Nov / Dec 2017

WALKING TREAT

Chill out right on the beach at Bang Kao’s weekly night market.

IT’S A DOG’S LIFE Soi Dog is solving the stray dog crisis on Samui in the most compassionate way.

A Warm Welcome

Editor

Graeme Malley graeme@siammap.com

Graphic Designer Preeda Tuajob - Pui

Photographer

Akaphon Phongninlaarphon - Don

Feature Writer Rob De Wet

Feature Writer Dimitri Waring

Feature Writer Karan Ladd

Webmaster

Seksak Kerdkanno - Klauy

Sales & Marketing Director Nipawan Chuaysagul - Ning 0 898 783 891

ning@siammap.com

Financial Director

Kasper Bjørk kasper@siammap.com

Managing Director Henrik Bjørk henrik@siammap.com

Flicking through all the wonderful photographs on social media, you can see that Samui delights in a variety of different ways. There are all the beaches, off-islands, trips and tours galore; then the restaurant and bar scene, all totally vibrant; then the villages and towns here with attractions that meld the commercial with temples and shrines. It’s an awesome line-up, and you may find yourself a bit bewildered when it comes to getting to grips with the island, its activities and all the entertainment on offer.

Our magazine showcases some of the attractions and places to go, but really it’s very easy to find what you’ll enjoy, thanks to the massive amount of information available. From free maps of the island to brochures on display in all the hotels, to friendly locals who will point the way, the island has you covered when it comes to spending wonderful days, weeks and even months here.

As the year winds down, November sees the rainy season bring in downpours that may interrupt outdoor activities, though it won’t stop you from anything indoors. Then comes December and if you’re here at its end, you’ll experience the heady joys of a Samui-style Christmas (think amazing food, hot, hot beaches and slightly less commercialism than back at home) and then finally to cap everything, New Year’s Eve and all that that entails (still more fun).

Few visitors to Samui fail to fall for its charms, and most will be happy to return. Meanwhile, from the beaches to the green heart of Samui, the island continues to wow holidaymakers, both young and old.

Siam Map Company Ltd.

52/6 Samui Ring Road, Moo 3 Bo Phut, Koh Samui, 84320, Thailand Tel: 0 7742 2201 Fax: 0 7741 3523 E-mail: info@siammap.com www.siammap.com

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Reproduction or use of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited without written permision from Siam Map Company Ltd. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, Siam Map Company Ltd. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Siam Map Company Ltd. 2017

Distribution at Bangkok Airport courtesy of Bangkok Airways.

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Where Will You Be This New Yearʼs Eve?

N G E L O U

&

L L G R I

The Only Place To Be... five course gourmet dinner 3990 THB / with wine pairing 6490 THB kids menu | fireworks | rockinʼ live band | great New Year vibes booking highly recommended - t: 077 448 505 | e: deliciousfood@drfrogs.com CLIFFSIDE BETWEEN CHAWENG & LAMAI

w w w. d r f r o g s . c o m 2017

Mediterranean Cuisine Amidst a panoramic dreamscape that overlooks the pristine Crystal Bay, The Cliff warmly invites you to a truly unforgettable dining experience on Koh Samui.

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Reservations Essential For reservations please call 077 448 508 Bar daily 12pm - 2am

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Choeng Mon

CONTENTS

24 16 Temple Treasures

58 Thai Traditions

A guide to some of Samui’s favourite wats.

24 Secret Sharer The Library unveils twenty new villas, adding new mystery to the intrigue of this iconic resort.

38 Rain, Rain, Go Away!

64 Prime People Of Poppies’ Passage One of Samui’s most-loved boutique resorts reveals a secret passage – we look at the people behind the story!

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52 Nature Knead Few spas can offer excellent treatments and a wonderful garden setting, but Eranda Herbal Spa delights with both.

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Invest In The Best Affordable luxury Samui homes are finally a reality, with Impact Samui Property Specialists.

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Down-Dog, Cobra Or Frog?

Why not try out some yoga whilst on Samui.

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The Full Service Pharmacy Morya, Samui’s most progressive pharmacy, offers you much, much, more than just pills and potions!

Funky, Fun, Fab! Stacked has raised the bar on Chaweng’s dining standards, turning food-in-a-bun into a truly exceptional gourmet sensation!

Souvenirs of Thailand are everywhere, but for something that’s really special the only choice is a visit to Nature Art Gallery!

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Zappety-Zap! Forget lying on the beach – head to the most exciting place on the island at Lazgam and virtualize yourself into kill-mode!

Check-In, Check-Up Bangkok Hospital Samui provides all kinds of check-ups as well as a full medical service.

Loy Krathong.

Things to do on a glorious tropical island when it’s simply pouring down with rain!

46 Nature’s Art

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Don’t miss the hauntingly beautiful celebration of

32 Walking Treat Chill out right on the beach at Bang Kao’s weekly night market.

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Rain Rules

To Protect, Serve, And Translate!

The Tourist Police have an invaluable place in every part of Thailand which attracts visitors – Samui included.

The monsoon season isn’t without its dangers.

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It’s A Dog’s Life Soi Dog is solving the stray dog crisis on Samui in the most compassionate way.

T H E

H O M E

O F

I N S P I R E D

I N T E R I O R S

Phuket 424 Srisoonthorn Rd. Cherngtalay Tel/Fax: +66 (0) 76 325 419

Samui 9/18 Moo1 Maenam Tel/Fax: +66 (0) 77 247 675

info@oriental-living.net

www.oriental-living.net

Island Insight An overall guide to Samui’s towns, villages, beaches and hotspots.

Samui is an idyllic tropical paradise. A blend of traditional Thai hospitality and remote island life has joined hands with modern traveller expectations. But the towns, villages and interior are home to much more than just luxury resorts, restaurants, bars and retail shops. And whilst the main beaches are recognised as some of the best in the world, there are also secluded coves and magical hideaways around many corners – if you know where to look. And this quick guide will point you in the right direction.

Chaweng

Chaweng’s main beach is five kilometres in length and is lined with 5-star luxury resorts, boutique hotels, budget accommodation and great oceanfront restaurants.

Behind the resorts, the Chaweng Beach Road is filled with restaurants, bars, spas, shops, street stalls and mobile food vendors. The lake sits to the rear of them and is a wonderful place for an early morning walk or jog. Near the southern end of the lake is the Soi Reggae entertainment area which also has two Muay Thai boxing stadiums, a temple guarded by carved monkeys and the huge Laem Din market complex. All manner of fresh produce is delivered here every day and the adjoining Dow Seafood market is a hive of activity from the early hours.

Lamai

Samui’s second most popular beach is around four kilometres long and the waters are perfect for swimming. There’s plenty of choice in accommodation, restaurants, bars, spas and health resorts. It also has a free Muay Thai event every Saturday and just off the Beach Road there’s a children’s water park. Wat Lamai is home to a cultural centre and museum that houses artifacts of Samui life before the advent of tourism. On Sundays there’s a ‘Walking Street’ along part of the Beach Road.

And just outside of Lamai town on the ring-road is the famous Hin Ta-Hin Yai rock formations that has dozens of small local Thai restaurants around it.

10 l www.samuiholiday.com

Mae Nam

Nestled on the northern shores of the island, Mae Nam Beach stretches for several kilometres and overlooks the neighbouring island of Koh Pha-Ngan. High-end resorts and beach bungalows are dotted along the coast and many visitors love it for its peacefulness, soft golden sands and wonderful views. It has seven side streets that meander into the mountains: from Soi 1 you can follow the road over the mountains all the way to Lamai; Soi 4 has a ‘Walking Street’ every Thursday from mid-afternoon and also houses an ornate Chinese temple overlooking the beach and a large Buddhist temple set a few hundred metres back from the ringroad; Soi 5 has a tree-top canopy adventure theme park a few kilometres into the hills; there’s a buffalo fighting stadium a couple of hundred metres off the main road between Soi 5 and Soi 6; an early morning market is also in Soi 6; an evening market near to Soi 7; and the world-class Santiburi Golf Course in the hills above Soi 7. There’re dozens of bars and restaurants in Mae Nam, many of which are on side roads that lead down to the ocean. And at the western end of the beach the Lomprayah ferry takes passengers to the neighbouring islands several times a day.

NathoN

This is the island’s main administrative centre and the major ferry port for boats to and from the mainland. There’re some hotels but it’s more a town you would visit for an afternoon rather than stay in. Beside the terminal, there’s a local food market every day from mid-afternoon until late in the evening. Along what is known as the ‘middle road’ there’re old teak shop-houses and small businesses and a ‘Walking Street’ on Saturdays. And on the one-way road that goes through the town there’re dozens of shops and restaurants. Just off the main road there’s an ornate Chinese temple and garden in Soi 4. And near the far end there’s a renowned open-air duck restaurant – just follow the crowds around lunchtime.

Bo Phut

Bo Phut is best known for Fisherman’s Village. It’s a single narrow street that still has authentic wooden houses that Samui folk have lived in for generations. Parts of it have been modernized but it’s still awash with local foods, international restaurants, bars, shops and market stalls. It becomes one huge ‘Walking Street’ every Friday and you’ll find lots of local delicacies that few other restaurants have. Along with small hotels, there’re several 5-star luxury resorts at the far end and the beach curves around a large bay that also overlooks Koh Pha-Ngan.

And small speedboats leave from the village pier heading for the Full Moon parties that take place there every month.

Big Buddha and Plai Laem

The magnificent golden Big Buddha statue that watches over the island from the north-east corner of Samui is one of the first things you see as you fly into Samui Airport. Built on a tiny island (Koh Farn) with a connecting causeway, it’s the most iconic image of the island. Many Thais pray at the temple so dressing and acting appropriately is expected when you enter the site. There’re some very good Thai restaurants and small stores around the temple. It also affords some beautiful views and along the road from it you’ll see another large Buddha image at Wat Plai Laem. Half-way along the road between the temples is a side road that cuts through to Choeng Mon. Down this road there’s access to some quiet secluded beaches, although some of them are through resorts.

Choeng Mon

Choeng Mon lies just 15 minutes or so from the middle of Chaweng but it seems like worlds away. There’s a small town that the road runs through with a couple of dozen restaurants and bars. The beach is a favourite for many locals as it’s quiet, picturesque and safe for swimming most of the year round. There’s every class of accommodation with some old-style beach bungalows at one end. And they all overlook the tiny deserted island of Koh Farn Noi which you can walk out to if the tide is low.

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Bang Rak

In between Fisherman’s Village and Big Buddha is where you’ll find Bang Rak. There’s a few very good resorts and some private villas for rent along the beachfront that stretches around for several kilometres and has stunning views.

Bars and restaurants line the main street and there’re two piers. The one nearest to Big Buddha has daily ferries to Koh Pha-Ngan, Koh Tao and on to the mainland port of Chumpon, from which a VIP bus takes passengers to Hua Hin and on to Bangkok. Start to finish, it’s a 12-hour journey with about half of it on the boat.

Just beside the ferry terminal in Bang Rak is one of the busiest fish markets on the island. Local fishermen drop their catches here and the place is bustling with people all day long. At the other end of town there’s a short-cut into Chaweng on a road called Soi Bond Kai (which the locals refer to as the ‘Ghost Road’).

Taling Ngam and Lipa Noi

The south-west part of the island is known as the ‘Virgin Coast’. It’s largely unspoiled with lots of secluded bays, although most of the shoreline tends to be rocky. The west coast overlooks the famous ‘five islands’ and some of the closer islands of the Angthong National Marine Park (which is a perfect getaway for a day’s boat trip excursion). In this part of the island there’re some hotels, private villas for rent, up-market and local restaurants and several temples of note, including two that house a mummified monk. A second car ferry terminal is located in Lipa Noi and, like the one in Nathon, boats to and from Donsak on the mainland arrive and depart every hour from 5:00 am until 6:00 pm (check for details). And inland on the island’s main ring-road there’re several large waterfall sites and a safari park with elephant trekking, animal shows and adventure tours. Further along, next to the Ford and Mazda dealers is a new Butterfly and Insect Kingdom Park.

