and I suffer to see them in cages, so as you can imagine, I didn't enjoy this visit much. Anyway, my “trip friends” were crazy about the place and loved it so much. We were first brought to see the “elephant show”, where a young elephant was chained and trained to dance at the sound of some disco music, to do tricks with the people (like looking for a wallet or taking bananas from people) and then he was shown as a “football champion”. I was sorry for it. In the end, the park guys came along asking for tips “for the elephant”. Later we went, in the other part of the park, called the “Crocodile den”. Along the way, there were many cages with animals inside. Over the cages there were cards with the price for taking a picture with that poor animal. The “Crocodile den” was a bit interesting too, this time it was the ability of the two Thais (a boy and a girl) to play with the animals without being eaten alive. In fact, I believe that Crocodiles can't be trained, and this time I was sorry for those two guys, that, I'm sure, would be anywhere else than sticking their hands in the wide-open mouth of a crocodile. The show was exciting and I was happy when it was over. I wasn't in the mood to witness a bloodshed. After the show, the host walked among us asking for some tips for the two guys between the crocodiles. Later we went all the way back among the cages and we stopped near the exit, where we were shown again how monkeys can take coconuts from the trees. After the short show, the host of the park asked for some “tips for the monkey”! We went outside of the park, and I noticed that on the other side of the parking lot there was also another attraction called “Sky Fox”. In this attraction, you can climb on top of some structures and then, through some steel ropes, you can slide down through the tree-tops. Many people were going there, but we were called again to our Jeeps. This time, new personnel joined us. Among them, there was the most pretty Thai girl that I've ever seen. She had a very pretty smile, golden skin and green eyes. She's hard to be forgotten.
Our driver started the engine and we went to the next place. It was a waterfall. We had a crazy ride in the forest with that Jeep. It was crazy as our jumps in the back of the Jeep were higher than ever. We were left near to the waterfall, and we still had to walk some hundreds of metres to reach it. It was really great to be there. I loved that forest. The air was warm and smelling good, of wet wood and flowers. Thailand, when is far from the cities, always smells of flowers. If I should picture “Thailand far from the big cities”, I think that I could draw her like a beautiful smiling girl with an Hibiscus flower in her hair. Soon we reached the waterfall. It was quite narrow but high. I mean, it didn't make a single high fall, but it had many smaller ones. We had to follow the river downstream to find a smaller waterfall that fell into a small lake. At this point we were told that we had the chance to bathe for some short time there. So, I decided that I couldn't miss this opportunity. As I had my swim-suit under my clothes, I undressed, and then jumped in. The water was warm, and after that short walk in the forest, it was a real pleasure to be there. I loved it. My new German friends were like crazy kiddies and also took some pictures of me like the fourth picture of this group. Our guide with the green-eyed girl came to call us. So, I just had time to dress again, and we went back to our Jeeps. On the way back, most of the people looked absolutely out of place, they were walking grabbing on the trees or slipping on the stones. The German guys told me “Ah, fis his fery diffikoohlt!” (as it sounded their sentence “Ah, this is very difficult!”) meaning that the way through the forest was rough. Of course, I thought about my trip to Kbal Spean in Kampuchea and I answered “Don't worry, it's not so bad!”. At least, in Koh Samui I wasn't afraid about being scammed or ambushed. Soon we reached our Jeeps where we were offered some soft drinks. Again I had to refuse, as “simple carbohydrates” weren't good after my sickness. So, I could only drink my bottle of water. My “trip-friends” assaulted those soda bottles like they had been stranded in a desert for days without a drop of water. It was also funny to see them. After this snack we left this place and we got back to the normal street.
