Ko Samet: Our Island Beach Experience

Floating in the ocean till our skin turns pruney, sand bubblers, turds on the beach, and the wavy dock. The bikes haven’t moved—we are enjoying island life!

The gloriously warm ocean waves, the powdery white sand, the oceanfront dining—it’s pretty hard to resist! We parked our bikes and they haven’t moved in two days. We are in full-on appreciation for the opportunity to plant ourselves in a patch of shade and stay out of the sun. We make full use of the ocean in front of us, to float and frolick till our skin turns pruney. Then we rest on our loungers till we’re dry, then do it all again!

We just runaround barefoot on beautiful soft sand that extends all the way into the water. No rocks, broken shells, or the like to require the wearing of water shoes. The water is so warm there’s absolutely no acclimatization required.

You’d think that a beautiful Island resort area would be crawling with beach vendors, gift shops and cheesy entertainment, but there’s none of that. In fact, it’s refreshingly devoid of all that touristy biz. The whole thing feels natural and laid back. And that works for us. There’s no music blasting and we are free to lay on the beach listening only to sounds of waves and cicadas. Lots of cicadas.

At low tide the only critters to be found on the beach are the sand bubblers that create little balls of beach sand all around their crab homes which are nothing more than simple holes in the white sand. When we walk nearby they sense our approach and with those teeny tiny legs they turbo-run like heck and retreat into their holes.

There’s nobody trying to sell us the typical beach souvenirs we had almost expected. One vendor had delicious packages of fresh cut pineapple, mangos and papaya, and another was offering beautifully coloured sarongs for reasonable prices which actually have utilitarian uses for physically covering up to prevent sunburn. At one point we were laying there, eyes closed, and the familiar scent of BBQ drifts into our proximity. There’s a lady who is quite literally a walking BBQ, with a rod balanced across her shoulders carrying drinks and condiments on one side and an actively burning BBQ with delicious smelling things on the other.

At night we sit down near the shoreline under a tree. Not just any tree, but one that drops these things from high above that look like turds. Of course we noticed those turd-like objects and initially our minds didn’t welcome them (there are dogs everywhere…if you recall). But then we became curious and investigated. Turns out those oblong roundish structures are tamarind, and an important ingredient in Pad Thai. We feel much better knowing that it’s a Pad Thai tree dropping those things.

The method by which most guests arrive at this little cove is by boat. It’s also the same way goods and supplies are delivered. Several times daily a small ferry boat pulls up to this floating dock that is a confusing blend of an ingenious design and a carnival experience where skills of balance and agility are tested. Passengers disembark with suitcases and children in tow, then they must walk the length of this floating dock as it rises and falls and sways with the crashing waves. Welcome to Ao Vongduean (Vongduean Beach). We watch, amused by the newly arrived as they try to make their way to shore. Once they step foot on the sand they tend to appear happy to be here! And we are supremely happy to be here! We love the island of Ko Samet.

The walking BBQ beach lady.

The sand bubblers.

There are no automated forklifts here—just humans, loading and unloading supplies!

The tree turds (which turned out to be tamarind)

Tamarind tree.

This ownerless beach dog camped out under our table all day.

Posted in Thailand 2020, Uncategorized.

3 Comments

  1. Sounds like it can’t get any better than that! Chilling on a warm beach sounds delightful. Enjoy the rest of your island time! 🏖️🌊🌴

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