Getting High On Koh SamuiPrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
Samui Island, better known to many as Koh Samui, is Thai Airways’ latest destination with two flights a day to this lovely island in the sun in the Gulf of Thailand. Naturally, many are talking about the wonderful white sand beaches and all the activities visitors enjoy: sea canoeing, diving amid coral gardens, elephant trekking, golfing on any of several champion courses; and there’s the food, sea food at it’s best, brought up fresh from the sea every morning.
But there is one activity that I haven’t heard mentioned, and that is exploring the mountainous interior of the island.
Look at a map of Koh Samui and you will notice a road that circles the entire island, with two interesting side roads that spur off from the main road. One is in the northeast to Choeng Mon, and the other in the south to Thong Krut. Then there’s another road, or a series of roads, that seem to make no sense whatsoever. These roads, marked by fine lines on the map, cris-cross the interior with some dead-ending at the most unlikely spots.
Back roads are my challenge. You never know where they are going to lead, or not to lead and, even more important, you never know their condition. Ever since I first looked at a map of Koh Samui, I was anxious to take up the challenge. The only problem, no one that I talked to had taken the high roads. It is like the weather, as Mark Twain observed, everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it. That’s the way it is with Koh Samui’s mountain road. Many say what a grand experience it is to drive it but no one, it seems, has done it.
Needed, of course, is a good, reliable four-wheel drive vehicle. There are many private car and jeep rentals around the island but one can never be certain how reliable they might be when the going gets tough. I didn’t want to break down on some mountain road and not be able to get down. I found what I wanted at AVIS Car Rental Agency, a Suzuki Jeep, four-wheel drive.
My wife wasn’t keen on the idea, as she had found her niche at the seaside but when I pointed to the map, to several restaurants in the hills, like the Woodland Park View Restaurant and Chalet and the Samui Everest Restaurant and Viewpoint, plus a few others, she began to come around. I explained they wouldn’t be on the map if visitors couldn’t reach them. That’s what I thought. My wife was to have second thoughts an hour after we left our hotel.
And thus, with a good map—a plastic coated one provided by AVIS—a lunch basket from our hotel (just in case) and a supply of bottled water, we were on our way southward from Chaweng Beach and drove to Ban Lami where we would pick up the mountain road to the north. The problem was we couldn’t find the road which should have been an indication that something wasn’t quite right. There were no markers or road signs. We had to ask a dozen people before we were headed in the right direction.
Once we left the main road, we found ourselves instantly in the boonies. Coconut plantations were everywhere along with groves of banana trees. The foliage grew thicker, almost like a jungle. Although the road was one-way, with no passing, it was paved for five or six kilometres. Then the pavement ended. From here on it would have been impossible without 4-wheel drive. We came to places where water from springs higher up washed over the road and we had to ford the crossings, some axle deep.
Sudden relief came when we reach a paved road, but that was short lived. It ended a couple hundred metres later. Why the short sections of paved roads we never could understand.
The scenery is wild and pristine in the mountains of Koh Samui. I have never seen trees so big except for the redwoods in California. When we stopped to admire the view or to photograph, we could hear the strange sounds of the forest. Most prominent was the hum of insects, like high voltage electricity. The sound was so loud and constant; at first I thought something was wrong with the jeep.
The road soon became tortuous. We had to crawl over the deep ruts, metre by metre. After two hours of drudgery we neared the summit and the foliage cleared. What a striking view opened up. The tough drive was worth it. We were on top of the world.
The panoramic view is spectacular. Below are the many bays and inlets and in the distance the horizon follows the curve of the earth. A few hundred metres more and we came to another clearing with manicured lawn. It was a restaurant with a verandah that faced the ocean. Of course, I announced to my wife that I had been right. There was a restaurant at the summit. The laugh was on me. There was no one about. Not a soul, not even a waiter or a gardener. We ate our lunch, the one provided by our hotel, on the verandah while trying to surmise what had happened to everyone . We never did find out. We continued on over the mountain and, hopefully, down the other side.
Thais do live on the mountain. Every now and then we came upon their dwellings, set back from the road. The houses, more like huts, were tiny dwellings with pandanas roofs. The sides were matted palm fronds. If there were kids in the household they came running to greet us. We couldn’t help wondering about the simple lives these people led. How did they get supplies up the mountain, what about doctors if someone got sick or had an accident, schooling for the kids, and what were their professions? Where did their subsistence money come from? They certainly weren’t employed to work on the roads. Again we never did find the answer.
And, would you believe, we came to another restaurant, the Woodland Park View Resort and Restaurant. But no food, only soft drinks. The décor was heavy timber, with chairs made from half wagon wheels. The lawn was very well kept, with flowers and shrubs.
And no customers.
The road follows the top of the mountain from ridge to ridge. The fauna was a tropical wonderland, with colorful plumed birds and beautiful butterflies galore. The drive is an excellent change for people to see a tropical forest without the need to hike, or fear of getting lost. All we had to do was follow the road and we were down the other side.
Royal Orchid Holliday has a Fly/Drive Programme with four-wheel drive vehicles. The drive is difficult, I can’t deny that, but it is no real problem if you aren’t in a hurry. And chances are you won’t see another tourist, unless a helicopter brings diners to the restaurants.
Next week I want to tell readers what Koh Samui was like 40 years ago when I first visited the island.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q. Dear Mr. Stephens, My husband and I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Phuket. The beaches are lovely and there are so many of them. The island is mountainous. It too is beautiful. Is it possible to travel into the mountains? Are there any inns or hotels in the mountains? —Grace Waterman, NZ.
A. Dear Grace, This seems to be a coincidence. I wrote about the hills and mountains of Koh Samui in today’s feature article. In a future story I will tell readers about travelling the mountains of Phuket. I did explore the interior a few months ago. It too was an exciting adventure. Thanks you for your interest. —HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited | 
