Monday, October 06, 2008
Koh Samui on the cheap
Koh Samui is perhaps Thailand's most popular island resort for good reason. It has many natural attractions and facilities have expanded in recent years to cater to the influx of visitors. This doesn't mean it must cost you and arm and a leg to go there. Yes, there are many upmarket resorts to cater for the well-heeled if that's your bag but if you are travelling on a budget Koh Samui still has a lot to offer.
I arrived on Koh Samui by ferry from the mainland and was met by my friend, Colin, who had hired a motorcycle. We headed off together to a quiet area on the north-eastern shore of the island. There we visited Richard who was staying at a bungalow resort. I took this photo as we sat on the veranda of Richard's 500-baht-a-night bungalow right on the beach. The bungalow is small but has all the basic stuff included. This area is away from the busy-ness of Sumui's east coast. If you want a really quiet spot you couldn't do much better than this. The resort where Richard was staying has its own restaurant with reasonable prices. If you want to chill out there is no reason to leave. And if you want a change there's another restaurant about five minutes walk up the road.
I stayed with Richard while Colin went back to the ferry terminal to pick up Lhi. After they arrived we headed off for the east coast. There was a storm approaching so Colin went alone on the bike and Lhi and I waited for a songtheau. They travel around and across the island at regular intervals and are the usual way for getting around. We managed to keep our luggage dry but the rain got in at the sides of the songtheau so both Lhi and I got our backs wet. It is the rainy season at the moment so you have to expect this from time to time.
Lhi and Colin got themselves a bungalow at Utopia which is on the northern end of Lamai Beach. The place was fairly heavily booked so they were back from the beach but it was only a short walk away. Their cabin was small but comfortable. It was surrounded by other cabins as you can see in this pic taken from their veranda. 500 baht a night included wireless internet access and an all-you-can-eat breakfast for two people. Let's face it, in Australia you'd pay at least that just for the breakfast.
I checked out Lamai Pearl towards the southern end of Lamai. If I didn't have Colin to show me around I don't think I would have found it. It is well off the road and there are no signs. Imagine your grandfather bought some remote seafront land about 30 years ago and built a cabin on it. He built it himself. It was solid but a bit rough and ready. That describes the cabin I got for 250 baht a night. It wouldn't suit everyone. For starters the bed was rather firm. Imagine a concrete block covered with a yoga mat—that's what it felt like but it was a real mattress and I like a firm bed. The place was clean and right on the beach. I was very happy there.
If you don't want to rely on songtheaus to get around you can hire a motorbike. Colin got his at Nathon near the ferry terminal. This meant he was able to use it to get across the island. It cost 150 baht a day and gave him a little trouble. He got a flat tyre. They said he would have to pay to repair it himself. But the tyre repair shop pointed out that it needed a new tyre because the old one was bald. He was close to the hire shop at the time so they gave him a different bike. The same thing happened again. I got my bike (see pic) in Lamai. There are hire places all over the place. Mine cost 125 baht a day, was newer than Colin's, in better condition and gave no trouble. I recommend you check the bike over carefully before you take it. Driving on Samui (or anywhere in Thailand) can be a bit crazy and it pays to have a safe vehicle.
If you'd like to know a little more about what to expect on Koh Samui I suggest you take a look at my earlier blogs and my flickr photo pages. Have fun.
I arrived on Koh Samui by ferry from the mainland and was met by my friend, Colin, who had hired a motorcycle. We headed off together to a quiet area on the north-eastern shore of the island. There we visited Richard who was staying at a bungalow resort. I took this photo as we sat on the veranda of Richard's 500-baht-a-night bungalow right on the beach. The bungalow is small but has all the basic stuff included. This area is away from the busy-ness of Sumui's east coast. If you want a really quiet spot you couldn't do much better than this. The resort where Richard was staying has its own restaurant with reasonable prices. If you want to chill out there is no reason to leave. And if you want a change there's another restaurant about five minutes walk up the road.I stayed with Richard while Colin went back to the ferry terminal to pick up Lhi. After they arrived we headed off for the east coast. There was a storm approaching so Colin went alone on the bike and Lhi and I waited for a songtheau. They travel around and across the island at regular intervals and are the usual way for getting around. We managed to keep our luggage dry but the rain got in at the sides of the songtheau so both Lhi and I got our backs wet. It is the rainy season at the moment so you have to expect this from time to time.
Lhi and Colin got themselves a bungalow at Utopia which is on the northern end of Lamai Beach. The place was fairly heavily booked so they were back from the beach but it was only a short walk away. Their cabin was small but comfortable. It was surrounded by other cabins as you can see in this pic taken from their veranda. 500 baht a night included wireless internet access and an all-you-can-eat breakfast for two people. Let's face it, in Australia you'd pay at least that just for the breakfast.
