Ko Samet

This weekend, two of the other volunteers and I went to Ko Samet (you have to scroll through to see all of the pictures - click "next page"), one of Thailands many islands. We had planned to leave on Friday evening, but did not get back from Lopburi until late, so we decided to leave early Saturday morning. Up at 5:45, we left for the bus station to catch our bus to Ban Phe where you catch the ferry to Ko Samet. We arrived at 6:30 purchased our tickets for the 7:00 a.m. bus for 97 bhat (about $2.50). The bus was airconditioned, but there wasn't much leg room, so I spent much of the journey trying in vain to get comfortable. Luckily, I was able to get a little sleep.

The bus dropped us off at the pier for ferries to Ko Samet where we bought our 50 bhat tickets headed across. The trip across took about 30 minutes, but seemed like much less. It had started raining during the last 10 minutes of our bus ride, but cleared up before we boarded the ferry. The stretch of the Gulf between the shore and the island was dotted with ferries, ancient looking fishing boats and snazzy new speed boats. There was even on Thai fisherman in an old longboat with a bamboo pole.

When we arrived at the pier, there was no room for the ferry to dock, so they simply docked next to another ferry and we jumped from one to the other to the pier. The entrance to Ko Samet was not what I expected, but it was true to it's "backpacker haven" reputation. The main road to the beaches is lined with shops and cafes, similar to what you'd see in other beach towns in developing countries. We had read to skip the first beach, which is the most touristy and expensive and headed down the road to the beaches farther down the east coast of the island. As we walked along the dirt road, we were passed by numerous pick-up trucks (or songthaews) filled with people heading to the beaches. Always the budget traveler, I had read that the beaches were close and that there was no need to pay for a ride, and luckily I was right.

We soon left the road and began walking along the coast. According to my Rough Guide, the farther down you go, the more secluded the beaches become. We found that this was somewhat the case and in a very "bear went over the mountain" fashion, we found a new beach each time we rounded a corner. We finally stopped at about the third beach, figuring that we could always stay at one and walk to the other. We got a bungalow at the AO Phi huts (pictures in the island pictures above) for 1200 bhat (about 30 dollars) with a view of the beach. We had lunch at one of the many restaurants on the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon walking down the east coast, over beaches, over rocky outcroppings; and swimming in the warm, clear blue waters of the Gulf.

We made it back to our hut around 6:00 and went back down to the beach for dinner and drinks. I ordered the same thing, pan-fried noodles with squid, three times on the island and each time it was different and each time it was delicious - although not once did I get squid, but the shrimp was plentiful. When it got dark, we were treated to a fire dance on the beach. The bar connected to the restaurant began playing American dance and hip-hop and we joined the other tourists and Thais on the dance floor and had a ball.

I woke up at about 8:15 and headed down to the beach. After a luxurious brunch of what?, pan friend noodles and shrimp, we checked out of our hut and headed back for the long journey home. It was a really nice way to spend the weekend - minus the 4-5 hour travel time!