samui book

EDITION 1.

Publisher

Colin R Burgess

Editor

Debra Yantis

Art Direction

Colin R Burgess

Layout & Design

Feel-Plus Studio

Photographers

Colin R Burgess

Feel-Plus Studio

Wachara Kireewong

Mike Yantis Writers

Dimitri Waring

Debra Yantis

Printed in Bangkok

Published By

The Five Islands Publishing Co. Ltd. The Five Islands Beach 348 Moo 3 Tambon Taling Ngam Koh Samui Suratthani Thailand 84140 E-mail samui@thefiveislands.com Web www.thefiveislands.com

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from the publishers.

Copyright 2008 The Five Islands Publishing Co. Ltd.

Introduction

5

A Brief History of Samui

6

Samui Map

10

Nathon....a walking tour

12

Nathon Map

20

Samui Coconuts

32

Maenam

34

Maenam Map

40

Bophut....Fisherman's Village

54

Bophut Map

60

Water Buffalo & Cockfighting on Samui

72

Chaweng

74

Chaweng Map

80

Lamai

96

Lamai Map

104

Hua Thanon....a walking tour

116

Hua Thanon Map

128

Taling Ngam....& the South West Coast

140

The Interior....& the Magic Garden

150

Index: Restaurants / Resorts / Shops etc.

158

5

Throughout history, Koh Samui has been simply a beautiful obscure island, sparsely populated and virtually unknown. Today it is a Super Star, with visitors flocking from every part of the world.

Little is known of the early history of the island. Few records were kept and it has only been in the last 150 years that it emerges with any distinct identity from the backwaters of time.

More is known about the mainland. For 700 years, until the 14th Century, Suratthani, the closest region on the peninsula, was the northernmost point of the sprawling Kingdom of Srivijaya, which meandered down through today's Malaysia and included Sumatra in Indonesia. Pattani, in the south of Thailand was home to a number of European traders, who by all accounts enjoyed a fairly relaxed lifestyle by the standards of those days. The inhabitants were well-disposed towards them, and enabled them to set a foothold on the peninsula. It is unlikely they would have had reason to come to Samui.

Little changed on the island, and by the mid-nineteenth century, Samui remained in obscurity with a tiny population living in fear of pirates from what is today Malaysia and Vietnam. Most of the islanders preferred to live inland, cultivating their crops on higher and more tranquil ground.

A strong fishing community established itself at Baan Hua Thanon. These fishermen mostly descended from Sea Gypsies, nomads who lived off the coasts of Malaya and who eventually converted to Islam. Today's fishing village remains in many ways unchanged, one of the few communities on the island that keeps to its traditional livelihood.

Samui's influences didn't only come from the south. By the 1850's, China, to the north, was undergoing some frightening transitions. With the Opium War, rebellions and economic disasters, Chinese traders from Hainan began to think that life might be easier elsewhere. Many chose Suratthani as a place to start new lives, and today the region counts a high proportion of Thai-Chinese. A number of traders came to Koh Samui, landing on the west coast, where they chose Nathon to be their new home. The tiny settlement, numbering some 20 people initially, blossomed into the original residents.

Chinese style shop houses and a temple were built, and can still be seen today in the heart of Nathon.

Children were taught in the temple, and links were kept with the mainland. More Chinese continued to settle elsewhere on the island, some bringing their own dismantled homes with them from Hainan, and erecting them on Samui.

Nathon became the island's capital, but remained a tiny port where a few passengers would disembark. Boats would take them to other destinations around the island, or they could go on foot, an even lengthier process. There were no roads, only tracks, and with mountains coming right down to the sea in places, communities remained a lot more isolated than they are today. They lived by fishing and farming, with Samui's chief export being the coconut. Eventually the whole island became a huge plantation. Today, a million coconuts a month are dispatched to Bangkok.

Many years were to pass before the farang, as the Thai's call white people, were to discover the island. There is no record of who first ventured to Samui from the west, but just before, a young islander, Suwit Nantapanich, later to become the head of the island's hospital recalls a seaplane landing in the waters off Nathon: A group of people with white skin got out, and walked for a while on the beach. Then they left. Suwit was not to see them again, nor is there any record of who they might have been.

WWII came and went, leaving Koh Samui unscathed. However, while withdrawing from Singapore at the end of the war, a Japanese supply ship escorted by two warships was sunk between the fishing village of Baan Taling Ngam and the Five Islands. It was bombed by two British aircraft, setting off the magazine, resulting in explosions and intense fire - there were no survivors. The escort warships opened fire and one of the aircraft was shot down near the village. The warship was salvaged from the ocean some years after.

7

It wasn't until the 1970's that the first western visitors came to Samui. Often referred to as 'the first backpackers', many in the holiday business feel duty-bound to be grateful to them for 'discovering' Samui.

Yet in retrospect they are viewed as impoverished adventurers. One wonders why. If they had little money, they also had little need of it. They had stumbled across a tropical island where both hospitality and curiosity met them at every turn. They were welcome to stay in the villagers' homes, though it wasn't long before the first accommodation was built for them. For many years, there had been just a single hotel in Nathon, but with the new arrivals, entrepreneurial islanders began to build holiday huts, simple but adequate places, which only later were to become more sophisticated. The farang and the Thais generally got along well together, though occasionally there were bizarre culture clashes. Juan Martinez, one of Samui's longest long-stay residents recounts how a band of German nudists finally exhausted the patience of their hosts. The villagers were angry, and armed with sticks. The police were there, standing by. The villagers told the nudists they had had enough. It was time to get dressed again.

Westerners loved Koh Samui, and were quick to remark on the loveliness of this unspoiled island.

Life was relaxed here, a fact not lost on the inhabitants themselves; nobody locked their doors, and children were welcome everywhere, and could wander in and out of neighbours houses. Electricity didn't exist and luxuries were rare. Even cigarettes were hard to come by and might necessitate a lengthy journey to Nathon. When television arrived, it was treated much like the cinema, with neighbours gathering around a single set and each paying a few Baht for the privilege of watching.

What dramatically changed the culture of Koh Samui was the building of the Ring Road, a process that finished in 1972, with the single track road linking the communities of Nathon, Chaweng and Lamai.

Roads had already been built, but were a source of frustration. If you wanted to go from Maenam to Nathon, for example, you'd have to take a taxi as far as the hill at Kho Laem Yai, and then actually walk up the hill and down the other side before taking a second taxi!

With the road complete, more backpackers came, and gradually Koh Samui began to make a name for itself. Expansion continued in the 80s and 90s, with the island becoming ever more up-market. Not only that, it became more accessible, too. If you're reading this on Koh Samui, then chances are that you arrived in luxury, by air. Just a few decades ago, the only possibility of getting here was to take a cramped cargo boat from the mainland. An option for the very determined, but the rewards on disembarking made up for the discomfort.

That was then.

Since those days the island has undergone such enormous changes that some visitors, returning after years away, find it unrecognizable. Some embrace the new Samui. Others shake their heads. Almost everyone knows that progress has come at a price, and that the island's ecology is threatened. Still beautiful, if not everywhere, Samui meanwhile continues to attract thousands of holidaymakers each year, and many find they just cannot return home thus deciding to make Samui their new residence.

By your very presence here you have become a part of the ever changing, ever evolving Koh Samui culture. The island embraces us this way and we feel part of something. And it is true. Koh Samui allows us to relax and feel things we just can't feel at home, or at least not in the same way. Beyond the sands of time are the golden rays of sun, the white sand between your toes, the music of the waves and the sounds of the jungle. Despite the development and crowds, these things are ever present for our enjoyment.

9

Bang Por

Laem Yai

Nathon

Five Islands Beach

Taling Ngam The Five Islands

Laem Hin Khom Laem Sor

Thong Krut 10

Ban

Mae Nam Choeng Mon

Bo Phut

Chaweng

Lamai

Hua Thanon

Laem Set

ng Kao 11

Perhaps it's the heat, or perhaps the thousands of t-shirts hanging in the shops really do befuddle the mind – but unfor tunately most folks who come to Nathon will leave having missed out on its treasures.

Nathon is full of contradictions and surprises. It stands quietly on Samui's west coast, overshadowed by the highlands behind it, a gap in an enormous smudge of green, best seen as you approach by boat. As you get closer still, it appears larger. Yet really it isn’t. It remains just a teasing break in trees. Ninety percent of the island remains a combination of farming land and forest, though it's hard to believe while navigating the Ring Road, a clock face of concrete and woeful architecture.

Upon arrival in Nathon, you are surrounded by the familiar literary template for the tropical port described in so many undistinguished novels. The fishing fleet of small boats, nets to be cleaned, gives way landward to a collection of once white, but now mould-spackled buildings. Here lies the low-key local administration centre for the island, offices complete with everything one expects of tropical bureaucracy: the rubber stamps, dusty plastic flowers on windowsills, the slow moving ceiling fan, flimsy seating for those forced to wait, and outside the lacklustre cafés for when it's over. All subject to the fickle weather, the punishing wet heat and the bursts of sunshine. So far so predictable.

Beneath it's dull exterior of everyday duties Nathon is a bastion of Thai-ness and serves up some of the quirkiest surprises Samui has to offer. None of which are of course signposted. You must look for them.

And that is best done on foot, as Nathon deserves to be ambled through.

