Thursday, July 12, 2007


KOH SAMUI

Koh Samui is Thailand’s third largest island and the largest in a group of nearly 100 tropical islands in the Gulf of Thailand . Known as the Samui Archipelago, only three islands besides Koh Samui are inhabited. Koh tan, Kho Phangan amd Koh Tao.
There are nearly 3.5 million coconut trees, some over 100 years old and 35 metres tall.
Koh Samui has sandy beaches, green mountainous interiors, coral reefs and a tropical climate.

We are staying at Chaweng Blue Lagoon Resort in bure-type accommodation about 30 metres from the water. It is a totally relaxing place and apart from swimming and walking on the beach and then into the township each day for the International Herald Tribune there has been little exercise. It is a reading, napping, eating & drinking do-nothing sort of place in temperatures ranging from 24-30 degrees. And of course a daily massage at NZ$15 an hour!



The town reminds me of a Fijian or Balinese town, very much third world with two economies, one catering to the tourists and the other to the locals.

The red trucks in the picture with surfboards on top are unmetered "taxis" and if you want to use them you negotiate a price before entering!

On our first day here I was delighted to find in Chaweng town a small but well-stocked bookstore called BOOKAZINE which belongs to a chain of some 27 stores of the same name.

About half the book stock carried is English language titles with the rest being Thai, German and French. They have a big range of best-seller fiction titles, mostly ex-UK, and of course a huge selection of travel guides, maps, phrasebooks etc. Also impressive is their magazine collection with magazines from the UK, France, Australia and Germany. Pic below shows Bookman Beattie buying a book at Bookazine.


Last week I posted a review from the New York Times of John Burdett’s latest, BANGKOK HAUNTS, and then subsequently mentioned him again when I bought BANGKOK TATTOO from the excellent Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore in Paris.
Well now I’m going to mention him again because at BOOKAZINE, (terrible name by the way!), I found a copy of his latest title which wasn’t yet available in Paris. I bought that along with an earlier title, BANGKOK EIGHT so I now have three Burdetts
I have started reading the earliest of these titles, BANGKOK EIGHT, and am totally engrossed. It is a crime fiction/thriller cross with the protagonist being a half-Thai,
half-American cop whose Bhuddist beliefs are as important as his forensic skills.
More about this anon.

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