Birdman

1 hour ago, gearbox said:

I live in Samui, but if my gf didn't have business here we would seriously consider moving to Phuket.

 

There are a few advantages Phuket has in regards to my lifestyle:

 

* The beaches are just better. Cleaner water, more interesting islands to kayak to.

* No ferry needed to get to the mainland - every return trip with a car from Samui to Donsak is 1k bahts. If you like driving around often for holidays the west coast is more interesting.

* Big international airport with cheap and convenient flights all over Asia - I used to travel a lot pre covid. You are no hostage of Bangkok Airways.

 

I don't know the Grab prices in Phuket but in Samui looks like most of the Grab members are from the taxi mafia. I checked the Grab prices from Chaweng Beach to Nathon (around 18km),  around 650 baht. Same thing I've seen in Ubud, Indonesia. Best to have own car or motorbike here.

 

One very big advantage of Samui is the short wet season and the weather. It rains from mid October to mid December, during the rest of the year the weather is mostly good. Even during the rainy months you can experience periods of good weather. You won't see temperatures in the range 35-40C here.

Also Koh Phangan is just 15 km away, one of the best places in Thailand to chill out.

 

 

Hard to compare the beaches. Phuket´s are very wide with almost no palm trees. The Andaman Sea is rougher and much longer not swimmable. Monsoon there is way longer and more intense. GoT has more of a lake character. Very calm most of the time. Because of many rivers the shallow Golf - the deepest app 80 meters at some spots only -  is not very salty and so is the air (which keeps also your things longer alive, if you live next to the sea like me) 

Especially because the mainland has to be reached by ferry Samui has that island character. Can't say which coast is more interesting, both are beautiful and interesting and just a bit over a hours drive away on 44. But if not on holidays you will never drive out of both places.

Yep, that would be a point. But there are cheap flights from NST and URT to BKK for connection and the HKT flights are only 45 minutes from Samui. But most people don't use that anyway. I live on Samui since 30 years, met countless farangs and was always surprised that most don't travel much even in Thailand. 

Foreigners, who were on a list from major tourist related businesses got vaccinated already here twice.

On 4/14/2021 at 8:21 PM, PoorSucker said:

First time I went there 20 years ago, the fisherman told me it was named after the orange ants.

Never heard a Thai say Mad instead of mot or mud (Thai for any) about the island.

 

There is no exact transliteration from Thai. In Bangkok the Surawong Road is also written Suriwong or Surawongse ...

Another aspect  would be, that Thais tell a stranger everything for not losing face. Have seen countless times some, for tourists, could be Samuian Thai completely helpless with a map and some tourists next to them expecting a perfect answer where they are and how they should drive here and there...

...or tourists asking beach vendors, who come mostly from Isaan and many of them first time at a sea, about exact underwater conditions, about exact weather conditions, about the best waterfalls.... This beach vendors mostly know only the beach part they are allowed to sell things and they way to their shanty huts somewhere in the back.   

 Don`t think so. But don`t care at all. 

Wonder about people speaking about empty Samui, people are leaving and so. Have been at Macro today, really many other customers. Streets are full with vehicles. Really many people around. Maybe expats all around Thailand have realized what a really nice place Samui is?

It´s 20k max. Start tomorrow. And that´s for everyone. And I think that´s good. Run on a beach or in the jungle. Always wondered why Farangs come to the perfect out door island and run on that streets   

4 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Anybody Thai citizen could actually go there and be vaccinated, not only staff from tourist sector, and those that showed up were vaccinated.

That`s wrong. I am close to the people who gave the vaccination at Central Festival. And even much more. I am in the middle of that. There were lists provided by the owners and managers given to the authorities. And they gave them the exact time and day for their staff.    

43 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

The age limit could be the problem.

I am 70. I have a work permit and I pay personal and company taxes as well as SS. I was not allowed the vaccine.

I work in the tourist (high risk) industry. I do not work with a tour company.

Best for you would be to get more infos from the Samui TAT and THA people. There is a limited amount of vaccinations now and in the next future.  I do not know, If small resort/real estate owners/staff are qualified to get one of it first. Staff of major tourist companies, major hotels, major agencies, major tour agents, airport, ferries and and will probably and understandably be the ones.   

Anyway, you have to wait until the AstraZeneca arrives. 

The 4 places were, they aren`t now, it`s over, Samui Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, Central Festival and the Tourist University.   

7 hours ago, khunPer said:

The government's free Chinese Sinovac when they do mass vaccinations.