We headed south, and soon we reached Bang Kao. In this place there is a temple complex, where there is a very important relic. In fact, near the two main temples there is a smaller one, where you can visit a mummified monk. This monk, that in life was called Loung Pordaeng, was a rich man that in the late life, gave up the rich life and became a monk. He became a symbol and a spiritual guide for all the younger monks. When he died, in 1973, he asked to be buried in the sitting position. Many years later, when he was exhumed, he was found mummified, and now it's exposed, again, as an example for both people and younger monks. Unfortunately, now he has also been turned into a tourist attraction. I paid respect to him and then I left. I went to visit the other beautiful temple, that you can see in the fifth picture. We had a long wait before the gathering of all the tourists, and then we left that place and we went up the mountain again.
This time we took the most dirty and rough way up. We were driving, or better, leaping over stones and diving into mud pools. Our crazy drivers were chasing for pools, and then all of a sudden, one of the Jeeps went straight into a mud pool and got stuck inside. The other Jeep tried to pull it from behind and it also got stuck inside. Our crappy Jeep was the one that went first and we’d already managed to get through it. So, we had to go back and to pull them using a rope (using our Jeep). The one came out only with our help, while the second, pushing the engine to full power got out again by itself, but the people on it were covered in mud. It was funny to see their mud splattered faces. We kept on driving into the forest and soon we reached the next stop, the “Magical Gardens”. This place is a garden built on the side of the mountain, and it was made to look like a place from a fairy tale, with flowers and statues from Thai mythology. Now the son of the guy that built it, has turned the garden into a tourist attraction for profit. I don't blame him, as it's a very pretty place. It was nice to visit that place in the shadow of the trees. While I was there Mr. Chatterbox came to me and asked me “Excuse me, could you take a picture of us (he and Miss Less-Chatterbox) with this Buddha?” I watched the scene and I answered “Sure, I'll take you a picture with Vishu, the Hindu God”. He looked at me like I said some incomprehensible word and I explained “That guy there (pointing the four armed statue that Mr. Chatterbox called Buddha) isn't Buddha, but Vishnu an Indian God”. He just answered “Yes” with empty-eyes. I think that he still didn't get what I meant. In fact, in the ancient past, the Thailand of our day was a land called Dvaravati under Indian influence, and later was part of the Khmer empire, still with Hindu religion, so many ancient Hindu customs are still alive in Thailand. You can see two scenes from the Magical Garden in the sixth and seventh pictures of this group. Later we went back to our Jeeps and we went almost to the top of the mountain where there is a restaurant. It was quite “ordinary-looking” (the way I like restaurants), but it's in a very gorgeous spot. We ate really good Thai food. Our tables were on a balcony from where you could see both the north and east coasts of Koh Samui. I loved the place. Again I had a table with my German friends and we had a a lot of fun together. After lunch, we went without Jeeps to a rubber-tree plantation to see how the rubber-tapping is made. I already knew a lot about it, but it was still interesting to see it for real.
Then, when we got back to our crappy Jeep, it broke down. It looks like the ride on those muddy streets was too much for that crappy car, and on the end it gave up. We were carried by another Jeep that was following and we continued towards the end of our journey. From where our Jeep broke down, it took little time to get back to the normal street, and shortly we reached again the northern coastline. It was nice to see what Bophut Beach looks like. This place goes in spots, where there is nothing besides some hotels, while other spots are packed with tourists-oriented venues. On the eastern side of Bophut Beach there is a cape called “Big Buddha Cape”. One of the things that I like about Thailand is the toponymy of the places. In fact, beside that the most important places have names dedicated to some great person or thing, many other places have the name of something that you can find there. For example, where there is a huge Buddha statue, it's easy to find a “Big Buddha Cape”, “Big Buddha Pier” and a “Big Buddha Panorama (if on the top of a mountain)”. But my favourite are the streets. In fact, in Thailand, usually, the bigger streets are called “thannon”, for example, “thannon King Rama VIII”, while the side streets are called “soi”. The “sois” can be both big and small, and with the “sois” the Thais give their best. In fact, the sois are usually named after venues, shops or offices. For example, it's easy to find “soi Post Office”, “soi Police Station”, “soi Gas