Walking along the main street, there's shop after shop selling lightweight clothing, surly Nathon could compete in a global competition for t-shirt capital of the world. Tourists stumble around in the heat stultified by sheer quantity. This is the least expensive place on the island to buy clothing, but as tasks go, it requires the stamina and resolution usually associated with endurance sports. On the narrow pavement, you'll find yourself having to step round the conveniently (NOT!) placed electric poles directly in the middle of your path. Don't ask…it's a Thai thing, you'll get used to it.

Begin with the brilliantly ornate Chinese Temple (just a hundred metres behind the Siam City Bank). It was built by Hainanese arrivals when they came to Koh Samui in a wave of emigration in the mid19th Century. A pair of dragons with spiky tails cavort across the roof of the main portal, while inside a plethora of mini-shrines, all lavishly decorated, make for some excellent photographs; the colours are already Kodakbright. No need to adjust the camera settings. The temple is filled with Chinese mythical animals, gods and goddesses, and pots of incense. It is one of Samui's architectural gems but gets little attention. You may find one of the temple guardians inside – they always make visitors feel welcome – or someone making an offering, hoping for good luck or success.

Even if it's set back from the main road, the temple is still the local focus of attention, and plays an important part in Nathon life. It's also a kind of social club, as it has always been since 1862 when the temple was officially consecrated. During Chinese New Year, you'll get a taste of how the old traditions are still as exciting and alive as ever. To the deafening sound of firecrackers, children dressed as Chinese dragons shin up 6-metre poles and perform dances, while in the evening displays of Chinese acrobatics culminating in ritual fire-walking, when scores of Nathonites, men, women and children step out across burning embers.

13

Leaving the temple, walk back to the main road and turn left and continue on to the market. For many of us, a chief culinary delight is seeing fresh-picked fruit and vegetables, and experiencing the smells and textures through the whole taste and sensory spectrum from crisp to tender, scents and colors unknown.

While in Thailand, a visit to any local market always is an inspiration.

Despite the growth in tourism, agriculture is still a way of life for on Samui, and Nathon Market has always been a hectic sales outlet for the island's produce. A huge selection awaits your discovery, and if you are from the west, it's quite likely you may not have seen much of what's on display. Depending on the season, you'll find yard long beans, water spinach, bitter gourds and angel loofahs – odd names, but delicious tastes.

As for fruits, Samui can count plenty of them, with the durian being perhaps the most famous of all – or rather infamous. Luckily its taste is completely different to its foul smell, which causes it to be banned in many places. In fact, hoteliers hate the odour so much they place elevator signs showing the fruit with a large, angry cross through it: they say the stink gets inside the air-conditioning.

By the market there's a small road, also worth exploring. Cheap eateries with on-street tables and chairs make for meals where you can relax and take in the hubbub around you. And there's always plenty going on. Vendors in lampshade-style hats squat and sell whatever they've recently acquired or found: ancient pottery, tin toys from long ago, all kinds of trinkets. Meanwhile, a foot or two away, small children eagerly tend Thai-style barbecues – simple clay buckets filled with glowing charcoal, topped by mackerel, baking slowly.

Inside the main hall, the vendors go about their business in astoundingly relaxed fashion, given the sheer lack of elbowroom. Wander through the stalls, and you'll see all the Thai dietary staples, and there not only fruit and vegetables, but meat and fish, too - so fresh it needs no refrigeration. Niched into the market itself, clothes stalls jut out, offering jeans, school uniforms, and of course the ubiquitous t-shirts, seemingly Nathon's most popular retail item.

You may perhaps by now be feeling hungry. Simply continue along the main street and turn left by Samui Mart. Right behind the department store you'll find one of the town's most popular places to eat.

Brother Mang's or as it is more usually called, the Duck Restaurant is a welcoming, friendly place. Just about everyone comes here and you'll find office workers, whole families, couples, friends and so on. It's typically informal, without ceremony of any kind.

The restaurant layout is the reverse of anything you'd normally find in the west. As you enter the cooking area is right by the entrance, next to the dishwashing stand. Ducks hang in rows from hooks, a vat boils, and a chopping board stands at the ready. The interior is filled with tables covered in bright plastic tablecloths while on the wall you'll see the menu, which comprises just 4 main dishes, duck and pork. To finish, there are typical Thai desserts from the food cart out front.

Duck is relatively seldom found as restaurant fare in Thailand, and is more associated with the Chinese; this is one of the few places in Nathon where it's to be found. The owner is himself Chinese, and ensures that the best quality ducks are raised here in Samui. The food is prepared in the small hours of the morning with the ducks being cooked in a variety of ways, making for simple but great tastes.

15

From the restaurant, return to the main road turn left then take the first right. A few metres down you'll come to Samui Shoes. It's a small well-established workshop in providing all kinds of footwear not just for Koh Samui, but also far further afield, with exported products reaching Japan, Europe and USA. The shoes, sandals and boots come in a surprisingly wide and cosmopolitan variety, and those in the know have been coming here for years. Snake skins hang from shelving, while above them check out sepia photos of native American Indians on horseback – a more rugged way of life than is usually called for in Nathon.

If you're interested in having a pair of shoes made, the store's proprietor, Nimit Meefuang asks you to plant your feet on a big ledger while he draws an exact diagram of your feet and then measures them. The footwear is mostly made using hand tools in a traditional process that has hardly changed over the years. As a result, you can walk away with shoes that provide a perfect fit and great comfort.

Shoes and bags may be made in other materials, including cobra, stingray, lizard and crocodile skin. Whatever your choice, stitching is done by hand, ensuring that the products are far stronger than machinemade.

The friendly little store was the first shoe shop to open on Koh Samui and has been in operation since 1984. They'll also repair shoes and handbags, and can strengthen sports shoes, whether new or old.

Nimit keeps all details on computer making it a cinch to re-order via a simple email. He counts delighted customers from all over the world. Prices start from around 850 Baht up. Samui Shoes also stocks wallets, buckles and other leather accessories, as well as hats and bags.

16

The temple isn't the only example of Chinese architecture in Nathon. Enter the lane that's almost opposite Samui Shoes, usually known as Middle Street and you'll come to the ancient heart of Samui. A row of wooden shophouses, built by the first Chinese immigrants around the turn of the twentieth Century fronts either side of this slightly crooked street. Large wood shutters can be folded back revealing the shop within, which may also double as a communal room. Sepia photographs of families adorn the walls, glass cabinets containing wares stand stolidly centre-stage, but most of the commerce has long since departed and the street is quiet.

What remains isn't exactly traditional. You'll find a stationer's where an old man stares off into space, while school exercise books gather dust in the gloom. The ancient, almost submarine silence is broken by a brand new photocopier whirring in the background. There's also a karaoke bar that comes alive only at night, and is handily located near a massage parlour, its logo uncannily resembling a coffin. It seems to say, 'We warned you, didn't we?'

And it's not the only warning in the street. Just where you entered it, there's a traffic sign, on the back of which you can read a sticker that announces, 'The wages of sin is death'. No doubt placed here by Samui's small but growing Christian population, it's an indication that while Nathon may not be the proverbial melting pot, it's open to the outside world. The same goes for the whole of Thailand; it's a country that prides itself on being tolerant of different creeds and beliefs. Whatever, the prevailing traditional influence is still Chinese, and though the wooden shophouses may look neglected, the culture that gave rise to them is much in evidence, still, and to be seen all over the island.

17

On Middle Street, take the second lane on the left, and head down to the sea. If by now you're feeling like a coffee and snack, you may like to stop off at the Art and Craft Café. It's on the beach road if you turn right.

The unremarkable exterior hides an inside that looks a tad like an Antarctic explorer's log-cabin. Plank walls and cloth screens give the café an old-time atmosphere, and there's a pleasing lack of modern materials. Browse the varied collection of artifacts produced by wellknown artist June Kerdsompong and her team – there's a lot to choose from. A pair of louvered doors holds hand-made cards, while glass cabinets contain hill-tribe handbags, candles and a range of chunky locally produced cups, pots, saucers and dishes. Paintings line the wall, with many contemporary style portraits of the Buddha, some of which are intriguingly stamped with gold leaf, adding an exotic touch. Prices remain reasonable, and many people come here for presents.

The café serves excellent coffees and teas, as well as muffins, cheesecake and shakes.

A refuge from both the sun and the rain, About Art and Craft is fan-cooled and a pleasant place to hang out, and is highly convenient if you're waiting for the night market to open – it's just over the road.

18

By day the parking lot is simply a wide open space, but come 4 pm a veritable mobile catering corps pushes laden food carts through the streets of Nathon to converge on this otherwise empty square. Within minutes the seafront location starts its daily metamorphosis into an open-air eatery, complete with tables and chairs, and a variety of food. Night markets are to be found all over the country and this is one of the best known on Koh Samui.

It's a fun, cheerful place. Take a tour of what's on offer at the stalls and buy whatever takes your fancy, then eat at one of the tables.

This is pick 'n mix at its best, no need to feel you'll cause offence if you buy from more than one stall.

The atmosphere is very laid-back. Just come and take part: enjoy your food just as people all over Asia are doing – feasting on rickety tables under the night sky, chatting with friends and family.

19

Samui Coconuts – Sustainable Comfort Food One might not think such a scrubby, hairy little brown ball could evoke romantic images, yet the lowly coconut is the universal icon for balmy island beaches, white sand, umbrella drinks, delicious food, and fragrant oils.

