Joe Louis meets the Big Buddha
In addition to relaxing on the beach, Koh Samui offers a variety of activities to do and cultural sights to see. You can ride 4x4s around the beach, hike in a national park, or jetpack over the ocean. We didn’t have a particular interest in mind and so we decided to take a tour of the entire island. We signed up with a nice guy walking around on the beach advertising low prices for tours. After relentlessly bugging him, he let us pay via credit card, but to do so we had to find a different vendor in a hut half a mile down with the payment equipment. Why isn’t Square targeting emerging markets?
Overall, the tour was a big disappointment. The trip was a four hour bus ride around all of Koh Samui that took us to major sights on the island. Unfortunately it turned out to be a tourist trap on wheels catering to the selfie-seeking foreigner with no adventure in mind. While it was run well and the guide spoke good English, the actual activities were just plain boring. We stopped at a few viewpoints where everyone exited the bus and took pictures with the beach and rocks behind them. What’s the point in that?
The most touted cultural sight is the Big Buddha, which is exactly what it sounds like. The large statue that appears to have been created for tourist purposes alone with no real religious motivation. Of course, I’m no expert, but as someone who has been to many temples and historic Buddhist locations, this one reeks of tourist trap, complete with plenty of shops at the base of the stairs. A person was actually praying to the statue while we were there, but I remained skeptical of his practice, because he often abandoned his prostration to ask visitors for money.
The vendors near the Big Buddha and the other temple stops are an interesting lot. They sell an assortment of wares, but I couldn’t figure out exactly which demographic they are targeting. I had my eye on a small bald monk statue, but his expression neither inspired nor pleased me. A different man sold many handmade, small, twisted metal figurines, which I eventually came to see frequently at all night markets. He also sold life size Voltron and Star Wars statues just in case you have extra room in your suitcase.
There were other stops that involved large statues that perhaps held real spiritual significance, but mostly came across as kitschy and almost amusement park like. At one point we stopped at a mummified monk enclosed in a glass case. The monk is wearing sunglasses – a prescient move possibly to protect his undecayed body from the many camera flashes that may otherwise bother him in the afterlife. As the story goes, the man lived a prosperous and respected life on Koh Samui until he turned 50 and decided to dedicate his life to monkhood. After his death his disciples decided to put his Weekend at Bernie’s like body in this glass box in order to inspire others to take up Buddhist teachings and be saved. I don’t know how many converts the mummy attracts, but it definitely gets its fair share of foreigners looking for photo opp.
The highlight of the island tour was the visit to the waterfall. For some reasons, waterfalls are always fun. Like balloons. We climbed up a bit of a hike to see the water rushing down and walk around a the pool it formed. It may be best to rent a motorbike and drive to it yourself avoiding the tourist traps that come with the guided tour.
See what other blogs are saying about waterfalls on Koh Samui:
“The Waterfall 2 is one of two Namuang waterfalls and in my opinion the more beautiful one. At the end of the waterfall there is a small lake where you can have a quite nice swim. It’s also signposted at the big ring road of Samui.”
–Home is where your bag is
“Family friendly Koh Samui has an obvious edge here, with the large tourist numbers translating into an abundance of things to do on Koh Samui. There are plenty of cultural sites (such as the Big Buddha) as well as naturally beautiful spots on the island including waterfalls, mountains, and marine parks”
–Aussie on the Road
