Michael Batson

From the air under the tropical sun Ko Samui looks like a green jewel, an emerald bordered with a white sandy fringe and palm trees surrounded by light blue water. It doesn’t look too bad from the sea either. However you arrive, you’ll soon settle into the easy pace of island life. Officially, there are seasons in the Gulf of Thailand. Unofficially, Ko Samui doesn’t “do” winter; it’s just hot all year round. Nothing much happens in a hurry on the island. Every day gets off to a slow start. Most places don’t open until mid morning at the earliest. Some days the sun doesn’t even put in an appearance until after lunch. Even the local canine population appear largely uninterested as if sedated, which is a blessing as Thai dogs can be a menace. If you like an early breakfast you could be out of luck. Unless you are staying in a hotel with its own restaurant you may have to wait until morning tea time, or, as if some sort of sick joke, eat American fast food, which some people actually do. Despite the development that has occurred on this, Thailand’s third largest island, Ko Samui still in the main has a low key feel to it. Perhaps it’s because the island is large enough to absorb the hordes of tourists that continuously descend on the place, or, maybe because most visitors only target certain areas, leaving the rest relatively unmolested. “Ko” is Thai for island. The origins of Samui are mysterious; possibly a continuation of the name of one