Koh Samui Wet Trip...

"Words have a magical power. They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair..." Sigmund Freud

(The ferry from Donsak to Koh Samui)

22 - 29 September 2023:

Koh Samui Wet Trip 

Koh Samui is the third largest Island in Thailand and the largest in an archipelago of more than 80 islands that includes the Ang Thong National Marine Park. The island is small enough to be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours. There are so many beautiful beaches and many attractions full of history and culture.

01 Kuala Lumpur - Hatyai
02 Hatyai - Donsak
03 Donsak - Koh Samui
04 Koh Samui
05 Koh Samui - Hatyai
06 Hatyai - Kuala Lumpur

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 01 Hatyai👉

My Life Reflection Blog: musmun.blogspot.com

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 01 Hatyai

 “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination...” - Albert Einstein

(A night in Hatyai)

Day 1: Sunday, 24 September 2023
Route: KL - Hat Yai 

Distance: 527 km
Hotel: Golden Crown Hotel, Hatyai

Started from Bidara house at 8.15 am. Had breakfast nasi lemak and roti canai at Restoran D'maju before we drove on PLUS highway towards north.

(Breakfast at Restoran D'Maju) 

(The start of the journey on a cloudy day)

The weather was bright this morning. We made a brief comfort stop at Simpang Pulai. Lunch was nasi, kari and  bawal goreng at Restoran Kak Mah and Abang Din in Juru. This small secluded restaurant was an alternative to the popular Restoran Bawal Goreng Ladang Sawit which was closed on Sundays.

(Comfort break at Petronas Simpang Pulai)

(An alternative eatery in Juru)

(Crispy ikan bawal goreng meal)

Solat stop at surau Plaza Tol Hutan Kampung. Later we drove direct to Bukit Kayu Hitam border. Completed border crossing process by 2.50 pm. Paid B30 at the immigration counter.

(The surau at Plaza Tol Hutan Kampung)

(The small town of Changlun)

(Border crossing at Bukit Kayu Hitam/Danok)

Checked in Golden Crown Hotel Hatyai at 5.10 pm local time. Took the tuk-tuk to Asean Night Bazaar. Bought some souvenirs. Had dinner at the upper floor of the bazaar. There are many halal food stalls and variety of dishes to cater for the Muslim tourists.

(Spacious room of Golden Crown Hotel)

(Renting a tuk-tuk to Asean Night Bazaar)

(Shopping heaven for tourists)

(Variety of clothes and souvenir shops)

(Street entertainer playing the flute)

(One of the many food stalls)

(Egg rice with soup and tomyam)

Later took the tuk tuk to Lee Gardens Walking Street for an hour of foot massage at Sawasdee. Shared a plate of pulut durian and a glass of teh halia from Haji stall. 

Walked back to our hotel for a good night rest.

(Petting zoo by the roadside)

(Lee Gardens Night Market)

(Foot massage at Sawasdee)

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 02 Donsak👉

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 02 Donsak

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn..." - Alvin Toffler

(Our chalet at Baansuan Resort Donsak)

Day 02: Monday, 25 September 2013
Route: Hat Yai - Donsak
Distance: 338 km
Hotel: Baansuan Resort, Donsak

Breakfast was nasi dagang and roti canai at Khalid restaurant next door to our hotel. Usually breakfast was peaceful and quiet here but this morning, the eatery was packed with Malaysian tourists.

 

(Khalid Restaurant next to Golden Crown Hotel)

Drove out of Hatyai by 8.30 am. We made a photo stop at the run-down Route 41. This rest area used to be the first pit stop for our bikers gang whenever we were heading towards north. This place is really in need of a makeover or a new paint work.

(Driving out of Hatyai on a bright cloudy day)

(Route 41 Rest Area)

This morning the weather was a little moody. It was raining heavily when we made a lunch stop at Thung Song PTT food court. Many tourist buses stop here for lunch break. Pak Ju stall, the one and only halal stall was fully packed at lunch time.

(Nasi Lauk lunch and Pisang/cempedak goreng)

Drove direct to Donsak and checked in Baansuan Resort, located very near to Seatran and Raja Ferry Terminals. The cute little chalets are nestled in between palm and fruit trees. The ambience was serene and tranquil. When you arrived late at night and missed the last ferry to Koh Samui or Koh Phangan, Baansuan Resort Donsak is a great choice to consider.

 

(Arriving late in the afternoon)

(A neat row of tiny chalets)

(The room is clean and comfortable)

It was raining quite heavily in the evening. We drove towards Donsak town and had a heavy dinner of nasi goreng, tomyam and telur dadar at Ameena Halal Restaurant. This eatery was quite popular with the locals and tourists.

(A halal eatery in Donsak)

(The food was delicious and quite cheap)

        Koh Samui Wet Trip: 03 Koh Samui👉

 👈Koh Samui Wet Trip: 01 Hatyai

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 03 Koh Samui

"Storms don’t come to teach us painful lessons, rather they were meant to wash us clean...” – Shannon L. Alder

(Dark clouds looming overhead)

Day 03: Tuesday, 26 September 2023
Route: Donsak Pier - Koh Samui
Distance: 2-hour Raja Ferry Ride
Hotel: Samui Verticolor, Chaweng Beach

Our breakfast was ready by 7.00 am as promised. We had breakfast of toast and eggs sunny side up, fruits and juice with hot coffee. The breakfast for two cost B250.

(Heavy breakfast early in the morning)

(Packed and ready to check out)

Our initial plan to board the Seatran ferry was cancelled as the morning ferries for vehicles were fully booked. The earliest was at 1.30 pm. We drove to Raja Ferry Terminal, a short distance away, and booked tickets for the 12:00 pm ferry. It cost us B770 and B720 for return trip for our Hi-Lux and two passengers. Instead of boarding the noon ferry, we were allowed to board the 11.00 am ferry and save us an hour of waiting time.

