Koh Samui
Trip Start
Sep 03, 2007
1
183
219
Trip End
Jun 17, 2009
Koh Samui,
Thailand
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
We therefore waited in another area until our flight was called and then boarded the new Airbus A319, with plenty of room. The highlight being that we were sat in an emergency exit row and I was duly appointed as door monitor.
A smooth but cloudy flight, during which they managed to serve a drink and a chicken croissant, which was quite tasty, before we were descending into Koh Samui, a small island in the south of the 'Gulf of Thailand'.
As a domestic flight there were no formalities and all three bags came off amongst the first, so that was a good start. The somewhat pricey taxi, but then we are on a small tourist island, took us to the north along very narrow roads, through practically shanty towns and we arrived at our beach resort three quarters of an hour later.
Welcomed by a fresh coconut drink whilst we checked-in, we were then shown to our room, a very comfortable and well fitted out chalet. The rest of the afternoon was spent settling in and a walk down to the beach and explore the resort's facilities. This had been booked as a 'chill out' break after the trip round Vietnam and Cambodia and we were both glad of the chance to stop in one place for a week.
The site is on a slope down to the beach, with many criss-crossing paths leading to the chalets. There are three swimming pools on different levels and the main restaurant is next to the beach, which was white sand with large boulders and palm trees, on the edge of a sheltered lagoon.
After a walk along the beach we returned to our chalet, showered and changed and went for a 'happy hour' cocktail before dinner. It was a Thai evening with a buffet and Thai music and dancing. The food, especially tiger prawns (Yep - just can't get enough of 'em) and entertainment were very good, including a session of 'join in Thai dancing'. Norah has threatened to show the video if I ever get out of hand!
After the entertainment came the resident Phillipino guitar duo, who rounded off the evening nicely. The chill out has started.
Wednesday October 1st
Up whenever we fancied and down for an easy breakfast, before returning to change for a 'beach'day. On the way back I called at the local dive shop counter and booked a couple of day's dives. We then sat on the sands on loungers and read (or dozed), enjoyed a snack lunch and went for a swim in the warm sea in the mid afternoon. More read / doze and then back to change for a light dinner and relaxing night. An easy day.
Thursday October 2nd
Alarm clock at 6am - whatever happened to the easy day? Yes, it's a dive day and we're on the truck (bench seats in the back of a pickup truck) and bouncing across the island, back past the airport to 'Bo Phut' harbour, where we board our large dive boat.
It's a two hour plod out to the small twin rocks at 'Angthong National marine Park' and we kit up and enter the water. What!!!!!!! The visibility is less than five metres, just like a bad day in the UK as the sediment whirls round us in the current. The rocky, coral and sponge strewn sea bed is covered in silt and we have to look hard to see the fish around us. To make matters worse we experience a stinging sensation and as we surface we find that Norah and the snorkellers have all been stung and even though it is not serious, they have all needed vinegar treatment for the stings. It turns out that this is caused by Sea Lice who inhabit these waters - you never get that at Fleetwood do you?
This is not the Thai marine paradise I was looking forward to and over lunch we motor to the other rock. I went for the second dive as Norah sadly decides to stay on board. The visibility was a little better and we manage to see a few more fish but nowhere near the classic dives of other locations. It's still enjoyable to dive and the less noteworthy dives highlight the special ones.
We plod back to port and are then trucked back to the resort. Yes I did enjoy the day, a good job really as I've booked for another dive trip tomorrow. Fingers crossed it'll be better.
We enjoy a light dinner in the restaurant by the beach. They do very good salads which are a change from all the spicy but good food we have been eating for a while.
Friday 3rd October
Alarm clock at 6.15am and I'm on the dive truck at 6.45. Norah has decided to have a lie in as there is no snorkelling today on this site. I join the full boat and we head out from Bo Phut again and pass the east side of the neighbouring island of 'Koh Phangan', which is dotted with holiday resorts. Like Koh Samui, the island has low, palm tree covered hills in the interior. The sky is overcast and half way up the side of Phangan it starts to rain, the heavy drops splattering the sea around us.
After three quarters of an hour the rain stops as we clear the island and continue north, where a small rock is visible in the ocean. Our two and a quarter hour journey ends as we moor this 'Sail Rock'.
Ok, let's see what we've got here. The dive briefing outlines the site and the fish we can 'maybe' see, with sometimes the 'maybe' including a whale shark, the ornately marked giant fish over ten metres long.
Jumping into the sea the visibility is over thirty metres - now this is something like it! The island slopes steeply down on most sides with rock ledges, cracks and gullies. All areas are populated with fish of many types and sizes, from tiny clown fish hiding in the anenomes, bright yellow butterflyfish, swarms of damselfish and a big shoal of one metre long barracuda sharing a rock face with big, silver tuna.
We circle the island slowly, enjoying this colourful display of activity. Passing by a deep gulley we spot a grey reef shark making his way along the bottom. We ascend through a rock chimney where moray eels swim in front of us into the wide cracks. The fifty minutes passes too soon and we surface for the swim back to the boat.
Someone shouts "Whale shark". I look under the water where the sun's rays make it difficult to spot anything and do not see any sign of the fish. The large white shape? No, only a big rock distorted by the ripples from the surface.