12 l www.samuiholiday.com

Hua Thanon

This predominately muslim village is home to the descendants of some of the island’s earliest settlers. There’s still a thriving fishing fleet and fish market and a natural coastline that’s survived the ravages of time. Just after the village (coming from Lamai) you can turn off the ring-road to the left and signs will direct you to the nearby Tiger Zoo, Aquarium and Sea-life Show, the Butterfly Farm, the Snake Farm and the local Rum Distillery.

Thong Krut

With its brightly coloured fishing boats and backdrop of small islands to the one side, and coconut plantations to the other, Thong Krut is a picturesque little village.

Located in the southwest corner of the island, this is where you’ll come if you’re after a long-tail boat to take you to the nearby islands of Koh Tan and Koh Matsum.

Lining the shore you’ll find a selection of simple restaurants offering Thai food, and particularly good seafood, as well as tour operators offering trips to the islands.

The Interior

Samui predominately consists of hills, mountains and coconut plantations. And few visitors make the time to appreciate its hidden beauty. One way to do so is to take the turning into Mae Nam Soi 1. A new road has recently been constructed that goes over the mountains all the way to Lamai. The drive is only about 20-25 minutes over 15 kilometres with a couple of stopping off areas that offer fabulous views. Another way to really get the full picture of Samui is from Tar Nim’s Magic Garden at the top of one of the island’s highest peaks. Built during a 25-year period by a local farmer the stone statues in the garden were sculpted by hand and sit over 2,000 feet above the beaches below.

TEMPLE TREASURES A guide to some of Samui’s favourite wats.

Samui’s temples are a world apart from the rest of the island; often glimpsed with wonderment from the seat of a car, minivan or a motorbike and then gone in a second. Perhaps there’s even a turn of the head, and a mental note to go and take a look later. But Samui is known for its ability to distract, and good intentions somehow just get left behind – so much to do and barely time to triage the island’s pleasures and enjoy a handful of them. The clock’s ticking, and too soon the plane will be on the tarmac and it’ll be time to go.

Some visitors never even get to see a temple, and in doing so they miss out on some unforgettable sights. Temples are everywhere on Samui, deeply respected by locals and definitely worth any number of visits.

More than the sum of their parts, they offer not just an insight into Samui’s culture, but are filled with atmospheres and a sense of mystery all of their own.

Here’s a brief round-up of some of the island’s favourite temples.

Remember that there’s a dress code, so be sure to cover bare flesh.

Wat Plai Laem If you decide to see just one temple, make it this one. Located in the northernmost part of Samui, building started early this century, and is the design of well-known artist, Khun Jarit Phumdonming, who spent three years on the decoration, which follows traditional styles. It’s easily recognizable thanks to its multi-armed statue, which you’ll see from a distance. This is the goddess of mercy, Kwannon; her arms are stretched out to help all who suffer. Close by her, you’ll see an equally impressive figure, that of Budhai, the Buddha of the future. His time has not yet come, but when it does, the world will enter a period of great contentment and prosperity.

There’s a lot to see outside but don’t forget to visit the main temple itself.

You’ll be amazed by the interior; its walls are completely covered with vivid paintings symbolizing the life of the Buddha. If you have time, feed the fish in the temple lake. There’s a vending machine that for 10 baht 18 l www.samuiholiday.com

will give you a whole basket of fish food – and an automated blessing, chanted by a monk.

Big Buddha Just a couple of kilometres away you’ll find Big Buddha (which is a smaller part of the Plai Laem temple complex). The famously tall Buddha sits above the extremely commercial scene going on below: people come to the temple for many reasons. It’s a serious place, but that doesn’t mean you can’t shop there. People come to eat at restaurants and buy local souvenirs as well as to pray. In the evening, a sense of calmness descends on the temple, and vendors sit out on chairs, quietly pondering the day, no friction between the spiritual and material world.

Big Buddha sits on its own island, which is reached by a causeway. The off-island has something of the feel of a temple fair that never packed up; instead of going home the vendors decided to stay on forever, turning

their stalls into shops. But if you go up the staircase to the statue of the Buddha, you’ll find the atmosphere becomes very tranquil, no matter what time of day it is.

to decomposition. Nearby, if you wish, friendly monks will bless you and present you with a white braid for your wrist. If coming with a companion, make sure you get a photo of this moment.

Wat Khunaram

Don’t forget to try the gong that’s just outside the main building. You rub it, not hit it, and if you do it just right, the most amazing reverberation will fill the air. Most people find it impossible to get the gong to make the smallest sound, while a few can do it at will – but are totally unable to explain how they succeeded.

This temple in South-West Samui is home to a very famous monk, Loung Pordaeng, who predicted that after his death, he’d probably not decompose. In 1973, whilst meditating, he quietly died, and he was right – his body didn’t decompose, but simply became mummified.

Thousands of people come to take a look at him. He’s preserved seemingly forever in a glass case, where he sits gazing out to his audience. Bizarrely he’s wearing sunglasses. But there’s a reason for this: his eyeballs have become desiccated and are a bit unnerving to look at. Behind him, you’ll see a collection of all the sunglasses that he’s previously worn. Nobody can work out why his body isn’t subject

Wat Hin Lad Just south of Nathon, the approach to the temple is via a long road that becomes locked by hills by the time it finishes up at the temple. A few carts and eateries sell snacks and basic food, making this a good stop-off point if you’re journeying around the island. A rocky pond filled www.samuiholiday.com l 19

with carp is situated right at the temple entrance. Walk across the bridge and you’ll find yourself in the temple gardens, with maze-like paths criss-crossing the grounds. It’s hard to see anything as there’s so much vegetation.

Close by the temple entrance a path leads up to a series of beautiful waterfalls, definitely worth exploring but the two-kilometre hike requires the utmost caution: it’s strewn with rocks, boulders and slippery points and is only suitable for those with hiking skills and sturdy footwear.

Wat Sila Ngu Translate the name of this temple into English and you’ll get ‘Stone Snake Temple’. Despite the dramatic sound of the place, it’s incredibly peaceful.

You’ll find it south of Lamai. Take a walk around the grounds and you’ll see there are indeed plenty of carvings of stone snakes. They eternally stand guard over the entire area which seems utterly quiet for most of the time.

The temple is in the process of construction and has cost millions of baht so far. Once inside you’ll see there are a lot more statues, this time depicting events from the Buddhist scriptures.

Close by the main temple building you’ll see a chedi or pagoda, thickly covered in gold paint. Inside, the shrine contains Buddha relics that were brought to Samui by monks following a journey that they made to Sri Lanka. Steps lead down towards the sea and a small beach that looks out towards the fishing village of Ban Hua Thanon.

Temples are certainly not to be missed out when you’re touring around Samui – many people feel they’re highlights of their holiday. The temples are all uplifting, whatever your religious belief, and there’s always an engaging lightness about them. But be prepared to be bemused; unless you’re a student of both Thai traditional architecture and Buddhism, you can only try to understand the mysteries of what you see – but it’s all enjoyable and well worth it.

Dimitri Waring 20 l www.samuiholiday.com

SECRET SHARER The Library unveils twenty new villas, adding new mystery to the intrigue of this iconic resort.

There’s always something mysterious about stepping into the world of The Library, the highly unusual resort that’s hidden away, right in the middle of Chaweng. A large grey wall shields it from the town outside, yet it beckons the onlooker. What’s behind it? You’ll see a single gap in the wall, allowing you access. Step through and you’re in a different place altogether. A lawn graced with old-growth trees that stretches out down to the crimson red swimming pool and the sea beyond. White cube-like structures form the accommodation – think luxury. If you’re jaded with clutter and sheer lack of space, then you’ll find The Library gives you an 26 l www.samuiholiday.com

almost instantaneous sense of relaxation and well-being. This is where laid-back meets white-space minimalism – the two lock together in a happy dovetail. Take your cue from the white statues dotted here and there. All have a book in hand; all are engrossed. They’ve achieved a sense of well-being simply by checking out of their usual routines.

The Library beckons its guests with a sense of timeless repose; it’s an evocative place, even more so these days as the inventive team behind it have literally just doubled its present space, adding on a whole new section.

What’s so surprising is that this new area goes completely unnoticed.

That’s because it’s also hidden away behind a blank wall, with access only via a door that totally blends with the said wall. You’ll need a special key to gain access. But once that the door swings open, you’re in for a few surprises. Firstly, you need to cross a bridge and then you’ll see the new villas appear one by one along the path you’re on. In each case an impassive stone facade hides a camouflaged stone door that opens onto a small inner atrium. It’s only when you go through a further door that you can be said to be in the property itself. The Library believes

in total privacy, and has taken the concept to a maximal degree. From inside, guests can see who’s visiting them courtesy of a CCTV camera.

Even cleaning personnel have set hours in which they’re not allowed to go into the guests’ rooms.

The villas are all extremely spacious, and seamlessly integrate with the natural world outside; trees grow right through buildings, and air-wells let sunlight directly onto the villa swimming pools, which are open-air and located within the villa itself. The designs, as you can see from this www.samuiholiday.com l 27

alone, are distinctly unusual. They also add to the mysteriousness of the ensemble; there are quite a few features about the villas that aren’t advertised at all. The idea is for guests to discover them during their stay.

Like any mysterious place, their enigma waits to be discovered, and you’ll enjoy exploring these creative spaces that have been specifically built to please. Even the villa’s brochure echoes the intriguing nature of what awaits guests – the pages of the brochure peel back in a series of interlocking leaves, reminiscent of a puzzle.

There are just 20 villas in all. They’re collectively known as the ‘Secret Chapters’ and consist of 16 ‘Secret Pool Villas’; two ‘Two-Bedroom Pool Villas’, and two very superior villas known simply as ‘The Editor’ and ‘The Writer’. You’ll probably need to reserve well in advance. Residents in these villas not only have their own in-villa swimming pool but can use the red-tiled swimming pool that’s exclusively for those staying in the Secret Chapters.

An entrance leads, meanwhile, into The Library’s restaurant, The Page.

It features the best of international dining, as well as a chance to taste some otherwise hard-to-find Thai dishes from the kingdom’s deep past.

Eat just a few steps away from the sea in a setting that’s simplicity and elegance, altogether a very relaxed dining experience.

While at The Library you’ll come under the sway of the artistic owner, Khun Kasemtham Sornsong, who sums up his ideas quite simply: “When guests leave, I want them to feel that they have just left a magical place full of stories.” Indeed, few hotels can be said to captivate the imagination as much as The Library, and guests will have fun in exploring a resort that comes with many unexpected notes and surprises.

Dimitri Waring

____________________________________________________________ For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 2767-8. www.thelibrarysamui.com 28 l www.samuiholiday.com

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The Cutting Edge Paul’s Fashion Paul’s Fashion is the longest-running bespoke

tailor on Samui, having been established since 2005. For men and women, from formal business suits to cocktail wear, in summer or winter fabrics, in quality cashmere or satin, silk, chiffon or pure cotton, we can custom-fit you with anything that you can think of.

You pay nothing if you are not fully satisfied.

But this has never happened!

Still not sure? Then spend time with us on TripAdvisor. There are no problems, no complaints – not even one negative comment – just praise and congratulations.

With 40 full-time pattern-cutters and machinists, we get things done fast if necessary! The first step is for you to choose the style and the fabric in our shop and for us to take your exact measurements. The next stage is the fitting.

Two or three fittings may be required to obtain the perfect fit, and this can be done wherever is most convenient for you, either at our shop or at your hotel.

We will only be happy when you are completely satisfied!

We keep your pattern, measurements, and details on computer for four years.

We’ve got an established mail-order system – if you want another suit, shirt or dress, then we’ll make it and mail it to you anywhere in the world, recorded delivery, at cost price.

95% of our first-time customers come back again on their next holiday here. And every one of our established customers orders at least one more item by email and mail-order – that’s how reliable we are.

