Koh Samui Airport

O n the small tropical             makes you wonder who really is     island of Koh Samui off the     nuts - the smiling islanders or    eastern seaboard of             the grinning farang!               Thailand there exists what has                                           got to be the quaintest little        When they gently direct you to     airport on the planet.                Terminal One with pride in their                                         hearts – you really have to        Why is that? Well, for starters       chuckle because of course it’s     every building on the airport         the only terminal they have!       complex is entirely thatched over     There are no gate numbers to rush  with palm leaves and not many         to, as all passengers arrive and   airports can claim that can they?     depart courtesy of a clean and     In the main public areas the          modern air-conditioned shuttle     exterior walls have wide-open         bus, which covers the distance     sides for the ocean breezes to        from the plane to the main         waft through keeping it at a nice     building or vice-versa in about    cool temperature. The smiling         two minutes flat. There is no      staff who work there are              carousel except the one going      ever-helpful and polite and greet     around in your head. There are no  every new-comer as though they        loudspeakers and no information    have just come from outer space –     screens. Just people cheerfully    which to those on this remote         carrying out their tasks with      island is exactly how it must         absolutely no hustle or bustle on  feel to them. It’s the opposite       their minds. Time has almost       when you leave because the            stopped still.                     islanders really hate to see                                             people depart from their island,      There is only one single           they figure: having spent ALL         arrow-straight runway to handle    that money to get there why would     both incoming and outgoing         anyone want to leave? And it          planes, which total no more than   about twenty flights per day          with fresh palm leaves every two   between 6.30 am when the airport      or three years like they do here.  opens for business at sunrise and     The fact is, once upon a time,     when it closes at sunset exactly      little Samui was the world’s       twelve hours later.                   largest exporter of coconuts and                                         palm trees are one commodity they  Playing the ace green card,           still have plenty of. Its what     Bangkok Airways, who built and        they have used for centuries on    own the airport (International        the roofs of their villas and      Airport Code - USM) have              bungalows and the ubiquitous       attempted a truly unique              salas that abound everywhere – so  experiment and one of which they      they figure; why stop there? Why   can be proud. The actual              indeed?                            buildings, which were finished in                                        1984, are not only pleasing to        As the plane starts its gradual    the eye but work hand-in-glove        descent approach towards the       with the island’s natural             narrow jutting peninsula on the    environment. It is, in itself, a      northeast sector of the island     compelling advert for greenness       you will now get a fantastic       in all its forms. The vast            bird’s eye view of Samui and all   Bangkok Airport (BKK) may be the      the other outlying islands.        newest and flashiest airport in       You’ll see the surf breaking on    the world but I’ve never seen         the beaches and trace the wakes    anyone standing around taking         of small fishing craft as they     hundreds of photos of it like         criss-cross the incredibly         they do of Samui Airport. This        green-blue turquoise sea. Then as  airport almost seems to be            you get closer you can make out    smiling at you – wanting its          the coral reefs growing beneath    photo taken. And for sure no          the dappling clear water. And if   other airport replaces its roof       you look harder still you might    even see a pod of dolphins            your imagination. Maybe the        jumping and dodging around the        airport workers are not that       fishing craft waiting for the         wrong – because it certainly       friendly fishermen to throw them      feels like you’ve just come from   a morsel. Phew, what a sight for      outer space - as surely nothing    sore eyes!                            on this planet awaits the visitor                                        more pleasingly than this          Frankly, the whole experience is      tropical hideaway located in the   just too much for the human soul      balmy Sea of Siam. Jet lag? Well,  to contemplate and you really         you can’t get jet lag in           cannot wait to land to check that     paradise, but I bet you didn’t     it really wasn’t a figment of         know that either did you?          About the Author: Derek Taylor runs Only In Samui, the premier Koh Samui Villas resource and rentals web site. Published At: www.Isnare.com