KOH SAMUI AND THE “TREASURE ISLAND MAP”

Enough romance! We had a mission to accomplish! We had a “Treasure Island Map”, a scooter and some snacks. All we needed was a SIM card to activate the internet on our mobile so that we could follow along the App. Finding a SIM card was easy, but activating that SIM was somehow a pain. To solve our problem, we had to visit the telephone operator customer service desk in one of Koh Samui’s famous supermarkets. We had spent more than 2 hours being directed from one place to another until we got our mobile internet fixed and ready.

This Post is part of a 7-day trip to some of Thailand’s best island destinations. 
Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about the day-to-day activities 
and destinations.

These were the rules of the “Treasure Island Map” App: After successfully checking into a destination, the App provides 3 questions which need to be answered by simply exploring the designated site. Once the correct answers had been submitted successfully, the app will allow the user to enter the next coordinates. I can assure you it was a challenging hunt, we had a lot of fun completing it progressively throughout the day.

In order to provide accurate historic information about the sites we visited, I will rely on the information available on http://www.kosamui.com and other trusted sources which I will mention.

The first coordinates lead us to the Big Buddha. Big Buddha temple sits majestically on a small rocky island off Koh Samui’s north-eastern corner. Known locally as Wat Phra Yai, its golden, 12-meter seated Buddha statue was built in 1972 and remains one of the island’s most popular attractions. Set on Koh Faan, Big Buddha temple is reached by a causeway that connects it to the main island. The Big Buddha can be seen at a distance of several kilometers and is often the first landmark people see when arriving to Samui by air. (Source: Kosamui)

While taking back the long stairs down, halfway to the main entrance, we curiously stopped to check what some worshipers were doing next to an unfinished temple. We quickly figured out that the temple was accepting donations from its visitors in form of tiles and clay stones. What a clever way to engage the worshiper’s community and especially tourists! By watching and learning, we imitated the temple visitors, and this is how it went. We stood in line, donated few bucks than we made a wish. After we had chosen the tile design we wrote on the back of it the names of our dear ones, and hand it to one of the temple monks who were gratefully accepting donations of all sorts.

Wat Plai Laem was our next destination. Wat Plai Laem is a Buddhist temple on the resort island of Ko Samui, Thailand. Like the nearby Wat Phra Yai, or Big Buddha Temple, it is a modern temple created in recent times. Its main statue is not of Gautama Buddha but of Guanyin, the “goddess” of compassion and mercy. The statue is in Chinese style, with 18 arms, and though open-air located within an elaborate ubosot is on a platform-pavilion surrounded by the temple lake. The temple’s design, though modern, incorporates elements of Chinese and Thai traditions and was in part designed by distinguished Thai artist, Jarit Phumdonming. In addition to the main Guanyin statue, there is also a white statue of Buddah and smaller shrines dedicated to Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva and Sakka. (Source: Wikipedia)

After a 20-minute ride, we rode towards the hills to Pagoda Khao Hua Jook. Soak in the scenery and admire Buddhist art and architecture at Pagoda Khao Hua Jook. Recognizable by its ornate golden dome, the temple is surrounded by lush and tranquil nature. The small hill on which the pagoda is positioned offers excellent views of the Chaweng Lake and the surrounding countryside on one side, and the Samui airport on the other, making it a great vantage point for plane spotters. (Source: inspirock)

The chicken statues are offered after somebody’s wish came true. Thai people believe that the spirit granted their wish, and if they don’t come back to the shrine and repay by placing a statue there, their wish may be taken away from them.

Make a wish, hit the bronze gong once, and hope your wish will come true

We took the road downhill towards Chaweng beach a 5 KM stretch of white sand surrounded by rocky mountains famous for its beach bars and huts offering plenty of water sports, dining and accommodation options where we had spent quite some time discovering the area on foot and mingling with the locals. On our way to the “Hin Ta and Hin Yai” or Grandpa and Grandma rocks we took a short pit stop at one of Koh Samui most laid back beach, the Lamai Beach. Even more beautiful than Chaweng beach but quieter and less noisy perfect for couples or groups searching for a real feel of being on a secluded island.

Shortly after Lamai beach we curiously reached our next destination Hin Ta and Hin Yai, some fascinating rock formations on Koh Samui’s south coast, have been a source of mirth and wonder on the island since they were discovered by the locals many years ago. Art often imitates Nature, but less common is Nature imitating Art, especially the Art of the Ribald. But in Thailand anything is possible and these rocks, known as Grandpa (Ta) and Grandma (Yai), look, respectively, like male and female genitalia. (Source: Kohsamui)

“Hin Ta and Hin Yai” or Grandpa and Grandma rocks

After checking up these weird rock formations and listening to some local stories about how these rocks were formed long time ago, we took a walk into the alleys of the nearby market. If felt good to mingle with the lovely people there and we were intrigued to spend more time there. During our walk we sipped on some freshly squeezed shakes and picked up some exotic ice cream in a coconut shell.

We loitered until our feet needed some rest, and that was when we heard Bob Marley echoing behind some rocks. We followed the Reggae music until we reached the most laidback bar on the island, the Rock Bar. We were warmly welcomed and immediately served two ice cold drinks, mine was beer of course while Chantal ordered a Frozen Margarita. With its unique location right on the beach embraced with trees and rocks, this tree hut style bar felt like home for the coming couple of hours. In few words the “Rock” had it all; we wished we would never leave. After “few” more drinks, we unwound and relaxed and found ourselves staring at the black water in front of us and contemplating the many stars scattered in the night sky.

Rock Bar Koh Samui — Imagine some Bob Marley in the background…

Our reckless night came to an end when it suddenly hit us that we were on the other side of the island half way to our accommodation! We staggered towards our scooter and after flushing some cold water into our faces we regained some control. We hopped on the scooter with one mission in mind: finding our way back to the hotel! We took it slow and easy while laughing like crazy and imagining the worst and weirdest scenarios that could have happened on our way. After 15 minutes of foolish riding we decided to stop for some food with the hope of refueling enough energy to bring us back sane and sound. Our pit-stop took place at “Starry Seafood” restaurant. We were so hungry that we ordered food enough to feed four of us. One of the scrumptious plates we ordered was shark which we had never tried before, and it tasted so good. The rest of the ride was obstacle free, we reached the hotel and we called it a night. In other words, “a night to remember”.

Lawayn Next

KOH SAMUI AND THE “TREASURE ISLAND MAP”

Read more about our 7-day trip to 3 of the best island destinations in Thailand (Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Tao)

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