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After two days in Bangkok we took a short flight down to Koh Samui, one of Thailand’s eastern islands. Koh Samui reminded Jay and I of the North Shore of Oahu. The beaches were amazing, the water was warm, and area was not heavily developed. We both agreed that if we were to ever live in Thailand this would be the place.

The first night we arrived in Koh Samui we spent about an hour looking for a place to stay for the night. The week of Christmas and New Year’s is Thailand’s busiest week of the entire year, so we could not find a room anywhere. After finding a great little bungalow to stay in, we decided to take a boat ride to the neighboring island of Koh Phangan where one of Thailand’s infamous Full Moon parties was happening. We arrived on Koh Phangan at around 10:30pm. When we arrived we weaved our way through people filled streets to a beach on the opposite side of the island. There were more people on this one, moonlit beach than I have ever seen before. The combination of these people having been on this beach for hours and the fact that the local people were selling sand buckets full of liquor for about $2 made for some wonderful people-watching. There was live music, fire dancers, and drunk people everywhere. After a few hours we returned to Koh Samui by boat because we wanted to wake up early to enjoy our first full day on the island.

We spent the next day on Koh Samui riding elephants (another entry in itself that will be posted tomorrow), exploring the island by scooter, and relaxing on the beach. We rented a scooter for $6 a day and started off around the island. We didn’t end up making it all the way around because we kept finding so many things to stop and look at. In Thailand they drive on the opposite side of the road. Due to this fact, I decided not to drive and let Jay figure out the intersections on his own. I don’t think I was the best scooter passenger though, because I found myself screaming quite loudly when Jay went down the wrong side of the street a couple times.

We stopped for a rest at a beautiful beach called Chawang. The beach was pretty full of tourists but the sun and the sand felt amazing. Jay decided to go for a swim and I opted to stay on the beach. I was glad I had when he came running out with bites all over his feet from “Sea Lice”. The locals clam they are some sort of red worm that lives on the sea floor. As most of you know I don’t do well with any creature that lives in the ocean, so I was quite hesitant the rest of the trip to get into the water.

Minus the Sea Lice Koh Samui was perfect. If you are ever planning a trip to Thailand, this island is a must. We only spent two days on Koh Samui and we both wished we could have stayed longer.

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