Koh Samui : Around The Island

Choeng Mon Beach
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After a wonderful nights sleep, the second day in Samui was absolutely peaceful. We found The Boathouse Hotel’s room to be very beautiful, well laid-out, and well appointed. What I like best was that there were the big open sliding windows separating the bathroom and living room, so we can still enjoy the view from anywhere in the room.

We spent the first half of the day at Cheong Mon beach where our hotel was situated, before deciding it was time to travel to Chaweng Beach. Arranging transport on the island can be tiresome if you don’t have your own vehicle, and catching the pick-up truck, or so called “Taxi”, can drain your wallet easily. We managed to rent a bike from the travel agency on the island which cost us about 200 Baht a day.

It was the first time I became “such a tourist” in my own country.

Chaweng Beach
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We spent the rest of the day at Chaweng Beach, chomping on the grilled corn, enjoying the sweet taste of ripe mango, and other delights. Sellers on the beach can be a nuisance if you are looking for a tranquil setting, However, they wouldn’t bother you too much if you just say “No” and don’t express any interest.

We caught up with our family and friends at dinner time. Seafood was on the menu for all of us. Fresh huge tiger prawns, sweet crab, and succulent snapper were served with a spicy seafood dip which is mixed with fresh lemon juice, crushed garlic, and of course fresh chillies! We were cheerfully fired up and the Singha kept most of us going, although I only drank Coke.  If I remember correctly, we spent about 300baht ($10) per person that night, which was good value for money.

Our Group
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Before we returned to the hotel we arranged a small trip for the next day from the travel agency. 5 of us chose to go to Nang Yuan island which included visiting some small bays nearby. The price was 500 per head but as we came as a group I managed to negotiate a discount, which reduced the price to 450 per person.

The next morning, we left Samui around 8am, meeting up at the travel agency where we had booked the trip the night prior. They collected us and others on the by now infamous pickup truck, after which we traveled by speedboat to get to our destination.

Another Speedboat
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The name of the first place we stopped was not clear in my mind, but the water there was certainly so vivid. We passed our time pointing out all the different types of fish we could see.

We arrived at Nang Yuan finally, where there were many caves and rocks with interesting shapes.  Unfortunately, it was raining so couldn’t safely take any photos. After the rain stopped, we climbed the hill to the lookout, and admired the view before us. It was absolutely exhausting, but stunning at the same time.

Nang Yuan Lookout
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Nightlife at Chaweng was so upbeat. We forgot that we were a honeymooning couple as we had left all the romance behind. Who could just stay in the room and ignore all the flashy lights and sounds from bars and shops. We shopped our asses off, as if we had a million baht in the wallet. You don’t need a lot of money to be happy shopping in Thailand, stuff was so cheap and we had fun improving our bargaining skills. It was the first time I became “such a tourist” in my own country. I realized by then why foreigners love Thailand so much!

Don't bite me!
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We headed back to Bangkok the following day, and flew onwards back to New Zealand for the new beginning of our married life.

Although Koh Samui wasn’t our favourite place in Thailand, it did make me realize something about traveling. The happiness of the trips don’t always come from where we go and the things we experience, but it’s also about whom we are traveling with. I had so much fun from my honeymoon trip and learned a lot about my new family.