KO SAMUI, THAILAND MARCH 16, 2008
Ko Samui is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand; close the mainland Surat Thani town. It is Thailand’s third largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2.
The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687 under the name Pulo Cornam.
The north coast of the island offers spectacular views and the Ang Thong National Marine Part to the east. On this north part of the island we were escorted to the Four Seasons Hotel for a spectacular gourmet lunch and views from the hotel. It is basically a series of private villas built on an extensive wooded hillside that each has their own pool. Access to and from the central buildings and the beach are by golf cart. Because it was full occupied we were not able to get inside one, but here is a view of one of the pools.
We next stopped at a coconut grove that was manned by teams of monkeys. The monkey master had either trained his monkey himself or sent him to a 6-week school where the monkey learns how to twist the nut on its stem until it twists off and drops to the ground. Of course there is obedience training involved too. The monkeys are hard workers because climbing the trees comes naturally and is kind of fun. They however don’t like to work when it gets too hot so afternoons are usually off. One of your tablemates Linda Russell was brave enough to have the monkey on her shoulder.
Lastly we came to an unbelievable sight. It seems that a monk had predicted the time of his death. On that day he was found deceased in a seated position from his earlier prayers. That was 32 years ago in 1975 and they still have him seated in that position. What is hard to believe is that the body has remained in tact all these years in spite of the excessive humidity. Normally a dry climate is required for mummification. The large number of visitors to see the monk has allowed the pagoda to have enough money available to build this beautiful edifice.