However, the coconut is not just another pretty face. It has provided sustenance for island societies for thousands of years. This humble nut gives food, shelter, tools, clothing, cosmetics, and medicine that continue to endure today.

In fact the island of Samui would not exist, as we know it, had a sprouted nut not floated across the sea from Sri Lanka and rooted itself to become the defining feature of the people and the land.

The long history of this crop can be seen in the broken down WWII jeeps and trucks still used to haul the harvests for sale and processing. To cut down the ripe coconuts, the farmer uses a jerry-rigged bamboo pole of remarkable length with razor sharp knife on the end. And where would we be without the trained monkeys that perform their duty by scaling heights unattainable by man? Not to mention the surreal sight of them riding on trucks, motorbikes and even bicycles 'rocking out' to some primitive beat.

Coconut houses and fences are still being built as always and the dried leaf thatch roof is a lovely sight as well as a highly skilled craft.

Something about the coconut just feels satisfying and nourishing --- which it is! The oil is a superior “good� fat and a powerful anti-biotic used topically. One can actually survive fully nourished on the water, milk and meat that accounts for the vigorous health and beautiful skin we admire in island peoples. Considering the many facets of the coconut, one cannot help but be inspired by its inherent sustainability and to be grateful for its utility to the human race. But even if it were not so practical the flavour and scent alone render the coconut a Superstar.

32

33

Maenam (The River) could be given a prize for hiding its natural beauty; perhaps its town planners – if they ever existed – were trying to camouflage it as an urban nonentity.

During the rainy season we understand its name as it is the first village to go under in a deluge of rain and flooding. It is located in a “rain shadow” therefore it gets too much rain followed by too little during the hot season. These extremes are reflected in the character of the village.

Drive through Maenam on the ring road and what do you see? Crumbling cement buildings, furniture warehouses and small hardware stores. In the midday sun, the town appears to have the urban equivalent of a hangover, a generally blanched, exhausted look. Hardly appealing, inclination is to head elsewhere. As with Chaweng, there’s not even a glimpse of the sea, and you might think you were a long way inland.

This is Maenam’s worst side, but it is another world once you turn off the road. What you don’t see at first glance is a wonderful bay, untouched, fronted by slender coconut trees, deep water in places, and a permanent summer air. No vendors here, no noise from the road, and beach dwellings tend to be small groups of chalets, popular with those on small budgets. The beach is also home to the Santiburi Resort, one of the island’s very first luxury hotels, and still going strong. Together with the golf course of the same name, it gives the area an added cachet of excellence. Maenam has remained very popular with holidaymakers ever since they first started coming here – those who know of it, that is.

35

From Maenam, those with pioneer spirits, lots of stamina and weighed down by bottles of water may attempt the crossing of the entire island via the best of a bad bunch of roads and tracks.

Start off at Soi 1, and follow the concrete road through the village. There’s a small shop on the left after 200 metres where you can buy enough drinks to stop dehydration for the next few hours. This part of the road is very easy to drive. It’s concreted and makes a beeline towards the heart of the island. On the way you’ll come across a shrine, and unusually for Samui, it’s for a buffalo. It’s worth keeping an eye out for.

Housed on a simple wooden platform with a corrugated iron roof, you'll find the buffalo’s skull, a photograph of him, and some offerings. Come past in the evening, and you’ll be likely to be surprised by a tiny red eye in the growing darkness – a lit incense stick.

Continue up the road and gradually the valley sides close in and become ever steeper. It’s planned that the road will eventually become concreted all the way across the island, but at the time of writing, work is at best sporadic with the road advancing a few hundred metres before the workers are moved onto other projects. Wherever it currently runs out, the original dirt track takes over. Watch out for ruts and decide if your transport can handle the daunting gradient that’s ahead of you. Shortly afterwards you’ll come to some chalet accommodation and a restaurant and bar in the middle of nowhere. Currently, it’s the last chance you have of seeing civilization for a while.

The track is even steeper after the chalets, and added to the dangers, it’s covered by loose stones and grit, making it very slippery. It looks more like a ski slope at this point than a road. Needless to say, it’s easier going up than coming down. Continue on until you come to an abrupt watershed, with views of both the north and south coasts. It’s a good spot to rest up before following the track all the way down into Lamai.

It hugs the side of an enormous valley, and once you reach the plain on the other side, the track branches out into numerous lanes. It’s hard to get lost as the valley sides are high enough to be seen almost all of the time.

On a less strenuous note - Wat Napalarn, on the west side of Maenam is one of the few temples to be located right by the sea, and engraved on stone is a commemoration of King Chulalongkorn’s visit here. The beautifully located wat is a fine place to visit and take a swim in the sea, and is a favourite beach for locals. A handful of food carts fronts the sea and you can eat right here or on the sands themselves. It’s a great spot for relaxing.

Views from Maenam bay are of Koh Pha-ngan and its entire southern shore. Further out to sea, though often invisible, the elongated shape you see on the horizon is the island of Koh Tao, famed for the beauty of its diving spots.

It’s possible to walk the entire length of Maenam beach most of the time, though you will have to ford streams here and there. During heavy rains, however, those streams may be a lot fiercer, and crossing them impossible.

37

Maenam’s centre is the 7-Eleven on Soi 4, which at times looks a lot more edgy than it really is. In the evening a few food carts set up here, tables and chairs come out, and the area turns into a makeshift spot for eating. Along the ring road, various restaurants offer both Thai and western food.

From the 7-Eleven, Soi 4 runs in one direction straight to the sea.

Here, you can take the slow boat to Koh Pha-ngan, and much like a bus, it drops you off at one of the bays anywhere from notorious Hat Rin all the way up to idyllic Tong Nai Pan. The boat leaves at midday every day from January to September inclusive, and less frequently at other times. For those who have had their fill of Chaweng and Lamai, there’s a feeling of escape when they take the boat to Samui’s neighbouring and lessdeveloped island. Others prefer to set down their bags in Maenam, as it combines quietness with the proximity of a few shops, bars and restaurants.

About 50 metres off the ring road (see map) is Koseng Restaurant. Here you are likely to see a well-known political figure or member of the royal family enjoying lunch or dinner. Koseng is a purely Thai restaurant where you can try delicacies such as shrimp in coconut curry, fried beef in oyster sauce, as well as other Thai favourites. Owner Churairat Udom is likely to be on hand herself. It was her parents who gave her a love of cooking, who as a child she’d watch preparing meals in their small eatery.

Gradually she got into the habit of making food herself. Years on, she has acquired a nationwide reputation for fine cuisine.

Meanwhile, the road that leads off Soi 4, right by the sea, is worth exploring. It leads straight to Maenam’s Chinese temple, a beautifully photogenic building recently refurbished. Vivid colours abound, and mythical animals are to be seen everywhere. Stepping inside means entering an altogether more magical world, and given the noise level of the firecrackers lit both here and the neighbourhood, plenty of people believe in that magic. Head from the temple down to Café Talay, where you can find good standard international and Thai food right by the sea in a large bohemian-looking wooden sala. It’s a well-known place for foreign residents to hang out, and attracts a fairly artistic crowd at times.

Maenam has long been the preferred place for many foreign residents to stay. Housing in this area tends to be humble and usually rented rather than purchased. Quiet, tiny tracks and paths lead to small houses with gardens that produce a wealth of fruits such as mangoes, kapok, cashew nuts and papaya. Of course, there are the ever-present coconut trees. A simple life? Many of the residents seem to have forgotten they ever lived anywhere else; the vast majority would never return to the West.

For the moment, Maenam remains largely undiscovered, and a place to get away from it all. It’s worth checking out at the very least. And for some people a quick stop-over has turned into a never-leaveagain experience.

39

From its quaint name, Fisherman's Village sounds marooned deep in the past - the kind of place where everyone sits on the jetty for hours with rod and line hoping to reel in the next meal. However it is nothing like this. Fishing is still one of the local concerns, but the fisherman in question has long since become an hotelier, publican or restaurant owner. Some of the old waterfront houses that were once home to boats have been gentrified and are given over to tourist ventures. The rest is more recently built. Despite the corny name, you'll find it a favourite place for both holidaymakers and foreign residents.

One of the particular joys of the Village, as it is called, is that you can walk everywhere. From the T-junction at Bophut traffic lights on the Ring Road, a street leads directly down to the sea meeting the beach road. Fisherman's Village is getting big on neon, but the raucous atmosphere of Chaweng or Lamai is totally absent. Taxis don't honk here every time the driver sees a western face, and traffic is extremely limited. It's not quite a pedestrian zone yet, but it's getting there. People walking along don't have to worry about high curbs and squeezing past crowds on narrow pavements. Here you can amble along in safety. There are no girly-bars either. As you walk along, you can hear yourself think. Party Town, it isn’t, and you shouldn't be surprised to see people heading off to bed early.

Early mornings are so sluggish in Fisherman's Village that you may wonder if the entire population has been abducted by aliens during the night! Happily, you have the place to yourself. By midday things are perking up, but evenings are when the streets come alive; everyone is out and about, slowly perusing the restaurants and shops that line the beach road.

