Cultural Discoveries in Koh Samui

Depicted above is a Wai, one many cultural discoveries you'll find in Koh Samui, Thailand

Cultural interaction stands as one of the best modes by which to enjoy a visit to a tourist destination. For this reason, many travel and tour operators promoting Koh Samui in Thailand almost always never fail to incorporate some pitches on the quaint local culture of local folks in the island. Koh Samui activities for visitors, after all, won’t be complete without having a sampling of the quaint island lifestyle as part of sojourns to this remarkable destination cradled by the waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

The local folks of Koh Samui, like most Asians, are quite friendly and amiable as reflected in their many festivals. Many of the permanent island residents have Chinese ancestry, the Chinese Lunar New Year is observed in the island around each February. Another interesting celebration locally is the Thai New Year or Songkran held in April, which can just as lively and captivating as the Chinese festivity.

Must-see spectacles

There are other revelries to enjoy and can be relished most in the environs of the popular and preferred Koh Samui tourist accommodations. At the ShaSa Resort, for instance, no stone is left unturned to ensure that guests in its facilities at the southern edge of the island can fully partake of the delights of holidays celebrated by the townsfolk. One of the enchanting spectacles to witness is the Loi Krathong or the Festival of Light traditionally celebrated in November.

There are special occasions too in between these festivals typically accompanied with parades, temple offerings, food fairs, and various entertainment fare. One of these is the Koh Samui Children’s Festival, which pays tribute to the younger generation, creating an occasion likewise for family-oriented activities. The island’s tourism officials, moreover, organizes cultural events and presentations in Koh Samui’s Nathon district.

What the markets offer

Besides the rich collection of festivals in Koh Samui, simple visits to the local markets will allow more than passing glimpses at the remarkable culture of the islanders. One superb stop is the market at Lam Din, which is located toward the island’s west coast, behind the expansive beach of the Chaweng district. Other alternatives can be explored at the Hua Thanon fishing village and at the fresh food market in the Nathon area.

Fairs around Koh Samui temples are also common throughout the year. These fairs venture around the island from village to village. The more elaborate of these endeavours can live entertainers, fortune tellers, and food stalls, with a Kung Fu movie thrown in, yet another manifestation of the diversity of the island’s cultural offerings.    

Koh Samui Island Adventure

Ever snorkeled in clear water beaches? Well in Koh Samui you can
Photo Courtesy holidaysinthailand.com

Thailand sure has many island resorts to offer tourists, and Koh Samui is but one among them. Located at the Gulf of Thailand, off the east coast of the Thai mainland, Koh Samui may pale in comparison when it comes to size, being in fact smaller compared to other local attractions like Phuket and Ko Chang.

Koh Samui comprises of just 247 square kilometres, making it the third largest Thai island. Koh Samui’s attractions, however, more than make up for the less acreage. For one, it has its own airport that conveniently links with the Thai capital of Bangkok 800 kilometres from the island. The one-hour flight from the capital can extend from 10 to 13 hours for those who opt to travel by train or bus plus a ferry ride.

Growth in tourism

Taking a trip either by air or overland and ferry would be worth it as the offerings of a Koh Samui travel trip are truly legendary. Tourist arrivals in recent years have swelled to about one million annually, affirming that indeed tourism in the island has gone a long way from those times when only venturesome backpackers came to partake of the island’s many offerings.

Accommodations available too have metamorphosed dramatically. The choices of lodging facilities in the island have grown not only in number but in variety as well. The alternatives in modest beach bungalows of previous years have grown to include facilities such as posh hotels like the ShaSa Resort, one of the most enticing attractions at the southern end of Koh Samui.

Local delights for the taking

Thai food is another draw that has remained a consistent source of delight. The cuisine native to the island typically consists of seafood prepared with fresh coconut milk and chili seasoning.

More of these delights can easily be experienced as there’s only one main road which circles the island, enabling a quick look at Koh Samui beyond its tourist enclaves. Taking the smaller roads branching off from the main highway can unveil the way of life in a rural Thai village. Some of these by-ways also lead to interior mountainous areas best explored with a hired motorbike or a jeep.

Those averse at stepping out of the beaten path should check out destinations like the Santiburi golf course. This is an 18-hole championship golf links at the northern section of Koh Samui. Dexterity at woods and irons can be likewise tested at the Royal Samui Golf and Country Club and at a tamer, nine-hole layout at the island’s Bophut district.   

The Delightful Waters of Koh Samui

With waters like this no wonder Koh Samui is such a popular attraction

From water springs life, a truism that holds even more true in Koh Samui, a major tourist destination for Thailand whose pulse beats to the lapping of the waves around its impressive coastline. Koh Samui beaches, flaunting pristine white sands, constitute but one of the trademarks that have endeared the island to tourists, both foreign and local. Off these beaches too are the marine offerings in the crystal clear environs of the Gulf of Thailand, enabling activities that have molded Koh Samui as top international travel destination.

Tourist-oriented establishments have made the island’s affinity with the sea as central to their development. At the southern end of Koh Samui, for instance, the ShaSa Resort was built with its own section of a beach for guest to better partake of the bountiful leisure activities the island’s waters have to offer.

