I must admit having a travel agent is amazing. I'm sure there are cheaper ways to get from point A to point B, but for a little extra it's nice to be so carefree. As Brian likes to say, "Thailand is like hitting the easy button in life."
We got picked up at the same location right out side our house near a hotel on our soi. Teacher Emily met us like last time and parked her bike at our house while Teacher Lokki opted to get picked up separately. He was already on the bus when we bustled in. We had a full bus on the ride out to Koh Samet, but Brian and I still got our rockstar seats in the back :) We were the only 4 that got off at Koh Samet. The others were either going to Koh Chang or all the way to Cambodia.
 |
| Waiting for our ferry. |
 |
| Another boat. Another adventure! |
 |
| Looking back on Rayong. |
We wasted an hour at the docks. Our ferry had a precise departure time, not like Koh Chang that has ferries running out the wazoo. I'm still a little confused by the process. I think that our tour agent booked a special ferry that dropped us off in the middle of the island. I believe the normal ferry drops you off elsewhere. We were on a ferry for a specific resort. I think it was their hope that we would stay at that resort. Ha.
 |
| Us on a big swing on the beach! |
 |
| Brian trying to squeeze some of that sweetness behind us :) |
I read that there is an entrance fee of 200 Baht for foreigners because the island is part of the National Park, but we never got stopped. We were suppose to bring our work permits to show in case we did get stopped. It would get us the ajarn price of 40B. We forgot them. Soooo, we are very happy we didn't run into this problem. Perhaps if we got dropped off at the other pier we would have had to pay. Not sure. Through my research I was told there was a temple you could walk through to avoid paying the fee, but there was no temple on our beach which is another reason I believe the normal ferry drops you off elsewhere.
 |
| People fishing |
The ferry ride was a bit longer than Koh Chang since we went around so much Island. Once we reached the cove, we had to jump on a smaller boat to take us to shore. There are no docks that I could see on Koh Samet. Alot of the boats either go right up to the shore or have smaller make shift boats that meet the ferries and take you inland. Prepare to get your feet wet because you still end up jumping in the water. I would suggest wearing shorts and not carrying normal luggage. You think that going to an island for vacation would imply this, but you'd be surprised. It is entertaining watching non-backpack wearers or people totally dressed inappropriately. I'm sure the drivers of the boats live for this small amusement too.
 |
| How the VIP's arrive! Look at that luggage haha. |
 |
| You jump - not literally- from the ferry unto this "boat" |
 |
| It is a bit scary!!! |
 |
| See... not far to go to reach shore. |
I really like this way of arriving on the island. It gives it a real authentic Thailand island vacation feel. Just like the movies hahaha!!!!!
Though the resort was very nice, we wanted to head to the backpacker hangout aka the cheap hostels. Plus this beach had so many boats in the cove. It wasn't a very pretty view and the constant traffic would just not be suitable for our expectations :)
We finally found our way to the main road. You would think this would be easy, but it was anything but. From this beach there is only one outlet to the "road."
I would like you to note that Koh Samet probably gets more tourists/visitors than Koh Chang. For this reason, I assumed it would be more developed. Wrong.
The roads in Koh Chang are wonderful compared to Koh Samet. Granted they are not rolling hills like Koh Chang, but they are not paved at all. It is all dirt roads... excuse me one big dirt road - singular. It is probably best to hire a Baht Bus to take you to the beach you want than rent a motorbike or in this case a dirt-bike or atv.
 |
| The "roads" |
You either have to wait for 10 people for the baht bus to leave or hire it specifically for your group. Since there were four of us, it was only 50 baht each. Not bad considering that's how much it was in Koh Chang too. I am very happy we didn't rent motorbikes looking back because A) We would never have used them and B) We probably would have wiped out more than a couple times.