Second dive, after lunch and we descend onto the big slab of rock ready to set off towards the island. As we group up there is a 'howling' in the water. Someone is 'shouting' to us through their mouthpiece and as we turn we see a whale shark cruising round the rock, level with us. This fabulous, ten metre long, beige coloured fish has decorative dark markings offset with rows of big, white spots. He passes by us with slow beats of his giant tail, the sunlight shining down on him and he is accompanied by twenty, half metre long remoras, who are cleaning him. They disappear into the gloom, leaving us to dwell on this magnificent sight, something I had never seen before.
My dive team regroups and just as we are ready to set off the whale shark circles the rock again. Prepared for him we are able to get a better look at his sleek body and his markings as he passes.
Trying to get on with the dive, where we had already been lucky enough to have seen the star act first up, we head towards the rock island and circle it again in the opposite direction. The clouds of fish are all around us with multi coloured wrasse and small angel fish feeding on the rocks. We hit a slight current and slowly drift along the slopes, like leaves in a breeze, relishing this wonderful experience.
Near the end of the dive we are starting to ascend and the 'howling' comes again. It's a second, slightly smaller, whale shark passing below us and as I drop to be level with him on his way by, he looks at me, neither hurried nor bothered by my presence but calmly passing on his way. This was an absolutely magical experience for me and will never be forgotten.
Sadly it was time to surface and the long plod back to Samui, with just the memories of this superb day's diving.
In the resort Norah had resumed her chill out process and had an easy day. We went for dinner in the restaurant, which has three sections; an indoors and two open levels under cover, next to the beach. The theme night was 'sea food', where we enjoyed enormous tiger prawns (I'm starting to wonder just how big these can get), squid and snapper. Definitely a good day!
Saturday October 4th
OK - back to the chill out. A late start, leisurely breakfast - keeping to the non dairy I was enjoying the fresh, warm croissants here, especially with the great range of preserves from jam, many types of marmalade and even a delicious coconut spread. There are quite a few mynah birds hanging round the restaurant at breakfast time and they are great opportunists for nipping in and pinching bread from any unattended plate. If there are no pickings available, they sit on the walls and whistle and chirp away. Quite entertaining really.
We sat on the beach, trying to keep in the shade as one drawback with our malaria tablets was that we were less tolerant of the sun. By 1pm it must have been in the mid 30's and we came in to do some internet mail catchup and then rest in the villa.
By 4pm it had cooled a little and we went back to the beach. I swam in the sea for a while whilst Norah read and then we swam and played ball in the main swimming pool. It was going dusk at 5.30 and we returned to the villa to shower and change for dinner - another hard day at the beach.
The dinner this evening is an 'Asia Night', with a big range from all over the east including sushi, dim-sum, tempura, curries, noodles and other spicy dishes. As we arrive we decide to treat ourselves to a 'happy hour' cocktail and plum for a caipirinha. The young barman made a delicious concoction and it was the second best I have ever tasted. Maybe we should repeat this trip and include a survey on cocktails around the world? Any sponsors out there?
The Asia buffet was excellent and as we finished eating and sat listening to the resident Filipino guitarists, a big thunderstorm erupted out at sea with fabulous sheet lightning bursting across the sky, lighting it up whilst the thunder rolled in. We just made it back to the villa before the rain started.
Sunday 5th October
Another lazy start on a clear blue morning. The night storm seemed to have made it less humid and after breakfast we sought the shade near one of the swimming pools and kept out of the hot day's sun.
A couple of Thai girls from the hotel spa tempted Norah to go for a massage and she reappeared an hour and a half later feeling even more relaxed. We lazed away the rest of the afternoon before I went for a swim in the warm sea and then we both played for a while in the swimming pool. Then shower and change for dinner.
It's 'Italian Night' and as well as the range of spaghettis and pastas, with many different sauces and stews, there's mozzarella (even if it is French) with tomatoes and basil and anti pasti meats. Another delicious meal and additional ammo for blowing holes in Donald's weight loss theory. Dinner was accompanied by the Filipinos, who have quite a sense of humour and they keep asking for requests. We've hit them with Dire Straits and Cliff Richard, which they brushed off easily, so last night I mentioned Engelbert Humperdink. Let's see what happens tomorrow night.
Monday 6th October
The usual late (9.30am) start and at breakfast it felt more hot and humid than ever. We didn't fancy baking on the beach (anyone want to swop places?), so after confirming flights and making arrangements for our leaving tomorrow, we sat in the fan cooled lobby, caught up with some internet and then worked on the backlog of photos that need filing and labeling. Drinks from the lobby bar kept us going, especially fresh coconut, which the bar girl opened with a machete - not arguing with her at chuckin out time! The coconuts are always chock full of liquid and delicious and when you've drunk it, the fruit inside is soft enough to scrape out with a spoon.
Late afternoon and a last swim in the sea. At 29 deg it's like walking into a warm bath and as we don't know when, if ever, we'll experience this again, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Showered and changed, we started to think about packing but that'll keep 'till tomorrow.
A final cocktail and then dinner of steak and lamb. The Filipinos didn't come up with Engelbert but we did get some Commodores and Elvis to finish off the evening.
It's been a good relaxing break here and we're ready to move off to somewhere new.