Station”, ”soi Mc. Donald's”, but the best was “soi near Mc. Donald's”. If there is no-venue to name the “soi”, they just give it a number. So, when I was in Bophut Beach, we were brought to see the “Big Buddha Cape”, that, as the name says, it's a cape where had been built a really big Buddha statue. You can see it in the ninth picture of this group. The area surrounding the Big Buddha is full of tourist venues. Here you can find many pubs and souvenir shops, many of them with cheaper prices than in Chaweng Beach and having interesting deals. As soon as I got down from my Jeep, I was told that we had 20 minutes to go and see the Big Buddha statue. My German friends told me that they were going for some beer, but I still preferred to widen my culture, and improve my Karma going to see the Statue and greet Lord Buddha. The problem was this. Although I though that the statue was just around the corner, it was on the top a small hill. To reach it I had to climb a stairway. This wasn't the real problem. In fact, the real problem was that the shrine area was much before the stairway. We, the “farang” tourists approached the shrine and already some younger monk got near to the entrance. In fact, many “farangs” don't know that, to enter a shrine, you've to take your shoes off. I took my sandals off without letting the young monk shout at me. In spite of me, the young monk went and tried to talk with Mr. Chatterbox who was trying to enter with his shoes. Now was the harder part. In fact, the climb was on stone steps that were all day under the tropical sun. I started to climb. It really felt like every step was a red-hot frying pan. Any step, it felt like the temperature of the frying-pans steps was rising up too. And I kept on thinking “I'm not even Buddhist, why did I decide to do this ‘expiatory’ way?”. Anyway, it was also fun to see my “farang” fellows suffering while walking on those hot steps. Probably I was the one that tolerated it better as I took it almost running up so as to spend the least time possible and to pursue some shadow on the top. In fact, if there is a Big Buddha statue, it means that somewhere there near it is also a Big Buddha Statue shadow. When I got there, I also noticed that the top of the hill was very beautiful. The Big Buddha statue, in concrete painted in gold, is very beautiful too. All around it, there are many bells. If you sound them, probably you'll send a prayer to Buddha. I didn't play them, but, before of me, I saw a Farang that was listening to a Thai girl explaining how to play the bells correctly. Just imagine “DOOONG” (the sound of the bell) and the girl screaming “Noooo! Not like this! You've to do like this!” she takes the wooden stick and “DOOONG”, the same sound and she, happy “This is how it is good!” and again, the farang hits the bell and “DOOONG” and she started again with “Noooo!”. I don't know if she was joking or for real, but it was funny to listen to her. Later came some little “farang” kids that started to play some kind of “hip-hop” with the bells, and before that Buddha could get upset with all the “farangs” near that bell, I got far from them.
From the top of the hill, there was a gorgeous sight of Bophut Beach. It was lovely to spend some time there, watching the Lapis Lazuli sea caressing the golden beach, before the emerald mountains (I skipped the thin whiteish-grey part of the hotels). The time to go back to the Jeeps came too soon. I had just time to go back to the “frying-pan stairway”. I went before the statue of Buddha, and as the tradition requires, I went before him and bowed. After I went back down my stairway. My group were waiting for me and a few others. As soon as we all arrived, we left Bophut and we went back to Chaweng. My trip around the island was over, but my exploration of the surroundings of Koh Samui had just started. The next day I had another big trip, and I was looking forward to it.
The Angthong Marine Park – The hidden Jade Lagoon
The evening after my visit around the island of Koh Samui, I went back to the travel agency of the two crazy Thai sisters. This time I could pick one of three tours. One was only about Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, the second was about Koh Phangan, while the third tour was about the Angthong Marine Park. I looked carefully at the offers and, as the first two trips were including “elephant and monkey shows”, I picked the third. In fact, I like both nature and sport, and in the tour of the marine park I could also do sea-canoeing, which would be perfect for me. After buying this trip, I went to have dinner and then I went to one of the many pubs to have some beer, listen to the music, watch football games and have fun with my German friends. I came back to the resort late at night. From far, some clouds, with the voices of the thunder reminded me, kindly, to not forget to pack my waterproof in my backpack for the next day. Then, I went to sleep, hoping that the huge spiders on my roof, wouldn't feel lonely and come to sleep with me at night.
