introducing samui

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History of Samui
Samui was discovered several hundred years ago as a place for fishermen and sea traders sailing through the Gulf of Thailand looking to shelter from storms. Early Chinese and Malay settlers marvelled at the island’s beauty and abundance, and there are those who believe the name is derived from word ‘Saboey’, which means ‘safe haven’ in the Chinese dialect of these settlers. Koh means island in Thai. Maps of the island date as far back as the seventeenth century, but there is very little documented history of the island because most of the knowledge was passed down through the generations by word of mouth. The first communities that developed here survived mainly by the sea, then later planted crops, which flourished in the warm tropical climate. They were self sufficient and it was not until the late1940's that there was any significant contact with the mainland. Tropical fruit became an important export industry, and even today Samui is known throughout Thailand for succulent fruits such as ‘Lang San’, a small round fruit similar to a Lychee, + the infamous ‘Durian’ with its pungent yellow flesh.
Although the palm tree has come to be known as the symbol of Koh Samui, it wasn’t until relatively recently coconuts became the most prolific fruit on the island. Over the years farmers slowly turned the island into a huge coconut and rubber plantation with crops fetching a good price, Thai people from the mainland began to arrive in numbers to benefit from the island’s economy. Samui now boasts more varieties of coconut palm than anywhere else in the world, although sadly an infestation of beetles now threatens many of these majestic tropical trees. Over the last 30 years things have changed rapidly to move Samui towards the sophisticated end of the tourist spectrum making it the fastest growing tourist destination in Thailand and the spa capital of the region. Still, in development terms Samui is an 'emerging destination' within Thailand and the region. Samui and Phuket share a similar development pattern where an initial foundation industry – farming and fishing for Samui and tin mining for Phuket – have been replaced by international/domestic tourism and investment but whereas Phuket is a mature market now Samui is in it's infancy which is part of it's charm and fascination. What ever simple Chinese/Thai/Malay cultural customs and traditions may have existed on Samui they have now been swamped by migration of people from many parts of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and international residents. In a sense Samui is still a 'frontier town' in it's juvenile stage of development looking for its unique identity and purpose for it's mature years still some way off. While sophisticated resort and multi million dollar private villas abound it is still early days even though major international brand hotels are now building or buying up land. Culturally speaking Samui does not show any clearly evident Thai cultural traditions and customs; Thai dance, music, libraries, universities, arts and crafts, community based clubs and socities, rituals and festivals, a strong sense of local community identity and associations such as you find in abundance, valued and deeply bedded into the older more cultured Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or even Bangkok. People come here to work and make money in this thriving economy and while some stay many eventually return home.
Never-the-less compared to Phuket and Pattaya, development on Samui is more controlled, so to date you will not find many buildings higher than a coconut palm. Though there is not an identifiable style such as you find in Bali or the Maldives, small and large hotels and resorts are often set in vibrant garden-scapes often with magnificent trees, even in Central Chaweng the tourist and commercial centre of the island where the beach is always close to your door.

SamuiIntroduction