GoBlog

Travelog: Koh Samui Part 3

I know that this is something which many of you are waiting for, but it took awhile to finish it so here it is, the final installment to my travelog which is also the final destination; the island itself - Koh Samui.

It is hard to believe that 20 years ago, Koh Samui was just a small sleepy fishing village.  Known for its white sandy beaches, it was a hit amongst European tourists who found out about this sleepy hollow and wanted to get away from it all.  There were no shopping strips, no hotels or resorts neither was there an airport.  It was a place tourists would call paradise as they relaxed under the super fine white sandy beaches sipping coconut milk and sun bathed.

Now, Koh Samui is a bustling island with hundreds of international hotels, resorts and spas.  Tourist lined every 100 meters of the island and the streets are busy with motorcylists and vehicles.  Many of the locals if you ask them, do not really like this development although it has brought in good economy and living to them.  The main reason that the locals do not like this development is because it is too rapid and the island has lost its 'lost paradise' identity.  With more and more tourist come pouring in and the infrastructures to bring in more people such as the Nathon ferry terminal and airport, the island has become a victim of modern day development.  Its natural resources such as clean water and flora and fauna being destroyed and Koh Samui is no more the secluded island that it onced used to be.

Koh Samui itself is a wonderful island.  I still find it very calm and serene as compared to Koh Phuket.  Less busy and not as many nightspots, Koh Samui is ideal to those who still like a relaxing retreat and also is perfect for honeymooners.  As you get down from the ferry at Amphoe Nathon, you take the main road which I call the 'Middle Ring Road'.  This takes you around the island whether you turn left or right.  Their main road is nothing much to shout about.  Mostly made from cement with little tar, the road condition in Koh Samui can get bumpy or jittery.  Lorries literally plow the roads around Koh Samui daily thus making the condition worse.

There are only a few places I would recommend for you to stay around the island where it is accessible and the beaches are nice.

 

1. Mae Nam
2. Chaweng
3. Lamai

When you disembark from the ferry, take a left turn and follow the road.  You will hit the main Middle Ring Road stretch.  This road will take you first towards Ban Mae Nam.  Now almost every area you pass you will see on the signboards the word 'Ban' which means village or kampung.

Mae Nam
Mae Nam is a nice quiet place, far far away from anything else.  There is though a small area you can go for shopping but there is nothing much there.  Its pretty much a very quiet place for you to relax.  Situated far away from the happening night life, Mae Nam offers good resorts as well as 6 star boutique hotels if you need a place to stay but then again, don't expect any tuk tuk's to travel that far out and transport may be a problem if you want to go around unless you drive or rent a car or bike.  The beach front in Mae Nam is pretty nice as it faces North of the island.  I would say that this is the 3rd best beach in Koh Samui.

As you continue your journey pass Mae Nam, if you take a right turn, you will go to Bo Phut.  There is nothing much in Bo Phut except a line of by the beach chalets and small resorts.  This is where backpackers love to go as accommodation here is fairly cheap.  It is also the place where you take the boat towards Koh Phangan, an island north of Koh Samui which approximately 20 minutes boat ride that is popular with its 'Full Moon Party'.  The original Full Moon Party started in Koh Phangan.  So what is this Full Moon Party all about?  Is it a ritual where somebody gets sacrificed?

Click for larger image of Koh Phangan

Full Moon Party started in the early 70's when tourists, which were mostly hippies, went for their vacations to Koh Phangan.  What they love to do was, hung out at the beach at night and played guitars, sang songs, drank and smoked weed.  Soon they realized that this island boasts a fantastic view of the the moon and when it was full and they danced and sang and enjoyed the view of the full moon.  It was like this for many years and small groups of tourist would go to Koh Phangan and partied on the beachfront until word spread around.  Soon tourists from all over world came and flocked to this island almost every month.  Now, Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan is big business.  Unscrupulous enterprising groups started taking advantage of the large group of people that congregate on the beach and now large scale parties are being held almost monthly.  Up to 5 - 15 thousand tourists, mostly Caucasians flock to the beach every month for Full Moon Party.  Drugs, sex and alcohol were everywhere making the parties an infamous affair.  Police had a hard time controlling the party revellers and now Thai Authorities do not really encourage people to go there.  There are no hotels by the beach in that area, only wooden beach huts and chalets.  Prices would skyrocket every time there is a Full Moon Party because accommodation is scarce.  Normally, most tourists would stay on Koh Samui and travel to Koh Phangan for that one night of partying, taking the boat which ferries them from Bo Phut. 

The party starts in the evening, when people start to flock to the beach to have dinner or just to relax and have drinks.  As night falls, music starts resounding throughout the beach front with different themes being played.  One section may have house music while others would be blasting techno and rave.  As party goers dance the night away, things can sometimes get rowdy as 10,000 people get a fair amount of booze and sometimes drugs.  Beware! There are plainclothes Policemen patrolling the area and if you are caught taking drugs, you will be spending a great deal of time in prison at Surat Thani.  Many tourists were caught taking drugs while partying and according to them, the prison ain't no Shangri-La hotel.  Towards morning, you can find some of party revellers sleeping on the beach drunk, and the beach itself is littered with bottles, cans and what nots.  Most tourists reported that the beach itself is filthy with vomit and urine and that is when the boats come back in to pick you up to go back to Koh Phangan. Imagine wading in knee deep water with puke and urine around you.  If partying is your game, you may want to check this out yourself but don't say that I haven't warned you!