I did some research on where to stay, but finding the places along the way is not like Koh Chang. From the road, you can't see the resorts. You have to know specifically where you are going or which beach you want to go to. We got dropped off inland at the first beach. It was maybe a 3 minute walk before we hit sand. Not bad. Once your on the sand, you can start scoping out places to stay. We literally walked up and down the beach until we found something. Teacher Emily and I split off from the boys. The place we went to was booked up. The place the boys went too had two rooms left. DRAMA. Would Teacher Emily room with Teacher Lokki? Hahaha....
 |
| Lobby of Jep's |
We ended up staying at the place the boy's found, Jep's Bungalows. It was recommended by Teacher Tom and I had come across it too in research. It was recommended by bloggers and reviewed fairly good. The last two rooms were 400B each. The sweet deals of Koh Chang do not apply on Koh Samet ironically. Koh Samet is way more expensive. 400B a night really isn't that bad.
 |
| Brian brushing his teeth in the communal bathroom. |
 |
| Our room |
 |
| The bed - surprisingly not rock hard! The fan is KEY! |
 |
| Brian brushing his teeth again haha... cracks me up! |
The other places I had in mind were more secluded and were a couple beaches/coves down. I'm happy we stayed where we did. Perhaps if we were older and really wanted some R&R, I would stay on another beach. We were very lucky to get the last two rooms. While we were deciding, the owner turned down another girl looking at the room. I'm a bit grateful for her loss because it made us come to a decision a lot faster. Teacher Emily and Teacher Lokki would have to make due :)
The room is nothing special. The bathroom is communal. It's like living in a dorm room in college. It definitely didn't have the feel of our tropical hut in Koh Chang, but then again at least we had a bottom room so no more falling through floors :) Only downside is there is no mosquito net and there were quiet a few in our room when we opened the door. We bought some jasmine scented mosquito coils at a store for 30B and burned them nightly. Worked fine in conjunction with the fan blowing all night long. When we did return home to our apartment, we did have to wash everything because it had a distinct wet - almost moldy jasmine chemical smell. The sacrifice to stay bite free is worth it though!!!!
We ate at Jep's restaurant. The food is amazing. Pricey. But amazing. Such a big menu to choose from too. I can't say we really tried alot of places on the island because going across the street, sitting on the beach, and eating amazing good food was really hard to walk away from... Even if it was a bit pricey (120-180B). They had cheese too. Teacher Emily was in heaven. Every morning we had our "Cheese Feast." Delicious.
 |
| Jep's Restaurant. We spent much time at the tables right by the water. |
Cheese is hard to find in Thailand. Very expensive too. It's hard being us. We are used to Wine and cheese. Wouldn't you know those are the 2 things that are pricey in Thailand!
We didn't waste alot of time. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. We jumped in the CLEAR... Yes clear, see-through water. I was amazed too!!! Knowing what Jomtien/Pattaya water looks like, I would have never thought it possible to find clear water this far north... But it exists on Koh Samet. I'm sure it depends on the currents and tides though. There were little wave sets coming through too. They were big enough to make me feel uneasy being in the water... which really isn't saying much except how much I do not like the water :)
 |
| Sleepy time! |
We spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and eating. Vacation officially in full swing!
 |
| Walking to another beach/cove |
 |
| Private beach!!! |
 |
| Me. |
 |
| The others. They didn't want to walk :( |
We decided to walk down the beach to explore and find a place to eat dinner. I'm so happy we did because the restaurants put out tables and mats on the sand to expand their seating at night. It's absolutely beautiful. We stopped at the one with the fun lanterns and the next night scooted over to the one beside it.
 |
| The first restaurant we tired. |
I can't even describe how beautiful and wonderful this experience was. Who ever came up with this idea is a genius!!!
You even get entertainment! The fire spinners come out at around 8/9p.m. We had a little boy entertaining us. Aside from the strong smell of ..... I dunno... Some burning agent... Not gas... It's so much fun!!! They definitely get a little too close for comfort, but what's a little heat? All the tourists/visitors that brave the walk past the fire spinners are of high intelligence.
If you look up and down the beach you can see various fire spinners on the beach. Absolutely amazing site.
