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Diving
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| Can
the sea be any clearer? |
Koh Samui and Koh Tao offer great diving opportunities
with several reefs located off the island's shores. The
Angthong National Marine Park off the northern end of Samui
offers plenty of fun for both beginners and advanced divers.
Accredited training courses are available at most dive shops
in Chaweng, Lamai and Nathon, so why not give it a try?
(Read more...)
Snorkeling
Lots of coral reefs and lots to see within easy reach.
Equipment can be rented from dive shops around the island
or from your hotel if you're planning to snorkel close to
shore. If you want to go further, most dive companies offer
snorkelling trips around offshore islands.
Sailing
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| Koh
Samui Regatta |
Koh Samui Regatta
The Koh Samui Regatta held around April/May, is timed to
cater to the racing community after the China Sea Race and
Manila's President's Cup Regatta. It also gives southern
competitors the Easter break to make the voyage north and
the Pattaya/Gulf of Thailand-based yachts the Songkran holiday
to travel south. Please check www.samuiregatta.com.
for updates on entries and sponsors.
Sea Kayaking
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| A
kayaker's dream come true. |
Samui's shoreline and nearby islands in the Angthong Marine
Park have a wealth of marine, animal and plant life. For
a close and leisurely look, spend some time in a sea kayak.
Half-day, day and overnight guided trips are available from
most tour agents. If you just fancy paddling around on your
own, kayaks can also be rented at the more popular beaches.
Hiking
Apart from coconuts, the hills of Samui also have some
pretty waterfalls and trails for leisurely hiker to explore.
Hin Lat Falls can be found south of Nathon. (Only a 30-minute
hike from the entrance to the top of the falls.) Na Muang
Falls further south is about a 2 kilometre walk from the
marked turn-off. All are signposted.
Thai Cooking Lessons
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| fresh
ingredients.. . |
Learn the secrets of those wonderful Thai dishes, using
local ingredients. Samui offers several cooking schools
- some independent and some attached to hotels or restaurants.
More and more restaurants are now revealing the secrets
behind their dishes during 2-hour lessons in fully-equipped,
modern kitchens. Prices are around 900 Baht including lunch
for two persons. Fruit and vegetable carving lessons are
also popular. These will often include instructional booklets
and carving tools in 6-hour sessions.
SITCA (Samui Institute of Culinary Arts) is acquiring a
reputation for good training. Located at the far end of
Soi Colibri (Chaweng Boulevard)
ThaiBoxing
If you don’t mind the violence, a Thai boxing match
is worth attending for the pure spectacle and the wild musical
accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match, and
the frenzied betting around the stadium.
The training of a Thai boxer, particularly the relationship
between the boxer and teacher, is highly ritualized. As
the boxers enter the ring, they perform a special pre-fight
dance known as the "ram muay". During the dance,
they wear a headband given by their trainer. It is a sacred
talisman earned after years of dedication to the art. The
dance starts with "wai khru" - each boxer kneeling
and bowing three times, which is a show of respect to his
teacher. With the ceremonies complete, the fight begins.
A match consists of five rounds of three minutes each.
Accompanying the fight is music stimulated by action in
the ring, rising and falling as the boxers battle it out.
All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets, and
any part of the body except the head may be used to strike
an opponent. Common blows include high kicks to the neck,
elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs,
and low crescent kicks to the calf. A contestant may even
grasp an opponent’s head between his hands and pull
it down to meet an upward knee thrust (ouch!). Punching
is considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely
a way to ‘soften up’ one’s opponent. Most
matches end with a knee or elbow strike.
The sport has changed a lot from the days when boxers would
wrap their fists in thick horsehide trimmed with cotton
then soak them in glue and broken glass for maximum impact.
The many changes initiated to make the sport safer have
reduced the high incidence of death and injury. But Thai
boxing is still a violent contact sport and considered by
many as the ultimate martial art.
Thai boxing matches are held every Monday and Friday night
at the stadium in Chaweng. Occasional matches are held on
other days (usually announced by pick-ups with loud speakers).
Demonstrations of Muay Thai are held in many of tourist
areas but they are mostly for show.
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