Hattie on Tour

The sun continues to shine, albeit intermittently, and we are off to the beach. We take the bike down to the northern end of Mae Nam bay which is much more secluded and therefore calmer than where we are in Mae Nam village. We take a stroll to the very far end and have a drink in the bar which overlooks the rocky headland. The white sand and turquoise waters look just perfect. Unfortunately they don’t do food so we walk some way along this quiet stretch of shoreline until we come to a small Thai cafe just back from the beach. It’s almost four in the afternoon as we sit under the palms and tuck into some authentic Thai food. Andy has a Massaman curry with beef and potatoes and I order a yellow curry ‘little’ spicy but it comes as hot as fire – ‘much’ spicy must be awesome – and I’m left with stinging mouth and numb lips!

What a difference couple of days make! The new moon high tides have receded, the winds are now just a pleasant breeze, the sun is out and the sea is blue. The windbreaks have been rolled up and we have a beach which has doubled in size. Tables and chairs have reclaimed their place on the beach and in the evening fairy lights adorn the trees outside the bars. What a transformation!Tropical paradise regained. This is the weather we have been waiting for and in the evening we even venture on to the beach for dinner.

We take the bike down to Lamai beach on the east coast. Similar to Chaweng, this resort is smaller and a bit less developed but still full of the usual touristy shops selling beachwear and the rest. We walk about half the length of this arcing, palm-fringed bay stopping for a ridiculously cheap Thai lunch on the beach. The weather is glorious – this is more like it! In the late afternoon we bike on a bit further to Rocky’s beach which is almost deserted with only a couple of bars and some bungalows set well back amongst the palm groves.

With the sun out Samui’s beautiful, white beaches come into their own and for the most part the established beach-side developments are low rise set back amongst the palms with only bars, restaurants and massage platforms on the beach itself. On the quieter beaches it’s easy to find a deserted spot and have the place to yourself. Ah, this is the lazy life!

The monsoon winds relent and the weather improves. We take a ride round the north coast of the island visiting some idyllic, unspoilt beaches along the way – white sand, overhanging palm trees, turquoise sea – the usual tropical island stuff. There is still a breeze but the sea but much calmer and the sun is breaking through. In the evening there is live music at the Lazy Coconut in Mae Nam – an energetic and evidently popular Dutch band playing some 70s and 80s favourites which get the crowd going.

Hurrah! The monsoon winds have at last died down and the sun is out, at least for part of the day. The water in the channel that weaves between the bungalows at Hutcha Resort, has dropped dramatically – probably by about three feet. The sea is much calmer and has receded so that more of the beach is revealed. The surf is still up on this part of Mae Nam bay, so swimming is not an inviting prospect. We have the bike for another two days and spend the afternoon exploring the north and some of the west coast. First stop is the northern end of Mae Nam beach which turns out to be much more sheltered, and hence calmer, than where we are staying. Just round the headline beyond Mae Nam we stop at Laem Na Lan which is an idyllic little beach, palm-fringed with soft white sand. There is virtually no development apart from a resort stretching up the hillside at the far end of the bay which cannot be seen from most of the beach. Onward to Laem Yai in the north-west corner of the island to an unspoilt white-sand beach. Signs of development in progress suggest that it may not remain this way for much longer. There is a startling amount of new resorts being built around the island and it’s hard to imagine how they will attract enough guests in the current economic climate. We ride on to the northern end of Tong Yang bay on the west coast. Here in a secluded palm forest, we come across a small Thai village complete with wat, a school and narrow stretch of beach untouched by tourism. There are signs that a large local market is held here periodically, but not, unfortunately, today. Finally we end up at a very quiet beach with three tables shaded by thatch roofs and we stop here for lunch, to chill and to soak up the atmosphere.

In the evening we try out the only restaurant in Mae Nam that is regularly busy on the theory that this must be an indication that it is good. Tonight it is packed and we just manage to get a table.

At this point we should have realised it wasn’t going to live up to expectations. The service is excruciatingly slow even by Thai standards and there seems to be a shortage of staff, which is unusual in a country where nowhere has two staff when four will do. When the food does arrive it is not very good although the portions are enormous.

On to the Lazy Coconut bar which has been advertising live music, more out of curiosity than any great expectations. But we find that we have to fight our way to the bar and are left wondering where all these people go the rest of the week. The Bob Color Band turns out to be rather good and they get the older crowd up on their feet with passable and energetic renditions of some old 70s and 80s rock classics. Between sets we’re treated to a Geordie ‘Elvis’ doing some early songs from the pre romper-suit period. It’s the liveliest night we had since we got here!

