This Friday was the Thai holiday, Teacher’s Day. Luckily we had the day off and decided to do a quick weekend trip to Koh Samet. Koh Samet is a small island in the Rayong province, Southeast of Bangkok. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there from Chachoengsao (where I live) and is a fairly inexpensive destination.
My friend Casey and I left our school Thursday evening to meet up with her friend Ashley and Ashley’s boyfriend, Jared. Unfortunately we missed the last ferry of the night and took the more expensive alternative which is a speed boat drop off. We pulled up to the pier around 11:30pm and went to our hotel, Runa Runa Guesthouse. It was the perfect location, great price, and had just what we needed – beds!
Day One:
Friday morning we went to a breakfast spot less than a 1 minute walk from our hotel and had an “American Breakfast” then went to the beach for the remainder of the day. The beach was jaw-dropping. Crystal clear water, soft white sand, and lounge chairs for 50 baht (roughly $1.75). We swam, napped, and relaxed for the entire morning to early afternoon.
That night we walked down to Silver Sand Beach where the fire shows and beach restaurants are. We went to this awesome neon painted bar where we played beer pong (well, water pong to be exact), and sat on beach cushions talking about our time in Thailand. At 10pm we went to the fire show where we watched four Cambodian and Thai men do tricks with flaming sticks. It was such a cool show, AND very interactive. They pulled out the jump rope and lit that bad boy on fire. When they asked for a volunteer, I was the first one to jump up like this was a totally normal activity. I was wearing a long black skirt and have not jumped rope on the sand… ever. But, I prevailed. I’m here to tell the story which means I survived and did not catch on fire. Wheeewwww!!! If someone asked me to do this a few months ago, I probably would’ve NEVER EVER EVER done it. I’m normally a worry-wart and I’m convinced that the .00008% chance that something bad could happen, WILL happen and it WILL happen to ME. However, I have lived far too much of my life trying to protect my fears and anxiety and have held back from some pretty cool experiences. I’m not letting that happen anymore – hence, flaming jump rope. (note: it was not liquid courage as I was stone-cold sober the entire night).
Day Two:
We signed up for a snorkeling excursion from 11:00am to 5:00pm for 600 baht (roughly $18) which included lunch, fruit, snorkel gear, and transportation from our hotel. We stopped at 5 different islands that surround Koh Samet which ranged from no civilization, to a tourist food stand and nothing else. There is a video below showcasing some of the shots. Please remember that no matter how wonderful the camera is or the features to bring out the best lighting, nothing will ever be able to capture the experience.
After a long day of being the Little Mermaid, we made our way to get a massage and relaxed for an hour with an oil massage for 250 baht (roughly $7.50). Unlike my last massage in Thailand, there were no hammers or bamboo sticks used, just a very very strong Thai woman digging her knuckles into my muscles. #worthit
Koh Samet is truly gorgeous. As my first island trip in my new home, I can honestly say that it is all that google images cracks it up to be. If you are planning on doing a Thailand vacation, think about the smaller islands because there are fewer tourists and the cost of everything is much more reasonable.
I’ll be back, Koh Samet! <3
