Advertisement
Published: January 12th 2007
Big Buddha
Well, part of him anyhow!On Ko Samui we stayed in the heart of the very developed Chaweng Beach. First impressions were that it would be full of fat, burnt, drunk and middle-aged tourists looking for paradise. It wasn't actually as bad as we'd feared, but this was possibly also because it was unseasonably quiet. It was meant to be high season, hitting a peak during the Christmas week, instead it was more like low season. Shopkeepers and restauranteurs were on the streets trying to drag you into their domains, while others were hanging out with other shopkeepers playing games and eating. Walking down the street we were constantly hailed by cries of "G'day, mate!" as they assumed that Bronson was Australian and that hearing a familiar phrase would get his attention. The first time it happened we looked around in case it was someone we knew, but we got sick of it really quickly (they also try to shake your hand and then walk you into their shop).
Another slight annoyance was the long one-way system down the main road. The journey down was always fine, but if you wanted to go back up the road the taxis and songthaews (red trucks that were
Meet the ducks
Say hello to Smurf Duck and Big Bird Duck. No prizes for guessing which is which. jump on, jump off for a negotiable price and would stop to pick up more passengers along the route) had to go around a long and extremely out-of-the-way route. At least it encouraged people to walk more... we walked heaps!
The beach was white-sanded and very overdeveloped. Beach restaurants, bars, thai massage huts, hotels, and beach hawkers covered almost every inch of sand; while boats, jetskis and surfboards covered the shallow turquoise ocean. The extremities of the beaches were not nearly as crowded and were the most peaceful places on Chaweng beach to relax.
Meeting up with our good friends Andrew, Stephan and Sherry was really great. We rented a busted up old jeep and explored the island for a day, seeing the giant buddha on Big Buddha Beach, checking out some of the more secluded beaches, and ended with sundowners at the gorgeous Le Meridien, probably one of the most amazing hotels we have ever seen. Bronson's driving the whole day was nothing short of heroic considering the manner in which the locals drive (overtaking on blind corners and tailgating to within centimetres of the bumper). Along with the torrential downpour in the evening, the descending darkness,
a vampiric mosquito roaming in the car, the lack of seatbelts and the jeep being so underpowered that most large trucks could overtake us; all in all it was a "memorable" journey!
We lay by the pool, ate great food on the sandy beaches, roamed the market stalls and frequented the bars and clubs, although these proved pretty quiet most of the time. One night we decided to watch a lady-boy cabaret which was lots of fun, right up until the time that Steph was picked to be part of the show. The rest of us thought it was hilarious, but poor Steph had to parade around in a dress and purple wig. He took it all in his stride, but I doubt he will go back to any lady-boy shows in a hurry!
Another night we went to watch some Muay Thai Boxing, including a fight between the Ko Samui and Bangkok Champions. It was less violent than we expected, with the fighters showing a lot of respect for each other. This is not to say they didn't try to beat the daylights out of each other, they just didn't step over the line into brutality.
Don't sit still for too long
or you might end up like this guy Bronson's old man tendency to leave clubs early (while Sharon partied on) gave the local lady-boys plenty of opportunity to try and follow him home. Tricks included throwing their keys at his feet, following him on a scooter, and chasing him down the road shouting "Can I come home with you?"
Ko Samui was fun with friends, but we wouldn't rush to go back there as it seemed overdeveloped and expensive compared to a lot of other places in Thailand. Of course, this was based on our time in the middle of Chaweng Beach... maybe next time we'll have to stay at Le Meridien instead!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.04s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0206s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Rodger and Michelle
non-member comment
Hi guys
It is good to see you are still having fun in the sun. Enjoy your travels; always stay nomadic!