Here are some of the islands top-notch restaurants serving all variety of international and Thai cuisine, and variations on both. This is the place to be quaffed with wines that would be quite hard to find in their country of origin, let alone here. A stone's throw away, you'll find theme pubs with big screen TVs, just like back in the UK where you can watch the BBC or sports while being served fish 'n chips. It's extraordinary that some people come half way round the world to savour what they had at home, but such places are so popular that there are always new ones being built on Koh Samui.

55

You'll see fresh fish on ice displayed outside restaurants, feel the heat coming off of the glowing embers of a barbeque, and be tempted by smells of some of the world's favourite cuisines. Dining tends to be al fresco or in the shelter of salas, but either way, there's always a cooling breeze circulating from the sea.

Since the restaurants all face the street, the best tables are in the back where you find patios with extraordinary views of the bay, and in the distance, Koh Pha-ngan - idyllic to say the least. After a fine supper and good wine, you can explore the beach at leisure.

Traditional Thai culture is to be found at the store diagonally opposite Coffee Junction. This shophouse features Kaffee Boran, or traditionally brewed Thai coffee. It's one of very few places on Koh Samui where you can do so. The drink is made with homegrown product, which is placed in a cloth bag, over which boiling water is poured. Each time, just one cup is made. Condensed milk is added if required, or drunk “dam� or black. It may come as a surprise that Thailand has a coffee industry at all, but both Arabica and Robusta are produced within the kingdom. The nearest coffee plantations are just over the water on the mainland, but the heart of the coffee industry is in the cool hills of the North around Chaing Mai. Like the humble chili, coffee isn't native to Thailand. The first crops of beans date back to the 17th Century. Those who enjoy strong, thick and sweet coffee will enjoy Kaffee Boran.

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Further along the ring road to the West, you'll find a number of creatively designed resorts such as the Anantara and Zazen. Meanwhile the eastern side is quieter and the more traditional of the two halves.

Here, there are fewer restaurants, but niched amongst old Chinese shophouses with their wooden faรงades are newly built up market hotels with understated lobbies, chic rooms and elegant swimming pools at prices far more accessible than their western counterparts.

Fisherman's Village, although becoming quite touristy, remains a highly popular destination. A long sandy bay fronts the restaurants with water that remains deep even when other beaches are too shallow for swimming. This is a favourite with local Thais, not just tourists, and you'll see whole families here during the clear afternoons. With its large range of restaurants, accommodation, clothing stores and pubs, Fisherman's Village remains essentially Thai providing a small but relaxed beachside resort area. From the road, you can still see the sea in many places. Thankfully the village is still far from being swamped by buildings. Let's hope it stays that way.

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Water Buffalo and Cockfighting on Samui Ah! From where do they arise, these primitive urges in otherwise civilized beings? Wherever these passions originate they certainly exist in every culture in various forms. Let’s face it – the old buffalo tilling the rice and the roosters running around the farm are convenient forms of entertainment in pre-industrial agricultural society. No television, no Play Station…

However the fascinating bit is this urge to watch animals fight and the betting that accompanies which still remains a driving force in every culture. Koh Samui is the heartland of the sport of Water Buffalo Fighting indigenous to Southern Thailand. Unlike Spanish bull fighting, the two buffalo face off and lock horns until one goes to his knees or runs away. No fight to the death. Here as in many Asian countries this sport derives from ancient practices as sacrifices to the Water gods during festivals. After the fight the losing bull was slaughtered and a great feast followed for the whole village, thus giving thanks for full bellies as well. These sports and festivals are still practiced today throughout Asia, India and China.

Another ancient activity born of barnyard boredom is the gory sport of cockfighting. Again it has universal appeal and is found in every culture. Cockfighting originated in ancient China around 500BC. Like Water Buffalo sports it took on symbolic meanings of courage and gallant fights to the death. It also reflects early mans fascination with natural selection and selective breeding. Thus the proud preening and careful raising of these birds are the pride of their owner’s knowledge and skill at animal husbandry.

One controversy that surrounds Buffalo fighting and Cockfighting (aside from the brutal mutilation of innocent animals for entertainment!) is the frenzy of betting and gambling that is as attractive as the sport itself. In Thailand gambling is illegal and against Buddhist precepts. Further, the free flowing liquor and heightened excitement has been known to lead to brawls and mayhem – another ancient sport.

Buffalo fighting is a regular event on Koh Samui and very popular at New Year and Songkran Festivals. Cockfighting is strictly for the locals but one may find it while driving the back roads. If these traditional sports are of interest to you they can be found on Koh Samui for your viewing pleasure – that is if you have the stomach for it.

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Chaweng, for some, is a dulcet holiday by the sea, whilst for others it’s a high-octane, nervefrazzling tour of mayhem and chaos. If you want to understand the town at all, then one way is to imagine it as having a multiple personality, and a conflicted one at that. Depending on where you are in Chaweng, one or other of its selves is dominant. As you walk around, you may go in just a few metres through some surprising urban changes. From old wooden Thai houses decked out in neon to cement prison-like structures housing whole families. The dual role of tourist shopping and eating entwined with “special” massage offers and fully costumed transsexuals – one may experience a giddy rush on first encountering this surreal seaside town, or you may feel disturbed that such a place could ever exist.

Generally, it can safely be said that Chaweng has gotten more than a little out of hand – some may say horribly so. Others give it a hearty thumbs up. Three decades ago, when the place was just a sandy strip of beach with an unmade road, neither residents nor visitors dreamed of such a future.

Approach Chaweng by sea and you see instantly why every guide book votes it the best beach on Koh Samui. It’s this long, long bay, gently drawn out between two, distant, rocky headlands, and best of all its framed by the whitest looking sands with trees just behind. Hard to see much in the way of houses, and no sign of any roads. Step off the boat and you wade through shallow water to the beach. Since it’s always a popular place, Chaweng is the most crowded beach on the island, but unlike the Mediterranean this is not where towels overlap and you can read the book of the stranger next to you. It’s more spacey, and you'll never have that fish ‘n chip smell that you often get on a UK beach, either. So far so good. And if you're staying in some excellent hotel by the water, you're in for some very fine times. This is what you dreamed of when you thought of the Tropics, and lucky you, you found it, too. This is perhaps Chaweng’s most glamourous personality, and the one that holiday brochures all like to concentrate on. Hole up in your hotel and use the beach-side exit only and you'll never know any different.

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Use the other exit, however, and you'll most likely be gobsmacked. Here’s the ‘beach road’, a seemingly innocuous name for the stretch of shops, stalls, restaurants, bars and hotels with rarely a glimpse between the buildings of the sea itself. Great Expectations could be the tagline for the five kilometres of entertainment that’s promised by this urban strip, and if you're looking for hedonism served up on a plate or in a glass then this must be one of Asia’s prime spots. Nights, the road is a disturbed river of light, its pavements paced by anyone and everyone curious enough to be drawn here – and everyone is, sooner or later.

In high-season, the road’s filled with crowds, few Thai, strolling along, and what was once a dirt track has become intensely urban. The atmosphere, though hectic, is at the same time mostly friendly and in its own way, laid-back. Taxis crawl the street, honking at anyone who looks western, and it’s easy to step into a cab and just leave it all behind. Meanwhile, a steady trickle of small, flimsy motorcycles overtake the taxis heading as fast as they dare towards destinations they seem unreasonably determined to get to. Most people, however, have little idea of where they're headed – they're flummoxed by so much choice.

Whole stretches of the road resemble other stretches so there’s often a sense of déjà-vu. A lot of places look the same, basically, and well, probably, are the same. Franchises are springing up, and not just that, bars and restaurants sometimes copy each other. Chaweng has its Starbucks, McDonalds and Haagen-Dazs – and maybe by the time you’ve done with Chaweng (or it has done with you) you'll be enthralled by nostalgia and in need of a bit of bland internationalism. Nights are, of course, the most lurid time to see Chaweng, afternoons tend to be over-heated and everything looks as tacky as in Khao San Road. Venture out on a low-season morning, and you may find a blanched, empty street. But don’t get too elated. Chaweng is going to wake up sooner or later and you'd better be ready when it does.

As the night gets underway, so does the sex trade. This being the tropics, bars are open-air and there's a definite lack of furtiveness on the part of the buyers. Prostitutes are rarely referred to as such and the cheesy expression ‘bar girls’ is the one bandied about. But you don’t need to go into a pink lit bar to find a hooker. Many places you go will have them, and the ‘friend’ you suddenly make ends up charging you for the ‘friendship’. Unless you're particularly naïve, the relationship can be seen for what it is from the outset, but some get fooled, others pretend not to know. The results speak for themselves, and hospitals report a typical scenario: as the end of a holiday approaches, a guy starts to get a bit nervous, realises his behaviour hasn’t been at all safe, and comes in for tests. By now he’s worried: back home he wouldn’t dream of going to a prostitute. But here…well, it was a holiday, a relaxing one… Some leave the hospital visit to the last minute, not too late for the test, but too late to hear the verdict. It's sent by email, ready for when they get home.

