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Published: February 2nd 2013
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Chaweng High Street
Prepare to be hassled My Bangkok Airways flight from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui was pleasant and included a tasty lunch. However, my introduction to Koh Samui was not ideal. For the first time on my trip it was raining, and the airport transfer taxi dropped me nowhere near my accommodation, (he assured me it was only a short walk but after asking directions, it turned out to be about half a mile). Then, when I ventured out onto the main street in Chaweng (Koh Samui's biggest resort), I was confronted with something similar to Bangkok's Khao San Road, except it is not pedestrianised, so in addition to the hassle from suit salesmen and massage parlours, there are also taxi drivers who constantly beep their horns as they drive past, as if they're driving the only taxi you're going to see all day, when in fact they are pretty much in convoy. Walking alone definitely makes you a target and I felt like I needed a massage at the end of my walk to de-stress!
Later, I discovered how to escape it all: the beach. You would hardly know it existed from the main street and it's surprisingly hard to get to, as the
shorefront is lined with posh hotels (I met some Israelis who were paying 4,000 Baht a night, a fortune in Thailand!) with signs preventing access to non-guests, but it is definitely the best place to be in Chaweng. The restaurants were also expensive, but I was able to find a couple of places in the local market that served good, cheap Thai food.
First impressions count and I decided to get away from Chaweng on my first full day on Koh Samui by heading south to a quieter resort with an (arguably) better beach, called Lamai. In the evening, I returned to Chaweng and ate at the market again, then headed to Legends bar (which had freindly staff but sub-par mojitos) to watch the Chelsea v Arsenal match. I was joined at the bar by Adam, an Arsenal fan who was running a web-based business and had recently moved to Koh Samui, because he could. Adam offered to give me a guided tour of the Chaweng nightlife. First we went to watch a Thai band, who were doing covers of 90s rock songs and were actually quite good. Then we went to a bar on Soi Green Mango (the
street on which the main nightclub, Green Mango, resides). This was one of a number of "hostess bars", in which women flirt in the hope you will buy them a drink (on which they earn commission) so they will spend time with you. We then visited a "Go Go bar", which steps things up a notch, as the women each wear a number and the discerning punter can select one to spend his time with however he chooses, provided he has the requisite funds. I resisted the offers and remained Louis Theroux-like, as the curious observer. We ended up at the Green Mango club, which was fun, even though it appeared to mainly contain more hostess girls and macho guys flexing their muscles without a trace of irony!
I spent the next day recovering and looking for new accommodation, as the guesthouse I was staying in had become fully booked before I was able to extend. I found another place nearby that was cheap for Chaweng at 325 Baht a night, although this was a fan room without air conditioning. The hotel was also being renovated, but the owner was really nice and said there would be no problem
if I brought back a Thai lady or even a ladyboy, "as long as you're happy, I'm happy"! In the evening, I had another delicious green curry (I'm not sure there's such a thing as a bad green curry) and ended up speaking to another suit salesman, although he was actually a nice guy and didn't give me the hard sell. He told me his father was a Gurkha and lives in Leeds - small world. I also booked myself on a tour for the next day, to the Angthong National Marine Park, a collection of Islands to the west of Koh Samui.
I got up early for the taxi and we picked up a French couple, Hélène and Yannick, on the way to the pier. The boat carried around 100 people and it took about 90 minutes to reach the national park. Our first stop was at an island with a beach and lagoon, one of the locations used in the film "The Beach". From here, we kayaked for about an hour, visiting points of interest around island before heading back to the boat for lunch. I decided to kayak alone, whereas everone else was in pairs and
I could barely lift my arms by the end! In the afternoon, we were taken to a beach on another island and had the option to snorkel, kayak, explore the island or relax on the beach. I was still suffering from the kayaking and my night in Green Mango, so I chose the last option and practiced my French with Hélène and Yannick. Unfortunately the relaxation was curtailed as the sea became too rough to board the longtail back to the main boat, so we had to scramble up and down a slippery path to another bay while being eaten alive by mosquitoes!
I had another quiet evening and got the ferry the following day to my next destination, the nearby island of Koh Phangan.
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Duncan
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Bad mojitos - shocking!
Hi Graeme we are enjoying reading your blogs mate, keep it up!