Now back to Bo Phut.  If you follow that road, you will pass by the Big Buddha statue in Bo Phut.  The road through this area is very narrow and a little bit of traffic can get you stuck in the jam.  You can even get to the airport from this road which is a short cut towards Chaweng.  If you want to get to Chaweng from the Middle Ring Road, proceed straight from Mae Nam until you see Tesco Lotus.  There you will see a signboard which says Bandai Hospital, one of the private hospitals in the area and is a turning to your left.  Follow through this road and you'll end up at the starting point of the world famous beach stretch of Koh Samui.

Chaweng
Chaweng is the most happening stretch of beach.  This is where all the nightlife, bars, pubs, clubs and shopping area is situated.  A whole 2 km of shopping, restaurants, clubs and pubs line the inside road on Chaweng beach whereby the resorts and hotels line up the beachfront.

There is some hundred over hotels and resort that lines this 4 km stretch of beach.  It ranges from 2-star accommodation up to 6-star Spa Resort Hotels.  Take your pick and its all there for you to choose.  Most of the hotels and resorts are very very beautiful as they line the best and finest beach on the island.  Chaweng faces the open sea, and that is why it gets the best waves and sand.  The sand on Chaweng beach is so fine, that it won't stick to your legs.  It would literally drop off as you brush it off your legs.

Click for larger view of the hotels and resorts available on Chaweng beach, Koh Samui.

When you step out of the hotel, any hotel that is on Chaweng beach stretch, is already the shopping area.  You can get various items such as t-shirts, shoes, handbags and custom tailor suits and pants.  They can make a jacket with 2 pairs of pants within 3 days, so if you are interested, the first night you arrive, just head over to one of the tailoring shops and have your suit measured.  They will work on it and by your third day stay, before you check out, you can collect it.  Some shops have packages where you will get 1 jacket, 2 pairs of pants and 2 pairs of long sleeve shirt for around RM700 ~ RM1000 = 7,000 ~ 10,000 baht.  Of course everything on that stretch is negotiable so you better bargain for a better deal.  The only thing I find very unique there is the carved soap bar and also the boxes that it comes in.  I can't seem to find that anywhere else during our trip to Koh Samui, even in Hat Yai.

Food is abundant in Koh Samui.  Almost every other shop is a seafood, bar, pub or restaurant.  If you want Muslim food, its a bit hard to find as Koh Samui caters mainly for European tourists and pork is everywhere, so becareful what you eat if you are a Muslim.  There is though a 'mamak' shop called Ali Baba somewhere along the stretch in Chaweng on route towards Baan Pah.  During the day, most of these shops are closed so you need to find your food on the beachfront itself where you can get your fried rice and the likes of it there.  There is one place though, can't remember the name of the shop but its like one of those typical Chinese seafood restaurants you find here in Kuala Lumpur.  Its open air, its noisy, smoky and at times you will be dining with the dogs, but let me tell you, they serve the best grilled seafood I have ever tasted.  For 270baht = RM27, you get some grilled fish, squid and prawns with dipping of mayonaise and chilli sauce.  The fish is fresh and the squid and prawns are juicy and succulent.  The squid is sweet and the prawns are plump.  Order yourself an omelette or fried egg, Tom Yam Goong and plain rice and it would be just out of this world.

Another place you may want to check out is Zico's restaurant.  Its a Brazillian restaurant with the most amazing salad bar I have ever seen.  It has a widest range of salads, peas, pods and dressing.  Just picking the salad is enough to set you full.  The setting of the restaurant is modern and chique.  As you enter the dining area, everything is lit green from the transculent green lights eminating from the floor.  Just like any Brazillian restaurant (there is also one in Kuala Lumpur near Little Havana), they serve all-you-can-eat meat from a skewer.  The waitresses go around each table to serve you different types of meat or fish from the bbq skewer.  They range from beef, chicken, lamb, horse, swordfish, sausages and others.  You have this coaster on your table where both sides of it have a different color.  Red for 'stop serving' and green for 'serve me'.  So, as long the waitresses see that its green, they will flock to your table serving you the meat.  If you think you need a break, then flip it to red and they'll stop coming to your table.  Apart from the wonderful food, they also have live authentic Brazillian Samba dancers dressed scantily and well oiled going around the diner's table shaking their booties at your face as you eat.  You can opt to get up and dance with them if you want to...if you dare.