Meanwhile as the night gets underway, so does the sex trade. This being the tropics, bars are open-air and there's a definite lack of furtiveness on the part of the buyers. Prostitutes are rarely referred to as such and the cheesy expression ‘bar girls’ is the one bandied about. But you don’t need to go into a pink lit bar to find a hooker. Many places you go will have them, and the ‘friend’ you suddenly make ends up charging you for the ‘friendship’. Unless you're particularly naïve, the relationship can be seen for what it is from the outset, but some get fooled, others pretend not to know. The results speak for themselves, and hospitals report a typical scenario: as the end of a holiday approaches, a guy starts to get a bit nervous, realises his behaviour hasn’t been at all safe, and comes in for tests. By now he’s worried: back home he wouldn’t dream of going to a prostitute. But here…well, it was a holiday, a relaxing one… Some leave the hospital visit to the last minute, not too late for the test, but too late to hear the verdict. It's sent by email, ready for when they get home.

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At the southern end of Chaweng Lake is Laem Din Market, another area that’s close to the main action but would seem to be a thousand miles away. Some holidaymakers find their way here, most never do. It remains a local Thai preserve, with its food market being the largest on the island. Most of the fresh fruit and vegetables that you'll find in Chaweng restaurants come from here. Not only do you find abundant variety but excellent quality, too. But there’s more than food on sale here. Follow the Laem Din Market road and you can have a pair of shoes made, an entire office wired up for internet, buy enough crockery to start your own restaurant, or have a manicure, pedicure or hair-makeover. There are plenty of clothes-shops too, with questionable fashions and very weird hybrids. Who would, for example, design a Burberry look-alike shirt and add a Nazi swastika to it? And who would buy it?

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Just behind the 7-Eleven on the northern part of the lake road, you'll find a smaller market and then tucked away two restaurants with good reputations for great seafood. Take a seat and try some of the best food in the area, and at the same time enjoy the Thai atmosphere – few tourists even know that this spot exists.

There's a tiny lane that leads off from the restaurant and looks for all the world like a dead end. If you follow it, you'll see very small houses, and even some made of coconut wood. It’s a whole little community here, and if you look hard enough, you'll find that even in the dense shopping heart of Chaweng there are plenty of spots where people live. Follow the present lane right to its end and don’t be distracted by the fact there's a chain link fence. There's a door in it which leads straight onto a covered market and back to the beach road. Thailand’s urban cartography can get extremely complicated: lanes that look like they lead somewhere important simply stop, while tiny alleys can yield the unexpected. Needless to say, such places are best explored when the sun’s up, not after a pile of drinks in the middle of the night.

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At first glance, Lamai may appear to be another Chaweng on a smaller scale, However, once you get to know this seaside town you will recognise Lamai for it's unique character. Lamai's geography is truly impressive. Once you're away from the sea, an enormous valley opens up; its walls, though not vertical, are high, steep and long, and resemble a landscape out of a sci-fi film. Few people live on these slopes; hike up here and you'll find a few huts – no real villages. Still further up, you'll come to Koh Samui at its most unspoiled, a wavy-topped plateau and jungle, a green labyrinth where it's all too easy to get lost. The valley floor meanwhile is a place of quiet little hamlets, where life continues much as it always did.

The centre of Lamai life is its temple, which is found on a right-angle bend on the Ring Road. It is a whole complex of buildings and houses Samui's only cultural museum. This museum is so rarely visited you may have to wait while the guardian opens it up for you. They're happy to see visitors, and you'll be given a warm welcome. Once inside, the museum has an abandoned air with dusty exhibits, many of which are only marked in Thai. Preserved under glass you'll see something of how people once lived in Lamai. There are ornate carved animals in wood that act as coconut scrapers, collections of pots, pans and cups - life here was restricted to simple staples, as it was in the whole of the island. You'll also see oil-lamps, an abacus, and farming implements. Signs of modern times creep in too: a decrepit typewriter (who could have foreseen the island's huge number of Internet cafĂŠs?), a radio and a gramophone, still with a record on it. However, you get the feeling that for a long, long time Lamai held out against modernity, or at the very least, wasn't very interested. It's the age-old artifacts that predominate: check out the wooden bells that were hung around buffalo's necks so that people would know where they were, the monks' fans, and the whole range of simple, hand-crafted objects that formed daily life.

Away from the museum, the rest of the temple remains very much a buzzing place, with plenty going on. Usually there's a monk in residence who offers blessings and a cotton bracelet – a widespread charm you'll see on both men and women. Simply kneel on the floor in front of him and he sprinkles water over you and intones a prayer, and gives you your bracelet. Flimsy as it looks, it may last longer than a year. The Wat is one of the largest and busiest on Koh Samui. If you arrive while people have gathered to mourn a death, you're still welcome to walk around, but it's best to keep some distance from the hall, where the wake is being held.

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Leaving the temple, you'll see a row of shops across the road to your left. Polpala House stocks some of the best and oldest antiques to be found on Koh Samui. The unpretentious faรงade hides an array of Buddha statues, ornaments of all kinds, as well as a jumble of knick-knacks. Prices are fair and there's something to suit every budget.

Next door you'll find a smaller shop with glass-topped counters selling what might appear at casual glance to be coins. These are in fact amulets, and play an incredibly important role in the life of the country.

Everywhere Thai men, and to a lesser extent, women, wear what might seem to be simple medallions. Look carefully and you see that they are in fact stamped with religious motifs and are thought by the wearer to offer protection. Some must need it badly, as they are almost draped in chains with not one, but several of these lucky charms. The amulets are also of great importance on the road, and many believe they are saved from accidents by carrying such a talisman. You'll also find them hanging from the inside mirrors in cars. Occasionally the driver is more careful about making sure the amulets don't bang together while he's driving than paying attention to what's happening outside the car - you'll see him steady the chain hanging down from the mirror, and even worse, hardly bothering with what's going on outside the car.

The amulet trade has its ancient roots in India where monks used moulds to make votive tablets.

These were small enough to be carried by pilgrims and devotees, and marked a visit to a temple or sacred site, but also acted as a focus for meditation. Much of Indian culture made its way to Siam, where, later votive tablets were found buried in temples; most were made of clay, but some were silver or gold.

It was towards the end of the 19th Century that the votive tablets began to become more than the sum of their parts; people started to ascribe protective powers to them. Over the next few decades a new cult had been born, and in the last couple of years it's been given still further impetus: not only are antique amulets collected, but new ones are being made by monks. You'll see large banners advertising the sale of amulets, and their popularity is set to continue. Perhaps too much so. Recently a sale of amulets at a temple attracted such a crowd that when the gates opened, people rushed forward and a stampede ensued, and one person was trampled to death.

Some monks disagree entirely with the whole idea of amulets, saying that one of the aims of Buddhism is to relieve people of the suffering caused by superstition and ignorance. Meanwhile, those who believe in the amulets say that it's important to follow the Buddhist precepts that underpin them. The practice continues meantime, with amulets selling for anything between a few baht and upwards of a half million.

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Leaving the amulet shop, follow the road and after a few hundred yards you come to the market.

It's fairly small as they go, and perhaps due to this there's plenty of light under its roof. Prices are marked, too. The stallholders sell all the typical Thai staples, and everything is not just fresh but well presented – ideal for photographing, if you've remembered to bring your camera. As you exit the market back on to the main road, there's a small covered restaurant that has a good reputation and is worth trying. Otherwise, continue along the road to the Lamai Food Centre, a handful of restaurants offering mostly Thai food. They're all very much workaday places, none standing on any ceremony. Expect good food at cheap prices.

Away from the bustle of the town, Lamai beach is another world entirely, with its long swathe of sand leading south to the rocky headland of Hinta-Hinyai, worth seeing for its beauty alone, though many come simply to photograph its bizarrely phallic rock formation known as 'grandfather rock'. If you're hungry and looking for a place to dine, about a hundred metres south of Hinta-Hinyai is Sabinglae, a local restaurant with a reputation for great Thai food.

At the north end of the beach, right on the sands, there's a curious building, which is, part shelter and part shrine. Fluorescent garlands are strewn across its roof beam, which has been decorated in tiny squares of gold leaf. Wooden elephants sit under it, and you'll come across one of Thailand's enduring mysteries: on the shrine you'll see what purports to be a photograph of a Naga, a mythical serpent. In the photo no less than 14 army officers are holding up the long, wavy snake and grinning into the camera.

Underneath, the inscription reads, 'Queen of Naga’s seized by American army at Mekong River, Laos Military Base on June 27, 1973 with the length of 7.80 metres.' The photograph looks genuine, but is hotly disputed. No matter, you'll find copies all over Thailand, as well as a belief that Naga’s really exist. It could well be the case; the photo is a lot more substantial than the blurry, distant shots of the Loch Ness monster.

The beach road in Lamai is much like the one at Chaweng, and caters mostly to tourists. Some people are shocked by it, others love it. Among all the shops and businesses, in the street itself and the lanes leading off you'll find a fair number of beer-bars and girly-bars. Lamai makes no pretence at hiding its seedy side and nights can be as lurid as you choose. Nobody's repressing anything here.

Much of the artwork for the signs outside the girly-bars, both here and Chaweng, seems to have come from the same febrile brain: many of the women in the signs are depicted wearing boots (just what tropical weather dictates, of course) and panties. Some lean against a pole, others are seen playing pool. But the gear doesn't vary that much. Whatever, it's clear what's on offer.

