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Monk sleeping at Ko Samui Buddhist templein Thailand
 This monk made a hammock out of one of his orange saffron-dyed robes
at this temple in Ko Samui close to the ocean.
A Thai Buddhist monk's home is called a "hootchie", at least that's
what we westerners call them. In Thai I am not sure if they are just
called "bahn" or if there is another name for them.
There are many Buddhist temples (wats) on Ko Samui, most of them are
found around the southeast, south, and southwestern coast of the
island. They are usually quite small compared to Buddhist wats in
other areas of Thailand, but land is at a premium in Ko Samui, most
of the island is steep mountain.
Most local people in Ko Samui tend to live at the base of the hills
where it is hot, but
 more convenient to reach the roads to get
around the island. The mountain roads tend to be a bit treacherous
as they are sometimes concrete and sometimes just dirt. They can get
VERY dangerous during or after a heavy rainstorm, which frequently
occur here in the rainy season.
Ko Samui temples are worth a visit. Visitors can see a "mummy monk"
with the preserved body of a famous Ko Samui monk enclosed in glass.
He died in the 1970's and hasn't decomposed much since then.
 There are numerous temples surrounding the beach in Samui, and some
of them are quite picturesque. The main temple that you should go to
see is the one that houses the "Big Buddha" on the hill. This statue
is located just north of Chaweng beach and there are usually many
tourists there taking pictures, videos and doing some shopping. Some
unique things are offered for sale at this temple. Especially unique
are mammoth sized metal statues and artwork created from small metal
pieces that came from parts of motorbikes, cars, trucks, and other
machinery.
These statues can be shipped overseas and they are QUITE unique.
So, whether you come to Ko Samui for the beaches, the shopping or
the Buddhist temples, you should go to the temples because they have
some of all of this.
Enjoy your Ko Samui Holiday!
Ko Samui Maps >
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