Lamai
Lamai beach is located south of Chaweng.  Think of it as an extension to Chaweng but on another stretch of beach.  Lamai hosts more affordable resorts and hotels.  Not only do they have accommodations on the beachfront but also on the hillside tops.  Lamai is slightly less hectic than Chaweng but definitely more happening than Mae Nam.  It is a cross between Mae Nam's quietness but less party traffic than Chaweng.  The beach on Lamai is also very nice, almost like in Chaweng.  Its white sandy beaches and the close proximity to Chaweng makes Lamai a great destination for tourists and guest to stay.  Since it is close to Chaweng, tuk-tuk's do ply the route from Chaweng towards Lamai. 

What to do in Koh Samui
If you think that Koh Samui is just an island where there are no activities, you are dead wrong.  Samui has tons of things that you can do.  Some of the many activities in which you can get involved are:

• Bungy Jumping.  Referring to the Chaweng map above, you can see a lake just behind Chaweng beach stretch.  There you can go for your bungy jumping activity.  Its actually a crane which stands on the lake and you can ask for the various types of bungy jump.  Yes, you can either dunk your head into the lake, your feet, your whole body or you want the dry type.  Its all up to you.
• Go kart.  There is a fantastic go-kart circuit on the island itself.  Surrounded by palm trees, this unique go kart circuit makes one feel that you're racing on a nice paradise island, different from the go kart circuits in Malaysia.
• Paintball.  If you feel like getting your body bruised by little paint pellets, then there is a paintball course on Mae Nam which is very near the Samui Go Kart circuit.  The paintball area is an open space with huts, sandbags and little bunker hills and lots of undergrowth for you to crawl, hide and camaflouge yourself.
• Hin Ta / Hin Yai.  If visiting weird looking places is your cup of tea, and if you have seen the many photos in e-mails about a rock that looks like a giant penis and a vagina and it says, 'Taken in Thailand', its actually in Koh Samui.  At Lamai beach stretch itself lies the rock formation Hin Ta / Hin Yai which means Grandfather /Grandmother rocks.  Oh yeah, there is something for both genders.  You would see the women flock at the one that stands tall and the men flock the other rock formation where it looks like some liquid is coming out in between the 2 rocks.  Seriously folks, it does look like 'it'.  So if you want to see the largest naturally formed male appendage structure, go to Lamai beach.
• Shooting.  Samui Shooting Sport, just like in Phuket, is also a shooting range where you can live your life like the movie stars with a gun in your hand.  No, they don't shoot blanks but real bullets.  You have an assortment of weapons like the .38, .45, Magnums and 9mm plus rifles and automatic rifles and sub machine guns.  Unfortunately, the place now is getting worse and worse and I think they may close down pretty soon due to lack of customers.  I had a try with the 9mm Beretta 92F which the NATO forces use and scored very very high indeed.  Of course, I was already trained as a marksman even when I was little by my dad so that did help a little.  Prices range from 350baht for a .22 handgun to 700baht for shotgun = RM35 ~ 70.
• Frisbee Golf.  This is the latest craze in Koh Samui.  They have a large course, where you go through it just like golf.  Instead of using a golf club and balls, you throw a frisbee to a certain net or hole.  Just like golf, you can only throw the frisbee at a certain distance and continue till you get to the designated 'hole'.  You can try this and it takes about 2 hours to complete the whole course.
• Nightlife.  This is the best part of the whole island.  The nightlife in Koh Samui though isn't as happening as Phuket but it can still satisfy those who loves a night of partying and boogying.  There are only 2 places for partying in Koh Samui, in Chaweng  Beach and also in Lamai.  On Chaweng, the most happening places to go is the Reggae Bar and also the stretch of Green Mango.  The Raggae Bar is located near the lake on Chaweng where the Bungy Jumping place is located and Green Mango is on Chaweng stretch itself.  Its a lane filled with bars and pubs plus a Go-Go club where skimpy dressed women dance on a rotating top with poles.  You pay 20baht = RM2 for a ping pong ball and throw to the girl you fancy to catch her attention to sit with you and have drinks with.  That is how she earns her tips.  Another great place to party is Sweet Soul Cafe just before Green Mango.  That is a the place to listen to retro and new stuff and party the night away with no consideration of who you are or where you are from.  Everybody is there just to have a helluva swell time.  Green Mango is an open air partying place.  Its just hard to describe the feeling and view.  At 10pm on weekends, the place seems fairly desserted but by 12, its overly packed.  Lamai on the other hand is to me a more sleazy place where almost all the pubs are lighted red in color, which denotes the kind of business they are actually in..hehehe.
• Scuba Diving.  If you are into scuba diving, Koh Samui hosts one of the most beautiful places to dive.  There are several dive sites that you can go to.  The nearest would be Koh Tao and the furthest would be Angtho National Park, which is a haven for divers.  There are many diving shops in Koh Samui which can bring you to these sites and caters to your diving and snorkling needs if you're a water wetter.  Best times to go diving would be from April to October where visibility of the waters on the Gulf of Thailand is the clearest.

