Samet Island, a Hidden Paradise in Thailand

Have you ever heard about Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, or Bangkok? Probably most of you are familiar with those names. But have you ever heard about Kanchanaburi, Koh See Chang, or Koh Samet? I'm pretty sure you haven't!

We got some local friends here and we asked them to give us some unique and peaceful place to visit. We don't need those night clubs, markets, or luxury. We want to see another part of Thailand. So that's how we got those names (Kanchanaburi, Koh See Chang, and Koh Samet).

Initially, we were planning to go to Kanchanaburi (on the west part of Thailand, to see the mountains), and Samit Island in Rayong. But we didn't have time. We only stayed in Bangkok for a week, and it was our 4th day already there.

Luckily, we (finally) met our host, Anna, who lent us her place while she was in her hometown. So she finally came and took us to Samet Island. She had never been to the island, but she knows Thai language. That's an advantage for her since she could browse more about the island and how to get there.

Everyone was ready to work in their proper dress, while we were dressing in our not-so-proper shirts

To go to Samit Island, we had to take the MRT to Sukhumvit station (30 Baht), then walk for around 30 minutes to the bus terminal (or you can also take a BTS to Ekkamai, but you need to have more money for this).

The bus took around 3.5 hours to reach the pier, and it took around 45 minutes to reach the pier on Samet Island.

The first thing that catched my attention was this statue. I call this "Big Boobs Statue". Not sure what the real name is hahaha

Honestly, Gab only had around 100 Baht left after buying the bus and ferry tickets. So obviously, renting a room would be harder for us. Luckily, Bill (Anna's friend that we met on our first day in Bangkok) has a tent which we could borrow. Oh and we're so lucky (again)! This island provides the land for those who want to camp, and it's free!

It's not just a land. It feels like we're camping on our own private beach!

If we go a bit further, we'll find another beach, which was more crowded than our private beach. Oh, I don't think crowded is the best word. It wasn't that crowded actually. It only had more people there.

The most crowded beach that wasn't crowded

Oh about the foods, you don't have to be worry about this. They have a lot of food stalls on the island. Well it's a bit more expensive than those in Bangkok (at least 60 Baht). But you can always go to Seven Eleven to buy your hot meals for lower prices (those instant ones for sure). It only costs less than 50 Baht.

This noodle soup worths 60 Baht. It tastes pretty good actually.

After having a walk in that area, I still love our spot the most. It was so peaceful and calm. There wasn't too many people there since most people would go straight to the more popular beaches (which has more cafe, bars, and shops closeby).

You should be aware of the mosquito bites in our area (camping area). When it turns darker, the mosquitos will come, as you can see in the picture below.

Even the camera could capture those mosquitos over Anna's head!

It's a great idea to see the sunset on the camping area. But when it turns dark, our camping area doesn't have much light, and the mosquitos might annoy you at some points (don't forget to bring your mosquito repellant! It really helps!)

The best option is to walk on the beach, across the cafe and bars. You can also buy a glass of drink and stay there for hours. Well we did that! Anna bought a glass of cocktail, and we could spend our night sitting on the shore, chatting, laying down, and even charging our phones and cameras!

Oh don't forget about the fire dance show! You can watch it for free, even if you're just passing by!

It was such a short stay for us, but it all worths!

We had to go back the evening after. But of course, we had to enjoy our place to the fullest. So we changed and got into the water.

Oh don't we also had a walk to Ao Phrao, another beach on the island. It wasn't far, but if you're not a big fan of walking, you should think twice. The heat might kill you. Oh but don't worry, the taxi might save you (if you have enough money to pay them). Or, you can also rent a motorbike (100 Baht for an hour, or 300 Baht for the whole day) to go around the island!

This isn't Ao Phrao yet

Not yet

Still have to walk there

It's finally Ao Phrao

Ao Phrao with its breathtaking view

If you think we spent more money for this trip, you're wrong! This trip is one of the cheapest trip I've made to a beach. Oh, and honestly, this is the first time I really like spending my time on a beach. I usually hate spending my time on a crowded and dirty beach, especially when it's hot. But this island is an exception!

1 Baht = 390 Rupiah, and the red font symbolises those unnecessary stuffs that I bought

Spending Less Money in Bangkok

Gabriele and I are not rich at all. We need to control ourselves, to keep our budget under our limit, especially when we're in big cities. How?

• Bring your backpack (reasonable size)

People often asked me, "Gisel, why don't you bring your lugagge? You'll keep your shirts tidy, and you can put more stuffs too!". Well that's actually the reason! You've named it, dude.

First, I don't care about tidy shirts. Travelling is not about fashion. It's all about seeing the world and enjoying the moments. Second, why do we need more space? If you have your big lugagge with you, then it will give you more space to buy stuffs/ do shopping, which means you have to spend more money for that. So, bring what you need, and buy what you need!

