Bophut has somehow escaped problems that plague other beaches
Most of Samui island, the tourist-hub of Surat Thani province, is packed with modern shops, bars, and luxurious resorts, but on its northern tip still exists a fishing community that retains much of its old lifestyle where tourists can get a glimpse of the fast vanishing Samui of yore.
Grey clouds roared over the horizon breaking the afternoon silence at Bophut beach. From where I stood on Bophut beach I could already see dark clouds hanging over most parts of Ko Pha Ngan in the distance.
The wind blew in strong gusts creating a hole in the cloud which allowed sunlight to filter in and light up the patch where it made contact with the sea to a sparkling turquoise colour. I took cover in a quiet corner of a restaurant to enjoy the scenery and wait for the storm to blow out.
``Rain or no rain?'' shouted a waiter to his colleague, inviting him to a wager, as more dark clouds sailed overhead. Apart from that conversation and the occasional rumble of clouds and motorcycle engines, Bophut was draped in silence, in stark contrast to what I had witnessed on Chaweng and Lamai beaches earlier that day.
Bophut has some how managed to escape the mess surrounding Samui's other beaches that came with the boom in tourism over the past two decades. The fishing community is largely made up of small stores, cutely-decorated restaurants, guesthouses and old wooden houses that seemed as if they had stood there forever.
Here, you can see the local people lead easy lifestyle, old ladies in tube skirts going about their daily chores, and men wearing pha kha ma, a piece of cloth draped around the waist, engaged in a lively conversation by the roadside. Children frolicked, oblivious to the gathering storm, while tired men relaxed on terraces by the sea. Further up, I saw dogs enjoy a swim with their owners.
Not far from the restaurant where I had taken shelter was a wooden pier. Kids ran frantically up and down the beaten gangplank, their favourite stomping ground, which also served as a platform from where they cast their fishing rods into the sea underneath.
This typical ambience is missing elsewhere, but if you want to experience Samui of yore go to Bophut, which also boasts of some very cute and elegant restaurants set in shophouses along the beach with their terraces facing the sea.
Coffee Junction Cafe & Wine Bar is a nice place to ease down and watch people go about their daily life. Baia is an Italian restaurant offering friendly service, while Happy Elephant serves delicious local and Western cuisine. One of the more popular restaurants in Bophut is Starfish & Coffee, a boutique outlet painted in stunning red and roaring with Indian music.
From where I sat, I saw the staff from various restaurants head towards the beach as more rain clouds gathered above us. They started swimming and then broke into a chorus. And they were enjoying it, too.
Then lightening struck and my attention was diverted from the beach back to the restaurant.
``There will be rain,'' I heard someone say. The wager put up earlier that day was taken, after all.
Not long after that the sun went down the horizon and streaks of silver criss-crossed the sky at regular intervals, but thank god, the heavens held off and I was able to embark on the return leg of my journey to Bangkok.
Bangkok Post June 2005 www.bangkokpost.com
Peerawat Jariyasombat