Away from the bar life, the town centre provides all kinds of accommodation from 5 star resorts to tiny wooden huts framed with flowers with views onto tiny gardens. Lamai is a more diverse place than it might seem at first glance. Next to a simple stall of fruit that looks truly Thai, and very traditional, you'll find copies of Playboy, GQ and Time magazine. Tailors sit outside their shops and pass the time of day with you, always on the lookout for new customers. Notices in Swedish tell you to step inside and get fitted up with great new togs. Dogs sleep in the sun, and cats look half patient, half bewildered – like some of the holiday makers. At nights, the entertainment starts and the overheated, overenthusiastic centre of Lamai gets underway once more. The rest remains quiet, with plenty of idyllic spots. A few hundred metres out into the jungle, it's as if bars had yet to come into existence. A verdant, hushed world awaits discovery, and at times the only sound seems to be the falling of a coconut, then the silence returns once more.

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Even while bearing down on him at great speed, the traffic cop at Baan Hua Thanon never moves nor flinches. That is because he is made of cardboard in full-size replica. His affable smile remains fixed in place as his arm points to the right. That's his only job and he does it well, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At the spot where he stands the road makes an unexpected right angle turn. He alerts you to the fact, and you drive on, safe and sound. He's done this for years, no doubt saving many people from accidents.

Recently he's lost that civic right arm. so he stands there rather uselessly. The smile remains in place. Perhaps the arm just fell off, a victim to cardboard fatigue - perhaps he met a darker fate. Who knows?

By the time you read this, the arm might well have been replaced. If it hasn't been, it's only because funds don't permit: this traditional fishing village has been an impoverished area for some time.

In some way the policeman reflects the spirit of Baan Hua Thanon itself. Both are makeshift yet ingenious; some bits disappear while others are added. This quaint Muslim village, one of the oldest communities on Samui, is constantly being patched up and never seems quite as you remembered it on your last visit. It's a place that reflects the changing nature of the sea: always there, but never quite the same.

There's something of a fairy-tale about it: there is the feeling of turning a corner to find yourself somewhere unexpected. It is also grass-roots Thailand and makes no pretenses about being anything else.

The outskirts of Baan Hua Thanon appear unremarkable, however you must venture inside this tight-knit community to get the feeling of the place. Entering the village via Nathon the road is lined with old Chinese-style shop houses and the cardboard policeman at the end. Here you can find a place to park by the 7-Eleven. The store appears glaringly out of place but follow the alley by its side and suddenly you enter another world.

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Here is the authentic Muslim market, the market being focal point of any Thai community, its dark interior filled with stalls selling the freshest fish to be found on the island, as well as meat, fruit and vegetables. It's an all-day kind of place and remains busy all day catering to the outlying villages. There are plenty of motorbikes festooned with plastic bags - everyone's favourite way to carry market purchases home.

The small lane is almost car-free and provides a great place to stroll.

Life here is lived here out of doors as it is in all Thailand. Cooking is done over charcoal braziers while folks sit on tiny plastic chairs eating round the clock. In Thailand there is no 3-square meal regime. Life is an ongoing array of snacks and is definitely so in Baan Hua Thanon. Small meals on bright plastic plates are consumed any time of day or night. With few shop signs in the village, it can be tricky identifying homes from food stalls.

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The village lane wanders on. Everywhere songbirds in ornate wood cages hang gloriously from awnings and trees. This effect gives their tiny inhabitants as well as the villagers a sense of the outdoor world. The cages brass hooks are carved in the shape of swans or mythical beings. Colorful thick cloths lie bunched around them in fabrics far richer than those warn by the villagers themselves. The ornate China drinking cups the birds are delicately painted. These birds are much more than house pets. Motorbikes fly by with large cube-shaped object carried on the passenger's knee – a covered cage with songbird inside is on its way to give a well-attended performance.

Traditional bird singing contests are held across the provinces of Southern Thailand in fields where quiet is guaranteed, and the birds will sing for hours. These are really the only competitions in the country not marked by extremely loud music, though they maybe occasionally plagued by the trill of mobile phones. Some birds apparently even respond to their electronic rivals. With cash and maybe a motorbike or a TV for prizes, breeding songbirds is a popular activity, though one that requires an inordinate amount of patience.

Further along the road on the outskirts of the village you find the Mosque, the cultural and religious centre for this village life. Most of the population is Muslim, having their ancestry in the south of the peninsula.

The lane continues after the Mosque, but there's little more of the village to be seen this way. A few metres away you will find the beach itself. Baan Hua Thanon's true being lies here, rather than in its houses: a whole fleet of fishing boats sets sail from here every morning and brings back rich trawls of fish.

Baan Hua Thanon is one of the rare places where you can still glimpse Khor-lae, traditionally built boats with multi-coloured hulls and intricately carved prows. It is unfortunately a dying art, with only two villages in Thailand now producing the original article. The boats you see at Baan Hua Thanon are part of a long heritage, and are a justly celebrated part of Samui's culture. The vessels, however, are no museum pieces but are used daily. There is almost always someone on the beach tinkering away at an engine, repairing a net, or touching up the keel of a boat.

The atmosphere on the beach is very different to that of Chaweng. No sunbathers or swimmers here. The only people you'll see are the locals going about their business and any time off isn't spent stretched on the sand but under palm-thatched platforms – time to grab a bite to eat and talk over the events of the day while mending nets.

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The dwellings are one or two storey houses, and no two are alike. There are still many huts made of coconut wood, but these days stone-built structures predominate. This is one of the places in the world where architectural eccentricity is encouraged; on the shore you'll find a modern house which is in the shape of a boat, its prow of course looking out to sea, and perhaps reminding its owners of their livelihoods. In the main street, another house is decorated by broken tiles set into cement. If that's not eye-catching, then the orange, green and brown paintwork certainly is.

Back at the 7-Eleven you'll find no need to buy a snack here. On your way through the village, you'll find some of Thailand's favourite street food; tasty snacks such as skewers of chicken meat or bananas barbequing over Tang, or charcoal that may well have been hand-prepared out in the local woods. Other people will be preparing fish or perhaps a Thai-style omelette. No reason to go hungry in Baan Hua Thanon.

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Down the ring road heading towards Lamai, is Baan Hua Thanon's Chinese Temple. After the Muslim village, it has a very different feel. Step over its doorstep into a magic world of gods and good fortune.

In business as in personal life, many believe that good luck will be theirs thanks to a right attitude to the gods and suitable offerings. Troupes of Lion Dancers make their way round Koh Samui's shops, collecting such offerings. You can spot the highly coloured head-dresses tossing and waving to the sound of drums. Most shopkeepers are happy to give a donation. Even if some people don't actively share a belief in luck, many prefer to take an optimistic viewpoint and say that it does no harm – and who knows, a windfall might come their way.

In the temple, Thai written language gives over to old Chinese. Today descendents of the original Hainanese may not be able to read the Chinese inscriptions, however they know the ceremonies. Should you arrive when the temple guardian is present, he will be happy to guide you through the ceremony of the placing of incense sticks. Afterward you may make a donation to the temple if you like.

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The ceremony is the blessing or prayer with the incense. The guardian gathers a large cluster of the sticks, counts them, and lights them. He invites you to proceed around the temple depositing the lit sticks in sand-filled bowls. There are three altars holding over fifteen deities. With their green and red colour faces and dark beards they look quite malevolent.

By the time you've finished lighting all the sticks and placing them in the correct receptacles, the temple is filled with fragrant smoke. The last batch of sticks is lit outside to be raised to the heavens before placing them in the bowl of sand at the door.

A few hours spent in Baan Hua Thanon will show you an unexpected glimpse of a world that's scarcely bowed to modern pressures. Sadly, it's increasingly rare to find traditional Thai life on Koh Samui; the pressure to open up bungalows, restaurants and bars catering for tourists has almost gotten the upper hand over going to sea. But at Baan Hua Thanon, life seems not to have changed in the slightest.

The quiet South-West Coast of Koh Samui has seen the least change of any area on the island. As though time has stood still it is a place far removed from urban Chaweng. Most families go back many generations and are content with keeping that traditional lifestyle. While Baan Taling Ngam residents are not overtly critical about other areas of Koh Samui, they simply tend not to be concerned with them.

Taking the turn off the ring road onto Route 4170, one notes the immediate loss of the drone of a thousand wheels. Big Boy pick-ups and speeding cement trucks are replaced by farmers with makeshift sidecars filled with fruit or coconuts chugging along to market, kids and mums on scooters and many elderly pedestrians.

Off the main road the side roads curve gently into the jungle. Very few mobile phone shops, convenience stores and karaoke joints, gasoline is sold in whiskey bottles; deep, wide views, of flora and fauna open up before your eyes. The air is like a long drink of cool water. The population here is not dense, thus you'll see wide sweeps of coconut plantations and forests that cover hill slopes rendering the area extraordinarily green. As the sun begins to set make haste for the beach for this is the very point of the western sunset. Regardless of the weather the sight is spectacular over the Five Islands and Koh Taen, the mainland in the backdrop – every day brings a new palette of unimaginable colour. This spectacle puts television to shame. If you are near one of the beach establishments, this all goes down well with a coconut cocktail or a beer in hand to enhance the experience.

The natural marshes and rivers are undisturbed here, therefore water is plentiful allowing Baan Taling Ngam village to be a diffused community, with many isolated houses set in the middle of large tracts of land.

