Ko Samui
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, Thai: เกาะสมุย) is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's second largest island, with an area of 228.7 km² and a population of 47,874 (2006).
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[edit] History
The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from Malay Peninsula and Southern China. It appears on Ming Dynasty maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven".
Until the late 20th century, Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15km journey from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.
Today, Samui has a population of about forty-five thousand, and lives on a successful tourist industry, as well as exports of coconut and rubber. It even has its own international airport, with flights daily to Bangkok and other major airports in Southeast Asia. While the island presents an unspoiled image to the public perception, economic growth has brought not only prosperity, but changes to the island's environment and culture, a source of conflict between local residents and migrants from other parts of Thailand and other countries. [1] Reflecting Samui's growth as a tourist destination, the Cunard ship MS Queen Victoria (a 2000-plus passenger ship) will dock at Samui during its 2008 world cruise.[2]
[edit] Geography
Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35km northeast of Surat Thani town (9°N, 100°E). It is surrounded by about sixty other islands, most of which comprise the Ang Thong National Marine Park, but also include other tourist destinations Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan.
The island is roughly circular in shape, and is about 15km across. The central part of the island is an (almost) uninhabitable mountain jungle (peak Khao Pom, 635m) and the various lowland areas are connected together by a single road, that covers the circumference of the island.
There is one town, Na Thon, on the west coast of the island, with a major port for fishing and inter-island transportation. Each of Samui's many beaches is also nominally considered a town, due to the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that have sprung up in recent years.
[edit] Administration
Administratively, Ko Samui is an Amphoe (district) of Surat Thani Province. The district is subdivided into 7 tambon. Also the complete island is one municipality (thesaban tambon). The district covers the island, as well as the Ang Thong archipelago and some other small islands nearby.
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[edit] Economy
Historically the island's economy has been based around subsistence agriculture and fishing, with coconuts as the main cash crop. From the 1980s onwards however, tourism has become an economic factor and is now the dominant industry. The construction of a stable, high-speed internet connection in recent years has also made the island a practicable location for IT-based enterprises, which are beginning to provide a certain degree of economic diversity. The island's climate and accessibility make it particularly attractive for international investors.
[edit] Beaches
Samui is mostly visited by holidaymakers wanting to "get away from it all", so its main appeal is its white beaches and warm sea, and it has plenty to choose from.
Chaweng covers most of the island's east coast, forming the most crowded and tourist saturated destination on the island. The beach itself, while generally clean suffers from overcrowding since there are vast numbers of visitors year-round. The nearby ring-road, has built up a huge Western-style tourist town, packed full of restaurants and bars (ranging from traditional family-run Thai at Ninja, through Thai-Californian fusion food at Betelnut to McDonald's and Starbucks), souvenir shops, markets and nightclubs. It can get very busy on the road at night, both with truck-taxis carrying people up and down the coast and with people exploring the shopping (which stays open late) and nightlife. The waters in Chaweng occasionally have strong under-currents so swimmers should stay close to shore.
Also on the East coast is Lamai, smaller than Chaweng, but its beaches are cleaner and less crowded than Chaweng.
On the North coast of the island, Maenam offers spectacular views of Koh Phangan to the North, and the Ang Thong National Marine Park to the East. The waters are calm and clean, being protected from the North Easterly currents by Koh Phangan. Much less crowded than Lamai and Chaweng, Maenam's restaurants and bars still retain much of the local Thai flavor as well as more reasonably priced, even inexpensive, food. Overall Maenam is quieter, more relxaed, with local flavor of Thai culture still intact.
Bophut is the next beach along from Maenam. Its lifestyle is relaxed and more traditional than the larger beaches, referring to itself as Fisherman's Village. It is very popular with French tourists, and has a number of pricey, but good French-owned restaurants.
Bangrak is often known by the name Big Buddha Beach, after the 19-metre statue of that spiritual leader which overlooks the area (Big Buddha). Bangrak is very close to the airport, and is one of the calmest beaches, though often dirty. Open Gates, the island's international school, is also located in Ban Rak.
Choeng Mon is one of the smallest of Samui's tourist beaches, but lies in a secluded bay on the northeastern tip of the island, making it perfect for those who want peace and quiet, and warm sea all day. It does not have a town, but there are a number of small restaurants and a couple of shops, in addition to the luxurious (and expensive) hotels that surround the bay, and it is only five minutes from the bright lights of Chaweng.
Ao Tong Takian is also a small beach North of Lamai beach. It has been popular among tourists as it has white inviting sand and is also known as Silver Beach. Here you will find five resorts: La Mer Samui Resort, Samui Yacht Club, Tong Ta Kian Villa, Silver beach and Crystal Bay. Be a little careful if you are walking in the water, as Tong Takian has a lot of corals.
Nathon on the Western coast is the island's largest port and thus lacks much of the beauty found in the rest of the island. The city of Nathon does offer many local Thai shops, with some of the best prices to be found on Samui as well as a few good restaurants and an open-air evening-time food market with very inexpensive but tasty local food.
Tong Krut on the South West corner of the island is currently one of the quieter areas of Koh Samui and is being proposed as the site for the islands future mega-yacht harbor.
[edit] Tourist attractions
- Big Buddha is a twelve-metre high statue of the Buddha, which lies at the top of ceremonial dragon-steps at the Wat Phra Yai. Samui also has a number of other impressive temples, including Wat Khunaram, where the mummified body of Loung Pordaeng, a monk who died in a meditating position, is on display.
- The Grandmother and Grandfather rocks close to Lamai beach are an occasional source of amusement for tourists, due to their striking similarity to a penis and vagina, male and female respectively.
- The mountain jungle in the interior of the island is an excellent day out, and is home to a number of impressive gardens built by legendary Samuian farmer Nim Thongsuk, the impressive waterfalls at Na Muang, real working rubber plantations and the most amazing views over the Ang Thong archipelago. The roads in the jungle are an adventure in themselves, and tourists normally take a tour with an experienced Samuian driver.
- Muay Thai boxing takes place regularly at the island's stadium in Chaweng.
- Numerous animal attractions are dotted around the island, including a crocodile farm, monkey theatre, elephant trekking, a snake farm, an aquarium and a butterfly garden.
- Most visitors to the island take a day trip out to the beautiful Ang Thong National Marine Park at least once on their stay in Samui. Boats leave Na Thon several times a day.
- Ko Pha Ngan has a full-moon party at the appropriate time each lunar month, and tourists in Samui often jump on a boat to the nearby island to join in the fun.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Koh Samui travel guide from Wikitravel
| Amphoe of Surat Thani |  |
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| Amphoe: |
Mueang Surat Thani - Kanchanadit - Don Sak - Ko Samui - Ko Pha Ngan - Chaiya - Tha Chana - Khiri Rat Nikhom - Ban Ta Khun - Phanom - Tha Chang - Ban Na San - Ban Na Doem - Khian Sa - Wiang Sa - Phrasaeng - Phunphin - Chai Buri |
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| King Amphoe: | Vibhavadi | ||
