Koh Samui, Thailand
- Julie-Anne Justus
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
From Chiang Mai in the north to Koh Samui, an island in the bay of Thailand. We've been to Phuket* before but not to Koh Samui. Koh Samui is smaller than Phuket and has almost 3 million tourists per year, mostly from Germany, the UK and Thailand. And while we were there, from Israel. So many Israeli tourists.
Is it Koh Samui or Ko Samui? Take your pick. We saw both. Our air tickets were for Ko Samui.
It's less than two hours by air from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui. The airport at Koh Samui is privately owned by Bangkok Airways, which operates about 50 flights per day into this aiport.
Our resort is set against a steep hill, so either we walk up and down (good exercise after all the food we've eaten) or hail a golf buggy. The drivers zoom up and down at top speed, which I find quite exhilarating.
Yes, that's me sniffing on the video. Sorry. I suffer from the terrible condition known as air-conditioningitis when I travel to a humid destination. After a few days of alternating between air-conditioned hotels and the humid outdoors, I start sniffing, coughing and sneezing. My doctor daughter-in-law refuses to believe it's a valid malady but I am convinced that I am very susceptible to air-conditioningitis.
We had two nice resort pools, one mid-level and one next to the beach ...
... or you could have your own private pool. It was at this point in the itinerary that The Elderlies tour group expanded into a bigger family group.
We took a day trip to Koh Madsum (Pig Island) and Koh Tan. Pig Island is, as its name suggests, an island with pigs. The island owner rescued four pigs from slaughter a few years ago and there are now 104 pigs on the island. And about 1000 tourists daily! A clever move, because tourists pay to feed the pigs, buy food for themselves, and drinks, and pay an entrance fee, and so on.
It's about a 20 minute trip by speedboat to Pig Island. You could also take a long-tail boat to the island, which is more picturesque but perhaps less comfortable. We had to hop off the boat and wade through the water to the beach, while the island dogs leapt around in the water targeting small shoals of fish. (The island dogs reminded us of the two little dogs that live on an isolated motu near Raiatea in French Polynesia. These looked a bit less lonely.)
The piglets were popular (I don't know who squealed louder — the tourists or the piglets) but I liked the big pigs. You can buy pig food pellets and refilled bottles of water to feed them, but we were warned against taking any other kinds of food that might provoke a pig feeding frenzy. I bought a fresh coconut for the coconut water, and once I had finished my drink, I tested the pigs' appetite for fresh coconut. No interest at all. The coconut was spurned.
I wandered along a pretty beach away from the tourists. Can you spot the sole pig? He seemed to be snuffling around in the sand for some titbits. Perhaps he's learned to like crabs.
On to a neighbouring island called Koh Tan for some snorkelling. The water wasn't as clear as we've seen around other islands (French Polynesia! The Caymans! New Caledonia! Lord Howe!), but we don't know whether it was influenced by a particular weather pattern or whether it's always like that.
A lovely lunch with the family under the trees, and so much gratitude to be able to do this!
A day out in the sunny tropics and in the water and on the beach is pretty wonderful wherever one is, if you like that sort of thing, and we do.
Back in Koh Samui, Fishermen's Village is a historic neighbourhood famous for its walking street night market. Some of the Chinese architecture from the 1700s has been preserved, but it's basically a dining precinct alongside Bophut Beach. It reminded us of some parts of Bali. The best part about the outing was that the family group became even bigger!
Dining on the beach is always fun, atmospheric and holiday-ish. On the down side, my Grinch-like view is that the food in beach restaurants is generally underwhelming and overpriced. But hey, happy to pay for the experience.
What was good were these dishes at a more upmarket eatery. We all applauded the arrangement of satay, spring rolls, crab cakes, chicken tempura and crispy noodles on the boat platter.
Do you remember the old days, when travelling meant having access to food you couldn't find in your home town? We are spoiled, living in Melbourne. We have access to the best food from all over the world, using the best ingredients. Food has become so international that we've become quite blasé when we travel. And we can find any cuisine anywhere. (I still maintain that the best pizzas we have ever eaten were in Tokyo, and I say that after being in Italy a few months ago.) So thank goodness for food tours, where we are given the chance to eat a range of local food — like water buffalo larb, raw dates and crickets. Now that's exotic food.
Thanks for your interest, and until next time.
*The choice between Phuket and Koh Samui is largely driven by the time of the year and the prevailing winds. Koh Samui is protected by the Gulf of Thailand so in the northern hemisphere summer (now), the weather is better than in Phuket on the west coast.
This really looks better on a bigger screen, www.julie-anne.online
Comments