There were 4 places on Samui. One of them was Bangkok Hospital. You could get one, if you are working in a tourist related business. Farangs too. The tour company had to register you first. All that until 59yrs. Over that you have to wait for AstraZeneca. Maybe in June     

Koh Mad Sum it is called. Or Koh Madsum. Som would be orange in Thai. And I have seen and experienced all the different ants and much more in over 30 years here living in nature. But never orange ones. 

Koh Madsum was known as the ´Palm tree less Island´ about 20-30 years ago. Because a violent storm cut all palm leaves of every single palm tree. You could see that from Samui`s Southern shores. A small island with a lot of palm tree trunks without the wide leaves on their tops. Nothing else was on it.  Like the trees have been on fire.

There is one luxury hotel now since a couple of years on the island the https://treasurekohmadsum.com/ 

Koh Tan or Koh Taen, is the bigger sister island. There are other islands, pearl farms ... more South rather unknown. Until a few years ago the very popular Samui Island roundtrips by a well know French guy stopped at both islands for a lunch, snorkel, swim, discover the island, whatever you wanna do ... midday break.

The many average Koh Tan Tours were, compared with the Koh Tao tours, second rated snorkelling excursion for tourists who wanted to save money and who did not want a full day tour.     

The name comes from Chinese immigrants. Tan is a popular name in China. Until a couple of decades ago about 500 people lived on Koh Tan. Sea and beach quality are way below Angthong, Tao, KPG, Samui and and and

But Koh Tan has other interesting highlights. A nice walk, an old hut of a lonely monk out in the sea, that special tranquillizing feeling to be away from it all, no dogs and thousands of greyhounds flying over to Samui in the evenings. It is said, that the greyhounds are the reason, that there is not a single dog on Koh Tan. They can not bear this high frequency sounds from the greyhounds humans cannot hear. Maybe that is the reason why there are more monitor lizards compared to Samui. 

About 5 smaller and bigger (20-30 cm diameter) swimming in front of my home in the shallow sea since a few weeks now and keeping me away from swimming. Are they dangerous?

Before pigs Koh Madsum was not an excursion place at all. 

No, Plai Laem no electricity almost all day except at appr 13:00 and 17:00 for appr. 1 hr.

Guess they decide on importance of the area

Been there once. My understanding from a green market differs from that completely.  

10 hours ago, tonray said:

The only panic buying I ever do is when I see egfruit at some local market....so hard to find in Bangkok area...I usually buy up most of the inventory. Addicted to it...great for smoothies

 

Monkai, know a farmer in the hills of Samui who grows and brings me that sometimes. Extremely delicious. Fantastic in muesli with other fruit too 

Usually fireworks are done for tourists only. Locals would never do that for themselves. The best fireworks came always from the top hotels. Because there the NYs gala dinner has a hefty price, guests are expecting top standards, great dinner, good shows and a great firework finale.

You could see that best right at the middle of Chaweng beach at the beach. Malibu area. Not Jungle Club, because too far away and below. At Malibu/Chaweng Buri area you know easily where the best fireworks are coming from, who started and who starts. From the Nora Buri/Anantara all the way to the Vana Bell/Sheraton. Best imho Amari and Centara Grand.  

So...no tourists, no fireworks. Only a few medium class tourists, only a few medium fireworks etc. Only a few hippies. only a guy with a fire bowls. It`s interlocked.

nope

no, I don`t need that, because I was here. 

BTW, that says nothing at all. Most rain in May in the 90s, but not so much in October, and then much less rain in May and much more in October in the 00s and you can have that misleading result for instance.  It does not show the change year by year. And it does not show further then 2010. It got much drier even since then.  

Anyway it was exactly like I said already 

On 12/25/2020 at 7:54 AM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

koa tao is called by thai peopleTHE LONGUE ISLAND, which means the suicide island (the tongue is hanging long after hanging).

and koh pangan is called by thai THE TING TONG ISLAND , which means the crazy people island, because

many people there get crazy from drugs.

so i think you better go to koh samui.

No, it is not called by Thai people, if you consider Thai people as t h e Thai people, like that. However maybe it could be called by a few Thais like that. Maybe not. Never heard that in 34 years in Thailand. 

Would rather say, that, if you ask all Thai people about those Islands, more than 50% don't know them. More than 85% can`t find them on a Thailand map. And more than 95% are not interested at all about KPG and KT. 

41 minutes ago, Tagged said:

One more Island missing on your list, but most people still do not know yet ????????

 

 

If Sal would know you posted that, cleaning all dishes the next 3 months will be the job