(The road leading to Raja Ferry Terminal)

(Choose the correct lane to Koh Samui)

(Cars and lorries waiting in line)

The aged 40-year old ferry we rode on was with minimum amenities on board. At least the toilets are aplenty and clean. The Raja ferry was founded in 1981 and services three main routes with a fleet of 13 ferries running between Donsak, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. These ferries are capable of carrying 400 passengers and up to 70 cars.

 

(Bought a cheaper return tickets at the ticket counter)

(A restaurant with a nice view of the pier)

(Foreign tourists at the waiting room)

The ferry journey took almost two hours. From the jetty we drove on highway 4169 to Chaweng Beach. Stopped for a hearty lunch at Restoran Faria located opposite the Bangkok Hospital. The lady owner still remembered us from our previous visits during our old biking days. The food was as tasty as it used to be. Our last visit to Koh Samui was in 2015. A lot has changed since.

(Our ferry to Koh Samui)

(Vehicles boarding through the lowest deck)

(The upper deck and passengers room)

(Arriving and disembarking the vehicles)

(Driving on Highway 4169 to Chaweng Beach)

(Bikers' favorite halal eatery in Chaweng)

(Our favorite dishes, green curry and spicy stir fried beef)

We checked in Samui Verticolor Hotel for two nights at B890/night. This is our favorite lodging in Chaweng Beach. The hotel is lively and clean with ample parking space for cars and motorbikes. There are many eateries, massage parlors and souvenir shops around the area.

(A clean comfortable hotel)

(Vibrant and nicely decorated lobby)

At night we went for an hour of strong foot massage near our hotel. Had banana and peanut butter pancakes for dinner.

(An hour of foot massage and pancakes for dinner)

             Koh Samui Wet Trip: 04 Koh Samui👉      

👈Koh Samui Wet Trip: 02 Donsak

Koh Samui Wet Trip: 04 Koh Samui

 "Truth is like a surgery. It hurts but it heals. A lie is like a painkiller. It gives instant relief but has side effect forever..."

(Lad Koh Viewpoint, Koh Samui)

Day 04: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Koh Samui Free and Easy
Hotel: Samui Verticolor Chaweng Beach

Had a heavy buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Today we planned to visit a few of Koh Samui tourist attractions, most of which we had visited before.

(Halal food served at the hotel restaurant)

(Ready to explore Koh Samui)

The first on our list was the Big Buddha Temple. The temple sits on Koh Phan, a small rocky island off Koh Samui's northeastern corner. Known locally as Wat Phra Yai, its golden 12-metre-tall buddha statue sits in the Mara posture, with the upward-facing palm of the left hand resting on the lap and the right hand facing down. There are many souvenir shops and eateries around the temple to cater for visitors.

(The Wat Phra Yai on Koh San island)

(Steep steps to the top)

(A reclining Buddha at the foot of the hill)

(The rustic predator and Samui map)

(A brief description of the Big Buddha Temple)

From the Big Buddha Temple we drove on highway 4169 to the Lad Koh viewpoint for some photo shots. There is a steep stairs leading to the Tessellated beach. We only took pictures from the top as it would be too strenuous for our knees to climb down to the beach.

(Lad Koh Viewpoint)

(A steep staircase to the rocky beach)

(A more gentle walkway to the beach)

(The tessellated rocky beach from the top)

We passed Lamai Beach and missed visiting the the Hin Ta and Hin Yai famously known as Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks. This is among the most popular attractions on Koh Samui. Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks are just simple granite rock formations. The reason why they are so famous is because the rocks resemble male and female genitalia... ha ha...

(The beautiful white sand Lamai Beach)

(A peaceful picnic area at one corner) 

Next attraction was the Guan Yu Shrine , located at Hua Thanon area nearby Lamai Beach. Here, there is a big impressive statue of Guan Yu in armour suit standing at 16 meters height which is the biggest bronze statue of Guan Yu in Thailand. In the Qing dynasty, Guan Yu was widely regarded as a “Holy Deity”. Nowadays, Guan Yu is still worshiped by many Chinese Buddhists, Confucianists, and Taoists around the world.

(Worshiped by Buddhist,Confucianist and Taoists)

(The imposing statue of Guan Yu)

(Many eateries and souvenir shops)

Our next destination was to Koh Samui Central mosque, also known as Masjid Nurul-Ihsan. This photogenic green and gold, domed mosque, built in 1984 is in Mughal style. The mosque sits in the heart of Ko Samui's historic Muslim village. The main prayer hall is carpeted. There is a wide, pastel green mehrab. Two Corinthian-style pillars and Arabic inscriptions decorate the mehrab where there is a beautiful carved dark wood mimbar. We were invited by the locals to join them in celebrating the Maulidur Rasul tomorrow. Unfortunately we had to board the 11.00 am ferry and had to be at the pier an hour earlier.

(Koh Samui Central Mosque)

(Masjid Nurul-Ihsan)

Today's lunch was again at Faria Halal restaurant. Other halal restaurants in Chaweng were either closed or not as tempting. The afternoon was spent napping and resting in the hotel room. 

(Lunch at Faria Halal Restaurant)

At night we had an hour of therapeutic thai massage to release tensed muscles. After, we had banana cashew nuts crepes and ice-blended smoothies for dinner at one of the boutique bistros along Chaweng main road.

(Fly me to the moon at Chaweng Beach)

(An hour of Thai body massage)

(Crepes and iced blended fruit juice for dinner)

             Koh Samui Wet Trip: 05 Hatyai👉

👈Koh Samui Wet Trip: 03 Koh Samui