Listen to what people say.

Be safe. Be smart.

With Paul’s Fashion!

2016 & 2017

CERTIFICATE of

EXCELLENCE

Free Pick-up Service, Please Call Mr.Paul : +66 (0) 84 627 3812 E-mail: info@ks.paulsfashion-samui.com I www.ks.paulsfashion-samui.com Main Store: Chaweng Beach Road, opp. Mc Donald’s next to Baan Samui Resort Branch Store: Chaweng Beach Road, between Chaweng Regent and Ark Bar

WALKING TREAT Chill out right on the beach at Bang Kao’s weekly night market.

Bang Kao, you might say, is a place that’s famed for its obscurity. While most holidaymakers are happy to stay in the north and east of the island, the south gets a scant look-in when it comes to visitors. And that’s precisely its main draw. Everything is slow here. The zippiness of the rest of the island seems bizarrely manic once you arrive in the southern districts. The peacefulness of Bang Kao and its environs may one day be a thing of the past, but not yet – the area seems keen to preserve traditional ways, and hasn’t seen the massive influx of population of the rest of the island. Recently it’s become a bit better known thanks to its night market, or ‘walking street’, as Thais call it. What’s a walking street?

It’s in most cases a weekly event with a zoned-off area that is turned into an impromptu night-market of instant eateries, drink counters selling everything from fruit shakes to mojitos, and then a myriad of stalls selling

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clothes, souvenirs and a miscellany of goods that fall in a vague territory between knick-knacks and gadgetry.

If you’ve ever been to one of the ‘walking streets’, you’ll know that they can be dizzyingly packed-out: thousands of people converge on them all looking for a good time, whether it be eating, shopping or socializing – or all three, more likely. For some the sheer numbers are off-putting, and shouldering your way through a crowd isn’t everyone’s idea of fun.

If that’s you, then you should head for Bang Kao. It’s different. It’s accessible. It’s more local. No traffic jams as the market opens and closes. It doesn’t seek to max out on numbers of people/stalls/goods.

Crowd overload is definitely not part of the equation. It is also quite

picturesque, and that’s because it’s not packed along a road or lane but is held right on the beach, surrounded by coconut trees. The market is held every Saturday, and starts off at around 5:00 pm, though a lot of time is spent beforehand with vendors setting up their stalls and arranging their wares. The favoured method of transport is pick-up truck, and these start arriving in the afternoon to unload the stalls, which are quickly put together with almost military speed and precision. This is no place for perfectionism – the idea is to set up, sell and depart leaving no trace behind.

Bang Kao has something of a neighbourhood garage sale atmosphere; it’s very friendly and laid-back. And that goes for the vendors as well.

Though it’s a tough job and one that requires the skills of camping, shop

fitting and selling all at the same time. It’s also convivial. Vendors all know each-other, and there’s a lot of banter going on between them.

How hard is it to be a vendor? Khun Lai, who runs a small clothing stall here, says that it’s much better than having a fixed job and having to do what the boss wants. It’s also more money, she says – well, most of the time. There’s a lot of thought that goes into what will sell, and if an idea doesn’t pan out, she and her friends have to think of something else, and pretty quickly.

One big challenge is the weather. All the stallholders here are wellversed in meteorology, and can read a sky quicker than the lottery results! It’s more than an individual reckoning; it’s a group prediction too.

You’ll see a whole line of vendors reach for plastic sheeting almost in

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unison as a cloud starts to move in from across the sea, and their goods are already covered even as the wind whips up the sand into everyone’s faces.

For most of the night markets, Khun Lai is also dictated to by the tourist seasons, though Bang Kao is a bit of an exception. And that’s because relatively few holidaymakers have even heard about this place.

“Everyone knows about Bophut,” she says. “Bang Kao is different.” She goes on to explain it’s a lot more for locals, how almost everyone is from the surrounding area. Relatively few come from further away, but she reckons more will come as word gets around.

At Bang Kao, as in the other night markets, there’s plenty of food to be had, almost all of it is Thai, and much of it is deep-fried. Try spicy tod man pla (fishcakes with a punch), or those eternal standbys of fried chicken or spring rolls. (Use the tongs provided and pick up the wing, leg or breast you’d like and place it on the paper.) Nothing’s expensive, and you’ll end up doing what most people do, grazing on the food.

These are staples that will keep you going, though nobody’s proclaiming their healthiness.

You’ll also cut-price find clothes from dresses and tops, to t-shirts and swimwear. You can also pick up souvenirs – these tend to change quite often, depending on what’s in vogue – and usually a stall selling electronic accessories. More or less, the same things are on sale most weeks, but not always. You can never count on any one vendor to come the week after. Everything is moveable here, literally, of course.

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Meanwhile, bargain if you can and want to. Definitely bargain if you’re buying a couple of items from the same stall. When you’re both in agreement, then that’s the price; no going back. A nod, grunt or smile from both parties is the seal. Your word is your bond – it’s been the same at markets for millennia. The vendor may show you the price on a calculator, a modern touch. Increasingly some prices are fixed; bargaining may be fun if you’re new to it, but for a vendor, it can get too old quickly. Incidentally, the market here has probably the best prices for the island’s walking streets. The bigger the market and the more holidaymakers there are, the higher the prices go.

Around 10:00 pm, the market goes into a sudden reverse of the process that started in the afternoon; now all the goods are put away into giant bags and boxes and nimble hands dismantle the stalls. Then come the pick-up trucks. Everything’s loaded up and the vehicles trundle off down the road.

By 11:00 pm the street is virtually deserted. All the stalls are gone. Just a while after that, the last few people leave. The silence is complete. Lights are out in the houses, the day is done. No-one to witness the emptiness here. The waves lap on the shore, and apart from the tides coming in and out, nothing’s set to change till next week, when the pick-up trucks will again rumble down the road with their goods and the night market will kick off once more.

Dimitri Waring

HAND-MADE JEWELRY MADE TO ORDER. GOLD, SILVER, LEATHER, PRECIOUS AND SEMI PRECIOUS STONES. TWO LOCATIONS IN CHAWENG: 1ST: CHAWENG BEACH ROAD, PHONE: +(66)0 7742 2594 2ND: CENTRAL FESTIVAL SAMUI 2ND FLOOR, PHONE: +(66)0 7796 3811 WWW.THAILAND-JEWELRY.COM Nature Art Gallery Central Festival Samui CHAWENG BEACH ROAD

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY! Things to do on a glorious tropical island when it’s simply pouring down with rain!

A chum of mine is in the wedding business, and he told me just last week that in the last two months he’s had 27 weddings, and only eight of them had sunshine. The very disappointed bride, groom and entire entourage had to put up with a restaurant with the rain blinds down for all the rest, which is not what you expect on Samui.

But, then, on the other hand, Samui’s weather in the last two years has had people shaking their heads. We’ve had a rainy season with no rain, and then this year, the rain has been around every day, and it’s like the whole island has been hijacked. We always get our rainy season in October, November and a bit of December. But not this year it seems.

If you actually like the rain, and opt to come here in the rainy season, all well and good. You know what to expect. You’ll probably get a few days of nice cool, moist, sun anyway. But when you come here expecting day after day of suntan weather and don’t get it, what can you do? Plus everything’s a lot more fraught and tense if you’re here with your kids – there’s only so long that you can plug them into an iPad. But if you go online to have a look what your options are, you’ll get really annoyed. There are all sorts of slick-but-useless websites giving you all sorts of misleading advice. It’s all about click-thrus and advertiser revenue. Some of the places you’ll read about closed down long ago, and these websites are irritatingly out of date. Fortunately, however, if you’re reading this, there’s a real live person writing it, and it’s bang up to the moment!

The first point is, no matter where on Samui you’re staying, if you think the rain has set in for the day then it’s easy to take a taxi and head for where the indoor activities are. The second point is that many of these are all in the same area - Chaweng. And the third point is, even if the rain keeps on and on, then you can always take a taxi to another part of the island for the afternoon, tomorrow.

Central Festival is the obvious focal point, with not only shopping, but entertainment, playing and eating all in one place. It’s thankfully somewhere that offers ongoing distractions to children at that awkward ‘cool’ age, between eight and 12, where a suggestion of anything connected to kiddies’ playgrounds and rides will prompt that dreaded teenage response; the eye-roll and sigh. www.samuiholiday.com l 41

As far as activities go then there’s a ‘Major Cineplex’ movie theatre here, with all the latest releases. There’s another kind of theatre also; the ‘XD Theater 6-D Motion’ rides on the first floor (up the stairs and follow the deep bass sounds) will keep the kids occupied for quite some time, as there are several choices of virtual ‘ride’, all with moving seats and gut-wrenching effects. And right next to this is the Pirate Adventure Horror House. And almost directly beneath this, down on the ground floor, is a small-but-pleasant kiddies’ playground, if you’ve got younger children in tow.

There are three Tesco Lotus stores now on the island, but the one with the most distractions and entertainment is the one you’ll find on the ring-road at the edge of Chaweng. And here you’ll discover the most-addictive ‘kiddies arcade’ for children under around seven or eight – so much so in fact that it’s really hard to pull your kids away. This is located in the connecting strip which runs between the Tesco supermarket and Home Pro. (And while mum oversees the kids, dad can wander up to Home Pro to gaze longingly at the arrays of 70-inch flat screen TVs.). This is where you’ll also find the other of Samui’s cinemas, the second and up-to-date and comfortable Major Cineplex And then, saving the most fascinating for last, there’s Escape Break in Lamai; part of the Beach Republic Resort. We’ve written long articles on this before (Google it!), but suffice it to say that this is a full three-hour engagement, where you have to solve clues to escape from a series of locked rooms. It’s really addictive, and there are four different themes to pick from, but it’s not for younger children.

Of course there are other things to do when it’s pouring with rain, but mostly you don’t need me to point them out to you. You can head for your resort spa and get a massage or a facial. You can go into town for 42 l www.samuiholiday.com

a tattoo! You could even head off for a Thai cooking class. In fact, when you think about it, there’s probably more to do over here than there is back in your home town – especially when you want the rain, rain to go away!

Rob De Wet

NATURE’S ART Souvenirs of Thailand are everywhere, but for something that’s really special the only choice is a visit to Nature Art Gallery!

We all do it. It’s a part of the fun. Because, when our holiday gets near its end, things start to get serious.

We make lists. We keep our eyes open. We make special trips. Because everyone wants to take home souvenirs and mementos. But although there are dozens of shops all selling gifts, it’s hard to find the good stuff. Craftsman made. Quality items; bags and wallets and belts and jewellery. The sort of thing you just know has to be somewhere, if you keep on looking. Fortunately, you don’t have to look very far, because Nature Art Gallery has it all.

Before you’ve even gone into the shop, it’ll grab you from outside on the street. It stands out – especially 48 l www.samuiholiday.com

if you’re out at night. It glows. In fact, the warm, mellow presence of Nature Art beams out in a gentle contrast to the cold neon glimmer that surrounds it. It’s partly the fact that every single surface – ceiling, walls, and floor – is clad in the same golden wood. It’s partly the warmly diffused tungsten lighting. Perhaps it’s the reflecting shine from all those glass surfaces inside. But, as soon as you’re in, you’ll know there’s something special here.

Just walking inside is an experience in itself – there are so many things!

You’ll wander at first, trying to take everything in, but really just scanning what’s on display and trying to organise things in your mind. You’ll find a gigantic selection of jewellery, mostly made of silver, set with a whole variety of stones and crystals. The styles range from the elegantlyclassical to modern and chunky. But there are also superb leather

handbags, purses, wallets and belts, many of them subtly inset with semi-precious stones or crystals. Even if you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, it’s not easy to look carefully at everything; there’s just so much to see!

But there’s something else going on at Nature Art Gallery, too. After a while you’ll start to feel it, although it’ll take you a few minutes to work out what it is. It’s really quiet here – you can’t hear any noise from the road at all. But it’s not only quiet: it’s more than just that. It’s actually noticeably tranquil. There’s a strange sense of calm in this shop. You’ll even see that people slow right down as they come in. Without realising, they talk in hushed voices. It’s hard to pin down! But the fact remains; this isn’t just a shop full of treasures, it’s something strangely different, too.