So there you go.  Koh Samui offers so much experience not only for the young, but even for the elderly but I must caution about the long driving hours to reach there.  I still prefer Koh Samui to Phuket.  Don't ask why.  Maybe its the white sandy beach, maybe its the slower life that you get to see.  Caucasions on motorbikes riding around the island or even bringing their dogs in the sidecar says it all.  It is a place for you to get away, and relax for awhile.  A place for you to take away your blues, your worries and just enjoy the sun, surf and people.  If you are in need of medical assistance, Koh Samui also boasts some well equipped private hospitals on the island so rest assured that any emergencies will be well taken care of.

Take a break - Go Samui.

This concludes my 3 part episode for Travelog Koh Samui.  I hope it has been very educational for you and hope that you get to experience this unique road trip with your friends or families.  Whatever it is, please remember that safety comes first in whatever you do. 

Hope you had a pleasant read and thank you for letting me share this experience with you.

More information and pictures can be found at

• Koh Samui.org
• Koh Samui.com

Pictures taken by Andrew Lim from Perdana V-Sixers Club and some are taken from Satria GTi Club

Travelog: Koh Samui Part 2 - Hat Yai - Koh Samui

Our second part of Travelog: Koh Samui continues with the journey from Hat Yai to the ferry terminal Donsak and then on to the ferry towards Koh Samui.

Part 2: Hat Yai - Koh Samui.  Distance approximately 350km.

Our next destination to cover in this wonderful road trip is from Hat Yai to the island of Samui.  Koh in Thai means island, so its redundant if I would use Koh Samui island.  After leaving Hat Yai, you will need to get north east towards the ferry terminal.  There are actually 2 places for you to take the ferry up to Koh Samui.

1. You can take the ferry at Donsak Ferry terminal in Khanom
2. You can take the ferry at Surat Thani

The former is much much nearer compared to going to Surat Thani and the ferry ride is also shorter.  From Hat Yai, you have 2 choices to drive up towards the ferry terminal. 

1. Take the coastal route from Hat Yai to Songkhla and proceed north towards Nakhon Si Thammarat and further north towards Khanom.  From the hustle bustle of Hat Yai city, you get out onto this wonderful two lane highway passing a beautiful mosque in the middle of nowhere on your right on highway 414.  This is the scenic route as you leave Hat Yai on route 414 towards Songkhla and just before you hit Songkhla, you take a left on route 406 towards an island on the large fresh water lake.  You will cross a bridge to Koh Yo or Yo island, and another bridge off that island.  Many people would think that you've hit the sea, when its actually a large lake.  You get to see prawn farming boats and floats as you travel along the bridge on your left and right.  Throughout the whole journey, the roads are just very scenic.  After that, its straight on to Nakhon Si Thammarat, where you can break your journey for a fuel stop or rest stop.


2. You take the highway 4 from Hat Yai up towards Phattalung and continue north with highway 41 towards Ron Phibun or Surat Thani.  If you exit at Ron Phibun you will join back towards Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat would be a good place to stop because you would have been driving a good 2.5 ~ 3 hours and you can have your break of journey for food at Tesco Lotus or Twin Lotus Hotel, which is a popular stop amongst 4 x 4 and other motoring convoys.  The do serve halal food at Twin Lotus but you have to inquire about it way in advance before your arrival and the food there is very good...no joke!  If you stay in the Klang Valley, Nakhon Si Thammarat is very much like Klang town in Selangor.  To drill down, its like Jalan Kapar or Jalan Meru where you have a straight road, sandwiched by tyre and wheels shops on the left and right with many intersections.  This IS the place if you want to change your tyres or rims as they have hundreds of shops lined up with tyres and rims being displayed outside the shop.  You have several car body shops and also exhaust shops.  This is heaven for car enthusiasts.  Now, you may say that Hat Yai is also a car enthusiasts heaven because coming in from Danuk or Sadao (the border remember??) just as you hit the edges of Hat Yai, you will see several tyre and wheels shops.  You would drool just by looking at the wheels they have on display..some bling ones and some oversized ones.  In Thailand, their pickup trucks are their local sports cars.  Lowered, powered by 3 litre turbodisesel or 2litre turbocharged.  Those low slung, dark tinted and enormous rim pickups can give you a run for your money on the straights.

Nakhon Si Thammarat also has the a high rating of cute and pretty women.  This is based on my observation lah.  If you have been there and don't agree with me, tell me...  I guess this is because most of them actually come from Songkhla or further down Narathiwat where the mix of Malay Thai marriage have been going on for decades.  When in Hat Yai, don't be suprised if most of them speaks Bahasa Malaysia to you.  If you have problem conversing in English, Bahasa Malaysia or Thai, then try Hokkien as most of them actually speak Hokkien in Thailand.  You can ask anyone in Thailand, where does the most beautiful women in Thailand come from, and they would say Chiang Mai.  Chiang Mai is the the second furthers town at the northern tip of Thailand, bordering China.  It is located on a mountainous range and just several kilometers away is Chiang Rai, the last town before the Thailand - China border.  Due to its cold weather and high altitude, the people who come from Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai are very fair skinned and have the Thai - Chinese mix look.  So there you go, some info on women of Thailand.

