After Bangkok, I headed to Koh Samui. I spent two weeks on the island with no work, only relaxing and discovering my surroundings. I stayed in a bungalow – it was big and quiet as it was on the island’s north coast, quite far away from all bigger villages. That meant I had to rent a scooter to get around..my first time driving a scooter. My first time driving in left-handed traffic. Fortunately, I had no problems (with the traffic or the motorbike,) so I spent my days driving around, discovering little pockets of Samui.
My host told me the south coast is the most “untouched” with few tourists, so I headed that way a couple of times. What I found there was my first impression of “real” Thailand.
I drove around, without an end goal and with no GPS, and saw incredible views. Ok…one was at a luxury resort on top of a hill, but I didn’t know that before!
I remember, finding a small local market and stopping to have a look. There were so many fresh fruits and vegetable (obviously). When I saw soups and curries sitting in plastic bags, I thought, what a weird way to serve them for take away. Unfortunately the market also sold fresh meat and fish; I could smell it everywhere. But, it’s not all bad: this is where I got my first กล้วยย่าง, Thai grilled banana 😁.
Right next to the pier, I discovered a night market with some more freshly made food. I decided to try fresh hot soy milk.
It tasted… awful. Drinking it fresh, and without sugar was a mistake.
I was hungry, but the only vegan food I was able to find was fried tofu with peanuts, fresh fruits and more grilled banana.
For me, the most amazing thing on Koh Samui were the sunsets. I was really lucky and had some incredible ones; I looked forward to the sunset everyday. Unsurprisingly, next to the pier was a excellent spot for taking photos and time-lapses.