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Perhaps it’s got something to do with the people there. Certainly partners, Michael Trav and Shai Nissim, are well-versed in the lore and energies of crystals and stones, having had more than 20 years’ experience of working with them. They began with two shops over on Koh Pha-Ngan.

And then they opened this one here in 2009, just across from the main entrance to Central Festival. And now there’s another one, too, over in Central Festival itself, up on the first floor above Uniqlo. And between them, and their team of skilled craftsmen working in the workshops upstairs, the there’s very little that they can’t do when it comes to making jewellery – particularly in connection crystals and their energies.

Because, at the heart of the store, there’s a huge array of crystals of all sorts of sizes, colours and shapes. Each crystal is endowed with a different property and, if used wisely, can align you with more-positive physical health or energise you, whether physically or in other ways, such as enhancing concentration or confidence. Either Michael or Shai

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will be on hand to discuss this with you, and to advise you in your choices. Additionally, there’s a lot of literature on the subject which you can study at your leisure.

However, unlike other shops, here the choice is far greater than the already-impressive display suggests. Because, as well as the wares on display, if you fall for one particular ring or necklace but would prefer it with a different stone or crystal, this can easily be done in the workshops upstairs. And this has proved particularly popular with people celebrating an anniversary or birthday, as the stone of choice can be matched to your personality or ambitions.

But it’s not all about jewellery, as already mentioned. There are also some really exquisite hand-made clutch bags, purses and wallets for both men and women, beautifully designed and constructed, in a range of not

Welcome to Sa-ard’s Watersports Center on Koh Samui. Where everyday can be an aquatic adventure – above and below the crystal clear blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

Join us and discover what r eally makes these islands so very special.

Our brand new catamaran Fountaine Pajot Belize 43 “Kindred Spirit” can comfortably take 15 people on a day trip and sleep 6 people on over-night excursions.

The starboard hull has a double stateroom with ensuite bathroom and living area. There are also two double state rooms in the port hull with a shared bathroom. You’ll also find a large galley and a living area with CD/DVD player and a 28 inch colour TV. All the cabins and living areas are fully air-conditioned.

Sa-ard’s Watersports Center also offers Private Speedboat tours to the beaches and snorkeling destinations of the surrounding islands.

just calf leather but also shark and stingray skin, ostrich, snake, and crocodile skin, too – the stingray range is spectacular!

You can pick up pretty-looking jewellery almost anywhere; the same with cheap copies of designer bags and belts. But the work here is high-quality and made to last – even the leather and coral earrings and bracelets that start at just a few hundred baht. And, thanks to the two shops right in the centre of Chaweng, whichever way you turn, you’re not far away from the power and the beauty of Nature’s Art!

Rob De Wet ___________________________________ www.thailand-jewelry.com

Manager and Skipper is Sa-ard, one of Thailand’s most celebrated windsurfers. He took part in the Olympics 1984 in Los Angeles and 1992 in Barcelona, was a long time member of the Thai National Windsurfing Team, has been Asian Champion and 5 times Gold Medal Winner in the South East Asian Games. You simply could not be in better hands!

NATURE KNEAD Few spas can offer excellent treatments and a wonderful garden setting, but Eranda Herbal Spa delights with both.

From resort spas to simple beach huts, Samui’s crop of places to get a massage includes just about every setting – all except one. It’s surprisingly hard to find a spa that’s completely set in nature with an abundance of lush, tropical vegetation. Eranda Herbal Spa is one of just a handful of venues that offers a tranquil garden setting, and then completes this with views of the sea, which is just down the road. Not many spa-goers can look up from their massage to see such natural beauty.

Located just north of Chaweng, Eranda has emerged over the years as one of the island’s most chilled-out locales when it comes to all things massage and spa. Some people are still quite surprised that such a lush setting is to be found anywhere near Chaweng and its party atmosphere. But Eranda is another side to the island’s main beach. It’s just the place to wind down from all the heady excitement, but even more than that, it’s a focal point for highly effective treatments, a place spa-goers return to over and over again.

The fact that all the treatments take place in nature simply adds to the ease in which you can unwind here. There’s bright green foliage, and lots of it, everywhere – with plants, bushes and trees all reflecting the heady tropical world of Eranda. Paths lead through the garden and cross bridges that seem to have stepped out of Japanese formal gardens. The treatment rooms are all to be found in the garden, and are all individual and entirely separate, apart from a single largish communal sala, suitable for groups. Eranda caters not only for individuals but can also host hen parties, birthday treats and so on.

There’s a comprehensive range of affordable delights including wraps, scrubs, steam treatment and all kinds of massage, either as single treatments or woven together into packages that are sure to please.

There are procedures of every kind, including hot stone, ancient Thai, hot compress, as well as Eranda’s popular whole body signature massage. Relaxing packages last anything from two hours to almost five, and you can also be massaged as a couple.

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The masseuses, it goes without saying, are highly dedicated professionals who will already have qualified before coming to Eranda.

Then they’re on probation while they train for six months in the Eranda style, before even being allowed to practice on guests.

The spa menu is a long one, allowing for each guest to find something to his or her heart’s delight. Everything’s listed on the website, and not only can you book through the site but they also have a very efficient chat service – any questions will be quickly answered by fluent English speakers.

The products that Eranda use are as natural as the spa’s garden setting, and have been specially put together focusing on Thai herbs and fruits which are high in vitamins. At no point have any products been tested on animals, by the way. You’ll find a full range of essential oils, body scrubs, body wraps, shampoos, conditioners and soaps. Each has a unique aroma, and when you experience the various oils and lotions that your masseuse will be using, the scent will already put you in a laid-back vibe. Many guests have expressed interest in the products, and that’s why you’ll find a full selection of them in the reception sala. They’re available for purchase and make great souvenirs of your holidays as well as being ideal as original and pleasing gifts.

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One of the best things about Eranda is their stress-free pick-up service that covers Chaweng, Bophut and Choeng Mon. Things couldn’t really be any more relaxing than this. Many guests avail themselves of this courtesy service at the beginning or at the end of their holidays; they arrive at Samui Airport and have a spa treatment before checking into their resort, or schedule a treatment before they jet away from the island, with Eranda looking after their luggage.

BEACHFRONT DINING & COCKTAILS RockPool at Kanda Residences is a spectacular beachfront restaurant and bar situated just five minutes from Chaweng

Considering the setting and the quality of the treatments, the value for money is difficult to beat at Eranda. For an unrushed time, where you’ll be pampered by professionals Eranda is top of many holidaymakers’ lists of where to go for relaxing and rejuvenating treatments.

Dimitri Waring

_______________________________________________________ For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7730 0323, 0 7730 0321 or 0 9832 914 45. www.erandaspa.com

For reservations or more information call +66 77 234 500 www.rockpoolsamui.com Facebook: rockpool.kohsamui Daily high tea from 12pm and happy hour with buy one get one free on selected drinks from 5pm until 7pm.

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THAI TRADITIONS Don’t miss the hauntingly beautiful celebration of Loy Krathong. www.samuiholiday.com l 59

Sitting on a jetty in the port of Nathon isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but on the night of Loy Krathong, it’s one of the most popular places to be on Samui. The same goes for any and all places that have easy access to the water. On the other side of the island at Chaweng Lake, it’s even more crowded. It’s almost impossible to find a place to park, as thousands come to celebrate. Exactly the same scenario takes place every year. People wade into the water to release tiny ‘krathong’ or boats that – hopefully – float far off into the water. They’re the flimsiest of vessels, but each is sent out with hope.

It’s a beautiful sight; all the boats have candles that mean they remain visible even when they’re far out across the water. And even if you don’t know the significance of Loy Krathong, it evokes a sense of transient beauty. Perhaps precisely because it is so beautiful, visitors

to the island just accept it for what it is, a sight that stays in the mind a long time. But of course there’s plenty more to the custom than just appearance.

Chaweng lake is no exception; there are hundreds of floats to be fished out of the water, this being the biggest venue for Loy Krathong on the island.

Delving first into the Thai expression, ‘loy’ means to float, while ‘krathong’ refers to the floating container itself. Traditionally, krathong are made of round sections of banana tree, although these days they’re just as likely to be made of an even more convenient material, Styrofoam, which is of course woefully non-biodegradable. Increasingly Styrofoam is banned as it takes many years to disintegrate. It’s common for Bangkok authorities to collect over a half million floats the day after Loy Krathong, many from the city’s canals and waterways as well as the main river. No fun for the people doing the work. Similar situations, though with smaller numbers, occur in most of the big towns in Thailand.

But at the time of launching, each float is perfectly made, while on top you’ll find an unusual assemblage of objects. There may well be some food, elaborately folded banana leaves, incense sticks, fingernail and hair clippings and, included as an offering to the river spirits, a coin.

On the day of Loy Krathong you’ll find many people are busy making floats outside their homes. This goes on for most of the morning and all of the afternoon. They place them on tables and sell them to passers-by for a hundred or more baht, depending on size and complexity. You can of course make your own, but unless you’re shown exactly how to do it, your results may not look so good. www.samuiholiday.com l 61

Loy Krathong is a festival that always falls on the night of the full moon (this year, 2017, it’ll be on Friday 3rd November) making the event even more beautiful. It is reputed to bring benefits to whoever partakes of it, and as each krathong is launched, a wish is made and many people believe that the wish will be granted. All the more reason, therefore to go along and take part. It’s very much an event for family and friends and a convivial spirit reigns. Because of the candlelight it has a magical feel to it as well, and it’s much loved by children. As Thai festivals go, it’s second in popularity to the nation’s biggest Thai celebration, Songkran, the Thai New Year. Both require the presence of water. According to King Rama IV, writing in the mid-nineteenth century, Loy Krathong is roughly based on a Brahman festival that was adapted in Thailand to honour Buddha. The floating away of the krathong is a symbol of letting go of all hatred, anger, and wrong thinking.

Perhaps bizarrely, Loy Krathong is also associated with beauty contests.

That’s because there’s a Thai story that claims that the first person to float a krathong was the consort of a 13th century king; it was in her honour that the beauty contests started, and still continue to this day. She’s known as Nang Nopphamat, but the story itself was written in the 19th century and woven into a novel, so there’s no historical basis at all. But the cultural tradition, wherever it came from persists; here and there you can expect to see beauty contests on the night.

Large corporations and government offices also launch huge krathong.

You’ll see them on display before they float off into the night, and there’s usually a competition to see which one is best. Some are works of art; almost all are brightly-coloured and many hours of work will have gone into making them.

Dimitri Waring

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If you’re on Samui during Loy Krathong then no matter who you are or what beliefs you may have, you’re free to join the celebration. It’s incredibly good fun and is guaranteed to leave you with many happy memories. Just make sure you bring along a krathong with you, though you’re likely to find plenty on sale at the various venues.

PRIME PEOPLE OF POPPIES’ PASSAGE

One of Samui’s most-loved boutique resorts reveals a secret passage – we look at the people behind the story!

There are now a great many resorts on Samui. Back at the start, it was all about Thai families and their little huts on the beach. But, as time passed, the airport appeared and things started to change. More beach resorts were built; some of them ambitious. But there was one which stood out from the crowd. It kept the island ethos, but it combined Western standards with family-resort familiarity, and offered consistent quality at a reasonable cost. Its name was (and still is) Poppies Samui.

It all came about as a result of two foreigners abroad. In the late ’60s, in La Jolla, California, there was a small restaurant that used to be patronised by famous Hollywood personalities. Some time after its closure, several friends of the owners were holidaying in Bali, where they met a young Balinese girl. The result was that two of them decided to team up with her and expand the little restaurant she owned. And they decided to name it after their favourite restaurant – Poppies.