Many traditional wooden Southern style long-houses are on view still standing in compounds with other outbuildings of the whole extended family. The river and bays hold the boats that bring in a rich daily catch of fish, while shellfish are collected by hand along the shore. The marshes provide the mineral rich varieties of leafy herbs and green vegetables that grow much like watercress from the damp earth. These are the delicious greens served on the plate with steaming bowls of soup. The life of hunter and gatherer is still the standard here, which may account for the numerous elderly citizens in good health and vigorous demeanor. In the center of Baan Taling Ngam village there are a number of elders over 100 years of age. Thai families tend to care for their own and these folks are shown the highest respect and participate in every activity they are able. Always they are kept company by various members of the family who often sit with infants and children as well. No one is left out or neglected.

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Many of the residents are descendents of mainland Thais and Chinese migrants who made their living through fishing. One of the first seaports was situated here and was used by merchant traders over 100 years ago. Here they sought water and provisions as they sailed throughout the waters of South East Asia. Many of the families in Baan Taling Ngam still live here in their ancestral homes. The area became known as Taling Punk or Damaged Shore after part of the coastline was washed away during a fierce storm in 1900, but the name was changed to Taling Ngam or Beautiful Shore in 1942.

At Baan Taling Ngam village, turn left and walk along the beach until you've passed a small rocky outcrop and you'll come to two small coves, which are barely visited but are amongst some of Koh Samui's best beaches. With palms coming right down to the water's edge, dense greenery right up to the sands, swimming here is a far more idyllic experience than usual. Out to sea you'll see a series of mountains, distant and hazy, fading to purple as evening comes. This is the mainland.

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The center of life at Baan Taling Ngam is the local temple, Wat Kiri Wongkaram. There is a special beauty about this place and real mystery as well. It is the mummified body of well-known monk, Luang Por Ruam, who continues to be very much of a presence at the temple today, even though he died in 1966; his body is on display in a glass case. After his death it was found that decomposition simply wasn't taking place. His body has remained in its mummified condition for over 40 years. Given the fact that the air in Thailand is extremely humid all the time, and no chemicals have been used to preserve the monk, his earthly continuation as a corpse is seemingly miraculous. Apparently, both his fingernails and hair still grow and nail clippings are made into protective charms. You can still see him today, sitting upright in his shrine, where with perfect equanimity he baffles modern science, as well as everyone who comes to see him. Luang Por Ruam was born near the temple in 1879 and in the early years of the 20th Century made a journey to Burma where he was initiated into deeply mystical Buddhist practices. He returned to Koh Samui where he lived a life of purity and meditation.

The busy life of the temple continues. Village activities are held here, and there is also accommodation for novice monks, a funeral building, and large meeting hall – in every way the Wat remains at the centre of the community. It is a friendly place, not at all intimidating, and nor is it in any way eerie, despite the on-going presence of its most famous monk.

In charge of the temple today, you'll find Pra Maha Jarn-Ruan the head abbot, and Koh Samui native. He built the very ornate landmark Elephant Gate entranceway to the village. They are part of a borderland, almost magical, the other side less trodden, less trampled, south-west coast.

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Baan Taling Ngam is close to Wat Praderm and the Chedi at Laem Sor, both of which are worth seeing and are connected by very picturesque roads. This tour is particularly suitable for cycling, as it winds through the least trafficked area on the island. At the Elephant Gate turn left onto the larger road Rte 4170.

Keep straight on until at the top of a low rise you see a very narrow house to your right. Take the right hand turning immediately after the house and follow the gently winding road to Wat Praderm, which is at the far end, and on the other side of a crossroads. Watch out for the occasional pothole on the road, and don't let yourself become too distracted by the scenery of rolling hills.

Despite being a fairly large-size complex, Wat Praderm welcomes the visitor with its quietness, and may be surrounded by a deep hush. At other times, you'll find it's noisy – the temple also has its own school. Three life-size effigies of monks are housed in a special shrine; one stands out for being life-like and is far scarier than the mummified monk at Wat Kiri Wongkaram; his waxy face appears as if it might move at any moment, and the eyes widen and regard you with ferocity. Meanwhile real monks of flesh and blood can be seen at their duties; they live nearby and you'll probably see their bright orange clothes hanging out to dry.

The marble temple is an elegant building and in better shape than its neighbour at Baan Taling Ngam. Both have Cho-fa, one of the most enigmatic of all architectural grace notes. The cho-fa are where the roof ends in long-drawn out ornate squiggles that taper upwards into the sky. No authority has ever been able to satisfactorily explain what they symbolize, but they come in many forms. Thai architecture is rich in symbolism and the meanings of its various features are well documented, but in the case of the Cho-fa, this is not so. Most cho-fa that you see are simple in design, but others may closely resemble a mythic swan, snake or Garuda – the same bird-man symbol you see on banks and government offices.

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The Chedi rises up out of a deserted beach, framed by the dramatic background of distant mountains of the mainland. It's rarely frequented, and only the savviest tourists know to come here. The Chedi is protected by two fierce, green faced Yak-Yai guardians who seem to be the only beings around.

The Chedi was said in the past to have contained relics collected by Wat Praderm's abbot while he was in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal in 1908, but it fell into disrepair following his death. The rebuilt version is however pleasing to look at with its yellow mosaic faรงade, contrasting with the blue sea just behind it.

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As with many things in life we often see only the exterior of a person or place, never reaching into the more meaningful interior where the true essence may lie. This has become a perennial problem for Koh Samui as its identity as a white sand party town dominates the tourism industry.

But for those who are willing to look more deeply into this island there is more to learn and enjoy than just the magnificent seaside.

Historically, the original peoples of Koh Samui chose to live in the valleys and mountains of the island where the land was fertile and the water was plentiful, held by rich plant roots and natural reservoirs. The valleys protected them from severe weather and natural food grew everywhere. Eventually the coconut and Durian crops thrived to become among the finest exports in the world. Even the fishermen held crop lands in the mountains because these were the large scale economies that could be counted on for generations. In the old Samui family tradition the oldest or the “good” son would be given the profitable farm land in the mountains while the girls or the “bad” sons would be given the worthless beach land. Needless to say the tables turned about 50 years later when the beach land became prime property and farmland all but worthless!

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To begin the journey into the mountains from any place on the island, simply turn your back to the sea and head upward. However for a more convenient and satisfying journey the military road known as Radar Road near Baan Saket is a good choice. The paved road is very steep but is well worth the hike or cycle. Once at the near top there are wonderful side roads to explore and places to stop and recover. Magic Garden is one such place and shouldn't be missed. Continuing to the top by any means necessary and any trail you find, will take you about 700 meters high to a breath taking view of Lamai Valley overlooking the Lamai Temple and a near 360 degree view around.

If you head to the hills near Nathon you may come across some very primitive tribal peoples living very far back in the bush undisturbed for generations. They do not speak Thai and are said to be of Burmese descent. They do not leave the valley. The trees and animals are very different here and you may get a few surprise snake encounters. Once at the top you will realise how many deep valleys and ridges there are and how many people make their home in the interior of this island.

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The Magic Garden Returning to the top of Radar Road we hope you have stopped in the cool early morning to enjoy the charming work of art, The Magic Garden. This unique vision of sculptured fairies and animals growing organically throughout this wooded stream was the work of a 77 year old Ta Nim who made his fantasy and delight come true in the cement figures that populate the area.

A flight of rugged stone steps plunge straight down the valley side to the small stream. To the delightful sound of a bubbling stream, the rest of the garden stands inert. It is a thoughtful, beckoning silence that easily draws one into the mood. Here the lush green provides welcome shade and cool respite from the mountain weather. The asymmetry of the valley allows many angled views and dimensions bringing joyous movement to the cement dancers. A sense of wanton and willful escape for the statues rises from the earth.

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Along the valley stand sculpted figures both modern and mythical. Picking your way along the path by the stream a host of beings are frozen even as they appear about to set off down the valley on an extravagant journey. Hands held out in greeting, enigmatic half-smiles on their faces, the hieratic statues embody this desire to burst into life, movement, and mad cavorts. There is motion within these beings yet they exude stillness. Their eyes are fixed on something beyond you with that eerie regard some cats possess - looking through you at something you will never be able to see.

Nature itself has also rendered into sculpture. A giant bird makes a clumsy yet striking addition as he swallows his loathsome prey. More gently, are animals, fish and even a pair of human legs camouflaged by the rocks.

As Alfred Hitchcock liked to appear in his own masterpieces, so has Ta Nim, the creator of this garden. Ta Nim's own statue is found in a small grotto surrounded by incense and offerings. Ta Nim was a small man and it's hard to believe he created this garden single-handed. He was a farmer who fell in love with his land and was inspired to memorialize his dreams and fantasies here. One can imagine him, alone, struggling to express the epic mythologies that would dwarf him as an individual, meanwhile treading deeper into a magic world of nature. Others might have gone too far, but Ta Nim never lost the way back into this world while bringing his magical beings with him.

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Leaving the Magic Garden, you may need refreshments, and these are to be found at nearby Peak Eye View Restaurant, also signposted and just a few hundred metres down another drivable track.

Perched on the side of a vertiginous slope, this small but friendly restaurant has good views of the surrounding area, and Koh Matsum and Koh Tan out to sea. A variety of international and Thai dishes await the hungry. There are also binoculars available allowing you a closer view of the area.

Perhaps while you are sipping those cocktails and getting your hair braided for the big club crawl in Chaweng, stop and give a thought to the interior the soul of an island. There is much more to know here than the circle round the ring road.

