Koh Samed

 I have been so lucky to have a slew of visitors this past month: first my wonderful family and then my friend Costanza, who I have known since I was 3. Having visitors has not only been tiring, but it has also been extremely interesting on their take of the place that I have come to love and call home. I had prepared myself for the obvious things that would bother them: trash everywhere, traffic jams, air pollution, raw meat sitting out for hours, and sub-par safety standards. But it's the little day-to-day activities that I now find mundane and routine that caught me off guard. I know that Thailand is not for everyone, and both my friend and my family were extremely accepting, but it was interesting, and sometimes hard to hear what is wrong with a place that I love so much.

Because I am on a budget and my friend Costanza wanted to see a Thai island, I took her to the closest island the only way I knew how: a minibus. I think minibuses are the greatest inventions. They are cheap and go just about anywhere since so few people own cars. However, a major downside to minibuses is that you are crammed into the bus with only enough room for yourself. Anything extra sits on your lap. Though I warned Costanza about this, she was sure her small suitcase would fit onto her lap comfortably for the 1.5 hour bus ride down to Bangkok. Luckily, Thai people are fairly forgiving and helped her find a place in the front of the minibus for her suitcase. Though this was a minor inconvenience that was quickly remedied, it is one of the things I have become so accustomed to that any Western traveler would not expect.


After 2 minibuses, we arrived in the Rayong province of Thailand. We were quickly approached by people telling us they could get us to the island in a mere 10 minutes by speedboat. As nice as the speedboat was, we were dropped off on a random beach--in the middle of the water (Costanza's sneakers AND pants got soaked), and then made to pay our 200 baht to get on the island. We had to find a taxi to get to our hotel. We quickly found a pickup truck with seats in the bed of the truck and were taken over to our hotel on the dirt, pothole-ridden road. Our hotel was situated on some rocks right above the ocean and gave us a beautiful view of the mainland. Since it was only noon Costanza and I were able to explore the island a bit.

I was amazed by the vendors that walked up and down the
beaches all day. This man had fried squid on one end and
the tools and ingredients to make papaya salad on the other.
If someone wanted papaya salad, he would make it for them
right there.

The island is a national park. There is one area with paved roads that is lined with Western food restaurants, guest houses, and of course 7 Elevens. The main beach off of this street is lined with hotels and restaurants, some of which offer fire shows at night. Though the beach is crowded, the water is crystal clear and the sand white and fine. We spent a couple hours laying on the sand, basking in the water, and drinking a couple of beers while watching the sunset.

The next day we decided to spend the whole day in the sun and walk down the island along the coast. Koh Samed is great in this way because it is just beach after white sand beach, separated by some rocks.  It was completely manageable and we saw 5 of the beaches the island had to offer, all getting less crowded as we went down. We would walk down a couple of beaches, find one quiet enough, and park ourselves on the sand until we decided we wanted to move on. 

sunset from our hotel room

We ended our lazy day by going to the only beach on the west side of the island, which offered many nice hotels and one of the best sunsets I've seen in Thailand thus far. It is also a good snorkeling spot and we had to watch out for sea urchins and star fish as we waded out into the shallow waters. It was a gorgeous and relaxing day.

We had to leave the island around noon the next day to make it back to Ayutthaya. I prepared for massive traffic jams and hold ups, as when traveling in Thailand you always have to add at least an hour on to your ETA. We were pleasantly surprised when we got back to Ayutthaya only 5 hours after leaving Koh Samed, especially since it took us 6 hours to get there.

Me and Costanza at sunset

Overall, I would say that Koh Samed has some of the best beaches and water I've encountered in Thailand. I wish that I had been able to get down to the south and seen some more deserted beaches, as it is quite touristy since it is not too far away from Bangkok. It was a different type of vibe than some of the other islands I have stayed on, but would recommend it in a heartbeat for people who want an easy way to see a beautiful Thai island. 

There are four 7 Elevens on the island: 2 here and 2 across the
street from each other just up the road.