The next morning the sky was partly cloudy and the sun kept on going behind the clouds. I went to have my breakfast on the porch on the beach, and on the horizon I could see far clouds carrying much rain. At that point I had two different feelings, I was excited about the beautiful things that I could see on this trip, and also worried for the storm that was coming. The air felt fully charged with electricity, and it also felt like it was boosting my adrenaline. I went to the meeting point, and this time an air-con minivan came to take me. As soon as I was on board we went straight to Maenam Beach pier. The city is very small and it looks pretty but mainly residential. Along the coastline that surrounds it there are a large number of huge resorts. From what I've seen, I'd only suggest Maenam Beach to those that don't care about the night-life and look for those big all-inclusive resorts. The place named “pier” is not a real pier, but it's a part of the beach dedicated to the landing of the speed boats. While waiting for all the speed boats to come, we were offered a breakfast and then we were sorted into the groups that were going on the three tours that I mentioned above. I was given an acid-green bracelet as a mark of my group. In the first picture of this group, you can see the speed boats (mine was the more distant one), and in the background you can see the Koh Phangan island. We had to wait about half an hour to leave. There I noticed that most of the people that took those tours were Russians. Let me say that, any time that I took tours with so many Russians, I never had a chance to talk with anybody. While the people that are more open to talk are usually Spanish, Germans, Australians and Koreans. My group was the last one to leave.
As soon as we left, we turned west and we headed to the Angthong Marine Park. This Marine Park is a cluster of small island placed, more or less, in the shape of a line. As soon as we left Bang Po behind we reached the boat’s full speed. The sky got even more cloudy. I was sitting in the front of the boat with two Russian girls and another Russian middle-age couple. The other Russian guys were sitting in the covered part already drinking and shouting. Then, I felt a drop. It wasn't from the sea. Then other drops, from the clouds. Then a flash of lightening, then another, and another again. The rain came stronger. So, I decided to take my clothes off and I packed them inside my backpack. I know really well that one of the most dangerous places to be is in the middle of the sea in a thunderstorm. On the other hand, it got the adrenalin going to be there. Then, the limestone cliffs of the small islands started to appear and with their appearance the rain started to slow, and it vanished completely soon later. Our first stop was in Koh Wao, where we had snorkelling. The small bay where we snorkelled was really pretty. The coral was gorgeous and the colourful fishes were very cute. Actually the “snorkelers” were only few. In fact, beside me, only the two girls and the other couple came in water, while the other guys remained on board to look at people from the rail, with bottles in hands. This place was very beautiful. The island is quite small and the nature is still quite intact. You can see the bay in the second picture of this group.
