Our arrival to Ko Samui was nothing short of memorable- namely it was the Thai New Year and the Songkran water festival! As we rode to our hotel (which thanks to Songkran took almost two hours) we got splashed water on our car literally non-stop. I mean for us this was a great way to see the local people in action without getting all soaking wet and we got to take pretty cool shots along the way!
Songkran's the single most celebrated event in all Thailand and it's an old Buddhist tradition. Since in Samui the vast majority are Buddhist, it goes without saying that a good proportion of the islands 40 thousand inhabitants were on the streets with their super soakers, huge water barrels and we even spotted a few bath tubes on the side of the road! Talking about some serious water fighting! According to Thai believes, the splashed water washes away bad things and brings good luck and prosperity into the new year. The Thai New Year takes place right at the end of the dry season, and so this festival also reflects the transit into the "real" wet season. From my point of view, it's a genius way to cool down since April is the hottest month of the year- so it also serves a practical matter!
Songkran wasn't the only party around though. It just so happened that the world famous Full Moon Party in Ko Phangan and my own birthday were both lined up in our social calendar for the next days. Goes without saying that we didn't have so much time to really explore the island but instead we focused on having a good time. The FMP turned out to be "better" than expected, probably because the Haad Rin beach wasn't all too crowded and crazy, and besides, I know only a very few better ways to arrive to a party than in a speed boat ;)!
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| Full Moon Party - Quality phone pic ;) |
Our thoughts about this island were and still are split in two: On the other hand it's a cool island because its high amount of permanent inhabitants allows you to see a glimpse of the local way of life, but on the other hand it's quite full of big resorts and all these touristy areas are a far cry from anything original or traditional Thai. Additionally, the size of the island makes it that much harder to get around and you need to either rent a vehicle or join a tour. But I guess it all comes down to personal preferences...
In the end of it, we might've not seen everything or much around Samui but honestly we didn't feel so bad about it... like I said in my previous post, we would've rather stayed longer in Ko Tao anyway. Most probably cause it was smaller, easier 'accessible' and less touristy (keeping in mind that our entire Thai island hopping wasn't even during the high season...).
Chaweng Beach
Songkran Water Festival
Birthday Dinner
Ang Thong National Marine Park
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| A day tour in the stunning archipelago: Not only you'll get these panoramic landscapes but also quite exotic flora and fauna. |
TIPS & LINKS
- Nowhere near as crazy and wild as we had imagined (or reputation says), perhaps cause we were off season? Anyhow, we had such a good time and it definitely was worth experiencing! I wouldn't mind going again! What comes to security etc., they had even a "sleep area" set up with guardians looking over the drunk & sleepy ones. Also just the basic organisational matters were well taken care of. The shuttle boat from Ko Samui was very convenient (had hotel pick-up/ drop-off), so even if you don't stay in Ko Phangan the party is still accessible.
Songkran
- Apparently Chiang Mai (and northern Thailand) has the best water splashing going on! We heard Bangkok gets pretty wild as well and the festivities go on for days. It's one of those parties where everyone is back being kid again ;).
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