Over the years that were to follow, one of the original group returned and continued to build-up the little resort, adding cottages and, in 1980, 66 l www.samuiholiday.com

turning it into the delightful Poppies Bali. Some years later, on holiday on Koh Samui, the owners of Poppies Bali partnered with another couple who owned a piece of land on South Chaweng Beach. In those days this area of Chaweng was deserted, and where today there is the broad and solid concrete of the beach road, at that time it was a muddy dirt track.

Together the two couples brought with them the success of Poppies Bali. And it didn’t take so very long before plans were being made to turn the featureless rectangle of land on the beach into Poppies number two – Poppies Samui. In the event, this ended up taking four years to complete. The challenge was the design: the intention was to maximise the accommodation yet, at the same time, somehow manage to create the illusion of both space and privacy.

This was finally achieved by two very clever design twists. Firstly, the pathways were carefully planned to meander and turn in such a way that interacted with the foliage to confuse the senses: the place looked

bigger than it actually was, and the boundary walls were similarly screened by trees and bushes to enhance the ‘edgeless’ effect. And second, a huge amount of earth was added on top of the frontage of the resort, effectively creating a man-made rise on top of which the added accommodation could be seamlessly integrated. And to achieve this effectively, an underground passage was created alongside the frontage of reception, so that deliveries and staff could go to and fro without being intrusive – keep this in mind!

One other unique feature of Poppies was its restaurant. Back in 1994, when the resort opened, it was the usual thing for resorts to regard their restaurants merely as a place to feed their guests – nearly always with the local food. But right from the word go Poppies wanted quality Western cuisine as well, and an international chef to head the kitchen.

It was a bold idea – to be exciting enough to attract diners to come in from outside – but it worked like a charm; so much so that Poppies Samui quickly gained a name for some of the best dining on the island . . . a reputation which it still enjoys today. www.samuiholiday.com l 67

But here’s the most intriguing thing of all: Poppies’ staff. It’s perfectly normal for staff to move on after a time, usually to take a better position. Once in a while, if it suits them, one or two will stay on for longer. But Poppies have a staff-record that’s probably unequalled anywhere. Of their 82 staff members, 31 have been there more than 10 years, 20 for over 15 years, and 11 employees have been with Poppies for more than 20 years. Three of the now-senior staff have actually remained in place since day one!

And it’s not merely good wages that’s inspiring this kind of loyalty. It’s the respect that the owners show to them, and the support in all manner of things. This has created a family atmosphere that everyone, staff and guests alike, who comes to Poppies feels a part of.

And so back to that ‘secret passage’ again. Just recently the General Manager, James McManaman, decided to ‘bring it out into the light’. He spent some time collecting old photos of the original few years’ history, and commissioned a local artist to create paintings from these in a traditional style. And so, today, diners are invited to enter the resort not through the reception area, but via the now-renovated showpiece passage. This is lined with captioned paintings, each encapsulating a fragment of Poppies’ history, and culminating at the kitchen where today’s Executive Chefs, Khun Noi and Khun Wantanee, will greet them and offer hors d’oeuvres.

It’s a long way back to 1994. But Poppies Samui has stood the test of time with flying colours – not just because of the quality of its cuisine, but also because of the quality of the prime people it employs . . . and they’ve also got a passage to prove it!

Rob De Wet

________________________________________________________________ For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7742 2419. www.poppiessamui.com

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ZAPPETY -ZAP!

Forget lying on the beach – head to the most exciting place on the island at Lazgam and virtualize yourself into kill-mode!

Shopping. Waterparks. Snorkelling. Elephant rides and mummified monks. Even a bungee jump. Been there done that and got the T-shirt.

There are only so many things you can do on a little tropical island paradise before you go back to the beach and sleep again. That’s the problem with paradise; it’s just too full of palm trees and blue sky . . . until the day comes when someone whispers the magic word in your ear – Lazgam!

The idea of laser tag has been around for quite a while now; it’s no new thing. But whereas New York and Singapore have embraced it with relish, it’s not been the same with Scunthorpe, Saskatchewan or Samui.

In fact, even a couple of years ago, most sassy Bangkokians would have gone ‘huh?’ at the mention of the name. But not any more.

Cutting a long story short, a couple of Swiss friends on holiday in Thailand noticed the gap in the market, invested millions to bring it to Bangkok, and then franchised it to Pattaya; and then to Samui – which really says something, as usually we’re the last to know about any new fun stuff. But, be that as it may, it’s now sitting waiting for you in 72 l www.samuiholiday.com

a huge 720 square metre futuristic battleground, right above the main McDonald’s in Chaweng.

If you’re not sure what this is all about, think of paintball. But instead of running about in the wind and rain, bring it indoors. And take away the antique hardware too. Instead, pull it firmly into the 21st century. Set it into a sturdily-built large and complex labyrinth with lots of corners, twists and obstacles. Then make the whole thing even more cutting-edge with lots of swirling smoke and strobe lighting.

And to go with this, bring on a whole new concept in armament.

Connect what looks like a mini-Uzi (but is actually a linked laser gun) to what looks like a SWAT team vest (but is actually a complex computerised receiver for incoming laser shots), add digital read-outs and identification names for each player and team . . . and off you go!

Entering into the playing area for the first time is a learning-curve into mayhem – or so it seems. Imagine the smoking wreck of the SS Enterprise filled with a bunch of jumping teenagers hosting a do-or-die techno party

(there’s always a really gamey, pounding background track going).

Certainly there’s a whole bunch of adults present, too. In fact you’ll see families having fun and corporate team-building, as well as school kids from the age of seven and up. This is the next best thing to playing a shoot-em-up computer game – probably more so because this time you’re actually in it.

And exciting it is – addictive, too, no matter what age you are. (In fact it’s now taken over as the most-popular activity on the Samui wedding party stag-night circuit.) You can play individually or in couples or a foursome, but unless you book a ‘Private Maze’ for your party (not cheap!) you’ll be shuttled into one of several opposing teams to play against each other.

Each team is colour-coded with different bright led colours, so that it’s easy to recognise the opposition. You score different points depending on where you hit an opponent. And when you get hit yourself, your light fades and a sympathetic voice murmurs in your ear, “ . . . don’t give up.”

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The similarities to a computer game continue. There are six different playing modes, decided before the game begins: ‘Independence’ (you have only one life and yet you have to get past a posse of baddies); ‘Captain America’ (you have a power shield to protect you from laser strikes as you try to land three consecutive hits on your opponent); ‘Dark Mode’ (the only light illuminating the battlefield comes from the guns themselves; ‘Alien Invasion’ (you have to avoid the alien’s laser beams or risk becoming one of them); ‘Flag Mode’ (a team effort with the aim to capture your opponent’s flag) and ‘VIP’ (in which you’re a bodyguard protecting an important person).

Each game lasts for 15 minutes. The first one you play is priced at 400 baht, the next (following) game at 350 and the third game at 250 baht.

But there are big discounts for a daily pass (up to 10 hours for 1,200 baht) or an evening pass (5:00 pm to 11:00 pm for 1,000 baht). And every few weeks Lazgam posts a special promotion on their Facebook page, particularly in the low season.

Believe me, 15 minutes seems a lot longer when you’re dodging and ducking in the thick of it and trying to avoid the bad guys, some of whom are firing blind around corners or even hiding on a higher level.

Plus there’s also a blue ‘Power Pod’ to give you more energy, a ‘Spy Mode’ which changes your team colour and even an invisibility mode if you earn enough points.

Sorry if all this has spoiled the idea of lazing by the pool. But now that you know about Lazgam, there’ll be no going back!

Rob De Wet

____________________________________________________________ For more information, telephone 0 902 837 594. www.lazgam.com

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FUNKY, FUN, FAB! Stacked has raised the bar on Chaweng’s dining standards, turning food-in-a-bun into a truly exceptional gourmet sensation!

Stacked Burger appeared on the Samui scene just a few months ago, and right away caused something of a splash. It’s the contemporary restaurant of the new OZO resort, although you wouldn’t know it.

Because unlike nearly all of the others, Stacked is right out in plain view on the beach road, bold as brass and twice as lively, right in the centre of Chaweng and perched wide and high, with its big outside decks looking down onto the road below.

But let’s just say, right from the off, that Stacked is about a whole lot more than just burgers – even if their Wagyu burger is a connoisseur’s delight.

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There are premium pork, chicken and beef steaks, racks of ribs, salmon, tuna and seafood dishes, Tex-Mex offerings and a whole selection of vegetarian and vegan plates. Not to mention the delectable desserts.

Or the impressive range of connoisseur tequilas and bourbons – plus a whole range of other rare alcoholic delights – craft beers, for example.

But, getting back to it, if I say ‘burger’ and what pops into your head is a bland round disk frozen solid, then you owe it to yourself to experience the real thing. Here we’re talking American-way-of-life-national-dish burgers. All the beef at Stacked arrives chilled in the form of huge

slabs of premium imported beef – New Zealand pasture-fed; Australian Wagyu (a cross between Black Angus and Hereford stock); grain-fed prime Aussie beef.

It’s butchered and sectored in the kitchens. Then it’s chilled and stored, being diced and minced on the spot when needed, and mixed-in with a subtle and mildly-savoury blend of herbs and spices, prior to being sizzled especially for you. It’s the culinary difference between buying a flat pack desk-in-a-box and having your own escritoire craftsman-made from real timber by a skilled cabinet maker.

And this same duty of care extends to the entire dining experience.

As you enter you’ll be greeted and shown to a table. Your waiter will introduce themselves, offer the menus, and return with glasses of ice-cold water and refreshing towels. For a restaurant with ‘burger’ in the name, the menu is surprisingly extensive, and it’s not at all easy to pick out just one flower from the garden of delights on offer.

Looking around, everything’s all so well-put together that it’s seamless – it’s so right that you probably won’t even realise just how well-sorted it is.

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The evening lighting is perfect, both inside and out on the decks. The music is on the hip side of cool, and gets your feet tapping without killing the conversation. The outer-deck fans waft gently instead of blasting, and the seats are just the right level of comfortable. Other restaurants should take lessons from this.

And while you’re chewing your fingers in an anguish of indecision, the waiting staff will pop back up again to fill that universal restaurant black hole between ordering and receiving – cheerfully dropping a big bowl of salted popcorn, a jar of assorted pickles, and a selection of breads with herb butter onto your table – again, other restaurants take note!

The house wine is at a sensible price and extremely palatable – plus there’s also a wide selection of New World alternatives to go for. All the local beers are priced at less than you’d expect. There are some innovative and unusual cocktails. And if you enjoy the bouquet of a fine beer, then you’ll spend an age trying to decide between Hoegaarden, Dunkel, Hofbrau Weiss, Anderson Valley Boont, Amber Ale IPA, or Dead Guy Rogue Ale.

I could write another 5,000 words, simply listing out the contents of the menu, and the effortlessly-expert way in which all the sauces, salads and sides that come with each plate are elegantly combined together.

The starters alone are huge; the equal of many a main dish elsewhere.

Even the ‘humble’ burgers are craftsman-built, and come with beetroot, pineapple, salad, white cheddar, sizzled egg, stacked sauce etc., etc. (there’s a huge range of toppings and extras) and in a home-made sourdough bun. I could go on . . .

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SCL International School International Education from Pre-school to Secondary Educating the Mind Nurturing the Soul



 Small classes  Individual education plans Fully qualified teachers  A family atmosphere

With these qualities, it’s not hard to see why the children at SCL are achieving so much A warm welcome is extended to anyone who wishes to visit the school

Stacked Burger in Chaweng has an attention to detail, service and quality that is the envy of many a so-called fine-dining establishment. But this place is seriously funky, it’s great fun eating here (before or after you go out on the town) and the food is utterly, mouth-wateringly, fabulous. End of story!

Rob De Wet

_______________________________________________________ For reservations or further information, telephone 0 7791 5222. www.stacked-samui.com

SCL International School 127/40-50 Moo 3 Maret, Lamai, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84310 Phone: 0 7741 8789 Mobile: 0 810 910 714 Email: emma@sclinternationalschool.com www.sclinternationalschool.com

RAIN RULES

The monsoon season isn’t without its dangers.