As you drive up from Songkhla towards Nakhon Si Thammarat, you will get to see the simple life of coastal fishing villages.  Akin to what you would see driving up Cherating to Terengganu.  You can't see the sea tho, but its just a click or two away from the road you're travelling on, on the right.  Drive with the windows down and you get to smell the salty sea breeze amidst the putrid smell of diesel fumes and exhaust blowing in your face...hehe.  Bliss!  I would suggest you drive either in the morning or later in the evening as by mid day, the sun can be quite tiring on the eyes.  Becareful when travelling on this road because theres quite a number of lorries plying this route.  Some of their lorries are double containers.  What does that mean?  Its like a tram pulling two compartments, so becareful and space out accordingly when overtaking them.  When you approach one from behind, before overtaking, ensure that the lorry is pulling one or two compartments as it can jeapordize your safety in overtaking the lorry.

You would want to consider stopping for petrol too because you may or may not make it to the ferry terminal and petrol station around Khanom is hard to find.  Although you have a lot more petrol stations literally literred along the roadside towards Khanom, but hey, you've already stopped in Nakhon, why not refuel at the same time?  Fuel prices in Thailand fluctuate everyday and different petrol stations selling the same brand will have different prices.  Be prepared to fork out approximately RM 2.76 (yes that is the price WE have to pay if our government stops our petrol subsidy) for a litre of RON95 petrol.  Be sure to ask them for 95 or unleaded, coz they still sell a lot of leaded fuel too, unlike in Malaysia.

Okay so on the road again after Nakhon Si Thammarat we continue further up north on route 401. This journey will take an approximate 2 hours to complete.  Your end destination for this leg is Amphoe Donsak, ferry terminal.  This portion of the road is very challenging as after stopping for your lunch or break, you continue on an almost endless straight road on a hot afternoon with cool air cond in the car blowing in your face, I can guarantee that not only your passenger but you too will fall asleep.  Ensure that your passenger are fresh and awake to help you stay awake.  You will start to see limestone hills around the area.  It's simply beautiful.  There are numerous caves around the Khanom area, and one that is the most popular is the Konkot Cave.  Now this cave is very unique.  The cave is far on the mainland but you will need a boat to go splunking.  You will follow an underground river in which at one point in the cave, you have to lie down on your back and the ceiling of the cave will come nicely some 4 ~ 6 inches from your face.  Occupants of the boat will be balanced by the boatman to ensure that each boat will meet a certain level of depth.  If the boat doesn't submerge to a certain level because their occupants are light, high chances you may get stuck in that narrow confines of the cave.  If you have time, much much time, you may want to take a gander at this cave.  Keep going straight till you see the sign board Khanom on route 4142 to Donsak.  Follow that and you will ultimately reach your final destination on the mainland, the Donsak Ferry Terminal.  If you decide to go straight after seeing that signboard, you will end up in Surat Thani, and if you continue you'll go to Chompun, Hua Hin, Pretachburi etc etc till Chiang Mai...but thats a different travelog :P

Okay after you have turn right into Khanom, just follow the road until you see the signboard that says either Seatran Ferry or Raja Ferry.  I would strongly suggest you take the Seatran Ferry.  You could take the Raja Ferry if you want but don't complaint if you have to squeeze in between lorries after lorries after lorries.  It seems that Raja Ferry caters more towards commercial heavy vehicle ferrying.  This ferry runs every 1 hour so you may want to arrive early because if you arrive on time, the queue for the ferry is mighty long.  As you approach the terminal, you will see a booth.  Stop there and purchase your ticket for the ferry.  You would be suprised what goes on the ferry.  Almost like Noah's Ark, this ferry can carry a large amount of vehicles such as busses, lorries, trucks, cars and bikes and also people lah as you can see in the picture above.  There would be lots of lorries so don't worry, the ferry can take it all.  The rate for passenger one way from Amphoe Donsak to Koh Samui is 100baht = RM11 and for a passanger car would be 325baht = RM32.50 per vehicle.  Only the driver is allowed to be with the car to drive it into the ferry.  Passengers will have to walk into the ferry.  Reason is that it depends on the tide as some cars couldn't pass getting in and out of the ferry.  When the tide is high, the off ramp from the ferry to the jetty would be high but when its low tide, the ramp can be pretty steep from the ferry out to the jetty terminal.  If your car is lowered and you have massive front bodykits, be prepared to get into a hard time getting in and out of the ferry and you may even damage your front bumper lip.

The ferry ride will take exactly 1.5hours and this would be the best time for you to get your rest after a long and hard drive.  Depending on the size of the ferry, the seating arrangements and the number of decks would be different too.  The largest ferry has airline style seats and is very, very comfortable.  The ferry itself is very quiet, facilitating you to doze off into a slumber or if you prefer some fresh air, just go topside and enjoy the clean fresh air blowing in your face.  You will feel something very special when you're on the ferry, sitting topside and looking at the mainland slowly moving away.  There's a feeling of serenity, a sense of all your worries left behind on the mainland...something very tranquil yet sad.  There is also a feeling of accomplishment, such that you thought something which was almost impossible as driving your car all the way up to that point, was something you which never crossed your mind.  At that moment of time, you would want to share that special moment with some special people. 

