The Penang 4 x 4 Adventure Club's "Koh Samui Explorer 2008"

Convoy heading towards pier at Don Sak

I was invited to join an event organized by the Penang 4 x 4 Adventure Club. It was a four-day event from 1^st – 4^th May, 2008. Before I begin writing on the trip, perhaps a short history of the Club is appropriate.

A small group of hardcore 4 x 4 enthusiasts mooted the idea of the Club’s formation about 13 years ago. In the early days, these gentlemen were really doing the serious off-road stuff. Going into the wild for days, camping, opening up trails deep in the jungle, river crossings and most things you could imagine on outings like these. But those were the days!

Today, the Club boasts a membership of a little more than 400, and is touted to be the largest 4 x 4 outfit in the country. They are active, and they organize an average of about 3 – 5 expeditions annually. I have always enjoyed their trips (I have been invited couple of times). They are very well organized and well equipped. Most of their vehicles come with CB radio and there is communication all the way.

We left Penang early morning, arriving at the border checkpoint 9.00 a.m. It was a long weekend and the queue at the checkpoint did not disappoint. The holiday crowd coupled with our 44-vehicle convoy certainly taxed the Immigration authorities of both countries. It took us about an hour to clear the checkpoint and we proceeded to Nakhon Si Thammarat, arriving at about 2 p.m., completing the 1^st leg of the trip.

The food here is superb! We had dinner at a quaint little restaurant by the river where they serve excellent seafood. Dinner was a private affair and some of those who joined us had the presence of mind to bring along a couple bottles of wine!

We left Nakhon Si Thammarat the following morning and proceeded to Don Sak to board the ferry to Koh Samui. You really got to hand it to these guys. Equipped with GPS and all, the journey proceeded without a hitch. Arrived at Don Sak to find the chartered ferry ready and waiting to ferry us across.

An hour later we were on the island, making our way to the hotel. Because it was local in-season, we were unable to land a hotel with a beachfront. Anyway, the place we got was decent; there was a nice stretch of beach just across the street.

Koh Samui has changed tremendously. It is now very commercialized. I would describe it as something like Penang in the 70’s. If you expect to see those sleazy joints with pole dancing and the like, forget it! Somehow, the Thais have learnt to be discreet about stuff like that. Some of the old establishments like Reggae Pub, Aloha, Weekender are still there. Chaweng has become a very up-market place and Lamai too, has changed. In the old days, Lamai was virtually a dead place during the day. It is different now. I still remember those days when there was only one (1) policeman on the island. His home doubles as the Police Station. Today, they have as many Police Stations as there are Buddhist Temples on the island.

The Club organized the grand dinner at a resort by the beach on our last night in Samui. The setting was great, by the sea. Beer was free flowing and the food was simply marvelous. There was a cultural show by a transvestite group, followed by a karaoke session.

We left Samui on 4^th May and reached home the same day. It was a good trip except that I thought it was a bit too short!