Thailand is a watery country; look down out of the plane windows as you fly towards Bangkok and you’ll see a network of rivers, canals and waterways, all gleaming silver in the sunlight. In places, there are vast lakes, too, and then of course there’s the fact that Thailand straddles two different seas. Could things really get any more aquatic than that?

The answer is a resounding yes. It’s not just that the land itself is filled with water; the skies are too – at least during rainy season. All of Thailand experiences massive tropical downpours, with different regions experiencing a monsoon at different times. On Samui and the surrounding islands, it typically coincides with the month of November, if it can be said at all that the weather can be pinned to a calendar.

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No-one can be at all sure quite when the bad weather will arrive and when it’ll depart again. Usually the last week of December is marked by blue skies again, well, most of the time, but this isn’t set in stone. If you’re holidaying here then it can be difficult if you’re holed up in a hotel room for days by rain that never lets up. That’s the worst case scenario.

At times the monsoon is just a question of waiting out the rain; in a few hours it’ll be sunny again.

The word monsoon refers to the seasonal winds that dredge up moisture from the Indian Ocean; the result is that all that water has to fall somewhere, and in this case it’s on Thailand, which then undergoes its rainy season. The wet weather isn’t just rain. Storms can be

extraordinarily intense, with very heavy downpours, massive thunder and the kind of semi-continuous lightning usually seen in the movies. Humidity levels soar, and skies can be totally overcast with the air itself seemingly growing dark. Sometimes it’s like looking at a sepia photograph.

Naturally there are some dangers that come with all of this. Predictably, the rains can cause flash flooding. Samui’s ring-road is definitely at risk.

Some parts may be fine, but if you’re driving along, you may suddenly come to a deep flood. It’s best to wait it out. Almost miraculously, the water can go down extremely fast. Facebook updates mean you can get reports from other drivers almost instantly – along with melodramatic footage.

Some flooded stretches can be very short but deep, but that doesn’t mean to say you should grit your teeth and drive. Take a look at what other

drivers are doing, particularly the locals. Black spots for flooding include parts of the beach road in Chaweng, outside Big C on the Chaweng ringroad and further back at the Bophut traffic lights.

Naturally, it can also be dangerous to go swimming. You probably won’t want to anyway, given the heaving battleship-grey of the seas, but some people seem undeterred. The water will have large semi-submerged obstacles to negotiate (think entire tree trunks), weird currents and if you’re at all near what was a stream, it’ll have turned into a raging torrent that pushes debris hundreds of metres out to sea. Walking along the shore might seem OK, but you should beware of being pulled out to sea by sudden freak waves.

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A couple of other caveats. Watching a storm from the safety of your balcony may not be as safe as you think – beware of sudden bolts of lightning. It’s best to go inside and close doors and windows. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t stand under trees either. And don’t even think about using the hotel pool while there’s the remotest chance of thunder and lightning. Avoid water, high ground, electric wiring, fences and walls, too.

Unplug your computer from the mains as a power surge could fry its innards. And, obviously, don’t leave it out under an open sky no matter how sunny the weather is. By the time you remember it’s still out there, the clouds will have rolled in and it’ll have filled with water!

It’s a good idea to invest in an umbrella and a rain poncho (head for the nearest convenience store) and make sure you have a pair of shoes with good grips on them, which will come in handy if you face mud and slime.

If you’re caught out in the rain, take shelter, just as the Thais do. Most rain will last between 15 and 45 minutes. Whatever you do, don’t set off afterwards on your motorbike or in a car thinking that since the rain as stopped, it’s safe. The roads may be filled with stretches of mud or sand, or they may simply occur in tiny, unnoticeable patches

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– just enough to occasion that nasty skid that’ll see you in hospital.

Occasionally a track or even a road may be so severely damaged that it becomes impassable. A small puddle can hide a massive pothole.

Winds may have weakened palm trees and huge branches can suddenly drop.

If you’ve come to Thailand determined to soak up the sun and spend as much time by the sea or resort swimming pool as possible, it’s best not to take a chance on the monsoon, but choose instead another time to come. There are other activities that can be undertaken in the rainy season, but these won’t feel like a good substitute if it’s a true beach holiday that you’re after.

You can certainly travel to Thailand during the rainy season and in all probability you’ll have a wonderful vacation, but you should be prepared for cloudy days and plenty of rain. Statistically it’s unlikely your travel plans will be severely impacted, but you need to make allowances for this. Just as with everywhere in the world, it’s possible to get caught out. The best news is that Samui and its neighbouring islands have a microclimate that means that they experience less rain than most other parts of the country and also experience a shorter monsoon season.

Dimitri Waring

An exclusive luxury development of private pool villas with panoramic sea views in the prime North East of Koh Samui, just minutes from the island’s most popular beaches and entertainment areas.

Designed by David McCormick of Msystem, the renowned international architect recently crowned ‘Best luxury Residential Architecture Firm - South East Asia’, each villa provides the perfect blend of “contemporary tropical living”. Each villa is also designed to meet the dual requirements as a luxury vacation residence and successful luxury villa rental property.

Sunbathe on the expansive terrace, take a cool dip in the infinity pool, relax in the integrated Jacuzzi and dine under the stars. Breathe fresh air, get away from it all and escape from the city in style.

Just 2 villas left for sale at this award-winning development.

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CHECK-IN, CHECK-UP

Bangkok Hospital Samui provides all kinds of check-ups as well as a full medical service.

Holidaymakers on Samui aren’t simply drawn by the beaches and the nightlife here; many are here as medical tourists. And many come not so much for major operations, but simpler routines such as dental work, cosmetic procedures and even health checks that cover everything from blood profiles to gynaecological examinations. It might seem odd to schedule a health check whilst on holiday, but it’s actually quite normal, with the hospitals emailing patients their results.

A lot of questions get asked of doctors, particularly concerning gynaecology tests, and it always helps to have a friendly specialist to provide information. At Bangkok Samui Hospital, the gynaecology and obstetrics department is run by two doctors, who work in tandem.

Appointments are scheduled from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm every day, but outside those times there’s an on-call service day and night for emergencies.

Of particular concern to many patients are the routine check-ups.

According to the hospital, every woman should ensure that she gets these done on a regular basis. Detection of problems is much easier now than it ever used to be, so it’s just a question of doing the tests. The question is when.

Basic guidelines call for tests to be done at intervals. There are two of them: a Pap smear test and an HPV test. Women should start having tests three years after having their first sexual intercourse. (If no intercourse takes place, then at age 30.) Women aged 21 to 29, should have a Pap test every three years. Beginning at age 30, the preferred way to screen is with a Pap test combined with an HPV test. The interval between tests depends on their previous test results. This is called co-testing, and should continue until age 65. Alternatively, women aged 30 to 65 can get tested

every three years with just the Pap test, if the last test result is negative for malignancy. Women who are at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases should get tested every year.

Women over 65 years of age who’ve never had serious pre-cancers, and have had regular screening in the previous ten years should stop cervical cancer screening. So should women who have had hysterectomies and who show only benign symptoms of disease.

Women who have abnormal screening results may need to have a colposcopic examination - a follow-up Pap test (sometimes with a HPV test) done in six months or a year. There are some other exceptions to the guidelines, too.

The Pap test is a procedure used to collect cells from the cervix so that they checked under a microscope for abnormalities. The test can be done during a pelvic exam (unless the women is menstruating), but not all pelvic exams include a Pap test. An HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) test can be done on the same sample of cells collected from the Pap test. HPV is responsible for cervical cancer, but alas it’s very hard to avoid HPV. It’s basically transmitted through all forms of sexual contact; therefore it’s recommended that as soon as a woman becomes sexually active, she should begin to schedule the tests.

The HPV test alone detects 13 types of cancer. If women follow the guidelines, they’re able to detect problems before they become serious, with the entire object being to keep cervical cancer from forming in the first place.

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B a r g e & Te r r a c e

Fine Beachside Dining at The Rice Barge & Terrace Authentic Thai Cuisine Daily A La Carte and Thai Set Dinner No visit to Samui is complete until you have dined at The Rice Barge & Terrace

Rice Barge & Terrace Nora Buri's Signature Restaurant Chaweng North For Reservation Tel: 0 7791 3555 E-mail: ricebarge@noraburiresort.com www.noraburiresort.com

If all is well, and both tests are negative, then usually the patient can schedule the next test for three years later. If the HPV is positive, then the next test depends on the cytological exam (Pap smear) result. HPV abnormalities can lead to the formation of cancer, but it’s usually a slow process and can take up to ten years. If it’s found early, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers. This is due to the effectiveness of the tests and the slowness of the disease’s progression. These days, most cervical cancers are found in women who have never had a Pap test or who have not had one recently.

If both tests are positive, then the doctor may order a colposcopy with a biopsy taken of the cervix. The test results take seven days.

For cervical cancer screening and tissue biopsy, the samples are sent to their head laboratory in Bangkok.

Whether you live on the island or are holidaying here and you have gynaecological health concerns of any kind, then it’s a good idea to visit Bangkok Hospital Samui. Experts there will quickly inform you what needs to be done. They can schedule a treatment plan which you can continue when back at home, if needed.

Dimitri Waring

_______________________________________________________ For further information telephone: 0 7742 9500. www.bangkokhospitalsamui.com Nora Buri's Restaurant Chaweng North For Reservation Tel: 0 7791 3555 E-mail: ricebarge@noraburiresort.com www.noraburiresort.com

INVEST IN THE BEST Affordable luxury Samui homes are finally a reality, with Impact Samui Property Specialists.

Koh Samui is a beautiful tropical island, sheltered in the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Thailand with secluded coves and white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees. Inland, lush verdant landscapes boast coconut groves, picturesque waterfalls and magnificent ocean views.

With its stunning natural beauty, and one of the highest concentrations of five-star hotels and fine dining restaurants in the world, Samui is now one of the top tourist destinations and investment hotspots in Asia.

Buying property in Thailand”, it’s all about research, professionalism, integrity and, above all, setting high quality standards. His approach to developing and constructing is simple: build luxury villas that are beautiful, functional and homely. Design modern and contemporary homes that not only have well-proportioned and practical spaces, but that are also warm and welcoming. The emphasis is on designing homes for living in, not just for admiring!

If you looking for that elusive, ‘perfect in every way’ holiday property, and an exceptional real estate investment, look no further than Impact Samui Property Specialists. Their portfolio of developments includes ‘Oasis Samui’, winner of the prestigious ‘Best Residential Development (Samui)’ award at this year’s 2017-2018 Thailand Property Awards. This private estate of luxury private pool villas is located within lush tropical surroundings of coconut palms, with views over the turquoise blue sea in Lamai. It is also the latest development to be launched by the same high quality, award-winning development team of ‘The Ridge’, a private estate of pool villas with panoramic sea views in Choeng Mon, and winner of ‘Best Residential Development (Samui)’ in 2014-2015.

Every stage of the planning, from acquiring land to handing over the completed product to a satisfied owner is thought through and planned in the finest of detail. Each aspect of the development is questioned and fine-tuned. The optimal location must be close to a prime beach, with great sea views, and at the same time surrounded by nature to provide a quiet residential experience. The architectural design of each property strives to incorporate the natural environment of rocks and tropical flora, maintaining a natural degree of space and privacy between villas. Each building material is carefully selected to withstand the tropical climate of monsoon rains and the often-relentless sun, as well as the general wear and tear of the rental market.

So, what does it take to win these prestigious awards? According to Managing Director, Rodney Waller, an experienced property investor and developer with more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, as well as the author of the best-selling book, “The Essential Guide to

The position of every switch, socket and light is considered for its practicality and ease of use. Functional interiors blend natural wood furniture, elegant furnishings and light airy fabrics with subtle colours and lighting. Carefully selected ‘feature pieces’ provide that all-essential

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‘Wow!’ factor, whilst retaining a warm, homely and welcoming atmosphere. In other words, a great deal of time, attention and, especially, experience goes into the design of every living space, and each single item must be planned to the minutest detail. These are homes and the interior and exterior space must flow and feel practical as well as comfortable and desirable.

planning and construction stages means friendships inevitably develop.

