Bangsaphan to Koh Samui

Our original plans were to spend a few days relaxing in Bangsaphan and then hop on a bus to the point of departure for the island of Koh Samui.  When we tried to arrange for a bus or a train we realized that Bangsaphan was a little more off the beaten track than we had thought.  There were no busses or trains that we could access to get to the ferry so we had to spend a chunk of bhats and hire a driver to take us.  We eventually made it to the ferry and enjoyed a beautiful crossing to Koh Tao, Koh Phanang and finally to Koh Samui.  The water was definitely getting bluer and the landscapes were postcard perfect.

Koh Samui is a popular island that has been marketed quite heavily as one of the marquee Thai island destinations.  The marketing efforts certainly seem to have paid off.  Although it was supposed to be the quiet season is seemed far from quiet to us.  We spent four nights on what was pegged to be one of the less developed beaches, Bo Phut.  It was beautiful but it was obvious to us that “less” is a far cry from “un” when it comes to development.  We had a great time and enjoyed swimming, walking on the beach and wandering around a “traditional fishing village”.   As we ate breakfast each morning we watched the fisherman cast their nets and haul in their catch.  The mix of 711’s, hawker booths, 5 star resorts and traditional longboats was really interesting but we did find that traditional Koh Samui style is quite different from traditional Peggy Cove style. 

We were glad we squeezed in the TRX and found a perfect spot for it on the beach at Bo Phut

Every where in Thailand you can find "spirit houses", small wooden houses where, you guessed it, spirits live. Most Thais have these in their homes.  People regularly stock these houses with food and offerings to keep the spirits happy.  Fearon is in front of the one that was in our resort on Koh Samui. 

One of the things that drew us to Koh Samui was that we were able to get our second round of immunizations there rather than in Bangkok.  It was definitely not a tough place to hang out for a while and we managed to get round two of shots out of the way and head to the smaller island and to the even more tropical paradise of Koh Phanang.