Then we were taken on-board again and we went to the place that I was looking forward to. It's Mae Koh Island. This is one of the bigger islands of the Angthong Marine park, the best things are the lagoon and the panorama from the top. As soon as we landed, the tour guide told us to go to a stairway and to not leave the path as it was both forbidden and dangerous. I started to climb the stairway. I made it fast to leave the crowd of my group behind as soon as I could. While climbing, I placed my foot badly and broke my sandal. I stopped and I managed to use its own straps to fix it hoping it'd last until I got back to Chaweng Beach. I kept on going, and I found that a part of the walkway was over a cliff, as you can see in the fourth picture of this group, and then it became narrow when it passed between two very close rocks and under another (I had to crawl under it). As soon as I'd got beyond those huge rocks, I found myself before one of the most beautiful natural landscapes that I've ever seen. The high free fall cliffs were encircling an jade green lake. The name of the lagoon is “Talay Nay” that means “Jade Lake”. It had such an unbelievable colour that left me breathless. From there you can take two ways, one down to the lake, even if you can't bath there, and one up to the panorama. I decided to make it quick and to see them both. I went first down to see the lake up close. It was amazing. A rigorous breeze came down from the storm jumping over the cliffs and falling on the lake, on us, and on the water. The whistle of the wind through the branches of the trees, rhythmed by the drum of the far thunders was the ideal hypnotising soundtrack of the show before me. The lake was a jade drawing board over which the wind kept on drawing silvery designs of small waves. Drawings that lasted the time of the blink of an eye, replaced by a new one. Or maybe those weren't drawings, but the wind was writing down the words to match that music that the storm was playing for us. The time was going very fast, so I decided go to the top of the mountain to see the panorama from there. The climb is quite straight and also narrow, and the bigger problem was that many people were there too. When I reached the top, another very spectacular sight was before me. On my right there was the jade lake, while in front and on the left I could see many of the islands of the Angthong Marine park. In the sixth and seventh pictures you can see a board with the draws of the islands with their names and also a picture of the islands that you can see from there. Then the weather turned very bad, and as I was in a metal structure, I decided to go back to the beach as I didn't want to get struck by a lighting. I made my way back, but with my broken sandal it became a difficult thing. While I was going down, I met the Russians of my group that were going up, but this time, they had a new bottle in hand. When I reached the beach again the tour guide told me to go to shelter on a porch near there as they'd serve food there. Actually we were scheduled to go to eat on another island called Koh San Sao, but the guys on the island called our guide and told them that a too strong thunderstorm was approaching, and we'd better not take to sea. I went to the porch before somebody took all the seats and took a chair for me. Soon came an heavy rain and we were served the Thai food. It was really good, and it was lovely to eat it watching the storm in that small bay. As fast as the storm came it also went away. So, we packed our litter and went away.
The next stop was in Koh San Sao. You can see it in the eight and ninth picture of this group. When we reached the island, the tour guide told us that this island is called also “The sad island” after a legend. In fact, he told us that the name means in Thai something like “Two, Three”. Once upon a time, a boat crashed on the island during a storm, only three people survived, one was a woman and two were men. So, the two man had a lifelong fight to take the woman. That's why it's called “The sad island”. In this place there are some interesting things for example, a petrified forest, a pretty beach and the chance to sea canoe to the nearby deserted islands. I picked this chance and I went to see one of these small desert islands. It was absolutely tiring and lovely. We went first under the stone bridge in the eighth picture and then we headed to a small island. With the low tide a small beach appears and it was nice to stop there and to bathe in the warm sea. The desert island tour took a short time and we went back to Koh San Sao.
When I got back on-board my speed boat I discovered that there was also a couple from Norway. They started to talk to me about an empty cage that they seen on the island, and the rumours that on some islands there are also Varans, the big lizards, but they didn't see them. I told them that the Varans aren't so dangerous like the Komodo Dragoons. Anyway, the two main dangers of the Varans are their bites, that often can cause infections and the thing that the Varans often use their tails as a whip and they can cause bad injuries. These two guys looked at me with wide-open eyes and I told them that I’d never tried it myself, but I'd seen it on Discovery Channel some time before, but they were free to see for themselves, if it's true, next time they meet a Varan. They started to laugh. As soon as we carried the last Russian, we headed back to Koh Samui. The storm moved a bit southward and this time we avoided the rain. We reached Koh Samui on time. Then we were again sorted into our minivans and taken back to our hotels. I asked my driver to leave me near the market of Chaweng Beach and not near to my hotel. So, when I got out of the minivan, I first went to have a fruit juice and after I went to buy a new pair of sandals. It was fun that I found exactly the same sandals that I’d broken, so I bought a new pair. I had time to go and buy some more things in Chaweng Beach as it was quite cheap, and then I went back to my resort where I started to pack my bags as the next day I'd leave it for Phuket. In spite of the few problems that I had with Pui and my food poisoning I had good time there, and I loved Koh Samui. So, I feel like I can suggest it if somebody asks me for advice.