These relationships continue when the properties are rented out upon completion, and through the ongoing maintenance of the villas.

Impact Samui brings together a dynamic team of award-winning developers, designers, architects and engineers, with a wealth of experience. All have a passion for their work, as well as a professional reputation for pushing boundaries, always improving and consistently delivering what they promise to their customers, while setting the benchmark for quality standards. For their developments, the team have always managed to purchase land in the most sought after areas on Samui, and their professionalism ensures the land title is properly researched. When the building work starts, they are on site every day to keep on top of progress, ensuring plans are being followed, correct materials are being used and to ensure the expectation of the highest quality standards are consistently met.

Investment opportunities currently exist for four developments, with more in the planning stages. Oasis Samui has nineteen, three and fourbedroom villas with four different villa designs. At the time of going to print, currently there are eight villas left for sale in this award-winning development. The lush tropical landscaping and magnificent ocean views enhance the stunning natural beauty of the site, and the ‘contemporary tropical living’ villa design. With bold angled roofs, sweeping terraces, infinity pools incorporating half-moon Jacuzzis, expansive floor-toceiling window fronts and spacious open-plan living areas, designed to accentuate ‘indoor-outdoor tropical living’, these properties definitely make a statement. Ideally located, close to the new ‘Fisherman’s Village’ or ‘Boardwalk’, currently under construction in Hua Thanon, together with a water sports centre, SCL International School and Samui’s largest Chinese temple, it’s one of the few luxury developments near Lamai beach, known for its great swimming and vibrant nightlife.

The most distinguishing feature of the Impact Samui team is their track record of satisfied customers and villa owners. Early on in the development, flexibility in the plans allows clients to customize their homes and investments. This level of client involvement during the

With the eight original three and four-bedroom pool villas already sold at The Ridge, further land has been acquired to build the final two villas in this other award-winning development. These beautiful, wide frontage villas, set amongst tropical landscaping, enjoy panoramic sea views

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all the way to the neighbouring island of Koh Pha-Ngan. Located in the quiet residential area of Plai Laem, these properties are just minutes away from a stroll along the popular Choeng Mon beach, the Big Buddha temple, the local fresh food market and the numerous shops and restaurants. The development is also just ten minutes from Samui’s International Airport.

Around the corner, and enjoying a prime location near the Big Buddha temple, is ‘Lavaliere Samui’, a development of just four stylish boutique pool villas. The design has the vibe of a New York loft with a tropical touch. Oversized windows give a light and airy interior, inviting balmy sea breezes. Private pools with waterfalls and outdoor terraces amid mature indigenous plants and trees abound. These are perfect villas to generate rental income and have a rental guarantee available if required.

‘Residence 8’ is a brand-new development comprising six luxury apartments and two villas with stunning panoramic views, situated above The Ridge. While all of the teams’ developments have experienced good capital appreciation, these properties are at a pre-marketing stage, so an opportunity may exist to get in early at the lowest prices!

And finally, coming soon is ‘The Peak Samui’. Seven single storey villas with spectacular ocean views and large land plot sizes for those who value perfection and privacy.

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Impact Samui offers a comprehensive property management service, ensuring your valuable real estate is professionally and proactively maintained if you don’t plan to live there full-time. Regular visits ensure maintenance schedules are adhered to, and detailed monthly financial statements are produced. The full hospitality service is available to investors for holiday rentals, including villa marketing, airport transfers, manager ‘meet and greets’, daily housekeeping service, breakfast to full chef service, and driver or car hire.

If you are in the market for a prime investment or a beautiful second home, look no further than Impact Samui Property Specialists. With several prestigious awards firmly under their belt and more developments in the pipeline, they are definitely leading the field.

Karan Ladd _______________________________________

For further information, telephone Rodney Waller on 0 629 899 887. www.impactsamui.com www.theridgesamui.com www.oasissamui.com

DOWN-DOG, COBRA OR FROG? Why not try out some yoga whilst on Samui.

Whether you already have a yoga practice or just want to try it whilst on holiday, the sunny skies, warm temperature and ocean views are definite yoga motivators. Get those yoga pants at the ready, Samui is steadily positioning itself as a green, organic and healthy holiday destination, and yoga options are rapidly expanding.

If you are a complete beginner, a bit rusty or an advanced practitioner.

Whether you prefer a gentle class with lots of meditation or you want to push yourself in terms of flexibility, strength or cardio. If you prefer the beach, a cliff top, or a yoga studio, want to learn something new, or just practise the basics, there will be a class to suit you, whatever your level or goals. Yoga is the perfect way to start your day, to stay in the shade when the sun’s a bit too strong, or something to do if an inconvenient downpour has just waylaid your beach plans!

So what are your options? If your main reason for a holiday on Samui is to immerse yourself in all things wellness related, then consider booking into a specialist yoga retreat. They offer healthy food, tailor-made detox programs, lots of pampering, massages and additional treatments such as reiki, hypnotherapy or acupuncture, as well as yoga.

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It’s also easy to fit occasional or even daily yoga into a more traditional Samui beach holiday. Many resorts offer group yoga classes, some in beautiful open-air pavilions, and most will organise a private instructor for you if you prefer. This is the perfect option if you don’t want to venture far, and you can easily fit in your yoga fix before breakfast or happy hour!

If you want to immerse yourself in some regular yoga classes there are now many private yoga studios, and some gyms that offer dropin classes, weekly or monthly passes, or you can book one or more private sessions. Some studios are basic, but many are set in beautiful gardens, beachside or with fantastic views. And maybe with a healthy café attached serving organic smoothies and juices as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

If you just want to do your own thing, grab your yoga mat and head for the beach. Most beaches are quiet until around 8:30 am, with just a few dedicated runners, dog walkers, fishermen and other early yogis.

Don’t like sand on your mat? Find a quiet corner in your resort or just unroll your mat in your room. If you are planning on yoga al fresco, be

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sure to bring some mosquito repellent. There is nothing worse than swiping at the mossies whilst focusing on mindfulness. And Samui’s climate might mean that you’re possibly practising your own version of hot yoga, so be sure to rehydrate regularly with bottled or filtered water or fresh coconut water.

Having decided to take part in yoga, Samui style, you start Googling for classes or hotel options that include yoga. But decisions, decisions. Should you try Ashtanga or Vinyasa? What’s the difference between Hatha and Yin? To flow or not to flow? The range of options can be a bit daunting for beginners and novices.

Different types of yoga suit different people at different times, so here is the low-down on the basics so that you can identify the styles that might suit you best.

Hatha is perfect for complete beginners or novices. It’s a relatively slow moving class that will teach you all the basic poses. Holding these positions for a few breaths allows you to strengthen muscles whilst increasing flexibility and focus the mind. Even though it may be slow, do not expect it to be an easy class, especially if you

haven’t tried it before. Be prepared to work and sweat. The Sanskrit term ‘Hatha’ actually refers to any yoga that teaches physical postures. So, in reality, all yoga is hatha yoga.

Vinyasa is primarily a dynamic flow practice, linking movement and breath in a dance-like way. There is very little lingering in each pose and the pace can be quick. Be prepared for your heart rate to rise. Intense exercisers might enjoy this because of its faster pace. Runners and endurance athletes are also drawn to Vinyasa because of the continuous movement.

Iyengar focuses on the precision of your body’s alignment in each pose.

Lots of props may be used; yoga blocks, blankets, straps and even the wall may be used to help you to work within a range of motion that is safe and effective for you. Each pose is held for a while, just like in hatha yoga. This style is best for detail-oriented individuals. If you love learning about anatomy, movement and form, you’ll love Iyengar.

Ashtanga is a challenging yet orderly approach to yoga. There are six series of specifically sequenced yoga poses. You’ll flow and breathe

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through each pose in the exact same order in each class. Most classes are teacher led, but Mysore style (a subset of Ashtanga) requires you to perform the series on your own. But don’t worry, there is always a teacher in the room to offer assistance if you need it. Perfectionists are drawn to Ashtanga’s routine and strict guidelines.

Hot yoga is a sequence of moves practised in a room heated to around 37 degrees Celsius. The heat can enable you to move deeper into some poses compared to a non-heated class. Be careful not to overstretch or push beyond your capacity. Be sure to hydrate before and after the class with lots of water. Hot yoga is similar to Bikram yoga in that the same sequence of moves is practised every class. Hot yoga is best for hardcore sweat lovers.

If you feel the need to completely calm and balance your body and mind, then Yin yoga may be for you. Yin yoga poses are held for three to five minutes at a time. This is a meditative practice designed to target your deep connective tissue and fascia, restoring length and elasticity.

You are encouraged to use props and allow your body to relax into the posture rather than actively flexing or engaging muscles.

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Restorative yoga is a mellow, slow-moving practice allowing you to experience deep relaxation. You’ll use a variety of props to fully support your body in each pose. The main purpose is to restore the body and mind. It’s a very gentle and rejuvenating class with very little stress on the muscles or joints. Great for anyone who finds it hard to slow down or suffers from insomnia or anxiety and perfect for athletes on recovery days.

Everyone can do yoga. You don’t have to be flexible or thin, or have the ‘right’ clothes! All you need to do is show up with an open mind and do your best. Try a few different styles, studios and teachers, and then stick with the one that resonates with you.

Downward facing dog, cobra or frog? Find your favourite, and surprise yourself with how much you can actually do! You will definitely be leaving Samui with a spring in your step!

Karan Ladd

THE FULL SERVICE PHARMACY

Morya, Samui’s most progressive pharmacy, offers you much, much, more than just pills and potions!

Going away on holiday is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s the highlight of your year. You’ve been planning it and looking forward to it for months. But on the other hand, there are all sorts of worries attached. Are you properly insured? Have you had all the injections?

What will you do if your luggage goes astray? Will your resort really be as good as it looked in the photos? What if you have an accident or get sick? What if you need medicine or prescriptions? Well there’s no need to be concerned about the last few, because the answer is ‘Morya’.

The first Morya pharmacy appeared here back in 2001. The instigator, Khun Kwanchai Patpaen, had anticipated the need for a quality pharmacy which offered a wide range of products and services. He himself was fully qualified, with a degree in pharmaceutical science.

And he insisted that his management staff had undergone an intensive 6-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree program, and be qualified in both biochemistry and organic chemistry. Plus they needed to understand the law as it relates to medicine as well as pharmacy. And, needless to say, speaking English was vital.

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That was 16 years ago. Since then, the chain of Morya pharmacies has expanded across the island, and just-recently opened its 24th branch, Pharmacy 24, opposite Central Festival. But, today, it’s also become necessary to communicate in Russian, French, and several other languages, too. The result is that the Morya staff-training now includes a comprehensive component involving online internet translation, and how to convert this to a common language to communicate with all nationalities.

Back home you’ll go into a chemist or a pharmacy and automatically expect to call on the services of a trained dispensing pharmacist. But here in Thailand, a great many of the shops you’ll see with ‘pharmacy’ in the window are staffed by only a couple of young shop assistants, much like a branch of 7-Eleven would be. You can never be sure who to trust.

And that’s why everyone who’s in-the-know insists on going to Morya.

For a start, all branches of Morya will be able to replicate any prescription that you need, so there is really no need to fill your suitcase with pills before you come. They’re connected to national and international suppliers, and will quickly find your medication. If you insist on known branding, fine. But if you are OK with it, they can analyse your prescription and supply you with an identical alternative at a fraction of the cost. But now that Morya pharmacies have widened their horizons, they can offer so much more than just reliable prescriptions!