• Find a host/local friends

Staying in a hotel/hostel would cost a lot, especially if you wanna stay for a long period of time. Finding a host is a good option for us. Not only saving our money, sharing our culture and stories worths more than the money we would spend for our stay in a hotel.

Then how could you find a host? It isn't that hard. Well it is. But not that hard. You can use Couchsurfing (couchsurfing.com) to look for a host. Or you can also use this website if you want to be a host of any traveller. I highly recommend this website. But remember, be selective!

If you feel insecure about living with a stranger, maybe you can try to go hangout with them! Couchsurfing can help you with this! 

This is Anna, our host in Bangkok

Left to right : Teddy, Gabriele, Gisella, and Anna.
I found Anna through Couchsurfing, and I found Teddy by coincident (from a project).
Going with the locals will give you different feelings

• Walk as much as you can

You might get tired at some point, and that's ok to spend your money on MRT, sky train, or even taxi. But really, you can really save your money by walking. You can use your money to buy some good foods, and to keep your body in shape too! Oh, it would be even better if you have some friends to walk with!

Maybe you won't feel it, but when you think about this, you can actually save a lot of money from walking

• Find great places with no or less entrance fee

Some people want to see those places that are mentioned in most travelling recommendation. And again, I don't really care about those fancy and popular places. I want to go to those places that suit me well.

If you browse about Bangkok on the internet, you'll find some temples as popular recommendation. Well I can't deny that those temples are really great. But I'm not so into temples, they often charge you for that (especially when you're a foreigner and have that foreigner face).

There are actually a lot of free places that you can visit, like parks, beaches, monuments, markets, and even universities that are worth to see. And that's what we did!

Joining their healthy dance on a park was actually fun!

Having your quality time on a public park can be an option

Having a local friend would be an advantage. Having a trip around their uni is a good option too

They charge foreigners to go inside the temple. But taking a photo is free!

• Go a bit further to find better prices

When you're in a popular place (or in a crowded place) and you need to buy something, or if you want to go by taxi/tuk-tuk, try to go further! Most of the time, you'll find some better options (lower price, more options).

Oh, one more thing! If you need to take a cab, try to take a cab that is on its way. Picking a waiting cab (when a taxi is waiting for their passenger) would cost more, usually in a popular places. 

I suggest you to walk and wait a bit. Go further and check for better options.

This kind of place usually offers better price

• Control yourself

When you only have small amount of money to spend, you really have to control yourself. Buying the foods and drinks you don't really need would double your expenses. Oh don't forget about that shopping thing! You have to stop yourself when you're running out of money, or if you don't have any space left in your backpack!

I prefer buying smaller stuffs with lower price.
Bigger stuffs would take more space.
Expensive stuffs would suck your money deeper.

Maybe you can try going to the market and ask for some free tasting!

Sometimes, going to Seven Eleven to have your lunch can be the best option..
It isn't that expensive (but it isn't that healthy as well!)

When you only have limited amount of money, you should keep yourself from
those fancy cafe or restaurant

Instant noodle isn't that bad!

How to (really) Spend Your Time as a Thai

Bangkok is such a big and modern city. Shopping malls and tall buildings are everywhere. It was fine for the first day, but you might get bored for the next days. It happened to us, and we knew it even before we arrived in Bangkok.

Staying a bit far from the city is the best option for us. We tried to find a host from the suburb of the city (which wasn't too far away from the city), and we found Sky, a travel/volunteer coordinator from Thanyaburi. It wasn't too hard to go there because of her directions. But it would be harder to go there without knowing any direction (taking a bus here is a bit hard since they don't really have clear information about the destination and the route of the bus).

So we arrived at the closest shopping mall there (named Big C), and Sky picked us up from that place. She drove us with her nice car to her house to meet her mother, put out stuffs, and cooked together.

Thanyaburi used to be popular for its rice, and we've proved that. The organic rice that they produce tastes much better than the rice we usually eat. And the dishes they cooked were well cooked; home made, healthy, and tasty.

On the next day, Sky took us around her area. She took us to 3 temples to see the differences between each temple. It was such a great experience since the temples weren't too crowded (as those in Bangkok).

Sky also took us to have our lunch on a boat. We call it rice noodle on a boat, which Thanyaburi is popular for. We ordered 3 kinds of dishes; rice noodle with pork, beef, and chicken. Beside that, we also ordered a portion of Thai satay with their special sauce.

Our noodle came along with the coconut pudding, which can rarely be found, even in Thailand. It's made of coconut cream, flour, pandan, and some other ingredients that I'm not too sure about. This coconut pudding is so damn special. Trust me!

On our last hours in Thanyaburi (we only spent a night there), Sky took us to her former university to take a look at the lotus park. Not only the park, the whole university is such a great place!

We are so thankful that we could stay with them, even only for a night. Most people know about Bangkok, but Thanyaburi is another place that's worth to see!

Here is the list of our expenses for our trip in Thanyaburi.

Red font : not so important expenses

If you're wondering; yes, we paid some amount of money to Sky, to pay for our foods and her car's fuel.