All Seatran Ferries have their own snack bar.  Here you can get to quench your thirsts or have something to munch during the long journey.  The snack bar carries some buns, soft drinks, mee in the cup and other munchies and tit bits.  Nowdays, during the course of your ferry ride, you can actually have your foot massaged on the ferry itself.  1 hour 30 mins would be just nice for 300baht = RM30.  Just be prepared some 10 minutes before the ferry arrives Amphoe Nathon Ferry Terminal in Koh Samui, as disembarking is fast and swift from the boat.  Drive out of the ferry and wait on the side for your passengers to walk towards your car.  Once your passengers are on board you have to wait for the final installation of this travalog.... hope you had a pleasant read.

To be continued in Part 3... Welcome to Samui

Travelog: Koh Samui Part 1 - KL - Hatyai

This is my first in a 3 part series in Travelog: Koh Samui.  I have always wanted to write about the places that I have been, driving around Malaysia and Thailand, discovering new places, new sights, new smell and taste.  Talking to people, knowing their culture is just soo...sublime.  So just where the heck is Koh Samui?

 

Click for larger image

This 3 parter series  details those of you who would like to go for a road trip to Koh Samui, Thailand.  All the stops and timing are pretty close approximate as we have done several trips up the past 2 years.  You may need not stop at all these places which we had but these are the most common and logical places as each stop is approximately after 2 ~ 2.5 hours of driving.  During this course of time, I shall also describe the sights, the sound and feeling of the environment, hoping to coax some of you readers to try this either on your own or with your friends.  Most of what is being blogged here was done during either the Satria GTi Club recce trips or the Signature Satria GTi Club Getaway Experience trips.  To give you a sense of security that these things are do-able with your friends, family or company because we have done it before.  So okay, lets start.

Getting ready to go:
Before any journey there are a few simple things that you must do:

• Have enough rest.  Roadtrips are very long and ardous journeys.  Make sure you AND your passengers have enough rest.
• Vehicles driven are in tip top condition which means that your tyres have enough thread, battery is okay, all your engine oils, brake, clutch etc are in maximum level, brake pads etc.  You don't want to break down in the middle of the road esp in Thailand where finding a workshop can be a hassle and they don't speak much English.
• Your travel documents are in order.  Passports especially and you would need your car grant to be with you if you want to drive your vehicle in Thailand.  This is because there are so many stolen cars which make their way up to Thailand to be sold off cheaply there.  So remember, Passports and Car Grant.
• If you are on medication, bring your medication with you PLUS your prescription slip.  If you are carrying medical drugs, make sure you have a supporting letter with you by your doctor or physician.  You don't want to be spending in Thailand's Government Hotel and it is not pleasant if you have to.  Thailand authorities do take drug offenses SERIOUSLY and the penalty for drug trafficking is DEATH.
• It is always good practice to photocopy all your documents and bring it in a seperate bag or pouch or ask your friend to keep it, in case you lose your luggage or wherever you are keeping your travelling documents.
• Bring enough money in Thai Baht or USD as these are the most common currencies accepted everywhere.  Credit cards are also widely accepted but mostly at major stores so cash is their preferred transaction.
• It is safer to have your passengers or co-driver who can drive your car in case you fall ill or feel tired from driving.  Remember, this is a very long drive.  Falling asleep at the wheel is a common thing and most to most, it ends up in death.  So please bring a passenger who can take over the wheel when you feel tired, sleepy or not well.

Now we are ready to go.

Part 1: Kuala Lumpur - Hat Yai.  Distance approximately 520km.

We start off in Malaysia, at any point if you like.  You could be from Terengganu, Johor, KL, Penang or even in Alor Setar, but the reference point I am making is from KL.  Why?  Because that is where I am *duh*.    The destination we are heading within Malaysia is the customs and immigration checkpoint at Bukit Kayu Hitam Complex in Kedah.  That is the Malaysian Thai border in which you will be passing thru.  To get there, you will need to travel some 450km from Kuala Lumpur -> Bukit Kayu Hitam.

Click on the map for larger view

Check out the green line that spans from North to South of Peninsula Malaysia.  That is your North South PLUS highway.  You may want to stop at several R&R stops or by ways to rest as this journey alone will take you 5 hours to complete, plus minus 15 minutes.  This is travelling at a speed of 120km/h which is the highest possible speed in which you can get away from being summoned by the cops.  For me, I usually stop at Gunung Semanggol R&R.  These are proper R&R stops and not just a lay by.  The reason why I stop here is because it is midway to Changlun, which would be our next stop before crossing the Malaysian Thai border.  The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Gunung Semanggol is about 2.5hours.  There you can rest and do your pit stop PLUS you can refuel, as your vehicle's tank would prolly be half or more empty.  After this R&R stop, proceed north on the highway.  You will have to pass thru many, many tolls to reach your destination.  Some are closed tolls (which you need to take the ticket during entry and pay during exit of highway) and some are open tolls where you pay when you arrive at the toll gates.  To know more about the toll pricing, check out PLUS highway's webbie.