I checked out Lamai Pearl towards the southern end of Lamai. If I didn't have Colin to show me around I don't think I would have found it. It is well off the road and there are no signs. Imagine your grandfather bought some remote seafront land about 30 years ago and built a cabin on it. He built it himself. It was solid but a bit rough and ready. That describes the cabin I got for 250 baht a night. It wouldn't suit everyone. For starters the bed was rather firm. Imagine a concrete block covered with a yoga mat—that's what it felt like but it was a real mattress and I like a firm bed. The place was clean and right on the beach. I was very happy there.
If you don't want to rely on songtheaus to get around you can hire a motorbike. Colin got his at Nathon near the ferry terminal. This meant he was able to use it to get across the island. It cost 150 baht a day and gave him a little trouble. He got a flat tyre. They said he would have to pay to repair it himself. But the tyre repair shop pointed out that it needed a new tyre because the old one was bald. He was close to the hire shop at the time so they gave him a different bike. The same thing happened again. I got my bike (see pic) in Lamai. There are hire places all over the place. Mine cost 125 baht a day, was newer than Colin's, in better condition and gave no trouble. I recommend you check the bike over carefully before you take it. Driving on Samui (or anywhere in Thailand) can be a bit crazy and it pays to have a safe vehicle.If you'd like to know a little more about what to expect on Koh Samui I suggest you take a look at my earlier blogs and my flickr photo pages. Have fun.
Labels: Asia, holiday, Koh Samui, thailand, travel
Friday, October 03, 2008
Beach vendors of Koh Samui
I spent a day on Chaweng Beach with a couple of friends. This is an ideal place to relax because you don't have to think of anything. Just about anything you want—from a mat to sit on to your food or a change of clothes—can be bought or hired from a vendor on the beach. Here are a few of them.
The water looks soooooo inviting but you're not too sure about your swimming ability. Don't worry. Just hire one of these swim rings from the vendor on the beach. (The same one who hired us our mat)
As well as snacks this one carries a small bar-b-que so that your gai yang (BBQ chicken) can be heated on the spot.
My friend Gik spent quite some time browsing the vast assortment of jewellery this woman was carrying before selecting a couple of items. Gik had a go at lifting the board with all the jewellery and found it was a struggle to get it off the ground. Most jewellery vendors carry much less than this.
The beach vendors are licensed hence the orange vests. Perhaps there would be even more otherwise. Competition is strong so it pays to have a way of getting attention. This ice-cream vendor is serenading these young woman with a song about the goodness of ice cream. They weren't hungry. He came back later and still no luck.
The water looks soooooo inviting but you're not too sure about your swimming ability. Don't worry. Just hire one of these swim rings from the vendor on the beach. (The same one who hired us our mat)
As well as snacks this one carries a small bar-b-que so that your gai yang (BBQ chicken) can be heated on the spot.
My friend Gik spent quite some time browsing the vast assortment of jewellery this woman was carrying before selecting a couple of items. Gik had a go at lifting the board with all the jewellery and found it was a struggle to get it off the ground. Most jewellery vendors carry much less than this.
The beach vendors are licensed hence the orange vests. Perhaps there would be even more otherwise. Competition is strong so it pays to have a way of getting attention. This ice-cream vendor is serenading these young woman with a song about the goodness of ice cream. They weren't hungry. He came back later and still no luck.Labels: Asia, holiday, Koh Samui, travel
Monday, September 29, 2008
Night people of Koh Samui
Take a night walk on the streets of the towns of Koh Samui and you will meet an interesting selection of people. Let me introduce you to some in these shots, mostly taken with my personal candid technique.
Actually these guys are there day and night and you'll find similar in other tourist areas of South-east Asia. Many Indian tailor shops line the streets of these towns. Buy a tailored suit at a fraction of the price you pay for an off-the-rack one back in Oz or USA or Europe. There is invariably a spruiker* outside the shop whose job it is to entice you inside. I'd hate to be one of those guys. Their self esteem must be exceptional. They sure have to cope with loads of rejection. At least the guys in this pic are passing some time with him. Sadly most walk past and ignore. Hey, loosen up. You don't have to buy unless you want to. Just say 'G'day'. I spoke for five minutes with one, almost entirely in Thai. Was probably good practice for both of us. Colin and I chatted with another and discovered he was not from India but Nepal.
These ladies offer a massage service in Lamai. You can see by their uniforms that they are professional. ; ) Of course there's no hanky panky here. On the night I was there with my camera they didn't see me. They were too busy enticing the two guys on the other side of the street to come over for a massage. Were they successful? Check out my flickr photostream to see. The following evening as I walked past, one said to me, 'Would you like a massage sir? Very relaxing. I massage every part of your body.'
There is an area in the centre of Lamai where there are several bars and also a market that sells hot food. The bars have pole-dancing girls. I was told that if you are prepared to pay a bar fine you can take one home for the night. Being a dedicated photographer : ) I was more interested in getting a photo. I figured it wouldn't be such a good one using my candid technique so I walked up to the bar and asked if I could get a shot. This young lady was only too happy to pose for me.
There is also an exotic cabaret just around the corner from those bars. I suggested to my friend that he'd enjoy seeing some of the characters they have spruiking for them. 'Here's one,' I said as we approached this delightful young lady handing out pamphlets. She was only too happy to pose for me. In fact the photo shoot got even more interesting after I took this one but you'll have to wait until I get around to processing that one for my flickr photostream. My friend was getting quite excited by the poses this girl was making. It was a shame to spoil his fun and tell him that it is a boy.
Check my previous post for more information on Koh Samui.
*Spruiker My spell-checker didn't like this word and it wasn't in either of my dictionaries. I googled it and it is indeed a word, perhaps Australian. The definition I found is: A person standing outside a place of business trying to persuade patrons to enter, or vigourously trying to persuade customers to purchase their wares
Actually these guys are there day and night and you'll find similar in other tourist areas of South-east Asia. Many Indian tailor shops line the streets of these towns. Buy a tailored suit at a fraction of the price you pay for an off-the-rack one back in Oz or USA or Europe. There is invariably a spruiker* outside the shop whose job it is to entice you inside. I'd hate to be one of those guys. Their self esteem must be exceptional. They sure have to cope with loads of rejection. At least the guys in this pic are passing some time with him. Sadly most walk past and ignore. Hey, loosen up. You don't have to buy unless you want to. Just say 'G'day'. I spoke for five minutes with one, almost entirely in Thai. Was probably good practice for both of us. Colin and I chatted with another and discovered he was not from India but Nepal.
These ladies offer a massage service in Lamai. You can see by their uniforms that they are professional. ; ) Of course there's no hanky panky here. On the night I was there with my camera they didn't see me. They were too busy enticing the two guys on the other side of the street to come over for a massage. Were they successful? Check out my flickr photostream to see. The following evening as I walked past, one said to me, 'Would you like a massage sir? Very relaxing. I massage every part of your body.'
There is an area in the centre of Lamai where there are several bars and also a market that sells hot food. The bars have pole-dancing girls. I was told that if you are prepared to pay a bar fine you can take one home for the night. Being a dedicated photographer : ) I was more interested in getting a photo. I figured it wouldn't be such a good one using my candid technique so I walked up to the bar and asked if I could get a shot. This young lady was only too happy to pose for me.
There is also an exotic cabaret just around the corner from those bars. I suggested to my friend that he'd enjoy seeing some of the characters they have spruiking for them. 'Here's one,' I said as we approached this delightful young lady handing out pamphlets. She was only too happy to pose for me. In fact the photo shoot got even more interesting after I took this one but you'll have to wait until I get around to processing that one for my flickr photostream. My friend was getting quite excited by the poses this girl was making. It was a shame to spoil his fun and tell him that it is a boy.Check my previous post for more information on Koh Samui.
*Spruiker My spell-checker didn't like this word and it wasn't in either of my dictionaries. I googled it and it is indeed a word, perhaps Australian. The definition I found is: A person standing outside a place of business trying to persuade patrons to enter, or vigourously trying to persuade customers to purchase their wares
Labels: Asia, Koh Samui, thailand, travel
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Visit to Koh Samui
My friend Nee has been working on Koh Samui for about five months so it's always been on the cards that I'd visit sometime. When Colin, an Australian friend, said he was heading there I decided it was time to make my trip.There are many ways to get to Samui. You can fly in but it seems none of the budget airlines go there now. I took the train option. I got a sleeper from Bangkok (Hua Lampong) to Surat Thani and then a bus to the coast and a ferry to the island. Samui is about 20 kilometres wide and 25 from north to south. Roads take you close to the coast rather than straight across. The ferry from the mainland will bring you to Nathon on the west coast. Most of the action is on the resort beach towns of Lamai and Chaweng on the east coast.
For my Australian readers I'd suggest that Samui is like the Gold Coast without the high rise but with a very strong Thai accent. It is very touristy with probably more foreigners there than Thais. If you decide to visit Samui, I suggest you consider flying into Kuala Lumpur rather than Bangkok. You can fly on AirAsia from Coolangatta and save a packet. The train that links KL and Bangkok passes through Surat Thani.
I've started posting my Samui pics on my flickr page and assuming I have time will add a few more blogs on different aspects of Samui so drop back in a day or two for more about Samui.
Labels: Asia, Bangkok, holiday, KL, Koh Samui, Kuala Lumpur, Nee, thailand, travel
