What Happened to Samui??

[emmalou]

hmmm i am sad to read all the negative opinions of samui. I understand if you are just a tourist for a short time here obviously you do not get to experience some of the other faces of the island but i find some of the comments quite shallow and uninformed. I have been a resident of samui on and of for the past 7 years. To us this is our home and the people here are as warm as any where else in Thailand. I agree the infrastructure needs addressing and as mentioned this will not be achieved until Samui is an independent council away from Surathani. We run a business here and employ many thai workers that we take care of and have alot of respect. My point is that change is happening EVERYWHERE and yes there are greedy people everywhere in the world and undesirable parts of every country in the world but the experiences we enjoy here on Koh Samui and that of our circle of friends and business relations is of good natured people who care for Thailand and its people. Think a little about the type of people in your own country that you dont like before making judgements on others.

[stilljustbrowsing]

emmalou, you got that one right. I used to live in Sherringham, Norfolk, England. A beautiful north coast fishermans' town on the north-east coast of Norfolk.
It was so beautiful it attracted tourists.
Good for the local businesses there, particularly the hotels, restaurants and bed-sits. (it upset the locals living there that were not associated with the tourist industry)
These people explained to me that their "window of oppertunety" was only six months long, and for the rest of the time they had little income.
Therin lies the problem. Rich people buy second homes in these places and when their solitude is disturbed by noisey tourists, they complain, forgetting how or why they liked the place in the first place!

[Henry]

'ROUND MY BACK

I can hear U coming, sneaking 'round my back,
I feel U stealin' whatever u can,
I can see U ///// with your famous smile,
But don't tell me why, but it's yours in the end,
If I catch U just what shall I do, threatening me with your famous boxing?
I'll tell the world what lies behind that 'smile' of yours,

'Cause you're the charmer, I fall for ev'rytime,
Makes U look gentler, sweeter and kind,
Cunning as a Th....,
As long as U can steal what's mine,
In Ur heart U know where to find,
Temptation works ev'rytime,
Even 4 a man hardest 2 find,
When it comes 2 the matter of the heart,
U've got the dictionary 2 impart,
Intelligent life's not hard 2 find,
With a better system, you'll learn 2 define,
Ur goodness 2 mankind,because U have many great qualities.
But so far U're nationalistic, though not racist,
That will be the day, when U melt over my art
Murray sang about U,
Christopher wrote about U,
Though I hated enjoying reading Bangkok Tattoo....

AND IT ATTRACTS MANY OF ITS SAME KINDS FROM ABROAD like birds of a feather.....

Samui is an epitome of Thailand. Very hi-so and very lo-so with nothing in between.
I am Anglo/Thai and sometimes finding it irksome mentioning my other half among my upper echelon social circles here in Europe. Because they find 'It' taboo.

SAD. Because with so many wonderful hman beings there, I still receive warmth from my Thai side like no other. It's my country though.

[benbridge]

A lot of people like the loudness, bars and clubs. If you don't care for it like me, then you have to go to the national parks which cannot be developed in this manner. Substitute Tarutau for Phi Phi Island and you will see what I mean. The park service website has plenty of alternatives to the commercialized tourist spots.

[THE EYE of LAMAI]

I have just read all the comments related to What Happened to Samui ? and I must say with sadness that I, to, can look back over the past 20 years at the rapid destruction of what was once truly a Paradise Island in the sun, I was a bar owner for 18 years and the tourists were returning from around the world year after year,you could almost set your clocks for thier return.
Then came the Big Money people claiming that they were escaping the Rat Race they had back home,unfortunately they were realy coming to see what trees they could knock down and what wildlife they could eradicate to enable them to build mansions and surround them with fences and walls,and within no time Samui was being taken over with No Go Areas,next they needed thier 4x4's to be bigger than anyone elses,then they needed the McDonalds, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, bowling alleys, and how could the possibly survive on this Island without Tesco's?? in fact everything they claimed to have wanted to leave behind they financed and encouraged to be there.
With all this demand for construction and the never ending desire to replace the coconuts with concrete came the NON STOP SPEEDING of the Ready Mix trucks, no one could have forseen what the roads on the Island were going to have to cope with and soon enough they became some of the most dangerous in the Kingdom.I can remember the day my landlady was killed near Beverly hills as a truck rolled back down the hill and over her.
The bar trade had a massive boom in the mid-late 90's but as 2000's started the overkill was obvious and people were rethinking thier holiday plans and asking WHY should they travel 2/3rds away around the world to be in the country they left behind but with a different currency?? unfortunately masses of them decided that Samui was no longer on thier list of places to return to.as Laos and Cambodia offer a better value for money holiday, even though Laos has no coastline it is still very untouched and beautiful, and to be honest the beaches of Samui are now hidden behind hotels and shopping precincts with very little easy access,
I think I have answered the Question of What Happened to Samui,the damage is done and I trust all those responsible for the destruction can sit back and count thier money and maybe shed a tear for the loss of coconuts and animals that thier greed is responible for.
Food For Thought

The Eye of Lamai

[THE EYE of LAMAI]

Sorry while answering the Question of What happened to Samui?? I forgot to mention that icame to a sad decision to leave the Island with my Thai wife and our 8 year old daughter and are very happy living in here home village and farming. O.K. there are No Bars,very few shops,and it is 10 miles to the nearest Post Office,loaf of bread,potatoes and internet but looking on the bright side I am in the real Thailand 40 miles fron the nearest 7-11 and 70 miles from the nearest Tesco's so paradise is still to be found in Thailand,you have just got to look for it, and the nicest thing is that some of my friends from around the world that no longer go to Samui visit me in the North East and truly enjoy it.
Food for Thought
The Eye of Lamai

[heerliebe]

Samui, Phuket, Pattaya....all are simply miserable, unless you like being ripped off on everything from taxis to som tom! I highly recommend a "true Thai" village located not too far from Samui, on the mainland in Nakhon Si Thammarat - Khanom. It is located about 25 kilometers south of the Don Sak ferry pier and is nothiong short of beautiful. The main beach is over 9 kilometers long, white sand and tourist free. Another smaller area is called Nai Phlao, and there is also Thong Yi beach. All of these locations have multiple resorts to choose from (2-5 star avaliable), yet the place remains unspoiled. The locals genuinely smile and appreciate every Baht of business you bring to them. I have even had money returned to me, the day after I was accidentally overcharged for a bottle of water at a Mom and Pop "thalat". Please, though, don't share this gem of a place with just anyone. Save it for your best friends and family who want to see Thailand at its best.

[kip2me]

I personally love Samui. I own a 2nd home there and find the Thai people to be of the best in the world. I come from Hawaii and our people could learn a lot from the hospitality of the Thais. It's not perfect, as only heaven is but it sure is a great place to visit.

Thailand is going to be continuing to grow and good for them.