Year-round sea offerings

What’s even more fascinating, an exploration of the island’s waters is practical the whole year, given Koh Samui’s favourable tropical environs. Besides swimming, the diversity of the island’s marine life can be enjoyed anytime of the year. This being so, Koh Samui has etched a prominent mark in the map for sites of divers seeking venues for their holidays. To top it off, you don’t need to be as skilled as the disciples of Jacques Cousteau to enjoy the island’s underwater world. Snorkelling too can provide as much fun as scuba diving at the near-shore reefs around Koh Samui.

For seasoned scuba divers, of course, there’s no substitute to going all out to the deep and experience the challenge of drop-offs at dive sites around the island, which are varied, colourful, and diverse. Must-visits for these intrepid of the deep are the National Marine Park and Sail Rock, day-long sorties to which can be arranged with local dive tour operators. A trip to any of these destinations also need not be confined to diving, as kayaking can also be incorporated into the itinerary.

Exploring nature and more

This opens more delightful discoveries to be unravelled. One of the most memorable experiences that can be had, for example, is an interlude with the hidden lake at the Ang Thong Marine National Park. In addition to this “golden bowl” are the groups of fifty limestone rock islets, which too have made the park so attractive to nature explorers.  Paddling amid these intriguing rock formations can indeed trigger realisations that Koh Samui and its waters have so much to offer.

Diving the Koh Samui Coral Reefs

Breath-taking coral reef and fish can be found in Koh Samui

One of the best ways to get the most out of a visit to Koh Samui is by plunging underwater; and this is for a good reason. Tropical coral reefs, immensely more brilliant and colourful than anywhere else in the world are one of the prime Koh Samui attractions. 

Diving, indeed, is one activity that would be among the best ventures for any tourist bound for Koh Samui. Visitor enjoyment of the island’s coral reefs forms part of most tourism promotion materials enticing people to this remarkable Thai destination. Posh tourist establishments, such as the ShaSa Resort lording over Koh Samui southern edge, will have a brochure or two on how diving around the island can be enjoyed best.

Dive lessons onsite

Even those yet uninitiated to the skills needed to enjoy the underwater offerings of Koh Samui can have some elementary training in scuba diving in the island itself. Many of the dive shops and tour operators in Koh Samui have certified PADI instructors who can walk the tyros through the basics of diving.  Diving lessons and tours won’t be too expensive to take, and could be packaged in one deal.

Beginners, of course, should not forego of certified instructors and dive masters, in the interest of safety.  Diving with a group is ideal, and at the very least done in pairs. While diving can practically be enjoyed in Koh Samui anytime of the year, the best underwater visibility is from May to September. At these times, the monsoon season is relatively more quiescent and, therefore, the Gulf of Thailand waters tamer and clearer. This being so, an interlude with the marine life inhabiting the coral reefs can be more enjoyable.  Transit to and from dive sites would be more convenient too.

Diving in good company

As a parting shot, the diving community in Thailand, as in most parts of the world, is an environment-conscious lot. Local divers are one in spirit with advocacies seeking to preserve the ecological balance in our planet. Certainly, visiting tourists would find their company as delightful and enlightening in any adventure in Koh Samui’s deep.

Rare Experience in the Koh Samui Triathlon

Enjoy the Triathlon in Samui. It's one of the only ones held in Thailand annually
Photo Courtesy samuiindex.com

As any sports aficionado would know, joining a triathlon is a gruelling experience that can somehow be lightened in a competition held amid a fascinating venue like the island of Koh Samui in Thailand.  You need not be a competitor though to enjoy this annual event, which is usually, scheduled each April as yet another addition to the things to do in Koh Samui. 

Just watching the triathletes, many of which are also tourists, take up the challenge would be as exciting, with the series of sports discipline they had to undergo en route to the finish.  Seeing competitors huff and puff along the way would be enough for some spectators to wonder how these intrepid souls managed the will to get up in a fine morning and pursue a race that would surely faze the uninitiated.

Test of will and endurance

Conceivably, not a few of these triathletes are billeted at posh accommodations like the ShaSa Resort at Samui southern tip where they could have taken a more leisurely stroll along the beach. Yet, they have chosen to test themselves in a gauntlet of sports undertaking which starts with a four-kilometre swim, followed by a cycling leg for 122.6 kilometres. 

And to cap these all, there’s still a 30-kilometre marathon run to tackle, thereby compiling a total distance of 156.65 kilometres for the entire triathlon race. Given the triathlon’s incomparable test in athletic ability, it comes as no wonder that each finisher of this race, regardless of placings in the order of finish, are typically given the honorary title “Iron Man” (or “Iron Lady” for the females).

Fat purse for champions

The top finisher of the Koh Samui triathlon this year, Australia’s Courtney Atkinson, finished the race with a six-hour clocking and earned the 800,000 baht top prize. In the distaff side, Melissa Hauschildt was only 10 minutes behind Atkinson and pocketed half a million baht in prize money. With such a generous purse, it comes as no surprise that this Koh Samui event continuously draws the elite in the world of triathlon. This year, the world’s top ten of these competitors were among the total of 200 participants in the race.

The support of local and authorities has contributed much to the success and popularity of this race. The Samui municipal government along with the support of Department of Tourism–Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Thai Airways, and the Tourism Association of Koh Samui organizes the triathlon itself.