The next morning the sky was partly cloudy and the sun kept on going behind the clouds. I went to have my breakfast on the porch on the beach, and on the horizon I could see far clouds carrying much rain. At that point I had two different feelings, I was excited about the beautiful things that I could see on this trip, and also worried for the storm that was coming. The air felt fully charged with electricity, and it also felt like it was boosting my adrenaline. I went to the meeting point, and this time an air-con minivan came to take me. As soon as I was on board we went straight to Maenam Beach pier. The city is very small and it looks pretty but mainly residential. Along the coastline that surrounds it there are a large number of huge resorts. From what I've seen, I'd only suggest Maenam Beach to those that don't care about the night-life and look for those big all-inclusive resorts. The place named “pier” is not a real pier, but it's a part of the beach dedicated to the landing of the speed boats. While waiting for all the speed boats to come, we were offered a breakfast and then we were sorted into the groups that were going on the three tours that I mentioned above. I was given an acid-green bracelet as a mark of my group. In the first picture of this group, you can see the speed boats (mine was the more distant one), and in the background you can see the Koh Phangan island. We had to wait about half an hour to leave. There I noticed that most of the people that took those tours were Russians. Let me say that, any time that I took tours with so many Russians, I never had a chance to talk with anybody. While the people that are more open to talk are usually Spanish, Germans, Australians and Koreans. My group was the last one to leave.
As soon as we left, we turned west and we headed to the Angthong Marine Park. This Marine Park is a cluster of small island placed, more or less, in the shape of a line. As soon as we left Bang Po behind we reached the boat’s full speed. The sky got even more cloudy. I was sitting in the front of the boat with two Russian girls and another Russian middle-age couple. The other Russian guys were sitting in the covered part already drinking and shouting. Then, I felt a drop. It wasn't from the sea. Then other drops, from the clouds. Then a flash of lightening, then another, and another again. The rain came stronger. So, I decided to take my clothes off and I packed them inside my backpack. I know really well that one of the most dangerous places to be is in the middle of the sea in a thunderstorm. On the other hand, it got the adrenalin going to be there. Then, the limestone cliffs of the small islands started to appear and with their appearance the rain started to slow, and it vanished completely soon later. Our first stop was in Koh Wao, where we had snorkelling. The small bay where we snorkelled was really pretty. The coral was gorgeous and the colourful fishes were very cute. Actually the “snorkelers” were only few. In fact, beside me, only the two girls and the other couple came in water, while the other guys remained on board to look at people from the rail, with bottles in hands. This place was very beautiful. The island is quite small and the nature is still quite intact. You can see the bay in the second picture of this group.