After driving for about another 2 hours plus, you will reach the last town in Malaysia before the border which is Changlun.  Here we stopped at an R&R area called CTC.

 

 

This CTC area is a very important stop.  This is where you will get to do the following:

1. To fill up your immigration entry card for a nominal fee of RM2.00
2. To get your Siam City Car Insurance to be able to travel in Thailand and have your other car related forms filled up.
3. Have your money changed.  The rate here is so much better than changing in Kuala Lumpur.

This place closes at 12 midnight and re-opens at 3.00am.  This is because the Malaysian - Thai border checkpoints close at 0000hrs (Malaysian Time) and opens at 0600hrs (Malaysian Time).  Don't be suprised to see clusters of Express and Tour busses when you arrive there at 5.00am and hordes of people having their breakfast.  Breakfast there is served by various stalls and they are halal food.  You have your choice of roti telur, roti canai, noodles and nasi lemak with hot or cold drinks.  There is also a small mini mart for you to buy your canned or bottled drinks and various breads, buns, tit bits and snacks.

After departing CTC, you may want to refuel before going into Thailand.  This is because of 2 main reasons.

1. Fuel price in Malaysia is way cheaper than in Thailand.  In Malaysia it is RM1.93.  Yes, it is 1 sen more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur because the petrol has to travel all the way up north.  You have a choice of Petronas, SHELL or BP.  All 3 petrol stations are on the opposite side of the dual carriage way, which means you either need to turn left or perform a U-Turn to get to the stations.
2. The RON (Research Octane Number) which is a measure of fuels compression performance, is higher in Malaysia than in Thailand.  Malaysian petrol has a RON rating of 97 whilst in Thailand, it is only 95, even though it is unleaded petrol.  What this means is that your car will have slightly less performance for the same amount of petrol used, if you fill up in Thailand.  So my advice is fill up before you cross border.

Onced you have done your refuelling, proceed towards the Bukit Kayu Hitam Customs and Immigration Complex (CIC).  Malaysian side is a breeze.  You will have to pass thru our Malaysian Police Anti Narcotics checkpoint, then Malaysian Immigration and Customs checkpoint.  Proceed straight until you see the Thailand Immigration and Customs Complex in Danuk.  When you reach there, park your car either near the entrance (if you are travelling in 1 ~ 4 cars) or if more, park at the designated parking area behind the complex as to not block any traffic.  Have your passports stamped first, and owner of vehicle (this is very important) must go the the custom's window and have a document printed and signed.  Only the owner of the vehicle must do this.  If the car that you bring does not belong to you, you must have the owner of the vehicle write a release letter stating that you are driving their car up to Thailand.  Thailand custom authorities do this because there are loads of stolen Malaysian vehicles that end up being sold cheaply in Thailand.  Onced you sign that piece of document, you are to retain it and present it back the day you cross back to Malaysia, with the vehicle of course.  IMPORTANT: Failure to produce that document will result in your car being detained in Thailand.  You will need to drive your car right up to the window for the customs officers to note the plate number, make and model of your vehicle, so after having your passports stamped by the immigration officers, drive your car to the custom's window, alight from the vehicle and sign that piece of printed document.

Onced thats done, you can start wishing "Sawadee Kap (or Ka if you are a female.). Welcome to Thailaaaand" to your passengers in the car.  Follow the road carefully.  The road that exits Danuk Custom's and Immigration Check point is route 4.  This road will lead you into Hat Yai and it goes all the way up to north of Thailand up and can bring you to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the northern town bordering Thailand and China.

Driving in Thailand

Road users in Thailand are a friendly  bunch of people actually.  Its just that they have no respect for their own safety.  This can be seen in many examples.

• They can drive against the traffic flow on the emergency lane.
• They can cross the dual carriage way divider anywhere they please.
• They have very weird modified vehicles to carry goods.
• They carry people including children at the back of their pick up trucks travelling at high speeds.

Although they have less respect for their own safety, they are not road bullies and actually do have high respect for foreign vehicles plying their roads.  Just be extra careful when driving in Thailand because having an accident in Thailand can stir some pretty big hassle with the local Police and residents in the area you are in.  Obey their traffic laws and be extra careful and observant while driving.  Don't get distracted by their pretty women on Tuk-Tuks or motorcycles.

One great thing about driving in Thailand is that they have no tolls.  The only toll gates you will encounter is in Bangkok and that is within their business district in the government's effort to reduce the number of vehicles coming into Bangkok city.  Roads in Thailand are beautiful.  Hardly any potholes and its akin to Malaysian's better national roads or B-roads.  As you travel up north, the roads just gets better and smoother. 

