Getting Acquainted – Koh Samui, Thailand

Although you could easily have the time of your life doing nothing on the beach, there are plenty of interesting attractions away from the coastline.

Riding in style on an elephant at Namuang Safari Park on Koh Samui

Nam Tok Na Muang This is one of Koh Samui’s best waterfalls, and you can make a day trip of exploring the area surrounding it. We took our motorbikes to the turn-off, which is 10 km southeast of Na Thon, and encountered an employee of Namuang Safari Park. The park runs a zoo and animal shows and will book you on an elephant ride to the base of the lower waterfall. The representative was insistent that we buy an expensive package, so be firm if you just want to explore on your own. (You can ride your motorbike to the trailhead, but it’s a steep climb.) We agreed to the elephant ride. Our sweet-natured elephant keeper loved to chit-chat and gladly took photos of us riding the pachyderm. The elephant drops you at a spot about 10 minutes from the lower falls; you can hike from there to the upper falls. Be forewarned: Reaching the upper falls is a long, confusing hike. We got lost and continuously wandered uphill for an hour. The handful of locals along the path – willing to guide you for a price – repeatedly informed us it was just 10 minutes to the top. Actually, it’s a 1.5 km hike (possibly more, if you count wandering off the track), but the view from the top stretches to the sea.

This is what happens when you feed alligators with a chicken on a fishing pole; Namuang Safari Park

Namuang Safari Park sold us tickets to its crocodile and monkey shows, but we missed show time during the arduous trek. If you’re around when it’s quiet in the afternoons, find a zookeeper and ask about feeding the crocodiles. For 20 baht, they gave us a dead, whole chicken (like you’d buy at a butcher) and what looked like a fishing pole. By holding the pole over the railing’s edge, you can taunt the crocs by swinging the chicken in front of them. Watch out – their reflexes are fast. If they grab onto the chicken, poultry scraps will fly, and you’ll have no leftovers. For information about Namuang Safari Park, call 0-7742-4098 or visit www.namuang-safaripark.com.

Hat Lamai
Our hotel was steps from the beach, and it was great to eat breakfast in the open-air restaurant and admire the water. The ocean bottom is rockier here than in Hat Chaweng, but the water is deeper, cleaner and less crowded. Make sure to bring sandals if you want to walk along the shoreline – the hot midday sun makes it nearly impossible to walk on the sand without scorching your feet! Another attraction nearby is Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks (Hin Ta and Hin Yai). Legend says an elderly couple died during a storm and their bodies washed ashore; the genitals were preserved as rocks. Use your imagination to decide whether the rocks resemble the real thing, then go buy a few tasteless postcards of the legendary stones and send them to your friends.

Hat Chaweng
This beach stretches 5 km over the eastern coast of Koh Samui and draws a bigger crowd. The view is stunning, but we couldn’t stay in the water for long – my friend was bitten by sea lice. It’s still worth hanging out here since the shallow water is bright blue and the beach allows topless sunbathing (as does Hat Lamai, but here you don’t feel so alone when doing your best to get a proper tan). Watch out for annoying local merchants who try to sell you clothes, ice cream and jewelry; most don’t like taking “no” for an answer. We learned to say “not interested” in Thai (mai son chai, sounds like “my zone jai”); although the curt phrase was effective in sending them away, it also invoked a lot of rude responses in return. And don’t think taking off your bathing suit top will embarrass them into walking past your towel – they’ll lean right over and start selling anyway.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Asia Insiders page.

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