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Koh Samui, Thailand Travel
Koh Samui, Thailand TravelKoh Samui, Thailand is without question the #1 most beautiful, most charming, and most romantic Pacific island travel location I've ever visited so far. And the charm eminates from virtually everything.....not only the stunningly beautiful beaches and sunsets, but the people, the food, the shops, the jungles, the temples, and the very friendly, heartfelt Thai culture in general. For years and years, I'd been hearing about Koh Samui, Thailand from my Tokyo friends, so I've long wanted to go. I finally got my chance in late August 2009. Actually this was my 2nd chance to travel to Thailand, having visited Phuket, Bangkok, & Chiang Mai in April 1996.
My love affair with Koh Samui began immediately after landing at Koh Samui airport. You're picked up by one of those cute little open-air shuttle trams that are common in the parking areas at amusement parks.  Koh Samui airport shuttle Speaking of romance, although I'd never seen them before, a very popular part of the Koh Samui night culture is the "lucky balloon," an illuminated little hot-air balloon that can be purchased from beach vendors and which float up into the night sky. At any given moment, it is not uncommon to see at least one or two lucky balloons up in the sky somewhere. They're supposed to bring good luck and are popular among couples, and although they look pretty up in the night sky, I couldn't help but wonder about the environmental impacts, not to mention the possible fire danger. Two of the best pics of the lucky balloons I found at Flickr are here and here. Dr. Fish Pedicure TreatmentOne of the most remarkable experiences gained from traveling to Koh Samui was to try out the Dr. Fish pedicure treatment. In case you haven't heard of it yet, this is where little Garra Rufa fish about the size of guppies nibble on your dead skin, creating baby-smooth beautiful skin. It was quite ticklish, and felt almost like electrical current running thru your feet. This shop is located in the Fisherman's Village on Bo Phut Beach and it cost 300 baht (~US$9) for 30 minutes. Don't miss my video of this incredible experience in the video playlist shown below.  Dr. Fish pedicure treatment Koh Samui, Thailand PicsApparently the most happening spot on this very tiny island (about 15km x 15km) is Chaweng Beach, probably in large part because it's only about 15 minutes from Koh Samui airport. There are SO many Koh Samui hotels and resorts to choose from and I stayed 4 nights in a place called the Island Resort & Spa, which is right on Chaweng Beach. Their outdoor breakfast buffet right next to the pool & beach, complete with a full spread of fresh Thai fruit, was especially impressive. There are both good tours and bad tours in Koh Samui, but I feel very fortunate to have received great advice on a full-day tour recommended by a nice lady at the front desk of my hotel. It was called the Namuang Jungle Trip and included my first-ever ride on an elephant, a visit to the amazing Samui Aquarium (LOTS of sharks, plus a bird show, tiger show, & otter show), Namuang Waterfalls #1 & #2, Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks (Hin Yai / Hin Ta), Wat Khunaram (famous temple of the Mummified Monk), and even lunch & soft drinks. All of this for only 1400 baht (~US$47). Wow. [Sadly I discovered on July 4, 2023 that their website no longer exists & 6 out of the 8 reviews at Trip Advisor are "terrible."] I have so much else to tell you, but for now please enjoy my pics & videos below of these fabulous places. I have a feeling you're gonna immediately fall in love with Koh Samui the same as I did. You can view all of my Flickr pics of Koh Samui, Thailand here.
There were a number of firsts for me on this trip. Besides Dr. Fish, I caught my first glimpse of a countdown traffic signal. As a former traffic signal design engineer, I found this especially fascinating. Both red lights and green lights count down until the signal changes, as you can see in Video 3 below. I'd also never seen SO many bars and restaurants set up RIGHT on the sandy beach, RIGHT next to the water (watch out for tsunamis!). And the amazing display of colorful lights at nighttime reminded me of Christmas. You definitely gotta check out my videos below to get a feel for it. Video 1: Chaweng Beach bars & restaurants Video 2: Dr. Fish pedicure treatment Video 3: Countdown traffic signal Video 4: Samui Aquarium Video 5: Namuang Waterfall #1 Video 6: Riding on a songthaew (a kind of pickup truck taxi) (all 6 videos are in a playlist and will play continuously, non-stop) Enjoy ! Videos of my Koh Samui, Thailand travel (view entire playlist in a new window here) Koh Samui, Thailand Google Map
And by all means, be sure to put Koh Samui on your Bucket List, a wonderful movie by the way about seeing all your favorite worldwide spots before you kick the bucket. Oh, just one more thing (as Columbo would say). A very
delightful place for dinner is the restaurant at the Dara Samui Beach
Resort & Spa Villa on Chaweng Beach which overlooks their
pool,
pool bar, and beach. There are several pics of this gorgeous hotel in
my photo album
above.
I hope you'll please check back again soon as I update this Koh Samui, Thailand Travel page in the future with more details on some of the other exciting things I had the pleasure of doing in this exotic Pacific island paradise. Cheers,Gary Have a Question or Story about Koh Samui, Thailand?Do you have a question or a story about Koh Samui, Thailand? Please pay it forward and share your experience (along with up to 4 pics) with other visitors to this page still planning their Koh Samui trip! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this Koh Samui page...
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