So, keep on travelling on the road after the Custom's and Immigration checkpoint.  Follow the road and don't turn left or right.  Signboards are both in Thai and English with clearly marked route numbers.  Get yourself a Thailand road map and trust me, you can't get lost on the highways or trunk roads.  Navigate your way into Hat Yai if you are staying there.  There's are a whole lot of hotels to choose from.  Make sure you have booked your hotel earlier for your stay.

Hat Yai

Hat Yai is a bustling city on the southern tip of Thailand.  Well not actually southern if you take a look at the map above.  Its slightly  in the middle up.  It is approximately 45 minutes drive from the border checkpoint of Danuk.  Navigate your way into Hat Yai and you'd definitely need a map of Hat Yai city.  They have an artery of main roads connected into small sometimes one lane one way street roads within the city itself.  It is almost impossible to see any landmarks, even tall buildings to guide you to where your destination would be.  If your hotel is inside the city, good luck in finding it without a GPS..hehehe especially if you arrive at night and its raining.  Road signs are visible and they are in English.  Onced you have found your hotel (if you are checking in Hat Yai), rest and at night its time to go out and roam around.

Things to do in Hat Yai

You can do the following in Hat Yai:  When you are in Hat Yai, you want to head to Lee Gardens for the following activities.

1. Shopping - Hat Yai is shopping paradise to shoppers.  From T-Shirts, to stainless steel pots and pans.  These are the usual things tourists would buy.  Lingerie such as popular brands of bra and panties, handbags, shoes, instant noodle packets..you name it they have it.  We even found a shop that sells replica airguns and other para military items.  You are not allowed to bring that into Malaysia, as it is an offence to have replica handguns.  The shopping area is within Lee Gardens
2. Food - eating is also another great thing to do as food is abundant.  Its street food that you are looking for.  Hat Yai is almost half populated by Muslims from the Narathiwat and Songkhla provinces.  Here, Muslim food is not hard to find.  Street hawkers sell 'Halal' food.  What is good is the freshly frieds chicken drumstick, King Tiger prawns, squid, quail and char koey.  They would serve it on a piece of brown paper with some Sweet Thai dipping sauce for the fried items.  As for the Char Koey, they use kaya pandan as the dipping sauce.  The Leng Chee Kang is also abundant near Lee Gardens.  Birds nest is also popular, served at their local Chinese Thai restaurants and prices are way below Kuala Lumpur prices.  Their noodles is simple yet tasty.  Add your own pepper, salt and fish sauce for more oomph.  You may want to check out their smoked cuttlefish with spicy sauce.  Its around 100baht or RM3 or 1USD for a sizeable snack for 3 people.  Great to munch when you are on the Tuk-Tuk going from one club to another.
3. Entertainment - you have live band playing in almost all the clubs and pubs and they are pretty good.  Drinks are fairly cheap too.  A bottle of 100pipers whiskey costs only 300baht = RM30 or 8USD.  A bottle of Jack Daniel, Chivas, Black Label or Swing can set you back about 2500baht or RM250 or 65USD.  A great place to unwind and listen to popular tunes being belted out by Thai singers.  You can go to the Deep End or Post Laser Disc or West End.  Clubbing is usually slightly out of the area if you are a disco goer and you need to take their taxi transport called 'Tuk-Tuk'.  It would cost you around 100 baht for 2 ~ 3 people to go any where in Hat Yai per trip.  Speciality shows like Tiger shows are only available by purchasing tickets to such shows.  This can be done at various stands that sells these tickets.  It would cost somewhere between 250 ~ 300baht per person = RM25 ~ 30 or 7 ~ 8USD.  Most of these entertainment pub areas are located near Lee Garden too.  On weekends, if you're lucky, you get to feed the baby elephant which is 'parked' on the street with a blinking tail light.  For 50baht = RM5, you get a few sticks of cut sugar cane to feed the elephant.  Its interesting to see how the elephant would use its trunk to take the sugar can sticks from your hand and feed itself.  When it has a few, it would gently place the sugar can sticks at the end of its trunk and feed itself one by one...sort of like a machine gun ammunition magazine..heheh.
4. Massage - the reason why many people go to Thailand for their signature Thai massage which consists of stretching and folding various limbs to relax the tight muscles.  Massage is everywhere in Thailand especially in Hat Yai.  A 2 hour massage session usually would cost you between 200 ~ 300baht = RM20 - 30 or 5 ~ 6USD per person.  You can have foot massage which is a 2 hour session and they not only massage your feet but your back and also shoulders, neck and head.  A full body massage which includes folding your hands, legs in positions you never knew it can be done or go to a massage centre where you will be massaged by beautiful women (at this place, massage is an option if you know what I mean). Popular places for massage *ahem* would be Pink Lady and Chao Phraya 4.

Prostitution is legal in Thailand.  If you indulge in such activities, it is not hard to find but again, please be aware of sexually transmitted diseases and take precautions.  After Hat Yai our journey continues to Koh Samui...

Part 2 to be continued.....Hat Yai to Koh Samui