Bellini Restaurant & Bar

46/24 Soi Calibri South Chaweng Cuisine: 84320Contemporary Italian Tel: +66 (0) 77 413 831 Fax: +66 (0) 77 413 171

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All major credit cards Open every day

E-mail: info@bellini-samui.com 12.00pm to 3.00pm 6.00pm www.bellini-samui.com until late Briza Resort & Spa

Chaweng Beach Cuisine: International / Thai 173/22 Moo 2 Tambon Bophut All 84320 major credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 77 231 997 Fax: +66 (0) 77 231 990

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Open every day 6.30am until late

E-mail: info@thebriza.com www.thebriza.com

Buri Rasa Village Resort & Spa

Chaweng Beach

Cuisine: Mediterranean food

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11/2 Moo 2 Tambon Bophut 84320 with Asia influence Tel: +66 (0) 77 230 222 Fax: +66 (0) 77 231 838 E-mail: info@burirasa.com www.burirasa.com

All major credit cards Open every day 7.00am until late

Cameron Hansen Gallery

Chaweng Beach Road All major credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 77 422 456 Open every day 1.00pm to 11.30pm Mobile: +66 (0) 89 731 6814 E-mail: contact@cameronhansen.net www.cameronhansen.net

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Chandra 1

14/39 Chaweng Beach Road Chaweng Apparel: Exotic clothing designs Tel: +66 (0) 77 422 311 Visa Mastercard Mobile: +66 (0) 86 606 3639 Open every day Fax: +66 (0) 77 422 311 from midday to midnight E-mail: info@chandra-exotic.com www.chandra-exotic.com

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Chandra 2

200/8 Chaweng Beach Road Chaweng Apparel: Exotic clothing designs Tel: +66 (0) 77 422 311 & bikini’s Mobile: +66 (0) 86 606 3639 Visa Mastercard Fax: +66 (0) 77 422 311 Open every day 3.00pm to midnight E-mail: info@chandra-exotic.com www.chandra-exotic.com

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Coral Bay Resort & Spa

Chaweng Beach Road North Chaweng Cuisine: Innovative Royal Thai Moo 2 Tambon Bophut 84320 & Fine International Tel: +66 (0) 77 234 555 All major credit cards Fax: +66 (0) 77 234 558 Open every day 7.00am until late E-mail: info@coralbay.net www.coralbay.net

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Dining on the Rocks

Six Senses Hideaway Samui Cuisine: New Asian 9/10 Moo 5 Baan Plai Laem Bophut All major 84320 credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 77 245 678 Open every day 6.00pm to 11.30pm Fax: +66 (0) 77 245 671 E-mail: resmanager-samui@sixsenses.com www.sixsenses.com

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Dr. Frogs

103 Moo 3 Bophut 84320 Tel: +66 (0) 77 413 797 Fax: +66 (0) 77 422 313 E-mail: dfrogs@gmail.com

Cuisine: Italian / Thai All major credit cards Open every day from midday until late

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Faraway Weddings

64/22 Moo 3 Bophut 84320 All major credit cards Fax: +66 (0) 77 231 418

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Monday toTel: Friday: +66 (0) 9.00am 77 231 to 417 5.00pm Saturday: 9.00am to 1.00pm

E-mail: info@weddingsinthailand.com www.weddingsinthailand.com Lotus Pond

2/17 Moo 1 Samui Ring RoadCuisine: Thai and Contemporary Bophut 84320 All major credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 7724 5550

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Open every day

E-mail: alexandrevialatte@hotmail.com 11.00am to 2.30pm www.lotuspond.biz 6.30pm until late Magic Alambic Rum Distillery

44/5 Moo 3 Tambon NamuangOpen 84140 every day 9.00am to 7.00pm

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Tel/Fax: +66 (0) 77 419 023 Mobile: +66 (0) 86 282 6230 E-mail: m_alcool@samart.com www.rhumdistillerie.com Ocean 11 Restaurant Bar & Lounge

Poppies 84320

Quan Spa

Siddharta – Hua Thanon

Siddharta – Bophut

Suzy Nina Design

Tamarind Springs

23 Moo 4 Bangrak Bophut 84320 Cuisine: Italian / Thai / Seafood

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Tel: +66 (0) 77 245 134 Fax: +66 (0) 77 417 118

All major credit cards Open from midday till late

E-mail: info@o11s.com

Closed Monday

Chaweng Beach Road

Cuisine: Traditional Thai & International 45 All major credit 28/1 cards Moo 3 Tambon Bophut Open every day 6.00am onwards

Tel: +66 (0) 77 422 419 Fax: +66 (0) 77 422 420 E-mail: info@poppiessamui.com www.poppiessamui.com All major credit cards Renaissance Koh Samui Resort Open & Spa every day 10.00am to 10.00pm Laem Nan Beach North Lamai 208/1 Moo 4 Tambon Maret 84310 Tel: +66 (0) 77 429 300 Fax: +66 (0) 77 429 333 E-mail: rsvn@renaissancehotels.com www.renaissancehotels.com Apparel / Jewellery 210 Moo 1 Baan Hua ThanonAll34310 major credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 77 233 264 Open every day 10.00am to 9.00pm Fax: +66 (0) 77 233 264 E-mail: siddharta@siddhata.fr www.siddharta.fr Apparel / Jewellery 79 Moo 1 Bophut All major credit cards Open every Tel:day +66 (0) 77 245 014 Fax: +66 (0) 77 245 014 10.00am to 1.00pm E-mail: siddharta@siddhata.fr 4.00pm to 11.00pm www.siddharta.fr All major credit cards Samui Ring Road Open every day 8.00am to 5.00pm 3/3 Moo 1 Tambon Maenam 84330 Closed Sunday Tel: +66 (0) 77 245 221 Fax: +66 (0) 77 245 127 E-mail: suzy@suzynina.com www.suzynina.com Tamarind Springs Tropical DayVisa Spa Mastercard 205/7 Thong Takian Tambon Maret Open every 84310day 9.00am to 8.00pm Tel: +66 (0) 77 424 221 Tel: +66 (0) 77 230 571 Fax: +66 (0) 77 424 311 E-mail: spa@tamarindsprings.com www.tamarindsprings.com

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TawaNN Restaurant

Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa Cuisine: International

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All majorLaem creditNan cards Beach North Lamai 208/1 Moo 4 Tambon Maret 84310Open every day 6.00pm to 11.00pm Tel: +66 (0) 77 429 300 Fax: +66 (0) 77 429 333

Closed on Wednesdays

E-mail: rsvn@renaissancehotels.com www.renaissancehotels.com The Five Islands Experience

348 Moo 3 Tambon Taling Ngam 84140 Long-tail boat tours of The Five Islands Tel: +66 (0) 77 415 359 Fax: +66 (0) 77 415 359

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All major credit cards Everyday, subject to weather conditions

Mobile: +66 (0) 81 477 5371 E-mail: samui@thefiveislands.com www.thefiveislands.com The Five Islands Gallery & Cafe

34 Moo 3 Tambon Taling Ngam 84140 CafĂŠ / Tropical Apparel / Jewellery Tel: +66 (0) 77 415 323 Fax: +66 (0) 77 415 359

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All major credit cards Open every day 9.00am to 6.00pm

Mobile: +66 (0) 86 949 2097 E-mail: samui@thefiveislands.com www.thefiveislands.com The Five Islands Restaurant

348 Moo 3 Tambon Taling Ngam 84140 Cuisine: Contemporary Thai

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Tel: +66 (0) 77 415 359 Seafood Speciality Fax: +66 (0) 77 415 359 All major credit cards Mobile: +66 (0) 81 477 5371 Open every day from midday until late E-mail: samui@thefiveislands.com www.thefiveislands.com The Hideaway Spa

Six Senses Hideaway Samui All major credit cards 9/10 Moo 5 Baan Plai Laem Bophut Open 84320 every day 10.00am to 10.00pm Tel: +66 (0) 77 245 678 Fax: +66 (0) 77 245 671 E-mail: wellnessmanager-samui@sixsenses.com www.sixsenses.com

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The Library

Chaweng Beach 14/1 Moo 2 Chaweng Beach Tambon Bophut 84320 Tel: +66 (0) 77 422 767-8 Fax: +66 (0) 77 422 344 E-mail: sales@thelibrary.name www.thelibrary.name

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The Mangrove

32/6 Moo 4 Bophut 84320 Cuisine: European with a French touch Tel: +66 (0) 77 427 584 Visa Mastercard Mobile: +66 (0) 81 370 7716 Open every day from 5.30pm onwards E-mail: the_mangrove@hotmail.comClosed for the last 3 days of each month

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Villa Nalinnadda

399/1-4 Moo 1 Tambon Maret 84310 Cuisine: Thai and International Hua Thanon All major credit cards Tel: +66 (0) 77 233 131 Open every day 7.00am to 10.30pm Fax: +66 (0) 77 233 130 E-mail: info@nalinnadda.vom

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Cuisine: Organic & International Fusion Samui Ring Road (B4) All major credit cards 177 Moo 1 Bophut Beach 84320 Open every day 6.00am to 12.00pm Tel: +66 (0) 77 430 345 Fax: +66 (0) 77 425 177 E-mail: info@samuizazen.com www.samuizazen.com

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Cuisine: Thai and International All major credit cards Open every day 7.00am until late

www.nalinnadda.com Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa