Koh Samui

First Impressions: it is big enough for us to interact with the locals again and see some more of Thai culture and way of life

Last Impressions: this is a place that exists only on a tourist level – for sun seekers and cash infusers. Thai culture is hard to experience

Accommodation
Place – Silver Beach Resort
Cost – 700 Baht
Facilities – beach access, rooms have a fridge and hot water, free drinking water, restaurant
Review – hit and miss with the service. Sometimes the staff were really friendly, and at other times they were quite rude and abrupt. Don’t get the included breakfast. Your only option is eggs each day which got really boring and gross. Perfect location away from the busy Chaweng and Lamai tourist spots. The beach is beautiful and untouched in the morning. Rooms were cleaned whichever day they chose. We stayed for 5 nights and our room got serviced once. Disappointing. Would probably look at neighbouring resorts before opting to stay at Silver Beach again.

Website – no website listed
Address – Thong Ta Kien Bay, Ko Samui
T: (077) 422 478 F: (077) 422 478

Activities/Highlights

– went to see a waterfall 80 metres high which was really nice as we walked for about 30 minutes up the stream to get to the waterfall

-went to see two mummified monks and two different temples and got blessed by a monk! (see below for more info)

– visited the big Buddha and a few others big Buddhist/Hindu deities which made me realise that religion plays such an integral role in the Thai lifestyle. It is amazing how they are so devoted and faithful.

– the rest of our time we spent scooting around the island to see what we could find. We visited Lamai Beach and Chaweng beach which are tourist hot spots, as well as Nathon Town which has a good market with lots of fresh seafood.

Loved – getting blessed by a monk. I felt very enlightened. We went to a temple on the Virgin Coast and found a temple that had a mummified monk. We walked in to see the monk, and as we were walking out a monk walked in and ushered us to sit down. He couldn’t touch me so Chase had to act as a barrier between us. He sat us down, gave us some incense sticks after he had blessed them. Then we ‘prayed’ with the sticks in our hand, bowing our heads. After that, he blessed Chase and put a hand made bracelet on him. Then it was my turn. Chase had to tie the bracelet on to my wrist, then the monk put his hand on top of Chase’s, which was on top of mine and said a prayer. Then he put his hand above my head to finish the blessing. Chase and I walked out speechless, so happy and amazed. This is something that does not happen everyday and I felt very special to have experienced such an act.

Hated – Koh Samui’s target market is the holiday tourist – it’s a place for people who are there to spend a lot of money on shops, food, tours, hotels, drinking alcohol and baking in the sun. Tours are endless. : 4WD, zorbing, elephant trekking, island tours… the list goes on. Not too much for Chase and I to participate in as we were looking to experience true Thai culture and with a tight budget.

Food – supermarkets are everywhere which is great if you have cooking facilities. Also, markets do exist however not everywhere and you do have to look pretty hard (Nathon Town has a decent local market with fresh fruit, veggies and seafood). If you don’t have cooking facilities, Tesco Lotus can cook your fish at no extra cost either grilled or fried. Comes in handy!

Tips for next time – Don’t go unless looking for the above stated holiday. If you do go, get a mountain suited vehicle as a scooter is not capable to ride up to the mountains and the look outs. The roads are uneven, unsealed and sandy in some places.

the Virgin Coast