Let's go to Koh Samed!

If you have the choice, you're in agony. If you want to be cheap, you can take the bus from Bangkok to the coastal town of Ban Phe. But I was not alone on the road, my girlfriend and I both wanted to have a certain "luxury" for the journey. We wanted to drive without major interruptions and we wanted to go relaxed. The thought was, we would definitely be more flexible with a taxi, especially because we had to take care of the passage to the island in Ban Phe. The journey had taken a good 4 1/2 hours, with a stopover at the gas station for leg representation. I think it was a good choice for us to take the taxi. Others will be pleased with a bus ride, I thought the taxi ride was ideal.

Do not worry, it will continue soon ;-) I wanted to use the opportunity to point out the possibility of another stopover. Pattaya is on the way from Bangkok to Ban Phe. So if you are planning a trip for more than a day, you can take the opportunity to stop in Pattaya. The beach in Pattaya is not quite as beautiful as on Koh Samed, but the water is pleasantly warm and a swim in the sea is also very nice here. Pattaya is a tourist stronghold, in addition to many shops, restaurants, street food, barbecue shops and night markets, Pattaya is also one of the largest amusement miles. The nightlife is legendary.

Afterwards one is always smarter. We should have left earlier, because when we arrived in Ban Phe, it was already dark. So we had no opportunity to see much of Ban Phe, because we drove directly to Sri Ban Phe Pier. At the pier we had looked for a suitable crossing. The ferry I think only a certain number per day, but we had planned before to take the speedboat to the island, I had been looking forward to the whole day!

It was good that my girlfriend is Thai and she had been before in Ban Phe. The first speedboat owner wanted to rip us off with an overpriced offer, he had thought he would be able to cheat the stupid tourists an expensive ride. So we went without further to the next place and were lucky, or my girlfriend the necessary negotiating skills! For the second boat owner the crossing only cost 700 Baht, the other wanted 1000 Baht per person. That is how it works.

On Koh Samed are many accommodations, we had already selected a hotel in Bangkok and reserved a room. At the pier in Ban Phe my gf had explained to the boat owner where we have to go, that's not unimportant! The speedboats stop at several points on the island, so it is obvious that the driver has to know where to drop us off. The ride with the speed boat was great !!! For me it was exactly as I had hoped. Such a ride is certainly not for everyone. If the driver drives over the waves, then this is not a simple rocking, the boat makes literally (small) air jumps and claps each time powerful on the waves. Since you have to hold on well. I liked it, my gf less :-)

When we arrived after a good 15 minutes boat ride on the island, we quickly found a shared taxi, which had brought us to our hotel. The check-in was still a small challenge. Since we would stay only for one night, unfortunately we did not have more time, we had tried to negotiate the price for the night, after all, we arrived only in the early evening and had to check out again by noon on the following day. No chance, the employee stays hard and there was no discount. Here, too, retaliated that we started far too late.

The small annoyance at the hotel reception we had quickly forgotten and went straight to the beach. Our hotel was almost right on Ao Phai Beach, a very nice long white sand beach. On the beach there are many bars and clubs, the first thing we wanted was to eat, because after the long ride overall, we were very hungry. We did not have to search long time, found a small eatery right on the beach, with a great variety of food. Interestingly, you do not need a menu here, because the selection of the dishes is lined up as an example. This is very handy if you can already see what you get to eat before. In addition a cool beer, it could not had been better :-)

As one from Germany, Hamburg, I grew up maritime, the port brings ships from all over the world to Hamburg and the Baltic and North Sea already had their fascination for me as a child. It always makes me happy when I look out to sea on the beach. I'm not a sunbather who lays in the sun for hours. No question, I also love the sun and its warmth, but on the beach and the sea I find an inner peace when the waves hit the beach.

On Koh Samed are several beach sections, we were only at Ao Phai Beach, on our next tour we will certainly explore more of the island. We were also not atypical in the main season and not on the weekend on Koh Samed, which probably played a role in the fact that there were not that many visitors on the island that day.

A nice thing to do on Koh Samed is snorkeling! It is very popular and there are many providers who offer various boat tours. The boat tours are individually tailored, so that you can think carefully what you want to experience. We were on a boat trip over almost three hours and it was split in two stages. In the first part the boat went with the guests to a place for snorkeling. You get a lot of time and can calmly look at the underwater world.

The second part of the boat tour was the romantic part. After the snorkelers were out of the water again, the boat continued into a small bay. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the bay anymore, maybe I can find out and complete my blog as soon as I have the info. On the beach of the bay were several restaurants, in one we sat with a couple from the US and had a nice talk. They had been on the island for some time and had also experienced what we had been denied this evening due to the cloud cover raised in the afternoon: a brilliant sunset. But we were absolutely satisfied with the tour and the visit to the island. It was guaranteed not the last visit!

The boat trip was great! As living in Hamburg, I know the feeling when I'm at the harbor and tourists take a harbor tour to experience something about Hamburg. Now I was in the same situation, have participated in a boat trip on vacation and actually I had no idea at the beginning what to expect exactly. Of course, this was completely different on Koh Samed than in Hamburg, vacationers are relaxed and want to take home a nice memory, that's exactly what is implemented here very well.

It's nice if everything runs smoothly, Sabaii Sabaii :-) At the end of the boat trip we were taken directly to the pier, where the ferries connect the island with the mainland. We only had to wait about 20 minutes to get to the next exit, so the timing was perfect.

Finally, there was another very nice experience before the departure. While my girlfriend was getting some drinks, I was sitting at the pier, next to the boats and near a group of Thai men doing the ferries and boat trips. The social gathering in the early evening, with cold beer, had something of a after-work atmosphere. I actually wanted to use the time until my girlfriend came back for an in-depth résumé of the day, when unexpectedly one of the Thai spoke to me and offered his beer. And already I was in the middle of the group and even though I could barely speak or understand a word Thai, it was just a nice, uncomplicated get-together. That's what makes Thailand so special!