Chris and I have thoroughly enjoyed ending our trip to Thailand with a 4 day stay in Koh Samui, Thailand's 3rd largest island in the Gulf of Thailand. It used to be the largest coconut plantation in the world and is said to have over 2 million coconut trees. It has a tropical climate with a combination of beautiful white, sandy beaches as well as hilly, mountainous regions toward the interior of the island. Over 100 islands surround Koh Samui, and Chris and I had the good fortune to take a day's boat ride to the island of Koh Tao, almost 2 hours away, to scuba dive at Shark Island. Visibility was good and felt like we were swimming in bath water with water temp's in the 80's. Though we didn't see whale sharks, at about 70 feet under water along the ocean floor we saw an abundance of variety of colorful coral reef and tropical fish, including a blue spotted ray, parrot fish, a school of over 100 baby catfish, a huge 2 foot clam said to be over 50 years old, banner fish, angel fish, trigger fish, and a school of over 100 mackarel.
We have stayed on the Southwest tip of the island at the Conrad resort, a Hilton property that is only about 1 year old. We have been spoiled with our own villa and private infinity pool, and we travel by golf cart "buggy" to go anywhere on the property due to the steep hills and 100+ degree heat. We also enjoyed meeting up with another couple, Christopher and Michael Jon, who are fellow Minnesotan Rotarians and were also traveling here post Rotary convention. Service at our resort has been second to none and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in paradise on earth! We leave shortly to begin our 27 hour journey back home. It has been a wonderfully unforgettable trip. Thailand is truly beautiful, both from the people and the country. Here are some final pictures of our time at Koh Samui: http://pix.kg/p/9254305151105%3A1187335429/scl
