Koh Samet with a flavour of Essex and Estonia

4/03/2025 - 9/03/2025

Not much can beat a New Zealand beach. This little slice of Thailand called Koh Samet has tried, but in my eyes, failed. Clear water, white sand and blistering temperatures do make the beaches of Koh Samet and surrounds picturesque, but Marahau or Hahei, those are special beaches. I suppose that I am naïve to the nature of many beaches across the world, meaning that any sense of commercialisation on a beach is a turn off. Give me water, sand, a bit of grass, a road, and then shops/bars/cafes etc. rather than bars and resorts right on the beach any day. Oh also there is a decent amount of rubbish on the beaches too. Not quite like back home. One of the goals of this expedition of mine is to gain some perspective and appreciation for Aotearoa. In terms of beaches, I certainly have a new found appreciation of kiwi ones. 

The rest of my first stint in Bangkok was relatively uneventful, however, it was filled with some good reflection time, as well as delicious food. A food tour of Bangkok's Chinatown was terrific, where I got to try some food I might otherwise not have. I had a great conversation through the universal language of football with a kid in a laundromat while I waited for my clothes to be washed ("Messi?" "No, no, Ronaldo" "Manchester City, No.1"). A bus ride complete with complimentary McDonald's took me to the Ban Phe pier ($12 for a four hour bus ride) where I caught a ferry to the island of Koh Samet.

My first night on Koh Samet was spent with Joe from Essex, a guy staying in my hostel. We had dinner and drinks, playing pool, darts and even had a cheeky balloon of laughing gas sold at a beachfront bar. I can't say I was expecting to do that on a Thai beach. He was a nice guy, and a good connection to have made. The next day was a solitary day, walking, reading and swimming. 

The third day on Koh Samet comprised of snorkelling and a bit of sunburn (classic whitey) and most significantly, Premier League football live in the evening. What a treat. This was partially spoiled by City losing to Forest, which was bullshit. My day was spent with Rauno from Estonia, who suggested snorkelling as an activity. This turned out to be a great idea, $25 for a 3 and a half hour boat tour of five islands, with snorkelling and even free fruit. A pretty cool sojourn, with some interesting fish and coral to see. I learnt a bit more about Estonia, while my pale white skin crispened under the ferocious Thai sun. Well it's not the Thai sun, it's just The Sun, same one as in NZ, but you catch my drift. 

A few interesting characters were observed and interacted with in the bars of Koh Samet in the evening as I took in City v Forest, Liverpool v Southampton and Brentford v Aston Villa. The pick of the bunch was Kai from Birmingham, who ran football tours for English lads on the continent with ex-footballers like Teddy Sherringham and Wes Brown. An interesting fella, and I refined what I consider to be a social superpower. If you let someone yap on about whatever they want to talk about, while actively listening, asking the right questions and laughing appropriately, they will think you are incredibly nice. Well that's what I was told anyway. We'll see if it works and I can get a job working for this guy. 

My time on the island and in Thailand is approaching an end, with Europe beckoning. Thailand has certainly been an experience I won't readily forget, and I do hope to be back here one day. I have four more days in Bangkok with some more global connections, unique food and perhaps a foot massage on the horizon.