Then we were taken on-board again and we went to the place that I was looking forward to. It's Mae Koh Island. This is one of the bigger islands of the Angthong Marine park, the best things are the lagoon and the panorama from the top. As soon as we landed, the tour guide told us to go to a stairway and to not leave the path as it was both forbidden and dangerous. I started to climb the stairway. I made it fast to leave the crowd of my group behind as soon as I could. While climbing, I placed my foot badly and broke my sandal. I stopped and I managed to use its own straps to fix it hoping it'd last until I got back to Chaweng Beach. I kept on going, and I found that a part of the walkway was over a cliff, as you can see in the fourth picture of this group, and then it became narrow when it passed between two very close rocks and under another (I had to crawl under it). As soon as I'd got beyond those huge rocks, I found myself before one of the most beautiful natural landscapes that I've ever seen. The high free fall cliffs were encircling an jade green lake. The name of the lagoon is “Talay Nay” that means “Jade Lake”. It had such an unbelievable colour that left me breathless. From there you can take two ways, one down to the lake, even if you can't bath there, and one up to the panorama. I decided to make it quick and to see them both. I went first down to see the lake up close. It was amazing. A rigorous breeze came down from the storm jumping over the cliffs and falling on the lake, on us, and on the water. The whistle of the wind through the branches of the trees, rhythmed by the drum of the far thunders was the ideal hypnotising soundtrack of the show before me. The lake was a jade drawing board over which the wind kept on drawing silvery designs of small waves. Drawings that lasted the time of the blink of an eye, replaced by a new one. Or maybe those weren't drawings, but the wind was writing down the words to match that music that the storm was playing for us. The time was going very fast, so I decided go to the top of the mountain to see the panorama from there. The climb is quite straight and also narrow, and the bigger problem was that many people were there too. When I reached the top, another very spectacular sight was before me. On my right there was the jade lake, while in front and on the left I could see many of the islands of the Angthong Marine park. In the sixth and seventh pictures you can see a board with the draws of the islands with their names and also a picture of the islands that you can see from there. Then the weather turned very bad, and as I was in a metal structure, I decided to go back to the beach as I didn't want to get struck by a lighting. I made my way back, but with my broken sandal it became a difficult thing. While I was going down, I met the Russians of my group that were going up, but this time, they had a new bottle in hand. When I reached the beach again the tour guide told me to go to shelter on a porch near there as they'd serve food there. Actually we were scheduled to go to eat on another island called Koh San Sao, but the guys on the island called our guide and told them that a too strong thunderstorm was approaching, and we'd better not take to sea. I went to the porch before somebody took all the seats and took a chair for me. Soon came an heavy rain and we were served the Thai food. It was really good, and it was lovely to eat it watching the storm in that small bay. As fast as the storm came it also went away. So, we packed our litter and went away.
The next stop was in Koh San Sao. You can see it in the eight and ninth picture of this group. When we reached the island, the tour guide told us that this island is called also “The sad island” after a legend. In fact, he told us that the name means in Thai something like “Two, Three”. Once upon a time, a boat crashed on the island during a storm, only three people survived, one was a woman and two were men. So, the two man had a lifelong fight to take the woman. That's why it's called “The sad island”. In this place there are some interesting things for example, a petrified forest, a pretty beach and the chance to sea canoe to the nearby deserted islands. I picked this chance and I went to see one of these small desert islands. It was absolutely tiring and lovely. We went first under the stone bridge in the eighth picture and then we headed to a small island. With the low tide a small beach appears and it was nice to stop there and to bathe in the warm sea. The desert island tour took a short time and we went back to Koh San Sao.
When I got back on-board my speed boat I discovered that there was also a couple from Norway. They started to talk to me about an empty cage that they seen on the island, and the rumours that on some islands there are also Varans, the big lizards, but they didn't see them. I told them that the Varans aren't so dangerous like the Komodo Dragoons. Anyway, the two main dangers of the Varans are their bites, that often can cause infections and the thing that the Varans often use their tails as a whip and they can cause bad injuries. These two guys looked at me with wide-open eyes and I told them that I’d never tried it myself, but I'd seen it on Discovery Channel some time before, but they were free to see for themselves, if it's true, next time they meet a Varan. They started to laugh. As soon as we carried the last Russian, we headed back to Koh Samui. The storm moved a bit southward and this time we avoided the rain. We reached Koh Samui on time. Then we were again sorted into our minivans and taken back to our hotels. I asked my driver to leave me near the market of Chaweng Beach and not near to my hotel. So, when I got out of the minivan, I first went to have a fruit juice and after I went to buy a new pair of sandals. It was fun that I found exactly the same sandals that I’d broken, so I bought a new pair. I had time to go and buy some more things in Chaweng Beach as it was quite cheap, and then I went back to my resort where I started to pack my bags as the next day I'd leave it for Phuket. In spite of the few problems that I had with Pui and my food poisoning I had good time there, and I loved Koh Samui. So, I feel like I can suggest it if somebody asks me for advice.