Winds still buffeting the beach and the skies are overcast. The beach-front establishments have plastic windbreaks up and the beach has all but disappeared at high tide. Hire a bike for three days to see more of the island. Today we visit Fisherman’s village on Bo Phut Bay, Big Buddha Bay and the Big Buddha just off the coast and the lovely Choen Mon beach in the north east corner. Book accommodation for the boys arrival on 23rd. We hire a bike for three days so that we can see more of the island. The weather is still overcast with some occasional sun and the wind continues to blow in off the sea creating large waves and making it impossible to swim. So with no prospect for sunbathing we are going to take a closer look at the north-east corner of the island and also try to find some accommodation closer to the airport and the ferry terminal for the night the boys arrive. This will allow us to get an early ferry to Koh Tao the next day. But first we stop off at Fisherman’s Village on Bo Phut Bay. This turns out to be an attractive little bay and a couple of narrow streets lined with bars, restaurants and the usual tourist shops. It’s a pleasant enough place, but restaurants serving Thai food seem to be at a premium – with most serving European food of one sort or another, with full English breakfasts in the ascendancy. We find one of the few places serving Thai food and good food at that, and have a delicious lunch. The ferry pier is on Big Buddha beach and after finding some accommodation for first and last nights of the boys’ visit, we take a look at the gigantic gold seated Buddha that gives the bay it’s name. The Buddha is located on a small island in the bay reached by a short causeway. It turns out to be on the itinerary of all the commercial tours of the island and there’s at least half a dozen or more mammoth four-wheeled drive tour jeeps in the car park and a surprising number of shops selling clothes, shoes and souvenirs. The view from the top of the terrace on which the Buddha sits provides a sweeping views of the bay to the west and north. We continue round the coast road to Choeng Mon, a small bay with a beautiful white sandy beach – this is what a tropical beach should look like. Disappointingly, a walk along the shore reveals unsightly attempts to prevent the erosion of the beach – frayed sandbags half buried in the sand and rows of old tyres strung along the edge of the beach. This small, quiet , undeveloped and otherwise picturesque bay is in the process of transition – a huge complex of villas and apartments is under construction and there are others on the surrounding hillsides. The days of the small bars which currently front the beach are surely numbered. In the evening we return to the bar we found yesterday – only to find a new menu and prices that had increased by 30 to 50% overnight. Now that’s inflation Thai style!

As we didn’t stop in Chaweng during our jeep tour of the island, we decide to go there today as it is reputed to have the best beach on the island. We catch one of the soonthaews, the island’s equivalent of a bus service. These covered pick-up trucks can be flagged down anywhere along the route and providing they are going to your destination you can hop on and pay when you get off. Of course, they don’t run to any timetable so it’s pot luck when one will turn up, but fortunately we don’t have to wait very long. Several people get on along the way and the soonthaew gets quite crowded – a German gentlemen is squatting on the floor between the legs of the passengers seated down either side and people are hanging out the bacjk on the stand plate – this is travel south-east Asian style. We arrive in Chaweng in no time at all, pay our 50 Baht fares and set off to explore. Chaweng is the largest town on the island with a the main street which runs parallel to the beach. Although it is so built up it’s not possible to see the beach from the street even though it is only a couple of hundred yards away. The usual suspects line the street; restaurants, clothes shops, travel agents and between them pathways down to the beach-front resorts. English guys, usually with a Thai girl in tow, cruise the streets on mopeds swooping in on any tourists in an attempt to sell timeshare presentations with the promise of fantastic prizes etc etc – the usual spiel. We are approached by two in the space of five minutes. Both are friendly enough, but when a third approaches later in the day we claim not to understand and walk on. These guys could become very tiresome very quickly.

The beach at Chaweng lives up to its reputation – a soft, white sandy sweep of palm-fringed beach stretching round a long arcing bay. Still windy, but there is the occasional break in the cloud and we get a few rays now and then. The north end of the beach is the most sheltered and picturesque. Here an offshore reef takes the brunt of the waves and the sea gently laps against the beach. This is where the really expensive resorts nestle snugly in amongst the palms with infinity pools and sea view bungalows. All along the length of the beach are restaurants, bars, tour booths, jet ski hire and Thai massage being administered on raised platforms. Towards the southern, less sheltered end, the surf is up and there are a few people surfing despite the red flags.

Back in Mae Nam in the evening it’s like a ghost town. Where is everybody? Hardly anyone seems to come out a night. Happily we find a characterful and reasonably-priced beach-side bar-cum-restaurant just by the Chinese temple which has attracted a few customers and we settle there to enjoy a few G&Ts and a bite to eat.

We pack up our things and move out of our little bungalow at Moonhut. We had grown rather fond of our little hut and are rather sad to have to leave. We are also far from confident that we will find anything that offers such good value, having already trawled a few of the cheaper bungalow complexes in the village. There is a rather smart looking bungalow complex in the village and we decide to have a look, more out of curiousity than any real expectation that they will have anything within our budget. Set in neat tropical gardens with a swimming pool, direct access to the beach, the bungalows are arranged along a fresh water channel and offer a range of accommodation, but all have hot water and their own veranda and are rather stylishly decorated with platform beds and part enclosed bathrooms with overhanging thatched roofs. All very tropical. There is bar and restaurant as well as a massage hut and breakfast and wifi is included. Seems perfect, so we snap up the last available fan bungalow overlooking a rather murky river in a private corner of the complex. The resort even provide a car to take us back to Moonhut to pick up our luggage. Weather is showing no signs of improvement though.

