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Samui Island 3 Days Tour
"Explore Fascinating Chaweng Beach (22 Jan 05)"
Arrived at Koh Samui Airport at 1510. We traveled by free transport to Samui Resotel, Chaweng Beach. We rented a Bungalow unit, facing the garden. The facilities of the bungalow are working fine, however the floors and walls are old. We rested a while, and went for a walk along the Chaweng Beach at around 1700. The sea is a bit rough, but the beach is windy and the sands are nice and clean. We had our dinner at The Ark Bar, around 7pm. It was a pretty relaxing and refreshing dinner, as the setup of the dining table is at the beach itself.
After the dinner, we went for a walk at the crowded street of Chaweng Beach. The number of westerners is so many, as if we are at a western country. Most of the shops are restaurants, boutiques and Thai massage, however the variety of shops are so many that you can get what you want here. Internet café is popular over here. The wiring and cabling work of the electrical network at Chaweng Beach is really messy, definitely not as good as what we have in Malaysia.
We went back to the hotel at around 2300, yet the night is still young for most of the people at Chaweng Beach.
"Adventurous Round Island Tour (23 Jan 05)"
We had our American Breakfast at Samui Resotel at around 0730. Not much of variety, however the taste is fine. At 0800, we rented a small jeep (Suzuki Caribbean) at the rate of 800 Baht per day. The first tourist attraction that we visited was Hin Ta & Hin Yai (also known as The Grandfather-Grandmother Rocks) at Lamai. Not much to see, but the natural formation of the rocks really matches the myth being told. We also visited Wat Sila Ngu and Wat Samret, which really, not worth visiting. Next, we proceeded to the Magic Garden and Waterfall. On the way, we visited Khow Yai Waterfall (the entrance fee is 20 Baht per person). Nothing special about this waterfall, but there is a nice view point of Samui Island.
The Magic Garden and Waterfall is truly an adventurous trip; if you are not a skillful driver, please do not attempt to drive up the hill to visit the Magic Garden. The road towards the Magic Garden is very bumpy and muddy, and the signboards are not clear and misleading. There are several handcrafts Buddha in the Magic Garden, and a small waterfall. The visit at the Magic Garden only took us half an hour, but the journey back to Lamai took us around 2 hours, and we nearly lost our way! Thanks to the guidance of a local resident who coincidently going downhill to Lamai; without his guidance, we could have stucked at the hill top. By the time we reached Lamai again, it was 1400, and the jeep should have suffered bad “injuries” as the road on the hill top was really too bumpy.
We had our late lunch at Ban Huathanon Seafood Restaurant; the cuisine in the restaurant is reported in the local newspaper, and indeed it is pretty good. We continue our journey to Na Muang Waterfall I (18 meters) and II (80 meters), Wat Khunaram (where the Mummified Monk is situated) and Pagoda Laem Sor. By the time we left Pagoda Laem Sor, it is already 1800. Thus, we watched the sunset at a view point off Road 4170. Unfortunately, the sunset view was blocked by a layer of haze.
We continued our journey towards Nathon town. We stopped by at the Elephant Gate and Wat Kiri Wongkaram, and by the time we reached Nathon, it was 2000. There was a night market at Nathon Town, and it was pretty crowded with local people and tourists. We bought some fried banana, and a bowl of Soya bean milk; a light but tasty dinner. The journey continues, and we passed by Bang Por, Mae Nam and Bo Phut. We went shopping at Tesco Lotus at Road 4169 at around 2045. The prices of the goods are slightly expensive compare to Tesco in Malaysia, and worth to mention is that the taste of the KFC fried chicken at Tesco Lotus is bad, that we didn’t bother to eat it. We reached Samui Resotel at around 2200.
One thing we noticed is that there are a lot of 7-Eleven convenient stores in Koh Samui, probably reaching 100 stores. So if you are asking for directions, 7-Eleven might not be a good landmark, as it is elsewhere.
"Full Moon Party (24 Jan 05)"
After the breakfast, we walked along Chaweng Beach and were thinking to take a taxi to visit the Big Buddha. However, in the end, we decided to rent the same jeep again, as the taxi fare is really too expensive. The Big Buddha is one of the landmarks of Koh Samui. It is situated at the Big Buddha Beach, and the surrounding view is very nice. Not far away from The Big Buddha, there is a newly built temple called the Plai Laem Temple. There is a big “Guan Yin” statue over there.
At around 1200, we visited the crowded Nathon Town and had our lunch over there. Nathon doesn’t has a nice beach, but the shops available attracted a lot of visitors. On the way back to Samui Resotel, we stopped at Tong Yang Beach. Here, at the west coast of the island, the sea is much more calmer compare to Chaweng Beach. The sand is fine as well, and the beach is not crowded; definitely this is a nice place for sun bathing. We reached Samui Resotel at around 1600, to take a rest as there is a full moon party awaiting us at night.
At 1830 evening, a “song-teaw” (pick-up mini bus) picks us up to the Big Buddha Pier, ready to depart to the famous Full Moon Party at Koh Phangan. A speed boat fetched us to Koh Phangan, the return ticket is 600 Baht. The journey was around 30 minutes, and we were surprised to see the amount of crowd at Koh Phangan. The shops here are plenty, just as crowded as Chaweng Beach. We spent around 1 hour, wonder around what to eat, and at the end, decided to eat some simple food at a bar with hip hop music, situated at Haad Rin Nok, where the full moon party takes place. It is an all night long party, people drink and dance to the morning, and well, most of the people here are westerners. The crowd here is overwhelming.
We went back to Koh Samui at 0300. We felt lucky, when we knew that there was a speedboat which sunk when it was on its way back to Koh Samui from Koh Phangan, after the Full Moon Party.