I was so excited I made sure to tip our boy fire spinner. I'm easily impressed. But, don't worry you don't have to be as hasty as me, you can just wait till the end of the show... They all come around with a bucket to collect tips. I like to think I set a good example :) You can never have too much tip karma!!!!
 |
| Our little boy fire spinner. |
We walked further up the beach to see the other night set-ups. The restaurant right next to us was packed! Obviously, they knew something we didn't. Before we knew it we were surrounded by 10 fire spinners. I backed up into the ocean to distance myself. Most of the other intelligence kept a steady traffic right in back of them. I'm sure they must get annoyed with people. I would. Anyway, this place puts on a huge show. Oh, and did I mention all the beautifully shirtless sculpted men that where spinning fire? We decided we would come back to this one tomorrow... Or at least Teacher Emily and I did!
If Pattaya is the place for men, Koh Samet is the place for women... But we will get to that later...
Because today was officially, Mother's Day. They lit off fireworks on the beach. Rather, they started setting up things, that later turned out to be fireworks that they lit way to close to the general public. But hey, it's Thailand. I definitely ran for cover and still had debris falling down on me... Nothing major... Just a little jarring considering my other fear - fire :) They were the big fireworks that create a big circles of colors. However, those are meant to be shot up into the earths atmosphere. I've never seen them that close before....
 |
| Of course, Brian indulged in firework's as well. |
 |
| The little things that make him happy haha |
 |
| Playing |
We went to a couple of bars. There were more buckets involved for the children of Cali. We had free drink coupons. You will most likely get these daily if you lay a towel in the sand along the beach.
I think people from Koh Samet come out slinging fire from the womb. Everyone who works at the restaurants or bars are also the fire spinners for the place. It is a must have on a resume! Koh Samet has a fire spinning school too in case visitors want to learn... though they teach you on the beach informally.
Brian and I left the bar before the other two. Quiet the stories in the A.M. I'm just happy we didn't have a Natalie Halloway incident on our hands! There was alot of memory loss, wondering around loss, and wounds.... But Teacher Emily doesn't let those details get in the way of her VACA time. Gotta lover her attitude and philosophy on how to really relax and vacation in life!
After more lounging and cheese feasts the next day, we headed back down that way for dinner at Ploy... The restaurant with the dozen or so shirtless fire spinners :)
 |
| Restaurant with bigger fire show. |
Everywhere you go on Koh Samet to eat, it's about the BBQ. Almost every restaurant has a little BBQ shack set up. I recommend walking up and taking a look at the samples. Soooo good!!! They don't really do the BBQ during the day though -- just at night.
 |
| YEAH! |
We got a Chang tower of beer and a hookah. Rather the ones repin' Cali did ...
 |
| Brian tok'n and Emily pouring. True ambassadors of California :) |
Before the fire show we even got live music. The band was from the Philippines. Filipinos can always sing that's how I knew... plus they were speaking Filipino haha... but the singing was the first cue. Alot of the songs had a Spanish influence too. It was fun watching the others trying to figure out where they were from and telling me I was wrong. HA!!! They doubt my mad skills. Later the band confirmed it on stage. Thanks, Hawaii for your multi-cultural state.
The fire show was amazing. I enjoyed both. I think having the lonely boy yesterday was a wonderful experience. The bigger show tonight was a little more flashy and in your face. Either way, I'm glad we got to see both.
 |
| Ploy gives you free alcohol after the show :) An attempt to keep you at their bar!!! |
 |
| Lanterns going up!!! |
It's the touristy thing to send a lantern up. I've always wanted to do it. It's quiet the process. They are 100B... not bad. Luckily, my guy was so helpful throughout the entire process. It's considered bad luck if it deeps or doesn't go straight up. PRESSURE... haha.
 |
| Help~! |
We headed to another bar. We couldn't return to the previous nights bar due to the memory loss issue haha, j/k. We danced the night away. As usual, Brian and I left earlier than the other two. I'm sure he would have stayed out, but I love sleeping. The only reason I even stay out later than usual is because our room isn't that spectacular. Sufficient enough, but nothing you would want to spend more time in than necessary.
We were suppose to go on a boat trip around all the islands our last day and go snorkeling, but it was raining. I don't know what kind of magnetism we have toward rainy weather and getting hurt on vacation. We have decided that it's Brian's turn next to get hurt.
