A Brit in Koh Samui — from one island to another (March 2022)
It’s hard to believe that it has been over a decade since I travelled outside of the UK. That finally changed this month with a 3-month ‘remote working’ holiday, which is definitely making up for my former lack of adventurous spirit. Pushed by the stirrings of a spiritual awakening, pulled by the desire to make the most of this strange life… I now find myself in paradise.
Of course, it’s not all sunshine and waterfall-induced rainbows… today marks the end of my third week here and I count approximately 50 bug bites, 2 areas of sunburnt skin (for the second time!) and I’ve flushed my toilet 7 times today… further use of toilet paper is no longer viable.
Nonetheless, even factoring in these hardships, I give Koh Samui a solid score of 9.9 out of 10. This island blows my mind ❤
From one island to another
The journey out here from the UK was uneventful, for the most part. I squeezed onto three flights to get here, endured two crying babies on the longest flight, arrived in one piece, and experienced zero dramas along the way. Long-distance travel being what it is, I’d call it a success.
The new reality
My first week was spent in a modern resort, as per the covid quarantine requirements at the time of booking. Whilst this requirement was dropped before we arrived, the resort proved to be a nice buffer between the sophisticated and sometimes mundane order enjoyed in the UK, with the care-free and sometimes disconcerting disorder enjoyed in Koh Samui.
Joined by my friend and colleague, Sebastian, we enjoyed many home comforts, international food, quality facilities and a beautiful beachfront pool & bar area that we spent far too much time at. We explored a little, but mostly we were living the good life and taking our time to get used to the timezone, climate and transport options.
Settling in
It wasn’t until we moved to our Airbnb guesthouse and rented our ‘on the verge of breakdown’ old car, that we started to really make the most of this beautiful island. The more we see, the more we appreciate what is essentially a blend of simple living and natural beauty, fused with extravagance and luxury comforts… in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways.
The culture and Thai way of life can definitely be found all around, but you can easily be distracted by the glamour and ‘bubbles of comfort’ that have been carefully crafted for privileged tourists such as ourselves.
Untapped potential
So that’s our journey thus far. 3 weeks behind us, 10 weeks ahead.
We’ve already explored a few areas of the island, gatecrashed a bar through an entrance that didn’t exist, danced like nobody was watching, met some very nice locals, and have plans to keep that ‘ball of potential’ rolling onward. We’re here for the real deal — culture, food that isn’t without risks, seeking discomfort, getting lost, being found.
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Love to you all, from paradise x
