Thailand’s bananas: your new favourite fruit

Apr 282012
 

Just a banana? Overlooked as something quotidian – Thailand’s bananas hope to change your mind. Take a break from the supermarket and try out the Thai banana – you’ll find them hard to leave behind.

Thailand banana flower and fruit

Thailand’s banana varieties: hard to count?

Thailand has about, well,  a lot of banana varieties (we’ve read sources that claim 20, 28, 50 and ‘over a hundred’) – all with a preferred use. As with apples, some are better eaten raw, some stand out when cooking. Visit fruit markets around Koh Samui and you’ll begin to notice that some are fatter than others, and both colour and taste differ, too. GardenWeb has some great photos of a Bangkok banana tree show: Continue reading »

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How big is Koh Samui? You’ll be surprised!

Apr 272012
 

You know Koh Samui is a tiny island paradise – and yet you’re spoilt for choice in terms of beaches, restaurants and things to do. You might be weighing up the pros and cons of Koh Samui versus Phuket, or just have a general interest in a science we’ll call ‘Nerd’s Google Mapping’. So! How big is Koh Samui? Long ago, teachers told us to show, not tell. As such, we’ll leave it to the magic powers of Google Maps and our new favourite site MAPfrappe to divulge every inch of Koh Samui’s comparative size.

Here’s what we came up with:

How big is Koh Samui?

Exactly the answer you wanted? Actually, Koh Samui is bigger than a lot of places! (Even ones you’ve heard of…). Continue reading »

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Koh Samui in September: weather, events, and more!

Mar 162012
 

Samui in September = really, truly gorgeous weather. Don’t tell Santa (or Songkran) but it’s our favourite month of Koh Samui’s climate. Better still? After August, almost everyone else has returned to the real world with school and job commitments – you’ve got the beaches to yourself, and still a wide margin of weather safety until rainy season shows up sometime in October.

Yep – that’s our verdict. Koh Samui in September is a genius move. Here’s what to know, and what to do! Continue reading »

How to survive a long flight with your children

Feb 282012
 

An added bonus to a Koh Samui holiday, perhaps, is a long flight with children. Are you looking forward to it? Before reaching for sedatives, consider some slightly less drastic action.

surviving a long flight with children

We’ve rounded up all sorts of games, comforts and distractions to keep your children happy while flying to Samui. Click on any of the links below to access in-flight games, books and activities that come highly recommended by fellow parents. Whatever happens, there’s a stiff drink waiting at the other end. (For you, not for them). Continue reading »

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Tempted by the Koh Samui tailor? Maybe not.

Feb 012012
 

“Hello boss, nice to meet you.” Another day at the office? No, this is a street in Koh Samui and an Indian tailor has just identified you as a potential customer. He’s eager to get you looking your very best in one of his creations. A familiar approach, “Armani suit for you, my friend?”, occurs all over and ranges from affable to obseqious, at various levels of tenacity.

Tailors Koh Samui

With dozens of tailors around Samui, you’re bound to encounter one during your stay. Their shop-fronts (found on the beach, along high streets and in towns) suggest direct access to designs and fabrics from the big names in fashion, at very low prices. Some have shop names you’ll recognise, in familiar fonts: ARMANI! ZARA! (and friends). Continue reading »

Better vacation pictures: tips for your Thai travel photos

Jan 312012
 

Koh Samui offers some of the best vacation photo opportunities imaginable. Food photography, elephants, orchids … and maybe one or two of your family. All over Samui, but particularly at sunset, are bright sights you’ll want to remember, to show off on Flickr – to keep forever.

As our website might suggest, we’re rather slavish about our sunset photos – a labour of love that sees us regularly attached to a tripod. While Koh Samui sunsets are a subject worthy of lengthy study – a few quick photography tips will make a big difference between mediocre snapshots (that disappoint) and the money shots (the ones that get enlarged and framed). Continue reading »

David Thompson’s “Thai Food” cookbook – a bible?

Jan 302012
 

David Thompson is a god to us. His book, Thai Food, is not only bright pink (solid choice) but a How Not To Starve and Be Sad manual whenever we have to leave Thailand. It’s always sad to board a plane leaving Samui and wave the island goodbye. For us, it usually means going somewhere a lot less friendly and not very warm. As we readjust to wearing the uniform of the real world (socks, trousers, coats…*sigh*), we miss Samui’s food the most. Call it not culture shock, but curry shock.

Our household bible through these dark days is hot pink, dissected with a lime green ribbon. Creatively named “Thai Food,” this is the Thai cookbook for any home-based Samui Rehabilitation Project. Its author, chef David Thompson, teaches Thai culinary history to Thai students and his expertise resonates throughout the book. Continue reading »

Learning Thai: the most rewarding thing to do badly

Jan 262012
 

Over 60 million people speak Thai (six times more than speak Swedish). While you can enjoy your Samui holiday speaking only English, you’ll be infinitely rewarded for learning just a few words in Thai. Unlike in many parts of Asia, Thais will expect you learn at least hello and thank you in their language. It’s the least you can do for a perfect vacation, right? Any efforts will pay off &, again, unlike many parts of Asia, Thais will be far happier to teach you their language than pester for English tips.

ไทย (Coca-Cola)

So how does the Thai language work? There’s no standard method to write Thai words in the Latin alphabet. (Whereas Chinese has ‘pinyin’, for example). So you might see ‘sawasdee’ (hello) written any number of ways. Continue reading »

How to cut up a pineapple – Thai style

Jan 162012
 

Somewhere between the first and second sip of a Samui pineapple shake, a vow is made. “I will never eat canned pineapple again.” Much like a faked orange tan, the canned stuff is a waste of money and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. A poor imitation. Still, the fresh fruit comes with a few challenges. Kind friends have taught us how to cut up a pineapple quickly and keep as much of the fruit as possible. Consider it your first lesson in a happy transition from farang to Thai.

How to cut up a pineapple

5 steps to cut up a pineapple – quickly, properly and with all 10 fingers

1. Cut off the top and bottom (apparently not necessary if you’re man enough to wield a machete, but the timid kitchen-knife user will find it’s much more stable as a block). Continue reading »

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