After another cheese feast, we were entertained with more of Teacher Emily's stories from last night. You couldn't write this stuff! I guess I could, but it's not really my place. Unfortunately, she lost her purse. She adapted the restaurants check holder as her new purse and used it on the beach... This is just a testament to Thailand in general. You can lay sleeping on the beach with your money laying wide open and have no problems. But we found her purse later that day. She left it at the bar. Everything was inside. Nothing stolen.
 |
| Emily with her new purse. |
 |
| Emily's sleeping companion haha. |
 |
| Dancing with food in hand. All is ok! |
Even though it was cloudy with a constant drizzle, the three of us laid out on the beach. Sure we were the only ones laying out, but if it wasn't a downpour like Koh Chang -- it was beach weather!!!! After some hours, the sun came out a bit and the beach started to fill up a little.
 |
| Ice cold fruit on the beach anyone? |
Yesterday when Brian and I were walking along the beach barefooted at sunset, fulfilling the typical long walks on the beach thing... We came across quiet a bit of jellyfish washed up on shore. When we went in the water the next day, rainy weather day, you could see little baby jelly fish swimming. We didn't stay in the water long, but they were smaller than your pinky finger. We didn't want to meet mama jellyfish so we got out!
 |
| Brian walking along camera in tow. |
 |
| A little shrine. |
 |
| Us with the Koh Samet statues |
 |
| me. |
This is why you will see alot of Thai people wearing full-on clothing when they go swimming.
We decided to walk down the other side of the beach for dinner. It was a little more secluded. We had dinner right on the beach again, but up on little tables. So beautiful! The food was really good and cheaper. The further south you go on the island the cheaper the food gets. We were just too lazy to leave Jeps. Besides their food was amazing every time. It wasn't a gamble. They, Cali, got another hookah. This place is much better than Ploy's. You rent it for 1hr 30mins and they constantly check on you and refill it for you/ put new coals. The other place with the huge fire show, drops it off and leaves. Granted, they are bigger and probably don't have enough people to adequately attend to their guests. But if you are in the mood for Hookah, I would suggest going else where.
 |
| Another beach |
We stayed at this place pretty late. So content. We enjoyed our last night on Koh Samet. They did a small fire show too.
 |
| Tuna BBQ!! |
After our last cheese feast, we checked out and got a baht bus back to the resort we first landed at. We found a restaurant on the beach with umbrellas and chairs. Brian and Lokki didn't want to be in the sun. They were getting a little crispy. They just lounged while Teacher Emily and I took one last dip in the Koh Samet waters. Though it was rainy yesterday, we did get quiet a bit of sun. I'm actually grateful for the rain because if it was sunny, we probably would have been lobsters! Anyway, teacher Emily laid out some more and I ate some last minute BBQ ribs :)
 |
| I love this picture! Teacher Emily sleeping the day away. Dogs are always on the beaches. |
We took the little boat to the bigger ferry. We waited around for more people to show up. Alot of the food vendors that walk the beach during the day got on with all their food. It was nice because if you were hungry, there they were!!!! I just assumed they lived on the island, but I guess alot of them make the commute. Who would have known!
 |
| Going back to the ferry |
 |
| Goodbye Samet! |
 |
| Vendors on the ferry |
 |
| Making Sum Tam!!! |
 |
| Lots of vendors on board! |
We got off at a different Pier. I was a little concerned. I didn't know how to get back to our original drop off point. We had 5 minutes. Luckily, as soon as we hit the street, our driver was waiting for us. The van was packed again. Brian sat in back of me. I sat in the front row which I must say is even more rockstar than the back because you have tons of leg room and plenty of AC. Definitely, going to try for the front of the van next time.
All I could think of on the ride home was, I want a fried hot dog. How am I going to convince Brian to cruise beach road in search of this with me? Wouldn't you know as soon as we got dropped off, a vendor was right there. It was heaven sent. A perfect conclusion to a wonderful vacation.
Only downside came later when Jang lost my beloved shorts after I dropped off my after vacation damp jasmine mosquito coil smelling clothes :( I might have to switch to Brian's laundry service after all, haha... he wants to charge me... And he calls me the 'Jew.'