Koh Samui – Chaweng Beach – Preparing for the next trip
In the few days that I’d spent in Chaweng Beach I had a chance to see all around quite well. I don't feel like I can suggest a venue more than another, as they are all very good and it's up to the personal taste of those that visit there. Moreover, this kind of restaurants appear and disappear very fast. The prices of the goods are quite low and you can still bargain to lower them (you can't bargain for food). I managed to bargain also for the day trips and I had them with 30% off, so it's always worth trying to bargain. The core of the nightlife is a street called “soi Green Mango” as there you can find the “Green Mango club”. This street is shaped like an upside down “U”. In the broader part you can find many regular beer-bars, discos and restaurants, while in the second part there are lap-dancing night clubs, brothels and explicit beer-bars (for example, one is named “Blowjob” with a neon board saying “come and get your lollipop sucked”). So, if somebody has children or they are not searching for sex, the second part of the street is out of bounds.
A special word about the (legitimate) massage parlours. In Chaweng Beach I found the best ones. The most skilled and professional masseuse are probably working there. The prices are about the same in every parlour, so I suggest to pick them based on how clean they appear. On one of my first days in Chaweng Beach I started going to the one that was just on the opposite side of the street from my room (I wasn't inside of a hotel, but I had a room on the ground floor of a house facing the outside). Strangely, these girls were very skilled and after a couple of times I became very friendly with them.
The city of Chaweng Beach is very small, and there is no need to take Taxis or Tuk-Tuks to go around, but if you wish to move to the nearby places, especially at night, it's advisable to take one and not to rent a motorbike, as outside of these cities there is no illumination and it's extremely dangerous to be on those street at night. On my last night I stopped a taxi and I bargained for it to come and take me the next morning to the airport. So, I told him to come and get me at 6.00 a.m.. Then I went to my room to finish packing my bags. During the night a very heavy storm came that kept on waking me up. The next morning, when I woke up, it was still raining hard and there was no power. So, I used my mobile phone as a flash light and I finished packing my bags before leaving. I wore my waterproof and I went out into the storm. I left the keys with the Long Beach Lodge people wishing to never see them again, and then my taxi came on time. We left for the airport. My trip to Koh Samui was short. It had both good and bad things. I can say that most of the things were good and Koh Samui is definitely a nice place for a holiday. A place where to go back someday.
A special word about the (legitimate) massage parlours. In Chaweng Beach I found the best ones. The most skilled and professional masseuse are probably working there. The prices are about the same in every parlour, so I suggest to pick them based on how clean they appear. On one of my first days in Chaweng Beach I started going to the one that was just on the opposite side of the street from my room (I wasn't inside of a hotel, but I had a room on the ground floor of a house facing the outside). Strangely, these girls were very skilled and after a couple of times I became very friendly with them.
The city of Chaweng Beach is very small, and there is no need to take Taxis or Tuk-Tuks to go around, but if you wish to move to the nearby places, especially at night, it's advisable to take one and not to rent a motorbike, as outside of these cities there is no illumination and it's extremely dangerous to be on those street at night. On my last night I stopped a taxi and I bargained for it to come and take me the next morning to the airport. So, I told him to come and get me at 6.00 a.m.. Then I went to my room to finish packing my bags. During the night a very heavy storm came that kept on waking me up. The next morning, when I woke up, it was still raining hard and there was no power. So, I used my mobile phone as a flash light and I finished packing my bags before leaving. I wore my waterproof and I went out into the storm. I left the keys with the Long Beach Lodge people wishing to never see them again, and then my taxi came on time. We left for the airport. My trip to Koh Samui was short. It had both good and bad things. I can say that most of the things were good and Koh Samui is definitely a nice place for a holiday. A place where to go back someday.