March
2005
Updated
July 2006
Ao
Phai Bay, Ko Samet
Part
2
The
people working on Samet seem to be mainly local island
people; Thais from Bangkok and the Central region,
and as everywhere else, there were also migrants form
the Northeast. Unlike the Southern Thais, most people
here spoke Central Thai, same as they do in Bangkok.
Things seemed a little more genuine and friendly and
less commercial than Ko Samui.
I
rested before diving and then proceeded out to the
beach a couple of hours after it became dark. My equipment,
snorkel and mask, flippers, night light - I kept in
a canvas back str I had to walk through some beach-front restaurants
to reach the shoreline. People were dining on seafood
under candlelight and the beach was decorated with
lanterns and sand sculptures.
Walking
between the restaurant tables in only my shorts and
my satchel of diving equipment, the kid in me felt
like an Apache Indian carrying a bow and tether of
arrows, going to battle. I sucked in my stomach and
checked if anyone was checking me out. No one was.
Perhaps I looked too much like a psycho and people
were avoiding eye contact. After all, if I were sane,
I would be taking it easy and enjoying a good meal
like everyone else.
In
Hawaii I had developed a sort of ritual before I would
go into the water. I surveyed the sky and the ocean
and considered its vastness, its timelessness. I then
considered the cycle of birth and death and how transient
and insignificant all living beings, including myself,
were. Going alone, into the ocean at night, was a
little risky. It was dark and I was alone. There are
things that bite and sting in the ocean and currents
can be unpredictable. But it is that very fear and
risk that made the whole endeavor worthwhile. Feeling
the possibility of death had a way of cutting through
all the petty crap that polluted my thoughts and put
things back in perspective.
The
reef on Ao Phai Bay is fairly shallow and similar
to reefs in Hawaii. On the right side, swimming out,
there is a cliff that separates Ao Phutsa beach from
Ao Phai beach. Around this bend, there are a number
of cliffs and rocks that have, I discovered, abundant
fish life. Unfortunately, the middle of Ao Phai bay
is to be avoided as it is filled with litter such
as bottles, old tires and plastic bags.
I
didn't know what to expect, if there would be any
fish at all. So I was surprised to see a small healthy
looking porcupine puffer fish a few meters out. This
kind of puffer is my favorite because it resembles
a small mammal. Most people are familiar with this
fish when it is blown up in a ball and has protruding
spikes like a porcupine. Sometimes morbid shellacked
corpses of this fish are sold in souvenir shops.
However,
when they are not in a state of panic, these fish
have an oblong stout body and spots like a leopard.
The spikes flush against the skin and resemble fur.
Further adding to the mammalian appearance are the
huge soulful eyes.
When
you night dive, the farther you go out onto the reef
and into the open ocean the better the scenery gets.
Further on, I discovered two giant porcupine puffers,
each over 20 kilos. In the underground caves beneath
the cliff separating Ao Phutsa and Ao Phai, there
were a number of moray eels. Additionally, there were
quite a number of tangs with mottled brown and white
skin; Something I hadn't seen in Hawaii.
The
best sighting of the night was some sort of manta
ray. I had encountered a number of stingrays in Hawaii,
but this was different. In Hawaii, what I saw were
black and had the body shape of a stealth fighter
airplane. This one had the same shape but was fluorescent
green and more beautiful. It glided between the rocks
like a hover craft. Its ominous shape made me wonder
if it would turn back on me and attack. But like the
puffer fish, it apparently considered me rather benign
and let me gaze at it.
If
I had brought my nets, I probably could have hauled
in about 100 dollars worth of fish during this dive.
However, I was happy not to be catching any fish.
After all, these fish never harmed me. In fact they
made me happy. So why not let them be free and happy?
Arriving
back to shore and I walked again, dripping wet, through
the restaurants. Business in Samet was obviously good.
Each restaurant was packed to capacity. Another difference
between other resorts and Ko Samet is that you don't
have many indoor restaurants - no Italian restaurants
or fancy sit-down places. Everything is bamboo and
beach style. So, the best meal of the day is when
the beachside seafood barbecues open at night. Lanterns
and sand sculptures are displayed in creative designs
all over the beach, creating a setting that is both
festive and romantic.
I
was staying at Ao Phai huts, which has fairly rustic
wooden bungalows set up on the hill overlooking the
beach. As night lingered on, I listened to the birds
and crickets and other animals making love calls,
protesting, fighting. It was like a symphony of clicks,
whistles and coos. As I drifted into a deep slumber,
I wondered whether Moo, our sick dog, would still
be alive when I returned home the next day.
To
post your comments, please email bangkokjoe2000@yahoo.com.
Ao
Phai Beach |
|
Sexpat
Factor : 1/5 |
|
Backpacker
Factor: 2/5 |
|
Thai
Style Rating : 3/5 |
|
Baht
meter: How Expensive?: 2/5 |
|
| |
Readers'
Comments:
Hey
Joe,
I
was searching for a good review of Charley Brown's
in Bangkok and stumbled on your review. I plan to
go there this evening with a friend, and from what
I've been reading, we're in for a treat.
Then
I checked out your article on Ko Samet. I spent 6
days there between last Christmas and New Year's,
so I was interested in what you had to say. Also,
I moved to Bangkok from Maui, Hawaii, so we have that
in common. Although I stayed in Ao Cho, one of my
own best impressions was the beach at night at Hat
Sai Kaew - of the outdoor restaurants, the mats with
tables and chairs and the torches or lanterns. I thought
it was great to sit out on the beach and eat your
dinner. Hawaii could stand to learn about and adopt
that tradition as well, although they have plenty
of their own charm already.
Also,
Thai men wandered the Sai Kaew beach at night, looking
for people to buy a huge bag, inside of which was
a flammable ring. For each customer, they would expand
the bag, then light the ring to build up hot air inside
the bag. Then the bag would float up and off into
the sky. On New Year's Eve, the sky was literally
filled with close to a hundred of these illuminated
bags floating by. And when they reached a certain
altitude, it was often difficult to tell whether they
were bags or stars. Incredibly beautiful!
Aloha,
Gary