This new look started to happen with the introduction in all of the Morya branches of a range of healthy and natural ‘spa’ products, extending through from feel-good facial packs to herbal compresses and organic scrubs. This was mainly connected to cosmetics and pampering. But it was then a logical step to make the next connection: an entire range of health and herbal products – alternative medicines, combined with holistic and organic products and remedies. And the result of this is

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there are now two different-but-related Moryas. The Green Cross Morya means ‘health and herbs’. In the regular Blue Cross Moryas you’ll find that it’s all centred on pharmacy plus health-and-well-being products, plus a few shelves of herbal remedies. In the Green Cross Moryas, however, it’s the other way around!

But all the branches are inter-connected. All you need to do is to go to your nearest branch, and a phone call to their HQ will have them deliver a duplicate of your home prescription, a pair of crutches, a wheelchair or even an adjustable hospital bed! And this will only take an hour or so if you’re anywhere in the area of Chaweng, and next-day-service anywhere else on the island.

However, a whole new Morya concept has now arisen – Youreka.

There are now two branches of Youreka, one of them at The Wharf in Fisherman’s Village, and the other in Central Festival in Chaweng. In a large and comfortably-appointed space that’s reminiscent of an upmarket department store, you’ll find spa, beauty and skin-care products, cosmetics, fragrances, baby and child products, toiletries, sun-care, plus insect repellents, together with dried fruits and snacks and gifts and souvenirs of Thailand.

It’s impressive isn’t it! And, not only this, but now Morya have branched out yet again and are offering ‘My Living Place’: exclusive self-catering apartments with air-conditioning, cable TV and Wi-Fi. Just one more another reason to say – Morya: the full-service pharmacy!

Rob De Wet

____________________________________________________________ For more information, telephone 0 7741 3298-9.

Facebook – Morya Pharmacy

TO PROTECT, SERVE, AND TRANSLATE!

The Tourist Police have an invaluable place in every part of Thailand which attracts visitors – Samui included.

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The number of tourists in Thailand is increasing every year. In fact, in the five years since 2012, this number has doubled, and now stands at almost 32 million a year. That’s quite something. Of course, nearly all of these are concentrated in and around the nation’s major tourist areas. But out of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya, only Samui stands out.

It’s the only one that’s not high-rise and citified – the atmosphere is quite different. But it still gets a great many visitors and the daily problems that they create.

Things have changed a lot. A decade ago, visitors to Samui were composed mainly of Europeans and Australians. Today, however, around 70% of the tourists coming here are from one of the Asian nations. Many of the Europeans from before are still here, though, but now they’re running small businesses instead! All of which means that you’ll probably hear a dozen different languages spoken when you go out and about.

And that’s where the Tourist Police come into the picture.

Well, that’s over-simplifying things. The idea of creating a police force specially to cope with the language barrier was only a part of it, because all those tourists also brought with them a totally different view of the world. They could only imagine that Thailand was the same as their own nation, that it had the same laws and social systems, that the police worked in the same way, and that everyone had the same ‘rights’ as they were used to back home. And so what was needed was some kind of stop-gap between the regular police and the millions of tourists. A kind of intermediary – a policeman just for tourists – who could not only act as a translator, but also could gently point out, where needed, that Thai law and culture was nothing like they were used to, back in their own country.

The bigger and busier tourist traps of Bangkok and Pattaya were the first to grasp the nettle and admit that tourists were a special case.

On the one hand visitors here can sometimes become belligerent and even aggressive if they suddenly find themselves the victim of a crime or an accident, worried by the circumstances, frustrated by the lack of communication and frightened by a situation they can’t understand.

But, on the other side of things, it sometimes takes great restraint for the every-day Thai police to repress their irritation and frustration, too, particularly when being challenged or provoked in a language they can’t understand, by an angry tourist who’s demanding his ‘rights’ in a nation where, in actual fact, they are not what he thinks they should be!

But even more of a problem was those tourists with no common language, such as a lot of the Russian-speakers or some Asian nations, many of whom could not even communicate in English. The solution which emerged was to separate out a small group from the main body of the Thai police force; those who could speak and understand English.

And then, to supplement this, to additionally recruit foreigners into an integrated ‘Thai Tourist Police Volunteers’ force, as an extra arm of the Tourist Police.

Their true function is a buffer. They calm the tensions, allow tourists to defuse their frustration by explaining things to a sympathetic ear, and are able to grasp all the aspects of a situation and pass these onto the police so they can understand both sides of the story. And with volunteers now being able to get to the bottom of things in around 14 different languages, they serve an invaluable function.

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Samui seems to come up with different challenges than, for example, Pattaya. On our little island there is far less of the out-of-control drunken foolishness that seems to be a core ingredient of the daily life of the Tourist Police in Pattaya. Rather, here, the problems are more general, and often somewhat domestic in nature. Road accidents are a frequent example. The police here have the same power as a judge and jury in the west. And it can be infuriating for a happy tourist to suddenly find his rented motorbike on the floor and the Thai party claiming (in incomprehensible Thai) that it was the tourist’s fault and he wants 30,000 baht on the spot to fix his motorbike. The police here have the authority to evaluate the roadside evidence and make that decision.

It’s the law in Thailand, and no matter how angry the tourist becomes about this ‘outrage’, he’s only making things worse by shouting about it.

Fortunately the regular police are now wise to this, and will usually call upon someone from the Tourist Police to intervene and calm things down.

And 99 times out of 100, a satisfactory compromise can be quickly reached.

But it’s not all about crime or being robbed or scammed, although this happens more than some might think. The Tourist Police are frequently

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contacted to advise on lost or stolen passports and matters related to visas, or to help with sorting out the disturbance caused by latenight parties or even domestic disputes – it’s not just tourists who call on them, it’s residents too.

And so, if you need them, call 1155 and explain your problem.

There are about 30 Tourist Police on Samui, including volunteers, and they’re readily on hand to protect and serve you and translate your problem when needed!

Rob De Wet

_______________________________________________________ Telephone 1155. www.samui-tourist-police.com

Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort 99/9 Moo 1, Bophut Bay, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320 Thailand T +66 (0) 77 428 300-9 F +66 (0) 77 428 310 E bophutsamui@anantara.com

IT’S A DOG’S LIFE Soi Dog is solving the stray dog crisis on Samui in the most compassionate way.

Samui is a difficult territory to accurately measure for populations of any kind, due to hills, many wild spots and dispersed villages but it’s reckoned that for every ten people on Samui, there’ll be one dog. That translates as there being 10,000 dogs on the island. Unfortunately, many of them – thousands – will be strays. No owner. No care given.

Left to live wild. And to breed.

And that’s become a problem on the island – there are simply more and more dogs around. If you’ve been here for any length of time, you’ll have noticed the increase in stray dogs. Without any control, they’ll simply go on reproducing and leading lives that can often be miserable.

And there will also be unfortunate incidents where people get bitten. This in turn will mean a hospital visit and rabies shots, possibly tetanus too.

And – ouch! – a dog bite certainly hurts, too.

Fortunately, help has arrived, and the dog population is being dealt

with. Soi Dog is a foundation that deals with dogs and cats across the kingdom. Based in Phuket, the non-profit foundation aims to help animals in all kinds of conditions.

There’s a daily routine here on Samui. Every morning dog catchers go out to an area that’s been designated in advance. Here, they know there will be stray dogs around. They capture them and take them to the place where sterilizations and vaccinations are carried out. Some strays of course will be less than happy about this, and tranquillizer darts will be needed. After their procedures, when the dogs feel comfortable again, they’re taken back. Many people bring in dogs themselves, or have their own pets that they wish to have spayed/neutered.

All of this is costly and takes time, but is the most efficient and compassionate way to proceed. Some people believe that the only way is to cull the dogs. This doesn’t work out at all. Dogs are territorial, and

once an entire territory is empty, more dogs will soon take over – they will be attracted by the lack of competition for the area, and all too soon will produce a new generation of dogs. Still other people believe that nothing at all needs to be done; they put faith in a sort of happy Darwinism, whereby the dog population somehow eventually regulates itself: only the fittest survive and somehow they reproduce sensibly. Well, this just doesn’t happen. Samui is currently seeing the results of there being too many dogs, too much reproduction and a general lack of control. In the end, it’s the dogs that suffer, as well as the humans.

Soi Dog expects to spend about nine months here on Samui in order to sterilize the dog population. It may take longer, but they’ll put in the time.

Afterwards they will move to Koh Pha-Ngan and then Koh Tao. They’re concentrating on dogs but can also deal with cats. (Usually they have a ‘cat day’ when people bring in cats.) The team on Samui includes two vets, three vet nurses, one assistant and two teams of dog catchers.

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How can people help? One of the problems is that hotel and construction workers like to bring dogs with them. Often they’re not sterilized and will begin reproducing. The puppies are left behind and quite often the dogs themselves. Companies should therefore think out a policy concerning workers’ animals.

A much bigger cause of strays is garbage. Wherever there’s garbage there are dogs to be found, living off scraps of food. The dogs won’t stay in areas where there’s no food, so it’s a question of everyone doing their utmost to make sure that garbage is left in dog-proof containers and that there’s no overspill.

Soi Dog is determined to eradicate the stray dog problem, and it’s a tough task. Naturally it’s possible to make donations through their website, and many people like to visit the Soi Dog centre in Phuket in order to learn about the organisation. For many visitors it’s the highlight of their holiday – they come into contact with dogs and cats that have been rescued and are in the process of transitioning to brand new lives.

Soi Dog also is active in ending the Asian dog meat trade and training vets in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Dimitri Waring

____________________________________________________________ For further information, telephone 0 984 860 3690 (Dr Ratanaporn) or 0 937 606 065 (Khun Sampan). www.soidog.org

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Mobile Clinic Locations (Dates may be subject to change) 4th Sep – 21st Nov Wat Bo Phuttharam (Maenam & Bophut) 27th Nov – 13th Feb 18 Wat Mai Sri Taweep (Lipanoi, Ang Thong & Maenam) 19th Feb – 8th May 18 Wat Samret (Maret, Taling Ngam & Namuang Working Hours: Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm including Public Holidays

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B Smart has quickly earned the reputation for being one of the most progressive and innovative system integrators in Thailand.

Along with high quality products and a very knowledgeable work force, you can be confident that B Smart Sys. Co., LTD will meet and exceed your expectations.

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If you are looking for something wonderful and different, Zazen restaurant is the place for you to discover. Zazen is truly one of the most romantic and serene beachside dining restaurants on the island. Every night this charming establishment lights up over 100 candles to set the ambiance for you to experience.

again l ove r t l a e v n in lo stau r a Fall Zazen Re at

Tel: 077 425 085, 081 737 8771 Email: fb@samuizazen.com Website: www.samuizazen.com

Invisalign takes a modern approach The Original BriteSmile Centre from to straighten your teeth without using a Hollywood’s Professional Teethbraces, Whitening. series of custom-made aligners created for Oneand Hour you only you.

One Visit One Dazzling Smile Virtually invisible Smooth andnew comfortable Offering other services: Painless dentistry, Removable for depigmentation easy cleaning with laser andEat dental implants, well as a wide range whatever youas want of dental hygiene and care. th,

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Asia Travel Asia Travel is the most popular travel agency on Koh Samui. Established 15 years ago, they are well known to provide updated travel information reasonably priced for all international and domestic needs. Their second to none consultancy service will help you with all aspects of long or short stay requirements such as visa, work permit or company registration and finances. Asia Travel is well known for their quality services as mentioned in The Lonely Planet.

Tel: 0 7723 6120, 0 7742 1342 Fax: 0 7742 1185 Email: asiatravel_international@yahoo.com For Taxi: ร้านตั้งอยู่ที่ถนนหน้าทอน

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Private real estate with incredible 180-Degree views The actual view from this house is the picture above. This 4-bedroom house has been built according to European standards on 972 sqm. It is centrally located near Nathon and only 500 metres from the main road in a small, warm and tidy community. Priced very competitively, this house is ideal for couples or young families ready to live in paradise.

Price: 8 Million THB only Tel: 0 819 709 632 Email: asiatravel_international@yahoo.com