Life in Thailand: Koh Samed: Sights and Adventures

Describing a place is all well and good, and taking people along a photo or video journey of an adventure - while very popular these days - can also sometimes lack in breadth or understanding of all a place has to offer. In light of that, Tiger is uploading a series of pictures highlighting scenes observed and experienced at Koh Samed during many visits over the past seven years (2011 - 2018).

So, dear reader, this is not a regular blog post. Please consider this a photographer's snapshots of a tropical island during the tourist off-season; a taste, if you will, of what island life has to offer when the crowds are away.

NIGHTLIFE

For the local people - yes, many people do live and work on the island - the day tends to both start and end early, coinciding more or less with when the sun rises and sets. This is the unwritten rule across all of Thailand's islands, large and small. After say 10pm, finding food can become difficult outside of the larger resorts. With one exception. Virtually all late night restaurants, bars, and a pseudo-club are found on the main beach of Hat Sai Kaew, with a few additional late-night restaurants located along the road towards Ao Phai. Tourists who tend to enjoy a robust night life will be disappointed if they visit outside of large holidays like Songkran (when virtually every bed on Samed is booked and the party scene lasts into the early morning hours).

Sunset on Hat Sai Kaew

Sunsets are best enjoyed along a western facing beach (ie Ao Phrao or Laem Toei lookout point), but sunset strolls are just fine along the 800m-long (0.5 mile) Hat Sai Kaew beach. By dusk, the huge crowds of tourists stopping by the island have faded along with the heat, and the many beach-facing resorts have finished setting up their dining tables and recliners in the sand before the darkening ocean. Relatively affordable drinks are available - wine, beer, whisky - and a nondescript but a standard pour of passable house red wine will cost about ฿100 (about $3 US)

Many of the more affordable restaurants have relatively poor Western island fare (hamburgers, pork steak, french fries, and the like), and the seafood isn't that much better. Thai food is typically the best bet and can make for a decent meal. Note that, like mentioned last time, Tiger considers this rather universal across non-brand-name island resorts in the region. Local food is usually best since exposure to good Western food (outside McDonalds and KFC) is, understandably, more limited.

Fireshow on Hat Sai Kaew

So, sit back, enjoy some drinks, and wait for the night's highlight: the fireshows! One of the main restaurants centered on Hat Sai Kaew spreads out a large number of loungers and low tables into the sand, blasts popular music with the occasional singer from the main stage, and has a fantastic fireshow that begins at 8:30PM, as seen above. This is significant enough that it usually draws a crowd as three or more performers demonstrate their skills before onlookers (note that Tiger recommends NOT sitting at the table immediately in front of the presentation, however).

During peak times and holidays, the entire beach in front of the restaurant is turned into something of a fun entertainment space. After the fire show, sometimes a limbo dance will begin, in which the limbo bar is set aflame and guests are allowed to move beneath it, with the bar lowered after each round. Warning: fire can burn, so keep an eye on any friends who may have enjoyed themselves a bit too much. Following this may also be a "conga line" dance around the beachfront.

Nearby is also located a club-like bar that can be very popular- during peak times, they have their own DJ and the place can get quite wild. During the off season, they still have music and a great setting, but the lack of young people in attendance can make the place less than optimal for a visit.

Moon rising over Hat Sai Kaew beach

Finally, when the scene has begun to die down, restaurants have closed, and people have mostly returned to their hotels, it's time to call it a night. Leisurely stroll back along the beach and listen to the sound of waves gently crashing on the shore. A light breeze has risen and temperatures have become mild as the night has matured. Time to rest, for the sun will return with all its bright and blazing glory within a few short hours.

ADVENTURES

Koh Samed offers the full tropical island experience within reasonable distance of Thailand's capital city of Bangkok. It's very friendly in terms of beauty, visitor mobility, and international norms (food and lodgings). Beyond this are other adventures available to the visitor which sometimes get overlooked. Tiger and Bird tried to compile a decent list of available options below.

Take a speedboat tour to several small islands around Koh Samed and go snorkeling
Rent a canoe or kayak from a local resort and paddle around some of the small rocky coves
Rent snorkeling equipment and look for wildlife or examine the limited coral around the island
Join a local hotel excursion and spend an evening on a squid boat (yes, these boats hold the the small green lights you see hovering over the waters at night)
Rent a motorcycle or ATV and visit all the major coves, including the rocky shores on the southwestern side of the island. Motorcycle licenses are recommended.
Take a break from the beach and register for a Thai cooking class or an early-morning yoga class
Finally, for the bold and adventurous, PADI scuba diving and parasailing is on offer at several resorts

Riding ATVs on the southern side of the island

As recently as late 2012, most of the roads on Koh Samed were compacted dirt and gravel. This resulted in seriously messy travel during and immediately following rainstorms, but made for great ATV trails on the hilly southern roads. Tiger took the above shot himself while on one of those ATVs. As of 2017, all roads on Samed outside of a few paths leading to smaller coves are now paved, making this experience less fun but much safer than it once was.

Photo 1. Local fishermen are plentiful around Samed, and some will be open to letting a visitor fish with their equipment for a small fee. Photo 2. Not officially encouraged, but still great fun, can be swimming out to the moored boats and jumping off into the sea. Photo 3. A Korean tourist returns from a walking trail leading down the rocks on the southwestern side of the island. Photo 4. Kayaking near Ao Kiu Na Nok. Photo 5. Parasailing off of Koh Samed with the mainland in the background

PEOPLE AND SCENES

The mix of international visitors spending time on Koh Samed changes on the whims of the global economy. Many Russian tourists once flocked to the island, but as of 2018, the Chinese tourists are now the dominant visitor group. Europeans also make up a large minority of visitors. Thailand's tourism is up year-on-year, and yet it still continues to grow substantially as travel becomes easier and people become more aware of the country's beautiful beaches and friendly people. Over time the island itself has also changed - while, for now, still maintaining its rustic charm - as it moves further away from a sleepy escape and closer towards a fully developed tourist destination.

Chilling in the warmth of the morning sun. Hotel on northern side of Koh Samed, facing the mainland.

The above photo shows several Korean tourists enjoying the early morning sunshine while waiting for their breakfast. This resort is located opposite the mainland and outside of Koh Samed's national park.

Photo 1. Several tourists taking some memorable photographs for their Instagram feeds. Photo 2. Group of local children walking along one of the smaller beaches Photo 3. Vendor walking along the beach Photo 4. Young child running back from the ocean with some water to dampen sand for her sandcastle Photo 5. Local worker prepares a small boat to bring supplies to a resort

Photo 6. Small crabs scurry across rocks beside the ocean Photo 7. A tiny sandcrab peeks around outside of his sand "cave" Photo 8. Local dog lounging in the shade. These dogs are very helpful for keeping snakes and other undesirable animals away from people Photo 9. One of many chickens raised on the island for food for local people. This rooster was seen hiding amid what is informally named "Mother-in-law's tongue" in the USA

Koh Samed. View from Laem Toei lookout point

Finally, the rustic beauty of a wild and untamed Koh Samed is visible on the southwestern shore. Here we end our tour of Koh Samed amid the crashing waves upon windswept rocks.

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