F E L I N E R S

it is possible to get around Samui by foot, elephant, motorbikes or car - to see its natural beauty and cosmopolitan beauty. it's small enough to drive in a car for like, an hour, but also big enough to discover new things we don't see in our own place. there are places lined up with shops/ businesses and of course the island is lined with coconut trees and covered with white sandy beaches.

we stayed in Chaweng - the longest beach & the biggest town on Samui. there are many many shops, restaurants and hotels along this beach, from cheap cheap budget bungalows to high class hotels. it's a party central and has the highest density of clubs/ bars/ restaurants.

there's this other "taman" that's closed to Chaweng. it's called Lamai. took a bike ride there - about 10 minutes. it's the 2nd largest beach... and, not as happening as Chaweng.



the beach up here is where we hang everyday - it's just a few minutes walk from our rooms. and this picture with many people is another island - Koh Pangan. it's kinda more happening because they have more shops and it's crowded with people when we were there. it was so crowded everyone was shoulder to shoulder. but in my case, it was more like my Shoulder with the gwai los' Chests. yes, i feel extremely vertically challenged. anyway, this Koh Pangan place is famous
for its monthly Full Moon Parties.

we visited other places too, such as the Na Muang Waterfall. it's a very rocky place but i see people diving from up up there into the pool-like area. but then again, it's just like any other water falls we have here in M'sia; nothing to really boast about. =P

u guys see that statue with many hands? that's the Chao Mere Kuam Im. and the other Buddha in gold, it's called the Big Buddha. this place has this long staircase leading up to the Big Buddha. and there are many cute shops nearby selling trinklets and souvenirs.

the following picture shows the body of Samui's most famous mummified monk, Loung Pordaeng. it's on display here in the same meditation position he died over 20 years ago. anyway, the story about him is that he enjoyed a prosperous family life until he was 50 years old when he decided to devote the after part of his life in the monkhood. after being ordained in 1944, he became renowned for his meditation practice and for about 20 years had many disciples among Buddhist monks and laymen. he was also known for his ability to foresee his own death, which happened in 1973, when he was 79+. after death, his body remained undercomposed, so his family & disciples decided to remain his upright position within the casket as requested in his written instruction to keep it as a symbol to aspire future generations to follow Buddhist teachings and be saved from sufferings.

ok. moving on to the rock-like picture. haha. this one's funny. it's called Hin-Ta and Hin-Yai (or Grandmother and Grandfather respectively). they are naturally crafted by the elements to resemble male and female genitalia. and i dunno why, along this 1 street nearby, almost all shops sell dodol (coconut candy- a tasty glutinous mixture of coconut, palm sugar & sticky rice). but they call it "garamear".

and the fire thing reads Amazing Thailand together with an image of an elephant. this was taken during the Full Moon Party...