Start,
Day 14,
Day 15,
Day 16,
Day 17,
Day 18,
Day 19,
Day 20,
Day 21,
Day 22,
Day 23.
Day 24.
Koh Samui
We were back at the island of Koh Samui for the second time, with the ship anchored offshore and passengers transferred to shore by tender. On the way, Frances met an English couple, Peter and Jan, who agreed to share a guide/Taxi with us to travel around the island. Cost was 420,000 baht for an approximately four hour tour.
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| Celebrity Solstice moored offshore |
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| "Tenders" taking passengers ashore |
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| Jan and Peter from the UK |
We headed south east from the port of Nathon and our first stop was at the Namuang waterfall.
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| Namuang waterfall |
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| At the Namuang waterfall |
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| Shrine near the waterfall |
The next stop was to see a mummified monk, Loung Pordaeng, at Wat Khunaram. The monk, Luang Pho Daeng, died in 1973 and directed that his body be put on display as a reminder of the transience of human existence.
Within the temple grounds there were many depictions of Thailand's Naga snake which is the mythical serpent of Buddhist and Hindu lore, symbolizing water, protection, wisdom, and good fortune and often seen as grand temple guardians.
There were also statues of the Phaya Naga (or Phaya Nak), a mythical, semi-divine serpent or dragon-like creature believed to inhabit the Mekong River and associated with water, rain, Buddhism, and protection.
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| Wat Khunaram Buddhist temple |
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| Mummified monk shrine |
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| Mummified monk Luang Pho Daeng |
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| Shrine to Luang Pho Daeng |
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| Detail |
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| Buddha and lotus |
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| Naga snake guardian |
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| Trailer used in ceremonial processions |
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| Naga snake |
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| Phaya Naga |
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| Grandfather and grandmother rocks |
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| Frances at Chaweng beach |
We then stopped at the Hin Ta and Hin Ta rocks (grandmother and grandfather rocks) further along the coast.
The naming comes from rock formations suggesting male and female genitals.
Our next stop was at Chaweng beach on the eastern side of the island for a swim.
The water was not cold but fairly rough, so it was not possible to go out very far, but it was refreshing.
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| View of the coast from Choeng Mon |
Chaweng is quite touristy and reminds me of the Bali scene - heavily focused on the young tourist.
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| "Our Samui" |
It's not a place we would want to return to very soon.
We travelled north, where we had a view of another beach, Choeng Mon.
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| Shrine detail |
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| Frances Jan and Peter at Bo Phut Beach |
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| Inflatables salesman |
We headed west across the top of the island, bypassing the extremely large golden "Big Buddha" at Wat Phra Yai which is 12 meters tall and is more of a tourist attraction than a religious temple.
Next we stopped at the beach Bob Hut at Bo Phut Beach for another swim.
Being on the north side of the island, the water was more subdued, a little like Botany Bay, with lots of bars and hotels – although it was another heavily touristed location.
Finally we headed south back to the port of Nathon to catch the tender back to the ship. By now it was now around 2 pm and we were starving, so we had a quick bite to eat and rested in the afternoon.
