Island Getaway – December 2019

Posted on by Susan

We celebrated Christmas and the start of 2020 on Koh Samui, Thailand. The best part was that our daughter and son joined us there for a couple of weeks! All four of us enjoyed the beautiful flowers, energetic butterflies, delicious fruit, restaurants on the beach, and island sunsets. We explored parts of the almost 230 square kilometer island by making good use of the Ring Road, which circumnavigates Samui. 

  • View from our little house
  • Santa found us!

Big Buddha Temple – One sunny afternoon we visited two of the most well-known temples on the island. Locally called Wat Phra Yai, the Big Buddha Temple occupies a small rocky island off the NE corner of Koh Samui. The 12-meter-tall Buddha, built in 1972, sits in the Mara posture, which symbolizes steadfastness, purity and enlightenment.

Wat Plai Laem – Our next stop was a very colorful and interesting Buddhist temple compound, Wat Plai Laem. The buildings feature elaborate Buddhist-themed art and architecture and are surrounded by a small lake filled with friendly and hungry fish.

The temple statue we viewed first was the white 18-armed image of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy and compassion.

  • Ten toenails and many fingernails to keep “polished” in pink.

The Happy Buddha is a significant feature of the Wat Plai Laem temple complex. We noticed that he was adorned with light blue toenail paint.

Hin Lad Waterfall – About a week later we walked in a bit of mud, over rocks, and across a very rickety bridge during our 3 kilometer trek through a jungle area to reach the small, beautiful waterfall.

Ang Thong National Marine Park – We took an hour plus boat ride to the national park closest to Koh Samui. The park includes 42 islands with limestone mountains, thick jungle, white-sand beaches, and beautiful lakes. Our fun day exploring the park featured snorkeling, walking up numerous staircases to reach incredible viewpoints, eating lunch on the beach, and kayaking to a beach not easily reached by the larger boat.

  • View from the top of Wua Talab Hill
  • Which rock in this picture features the silhouette of a monkey face?
    The protruding stone is creatively named Monkey Rock.
  • Ready to embark on our journey across the water.
  • Emerald Lake

4 thoughts on “Island Getaway – December 2019”

    1. If we had to be stuck somewhere, Thailand would definitely be on our short list.

  2. Love the that Santa found y’all. The island looks beautiful. Glad your kiddos made it to see you before all these travel restrictions.

    1. Yes, we loved spending time with our kids and exploring Koh Samui together. We have many wonderful memories (and pictures!) of our holiday there.

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