The weather is still disappointing – monsoon winds and grey skies. We spend some time exploring more of Mae Nam and in particular the old village which takes in the few streets that run between the main road and the beach. Here there are a some shops, internet cafes, travel agents, bars, restaurants and a brightly decorated Chinese temple with the usual dragons scaling the supporting pillars – but hardly any people. We take a stroll along the windswept beach dodging the surf and checking out the beach front accommodation. There are some very upmarket resorts built out onto the beach as well as the occasional cluster of beach ‘huts’. We check out a few of the latter, but none are as well positioned or as picturesque as Moonhut. One just down the beach from us has been severely battered by the storms leaving a couple of the huts looking a bit precarious perched on a thin strip of land between the sea and the rising river waters behind. We decide to stay put at Moonhut until the weekend and then, if the weather has improved, we may go to the island of Pha Ngan which is a 30 minute ferry journey to the north of Koh Samui. Apparently, on a clear day it is possible to see it from Mae Nam (unfortunately we can’t verify that!). However our plans are thwarted as when we return to book a further three nights we find that Moonhut is fully booked tomorrow. Oh dear, looks as though we prevaricated too long and will be moving sooner than we thought, but to where….

Weather is much the same as yesterday. High tides during the day (it’s full moon) and the strong waves means that the the length of Mae Nam beach is impassable. We hire a jeep and spend the day touring the island ostensibly to see if we can find a beach bungalow in a less commercialised spot that offers the possibility of some good snorkelling. Hot water would also be a plus! We’re also curious to see the rest the island. Samui isn’t a large island and it’s possible to drive round the ring road in just over an hour, but after a late start it takes us the remainder of the day to circumnavigate.

We follow the coast road which in the north-east and south-west diverges from the main ring road stopping off here and there along the way. Most of the coastal strip from Mae Nam, through Bo Phut and Big Buddha beaches and along the east coast through Chaweng and Lamai are heavily commercialised with bars, restaurants, shops (including the ubiquitous 7Eleven and even a couple of Tesco Lotus Locals) line either side of the main road and we don’t linger. Resorts and bungalow complexes crowd onto the beaches which are undeniably beautiful in spite of all the development. The south and south-west of the island is, in contrast, almost untouched, although even here signs of development is emerging.

We are singularly unsuccessful in finding anything remotely better than Moonhut. Either the beaches are too commercialised and built up or are almost deserted with nowhere to stay. There is also a dearth of budget beach-front accommodation that offers hot water. Even at Moonhut bungalows with hot water are two-and-an-half times more expensive than those without. We book another night while we contemplate our next move.

In the evening we go for a stroll along the main road through Mae Nam. The place is deserted with most of the bars and restaurants empty. Where is everyone? We conclude that they must all be in their beach resorts, but even a walk on the beach doesn’t deliver a happening scene as the wind buffets the empty beach bars.

Andy’s glasses have been falling apart ever since we left England; first he lost the screw from the arm and was walking around for months with them held together with electrical tape. Recently he lost one arm altogether and has been wearing them on the squiff ever since. Spotting an opticians we pop in to see if anything can be done to salvage them. They can’t be repaired but the three members of staff couldn’t be more helpful and set about hunting down a new pair of frames that will take Andy’s current lenses. Within twenty minutes we are walking out of the door with the old lenses cut to fit new frames all for 900 Baht (£18)! Now that just wouldn’t happen at home!

The train is an hour late in arriving at Surat Thani station, but nevertheless our transfer to the waiting coach is smooth and painless and we are soon on our way to the ferry port at Don Sak. Surat Thani is on the east coast of southern Thailand and is the nearest train station to the ferry port for Koh Samui. It takes about an hour’s drive to get to Don Sak, but despite the train’s late arrival we are in plenty of time to get the 10 am crossing. The crossing is rather choppy and the old ferry creaks as the bows occasionally crash across the waves. We arrive in Koh Samui to a cool, grey and windy morning. Where are the hot, sunny days we have been following in the weather reports? After a bit of haggling with the metered taxi drivers (who apparently routinely refuse to turn on their meters) we agree a fare of 300 Baht for the 15-minute journey to Moonhut Bungalows on Mae Nam beach.

We found Moonhut Bungalows on the internet after some extensive trawling for reasonably-priced accommodation and have booked only a couple of nights initially in case we don’t like it. The bungalows turn out to be set well away from the busy ring road that runs around the island and right on the beach. There is a beach bar and restaurant and the bungalows are well-spaced around a central sandy area. Our bungalow is petite but can hardly be described as bijoux, it doesn’t have hot water or a sea view – but it is set in a tropical garden amongst shady palms on the edge of the beach with its own veranda – and it suits our modest budget! We would, of course, prefer to have hot water and the plan is to look for something a bit better appointed and slightly more off the beaten track. But for the time-being this will suit us fine.

The weather is rather disappointing. It is quite warm but overcast and very windy on the beach. The sea is grey and rough and waves are pounding right up the beach, breaking against the veranda of one of the sea view bungalows. Apparently this bay is supposed to be calm and tranquil with a uninterrupted 2km beach, but because it is full moon the tide is so high when we arrive that it isn’t possible to walk along it and any thoughts of swimming have to be shelved for the time-being. Hopefully this is just a blip in the weather and normal service will be resumed shortly!